The Wolverhampton and Midland Counties Advertiser. — 1876-04-22 (Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England)

PRISONER BEFORE THE MAGISTRATES. The arrested barber, William Fish, WAS brought before the Blackburn magistrates on Monday. He was formerly a parish apprentice, end was taken out of the Blackburn Workhouse by Chadwick Bramwell, with whom he served his apprenticeship.. The prisoner's old master was on the jury, and circumstances which he pointed out to his brother jurors fixed public suspicion an the prisoner, which increased with every hour until he was arrested. Mr. Potts, the chief constable, said the prisoner Wm. Fish, was charged with committing an outrage upon the girl, and with the murder and mutilation of her body, on the 28th ult. On the previous day a own from Preston brought with him two dogs, one &spaniel and the other a bloodhound and pointer. The dogs had been brought to Bastwell and Lower Ounliffe, but nothing was discovered. Afterwards the dogs were taken to Fish's shop. The dogs found in the chimney portions of a human skull and parts of the arms, which appeared to have been partially burned. On entering the house Superintendent Eastwood informed the prisoner of the object of the visit, and prisoner was overwhelmed with consternation and dismay. The child's skull had three teeth in the lower jaw. No other child had been murdered that the police knew of. Ties outrage seemed to have had two persons concerned En it. Superintendent Eastwood proved that the doge had " scented " very clearly all round the place before the discovery. A quantity of hair was found under the slopstone, and the dog "scented" there verrclosely. Detective Holden went upstairs, closely followed by the dogs. The dog "scented " the chimney, and the dog's vrner at once put his head and shoulders up the shimney, and brought out first a small bone, and ultimately the skull and other missing portions of the body. The skull had brown hair upon it. The prisoner and his wife were present when the article' were found. No fire had been where the articles were found. Witness took the prisoner into custody on the ?large of murder. He said he knew nothing about it. Prisoner was then remanded. A "Central News" telegram states :—The Blackburn Police Court WRS besieged by an excited crowd, and numbers were unable to get in. Fish was the that prisoner brought up, and the interest excited on his appearance and the production of the dogs was intense. A sensation of horror went through the court when the remains were produced. Several articles of clothing were with the remains. Mr. Potts, chief constable, said that recent investigations had led the ponce to believe that two persons might have been concerned in the murder, and a witness was prepared to swear that an the night of the outrage a man, answering to Taylor's description, entered the barber's ship and informed Fish the remains were discovered, to which Fish replied, "Never mind, so long as others are secure." In answer to the magistrate, Mr. Potts said the police were acquainted with that fact before Taylor's arrest. The Chief Oonstable thee detailed the circumstances connected with the finding of the remains in the chimney at Fish's shop. At the 0011 elusion of the evidence, Fish, in reply to a question froaithe Bench, said, "1 know nothing about it. I am as innocent as a child about it."