The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1876-04-15 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

FATAL AND MURDEROUS TRADE OUTRAGES.  A shocking outrage has been committed at Bolton. It appears that a turnout has existed for some time at Messrs. Slater's bleach works. On Saturday night, as three of the workmen, named Thompson, M'Curley, and Wright, were proceeding homewards from a beerhouse in Slater's-lane, stones were thrown at them. M'Curley was knocked down and kicked by several men until he became insensible ; Wright succeeded in e.caping ; and Thompson's dead body was loud in the road, he having ap parently been kicked to death. Sixteen men have been arrested on suspicion. _ _  _ The Bolton Chronicle says—At the time of the attack, not a word was uttered by the assailants, and so quietly was the whole affair conducted that neighbours residing but a stone's throw off knee, nothing of it until some time afterwards. Mr. Beech obtained from the manager a list of the names and addresses of the turn-outs, and in the course of Sunday 34 (if them were apprehended, and subjected to a rigid examination as to their whereabouts on Saturday evening. The result wise that at two o'clock on Monday morning 29 of the arrested persons were liberated on bail, the names of the remaining five being—Edwin Ashcroft, James Atkin John Barns Thomas Ainsworth, and Thomas liaslain. All these persons, it rs alleged, were in the neighbourhood of Waterloo-street on saturday evening, and upon the clothing of two ot them—Atkin aid Ashcroft —marks iif elood are said to be disc reible. On Moiil.iy morning, the five prisoners were brought before the Rotten nnigistrat,s charged with the murder of James Tiionips .n, and also with violently assaulting James M'Curley, and doing him grievous bod.ly harm, in Sister'slane, on Saturday evening. Mr. Beech (chief coi stable) heving called over the names of the persons who had been arrested and liberated on bail, asked the magistrates to discharge them, which was accordingly done. Mr. Hull then said it appeared that on Saturday night, between ten and eleven o'clock, the deceased, James Thompson, and iwo other I men, were in a beerhouse, anti on their way home they were attacked by a number of men. Thompson' he believed, was killed on the spot owing to the Violence of somebody, and one of his companions, named M'Curley, was injured so severely that he was not able to make his appearance in court. The third man got away without being much injured. The outrage had arisen, he believed, from a dispute which had existed tor some time past at the works of Mesas. Slater and Co., Back- O'th'-13ailk. All three men were in their employment up to the time of the affair taking place, and it was supposed that the men who committed the outrage were persons who had left Messrs. Sister's employment, and felt aggrieved at the three men not leaving work also. This was the only apparent motive why they committed the outrage; they had not had any angry words at the beerhouse, and there was no reasou for it except it arose from the dispute. The magistrates remanded the prisoner*. On Wednesday, the inquest was commenced before Mr. Rev/land Taylor, deputy coroner, at the Coroner's Court, Bolton. The Deputy Coroner said that he proposed simply on the present occasion to take evidence of identification, seeing that owing to the investigation by the police it was not advisable at the present stage to go further with the case. —Tee jury then went to view the body, and on their return the evidence of the widow, Alice Thompson, was taken. She said she lived in 9, Clifford-street, Little Bolton, and the deceased was her husband, and 40 years of age. He was a fire-beater at Messrs. Slater's. The last time she saw him alive was at 5-30 on Saturday night, when he came home to his tea. She did not see him again until 12 o'clock, when she saw his dead body in Slater's Lane. She could not identify him at first, as it was dark, but she recognised him by some peeuliarity in his fingers. The inquest was then adjourned.  EXTRAORDINARY CURE or A