The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1880-02-06 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

THE MANCHESTER MURDER.  On 'Tuesday morning Thomas Haild, who was suspected of the murder of Sarah Jane Roberts, was brought *fore the Manchester county magistrates. on a charge of perjure. layrock, who was brought from Plymouth with Dail& was in court, and occupied a seat near the do, k. Mr. Crofton appeared to prosecute, and Mr. Wharton dcfended.—Mr. Crofton said, if the bench would permit him, he would withdraw the charge of perjury against the prisend.— Mr. Dickinson said if the polies had no charge against him he would be discharged.—Mr. Wharton said he appeared in behalf of Haild, and he did not anticipate this result. He had come prepared for other cases. The prisoner would be very well satisfied with the result, hut he had suffered considerably through this prosecution. Of came, in the interests of justice, enquiries were bound to be made; yet his name had appeared in a large—Mr. Iliggin' Q.C. (a magistrate), interrupting : Oh! but, Mr. Wharton, there is no other charge against him now, except that of making a false declaration.—Mr. Dickina (the presiding magistrate): I think you had better leave it where it is, Mr. Wharton.—Mr Wharton: I should like on his behalf to have some expression from the Bench.—Mr. Higgin : But you will not elicit it, whatever you may say.—Mr. Dickins You had better not say anything; we cannot, and we certainly shall not, give any opinion on a matter which has not been properly brought before us. The prisoner will be discharged—The decision was received with applause, which was taken up by the crowd outside. Immediately afterwards the prisoner was liberated, and on his leaving the dock he was welcomed and congratulated by a large number of friends. As soon WI he was set free, Haild went and shook hands with Mr Superintendent Bent, and thanked him in the Presence of several persons for the great consideration and kindness that had been extended towards him while he had been in custody. He said that he alone was to blame for the position in which he had been placed. Ile admitted that he did leave Harpurhey in a manner that was calculated to excite suspicion, and confessed that if he had been more discreet while he was in the police cella at Plymouth ho would have been the subject of much less publicity. Mr. Bent expressed his regret that Haild should have been put to so much annoyance, and liberally offered to pay his railway fare to Plymouth if he was still anxious to emigrate. Haild acknowledged his gratitude, and said that if he decided to leave Manchester he would take advantage of the offer. The police have resumed their inquiries in another direction, but their efforts are attended with great difficulty. Alas rarely happened that a crime of such a foul and cold-blooded character has been executed like the murder of Sarah Jane Roberta. Everyone is really to theorise, but hardly a single practical suggestion has come to hand. The publication and universel circulation of a far-s.nnk of what is known as the decoy letter has produced no result whatever, and the police have hardly a single fact to guide them. There is now a reward of .£3OO for the discovery and apprehension of the murderer, and although the authorities cannot of course share in this, they are not relaxing their exertions to trace the author of the crime