Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1888-02-11 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

THE DEAD FATHER'S TROUBLES.  About three years ago the health of the deceased man seemed to break down, and he comolainod of pains in his head. He was at this time druggist's shop belonging to Mr. Brook, m lane, Salford; but he was compelled to give up this situation. The affection of the head took the form of an abscess, and after a time there was discharge from the ear, which gave him relief, and he thought he would recover. With the object of improving his health he went to Colwyn Bay, and stayed there with his family for about six months. On returning to Salford he seemed better, but after a time be relapsed into deli.  m-aalross' cate health. He then became very despondent, and told his friends he was convinced he should never be good for anything again. About 12 months ago he went to see an uncle who was a farmer in the north of Ireland. He stayed with his uncle till August, when the uncle died, and the nephew returned to Salford in the following month. The Irish farmer was his only uncle on his mother's side, and by his will he left to his nephew, Samuel Hill Derby, to two other nephews, and a niece a considerable sum of money and some property, which consisted, amongst other things, of the farm in county Derry. The affairs of the deceased uncle were placed in the hands of a solicitor in Ireland, and it may be here stated that another brother is also living in Ireland. Without, however, consulting him, the deceased, Samuel Hill Derby, just before coming to England, went to the solicitor and asked for the will and all the papers and documents relating to his uncle's estate. These were given to him, and included mortgage deeds for money his uncle had lent, scrip for shares in a gas company, and also a sum of money. The documents Derby brought to Salford, and appears to have taken them to his house in Garfield-street, his wife and family living there at the time, and locked them up in a box in his bedroom. His brothers and his sister tried to persuade him to return the documents to the lawyer, as nothing could be done towards realising the uncle's estate until letters of administration were taken out. He, however, persistently refused to let the documents go out of his possession. When the matter was mentioned to him either verhally or by letter, and he has frequently been written to on the subject, both by his brother and the lawyer in Ireland, he became irritable, and told his sister, who lives with her father in Salford, that he believed his brothers were trying to rob him, that neither the solicitor nor anybody else should have the documents, and that before he would give them up he would burn them. Only recently his father went to him and told him that nothing could be done if he would not give up the papers, and he replied, Oh, you are as bad as the rest."  At the inquest on the 6th inst. at Salford, on the bodies of Derby, his wife, and six children, several remarkable letters, written by Derby, were read. They showed that he had poisoned the family, and intended, when he had finished his writing, to take poison himself. Ile wrote under a strong feeling that his relatives had behaved unjustly to him about some property, an impression for which there was no justification. The jury found that the murderer was temporarily insane.