The Warrington Examiner. — 1875-01-23 (Warrington, Cheshire, England)

MURDERED WOMAN IN THE CANAL AT LYMM. INQUEST YESTERDAY.  No small excitement has been created since Wednesday last by the body of a female, apparently about 22 years of age, being dragged out of the canal, between the merchants' stables and the wooden bridge over the canal near the station. The body was entirely nude; on the feet were a pair of elastic side boots, a pair of stockings footed with calico, a well-worn glove on the left hand, whilst the right tightly clutched the other glove. The backwash from a steamer caused the body to float to the surface, when it was seen by a wheelwright named Matthew Statham, who obtained a drag and secured the body, when it was conveyed to the Plough Inn. Many persons visited it for the purpose of idendification, which, however, up to the present has failed. All sorts of rumours have been in circulation—that the corpse was the body of a woman who previously, on the Tuesday eve ning, was in the Bridgewater Arms, that she was there riltrea ted by three men, and afterwards seen no more until got out of the canal. Another was that one of the bef orementioned three men had given himself up at the police station as being the perpetrator of the crime. It is thought by some that the body recovered is one which was seen floAting for a short time at Broadheath, six miles away. No clue up to the present has been obtained, though the police are making active exertions, Dr. Cartwright, of Lymm, made a postmortem examination on Thursday afternoon. The inquest was held yesterday (Friday) afternoon, before Mr. T. J. Ridgway, coroner, when the following evidence was gone into. Superintendent Steen watched the proceedings on the part of the police. Matthew Statham said: I live in Newfield, and about 11.30 on NV eineEday morning I heard a boatman say, "There's a boy in the canal." I procured grappling irons, and in the course of half an hcur I pulled out the body of deceased, which we conveyed to the Plough Inn. It was naked, with the exception of one glove on the right hand, and a pair of brown cottod stockings. The gloves appeared to be black. I saw no ring on the fingers. By the Coroner: The boatman did not help me. By a Juror: The grappling irons caught in the stockings. P.C. Edward Rowe, deposed to finding the body of the woman in the c-inal and subsequently taking it to the Plough Inn. In her right hand there was a lock of hair which corresponded with that of ti deceased' s.  Dr. J. P. Cartwright having made a postmortem examination deposed that the deceased appeared to be about 22 years of age. There were various wounds on the body and arms which might have been =lied by a blunt knife either before or immediately after &ath. Many of the injuries would no doubt be cauied by coming in contact with passing boAts. There wa: a fracture of the skull which would probably be caused before death. The deceased's ribs and vertebral column were fractured, no doubt by the cause previously assigned. In his opinion the corpse had been in the water at least a month, and the blow on the head would cause her death. There were no symptoms of drowning. The facture, he believed, was none before death.  The Jury, on the suggestion of the Coroner, returned, "That the deceased, an unknown female, was found dead in the canal, near Lymm, on the 20th inst.