The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1905-08-16 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

THE OLD PRIORY MURDER] MRS. HANOOOKS' PITIFUL CAINE  AN APPEAL.  In the "New" of Saturday bast we published an sagaint of an interview one cif- our representatives had with Ifni. Ilancooks, whose insibead, William Alfred Hanoceks,, was executed at linutsford Gaol last week for the murder of his fifteen-year-okl daughter Mary, at No. 7, Old Priory, Bir-, kenhead. The poor woman (who, we hasten, to any, in no way sought publicity) told a pitiful etory, and the unocancaniely poignant nature of her sad tale .appeses to have created a profound impression. After reading the widow's account of her life width her tate inegioad, and of the earnest en-. 1 deavours he made to turn him from his evil courses, of her straggle to maintain the respectability of lienailf and her children nader.circumetanow which, it in safe . .  to esq, wou4d have utterly broken the spirit of nineteen women of every twenty, it is saareely surprising that growing sympathy and reepeot is felt for her. In the course of her conversation with our representative, Dirs. Hancooks complained that she has been amused of callousness and &wetness of heart because she did not attempt to visit her lrueiband in prison after his con— damnatiam. "People outside accuse me of theartlelwaess," she said„ "but did they . .  know of the bondage of ly life dming the pest seventeen yeare—the brutality, the nopetom wretched, the want, then they woUld understand how I should dread the return some day, ben, fifteen years hence. of the man whom I know, whom the public don t know. To the =Wide world he paned. as a respectable being, an upright, industrious individual, a good husband and a fond father. With some of his friends he was particularly popular : they were the people with whom he spent his money. I swerved coppers from him, but I struggled for my little ones. I got employment myself, and the beautiful girl whom be killed I Mane reared." These eentenoes mem to lift the veil from a life of wretchedness and. misery which, .liesinen be thanked, few women are called upon to endure. • Is there not, too, a world of meaning, of tragic and terrible meaning, underlying this wife and mother's expression of gratitude that the appeal for the prolongation of her miserable :husband's life had failed, and that the impassible gulf of the grave had been placed between her aid the being who had been the bane of her existence? We have considered it our duty to make clam inquiry into the circumstanoes of Mrs. Hencocks, and have also made certain inquiries concerning her personal character. We to to the first matter, that regret tunfortimate woman is practieelly destitute. She is, in faot, at present in receipt of parish relief, but, an one who has always endeavoured, as she says, to "keep free and independent," she feeds very acutely the necessity which drove her to appeal to the poor law for aid. Our inquiries respecting Mrs. Hancookef past serve to fully convince us that she is a , woman worthy of the warmest °millponds- I , Urn. Prior to her marriagethe was in good I , service with two Oxton families (one being I , that of Mr. Bate), Borough Eiectrical 'ftgi- I neer). Her former employers sleek in the highest terms of her, as does also the proprietrees of a shop in Grange-road for whom she has done fine needlework. She in also known favourably to the Rev. P. S. Guy-Warman and the Rev. A. Spafford, but as both of these gentlemen are away from home at present we are unable to get into touch with them. We have interviewed Mrs. Hancocks at this office, and may say that she impressed us most favourably. She is a woman of about 35, neatly dressed in black, quiet in manner, and remarkably well spoken. She is loft with two children, a boy , and a girl, one nearly three years and the other nearly five. She is devotedly attached , to them—they are all she has to live for, she , says—and her dearest wish in life is to re: thin them by her side. In all the eirAnsitances, we have decided to depart from our es-aa' Crleolll Of contenting ourepleee by referring cases of &sm.= to the organised charities of the borough, and to open a subscription bet for the benefit of