The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1866-03-10 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

THE WIGAN MURDER.—THE SEARCH FOR THE MISSING WATCH.-thir readers will remember that at the last South Lancashire Assizes two men, John Healey and Thomas Walton, were indicted for the murder of an engine tender named James Barton, at the Button Pit, Haigh, near Wigan, in January, 1863. The murder was committed under circumstances of peculiar atrocity, as the body of Barton was thrust into one of the furnaces at the colliery, where next day a few fragments of human bones told the horrible tale only too plainly. There was no evidence to connect either of the prisoners with the murder beyond their own confessions, that of Healey having been made in Warwick gaol, and that of Walton in a beerhouse near Wigan, where he was drinking, aud both men are understood now to deny their truth. Inasmuch, however, as Walton in his statement declared that the watch of the murdered man had been thrown into the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at a point which he named, an application was made at the assizes to Mr. Barton Pigott to grant a postponement of the trials in order that a search might be made at the place indicated, and Walton's story thus corroborated or refuted. Since that time the police have exerted themselves to make the necessary arrangements for the examination, but there were many difficulties in the way, the principal being at fist the scarcity of water, and it was not till a few days figo that the canal company granted the necessary permission for the search to be made on -unday. On Saturday aiternoon, about three o'clock, a body of workmen in the employ of the canal company commenced operations by driving in a set of piles at Gibson's Bridge; and this completed, they formed another dam a short distance above Pied Rock Bridge, which is close to the Button Pit, where the murder was committed. The distance between those two bridges is about 1000 yards, and half-way oetween is Pendlebury Bridge, the spot named by Walton as that where the watch was thrown into the water. By six o'clock the work was done, and the water was then drawn off by a Id-inch pipe at the end nearest he pit, and it was expected that by two o'clock in the morning the canal would be clear. At eleven 0 clock, however, an accident happened which completely destroyed all the calculations, as the lain at Red Rock Bridge proved utterly inad •quate to bear the weight of water against it, ar,d, with just sufficient warning to allow the men on the platform to escape, the piles gave way, and in ten minutes the work Was all undone. rhe workmen could not repair the ,iamage in time for the men who had been engaged to begin operations at daylight, ,Lnd ,vhun this body, some 150 in namber—navvies from the wafer works and boatmen—reached the spot with barrows, sives, ite., at six o'clock :id was in confusion. -After waiting a short dine the men were dismissed, and application was made to the canal company to allow the stoppage of traffic on Monday and fuesday but so far no preparations have been made for completing the task. During the clay vast CrOWitB of persons from Wigan and the vicinity visited the place, whore some 50 of the country police were on duty.  "