Widnes Examiner. — 1882-06-17 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

EXTRAORDINARY AFFAIR NEAR LIVERPOOL. A SERVANT SHOT DEAD BY HER MASTER.  Crosby, a pretty village in the northern suburbs of Liverpool, was on Sunday afternoon thrown into a state of excitement by the report of the shooting of a young woman named Mary Cremen, aged 20, by Arthur Golding, a wellknown Liverpool estate agent, in whose service she was. Golding and the girl were alone in the kitchen at the former's residence, Queen's-road, when a report of firearms and screams were heard. Golding's wife, running to ascertain the cause, met him on the stairs, and he said, "I have shot the servant." He immediately gave himself up at the police station, and was locked up. The police on going to the house found the girl lying on the floor dead, with a bullet wound in the foreheat Death appeared to have been instantaneous. A six-chamber revolver, five barrels loaded and one recently discharged, was found on Golding, who is only 23 years of age, carried on business in North John street, Liverpool, and resided at Aston House, Queen's-read, Great Crosby. The prisoner was on Monday charged at the County Magistrates' Court, Basnett-street, Liverpool, with haying murdered Mary Cremen, a domestic servant in his employment, at his residence at Great Crosby. The prisoner was represented by Mr. Sykes, solicitor. Superintendent Walsh, who appeared to prosecute, stated that about three o'clock the previous afternoon (Sunday) the prisoner went to the police station at Crosby, having in his possession a revolver, which was loaded in five chambers, one having been recently discharged. He said to the sergeant on duty, "I was staudinss at the scullery door conversing with my servant Mary "Cremen, waiting for my shoes to be cleaned, when she said to me, What would you do if they went to shoot you first?' I put my hand to my hip pocket and pulled out my revolver, which I purchased, and for which I had a license to carry it for self-protection from my next door neighbours, and presenting it towards her—not thinking at the time it was loaded—l raised the hammer and tired, killing her on the spot. I immediately went upstairs and told my wife I had shot Mary, and that she was dead. It was spite an accident, ash would not have laid my hands on her for anything at all." In cansEquence of this stetement the sergeant took him into custody, and proceeded to the house, where he found the &ceased lying on the scullery floor and a pool of blood nedr her head. There was a wound on her forehead, and some of her brains were on the floor near to where she was lying. Oa being shortly afterwards formally charged with causing the young woman's deafly, the prisoner said, "I must reserve my defence ; it was purely accidental." After that the prisoner made another statement which, Superintendent Walsh said, was of an important nature and needed enquiry into, as, if trne, it supplied a motive for the crime. It would be brought forward at a later stage of the enquiry., It would be shown that the prisoner loaded the revolver the same morning, for the purpose, as he stated after the tragedy, of shooting a dog. Evidence having been given in Support of the above statement the prisoner was remanded. An inquest on the body was opened at Crosby en Tuesday. The statement made by the prisoner was again read, in which be said the occurrence was accidental. Policesuperintendent Walsh denosed that the prisoner stated at the police station that he had bought the revolver to defend himself against two neighbours. The witness found in the deceased's box seven letters ,from Mrs. Golding bearing strongly on the case. The inquiry was adjourned until Tuesday next.