The Sun. — 1868-07-24 (London, England)

MURDER AND SUI  CIDE.  About seven o'clock on Wednesday evening a murder was committed in a field near Shuttlingfields Farm, Walton-le-Dale, about four miles from Preston, and the murderer subsequently succeeded in destroying his own life by hanging. The murderer and his victim were sweethearts, and a refusal on the part of the girl to longer keep company with her suitor prompted the latter to take her life by cutting her throat with a pocket-knife. The victim of the outrage, Elizabeth Brindle, aged 18, was the daughter of Mr. Brindle, of the Higher Shuttlingfields Farm. The murderer, Charles Hamer, was about 20 years old. Both were employed at the will of Mr. Bowne, Brindle. The girl was a weaver, and Hamer was a cloth looker, the father of the latter being manager over the weaving department. For about three years flamer and the girl hal been •on intimate terms. Although she does not seem to have had very much regard fur her admirer, yet she permitted him to pay his addresses to her, and all appears to have gone on smoothly until a week ago, when she scolded !Ain for smoking and chewing tobacco to excess, by which she alleged he was impairing his health. She al.c• told him that if he continued the practice she would cease to receive his attentions altogether. From that time up to Wednesday the two appear not to have been on speaking terms. On Wednesday, when at the mill, she received a letter from Hamer, asking her to meet him, after leaving work, in Martin's-field, through which she would have to pass on her way home. On leaving the mill she was accompanied by her sister, to whom she mentioned the letter, and stated that if Hamer met her she would tell him she would have nothing more to do with him. When the sisters reached Martin's-field, about 200 or 300 yards from the shutling-tields, they found Hamer waiting. They parted, Elizabeth remaining with Hamer, and the other continuing her homeward journey. A few minutes afterwards a man named James Yates was passing through the field leading to the shuffling-fields, when' he met Hamer, who was running and had his hands cavered with blood, and carrying a piece of rope, which he had obtained by cutting a clothes' line belonging to a neighbouring farmer. Subsequently he found on entering Martin's field the deceased on the ground fearfully wounded. In answer to his inquiries she said, " Oh, Jim, Charles Hamer has done this, because I told him I would not go with him. He said he would go and kill himself. Ido wish I was out of my punishment." Yates at once tried to stop the flow of blood, and then raised an alarm and sent to Preston a messenger for Dr. Spencer. The girl was conveyed to her home, and everything was done to preserve her life, but fruitless, as she expired in about three-quarters of an hour after she was discovered. She never spoke subsequent to mak"  ng the statement given above to Yates. After pass'  ing Yates Hamer ran into Gregson-lane, where he met his brother, who, perceiving that he was besmeared with blood, asked him the cause, to which he replied that a man at " Moon's Mill had pinched him." He handed a letter to his brother and ran off in the direction of Brindle, where he resided• The letter intimated Hamer's intention of taking some person's life and destroy his own, and ordered that his watch, books, and other articles belonging to him should be given to the different members of his family. The report of the murder spread with great rapidity, and soon crowds of people fl )eked to the scene of the tragedy, and the utmost eon' sternation prevailed. The policeman went in search of the wretched fugitive. Their efforts were seconded by a number of the villagers. A n 253 named James Ashton, in searching the wood attached to Milntholme College, about two miles from the place of the murder, found the body of Hamer suspended from a tree by the rope previously spoken of. He was immediately cut down, but life Was extinct.