Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1888-08-25 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

AFTER SIXTEEN YEARS.  Thomas Wright, 30, chairmaker, of Roden-street, Holloway, has been charged at Worship-street Police. court, on his own confession, with having about 15 years ago murdered Sarah Squires and her daughter Christiana at Heston by beating them with a crowbar. The prisoner when put into the dock seemed perfectly calm and collected. His appearance was rather shabby. His height is about 3f1., his complexion fresh, and his hair reddish or ginger colour. He wore a moustache and whiskers. The circumstances of the crime may be recalled to mind. On the 10th of July, 1872, at 46, Hyde-road, Hoxton, the bodies of the two women were discovered by a boy named Eyre, aged IS, living In tiopsall-street, lloaton. The mother kept a paper shop at the address, and the shop was open at the time, and the boy, entering to make a purchase, discovered the body of the woman behind the counter. Be ran out to Police-constable 228 N, who entered and found the body, and then found the body of the daughter at the top of the kitchen stairs. Inspector Ramsay visited the place and made an examination, and found that the crime had been committed with the object of robbery, as boxes and drawers belonging to the women had been forced open. No trace of the murderer or murderers was discovered, and from that day the criminal has been undetech d. On Tuesday evening at about six o'clook, the prisoner confessed tea cabman that he had been hunted 15 years for the lloxton murder. Be proceeded to make a confession and asked where the police-station was. The cabman being then on the rank in Seven Sisters'road, Holloway, pointed it out to him, but himself spoke to an inspector ( Wordley), who followed the man and accosted him, and after some conversation, took him to the station. Inspector Alfred Wordley, 1 Y Division, said that on receiving the information from the cabman, he followed prisoner and heard him talking to himself, and one sentence was, " I can't stand it any longer." The witness asked !dm if he was looking for the police-station. The prisoner said "No." The witness then told him what he had heard from the cabman. The prisoner replied," Yee, I aid say so," and added," I went into the shop to buy a penny scrap paper, and the old woman would not give me the change. I gave her 6d. She ought to have returned me sd. Then he stopped and said, " I shall say no more." The witness told him he would have to go to the station, and the prisoner said, " You must let me go home first," and tried to get away, but when told that he could not be allowed, he said he would go quietly, and did so. At the station he was cautioned, and repeated his statement as to going to the shop to buy a paper, and not getting his change. and he added that it happened about 11.30 in the morning, and that the women were dead at 12. He went on to say that the old woman was killed behind the counter, and the daughter on the stairs. The prisoner was quite sober and not at all excited. The prisoner afterwards said that he had only spoken to the cabman about it. The prisoner talked of himself, and said he was 20 at the time, and was then working in Kingsland-road (close to the shop), but was an apprentice to Mr. Thornton, of Mortimeryard, Tottenham-court-road. The witness had found that the prisoner's name and address were correct. The prisoner was remanded, and removed to the cell. Afterwards he had an interview with hie father, to whom he said he was in drink when he made the statement.