Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1887-01-22 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

BRUTAL MURDER IN KAN CHESTER.  A murder of exceptional brutality has been committed in Salford. The victim was Kate Quinn, a married woman, who far nearly a year has cohabited with a dyer, named Thomas Leatherharrow, a widower with four children. Leatherbarrow and his paramour lodged with a woman named Sweeney, in a wretched cottage in Franchise-street, off Broad-street. He is a man of notorious character, well known to the police, and he has already served a term of penal servitude for an assault on his deceased wife. For some time past Mrs. Quinn has apprehended that he would attempt to kill her, as he had often openly threatened to do so. She worked at a mill in the neighbourhood, but had been away for a week, having fallen into the fire-grate, after spending a day drinking with another woman. Leatherbarrow had not been working much for some days. They were heard quarrelling, but little notice was taken of the circumstance. During the forenoon Quinn sent a boy, named Craddock, Is the mill at which she worked to fetch the one day's wages due to her for the previous week, amounting to 2s. 4d. ' On the boy returning shortly after 12 Leatherbarrow half opened the door, and, taking the money from him, said," I am just going fora glass of whiskey for Kate." The man seemed to be in a great hurry, and it is probable that the murder had then been corn. a:acted. Shortly afterwards a neighbour, Mrs. Doyle, and another woman, Mrs. Barrett, asked for Mrs. Quinn, and not finding her, and the front door of the house being locked, the termer sent her daughter into the house by the back door and into Leatherbarrow's room. The girl ran back at once, stating that the woman was dead. The neighbours then went upstairs, and there saw a sickening sight. The room, which was almost devoid of furniture, was spattered with blood all over. There lay Quinn, quite dead, on a mattress, dressed, and with her clogs on. Over her face was thrown a soiled apron, and on this being removed it was seen that the woman's head had been battered in and her face shockingly mutilated. ' Near at hand was the weapon with which the crime had no doubt been committed—a heavy hammer. With this the murderer had struck the woman at the back of the head, smashing in the skull, ' and on the face, and evidently there had been a struggle, for the walls were all marked with blood. The man seems to have lifted the woman on to the mattress, arranged her clothes, thrown the apron over her face, and washed the blood off the hemmer. The pollee were at once summoned, and the borough was scoured for the murderer. About four o'clock he was arrested coming out of. beer-house, and in a very drunken condition. He was at once taken to the Town Hall; but it was decided not to charge him with the crime until he should be perfectly sober. He asked the police several times if the woman was dead. Leatherbarrow was subsequently formally charged with the murder, and in reply made a statement which the police do not at present divulge. It is known, however, that he manifested no concern on 1 being informed that the woman was dead. He maintained a callous, indifferent demeanour, and expresses no regret for what has happened. In the ease of his own wife he attempted to take her life by cutting her throat, and she died a year afterwards, whilst he was serving the term of five years' penal servitude to which he was sentenced in 1880.