The Sun. — 1839-04-18 (London, England)

WILLIAM TOOKE."  MURDER AT LIVERPOOL.  LIvItErOOL, TUESDAY EVENINQ —A horrid murder was committed last night in this town, on the bodies of a woman, the wife of the murderer, and a policeman who endeavoured to render assistance to the former. The circumstances connected with this frightful outrage are Of a very serious nature. It appears that the assailant whose name is Daniel Cole, a lumper by business, resided with his wife in a court off College-lane, and that on going home about ten o'clock last night he found his wife in a disgraceful state of intoxication. The reputation ofboth in their neighbourhood is very bad—he is described as a violent and drunken character, and is said to have been already in custody on a charge of stabbing—she has been a most abandoned character, and known to the police of the district as a regular street-walker. On the present occasion their quarrel was of an unusually violent nature, and so riotous as to attract the attention of the police. The unfortunate deceased entered the house, and seeing that Cole was armed, it is supposed withdrew to procure assistance. He had no sooner turned his back than the prisoner ran out of the house, and attempted to escape. He was pursued, and on being overtaken by the decased in Hanover-street, he made every possible resistance. In the stru,agle he stabbed the deceased which immediately prostrated with a knife in the throat, him to the earth. The blood gushed forth in the most awful manner, and the spot where he lay resembled the pool of blood of a slaughter-house. Oa raising the body, to discover the nature and extent of the wound, it was found that it had been inflicted with a knife resembling a shoemaker's. The carotid artery was completely divided, and such was the rapidity of the flow of blood from it, that the medical gentlemen (Doctors 31'Intyre and Callan) who were called in, stated that the body must have been completely emptied of blood in the lapse of ten minutes, and that all human assistance, even at the instant of the infliction of the gash, would have been totally unavailable. The . name of the policeman Bailley (No. 338). He is a native of Yorkshire, and has left a wife and two children to deplore his sudden and premature death. The residents of the streets in which he patrolled give him the most unexceptionable character, for propriety of conduct and peaceableness of demeanour in the discharge of his duties. The wretched woman, whose dissipated and irregular course of life led to this horrible murder, was dreadfully mangled about the neck and throat by her husband. The wounds inflicted upon her bled profusely, and she died soon after being taken to the Infirmary. A sailor, who also interfered along with the policeman to save the woman, received several wounds on the hands and face from the prisoner, and it was found necessary to use consi derable force in order to restrain him from committing further violence. He was finally, and with considerable difficulty taken to Brideivell, and was instantly handcuffed, his hands being pinioned behind his back. On being visited, in a few minutes after, by one of the officers, :t was found he had contrived, in a most adroit manner, to pass his body and legs over his hands, and thus succeded in getting his arms in front of his person. His arms were then secured in their former position, and he became perfectly quiet. He appears to be quite unconcerned about the matter to-day, and last night he seemed to be altogether unconscious of it. The melancholy occurrence has produced a great sensation in the neighbourhood where it occurred, and from an early hour this morning, College-lane, and dhe adjacent streets were crowded by persons anxious to learn the particulars of the shucking event. The door of the public house, the Grapes, in which the body lies is literally besieged by individuals desirous of obtaining a view of the deceased. The Coroner's inquest will take place tomorrow at eleven o'clock.