The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1841-02-02 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

HORRIBLE MURDER NEAR DROITWICH.—On the return of a fire-engine from a fire near Droitwich, on Tuesday evening, the 16th instant, on its passing through a brook near the Wichbold paper-mill, one of the horses struck against a substance in the brook, and by the passing of the engine the arm and hand of a female with a black kid glove on was exposed to view. One of the engine men jumped off, and brought out of the water the body of a young woman, who appeared to have belonged to a most respectable sphere in life : she was dressed in silk stockings, laced boots, with well-trimmed straw bonnet and cloak.' The body appeared as though it had lain in the water about two days. There were on it marks of brutal usage, and signs of blows from some sharp instrument. The body was placed on the engine and conveyed to the Crown Inn, at Wichbold, where it awaits the coroner's inquisition. It is said the young woman's name is Mary Ann Patrick, niece to Mr. Benjamin Patrick, of Wichbold, who, having no children of his own, was much attached to her. About five years ago she was placed with a respectable female in Birmingham to learn the straw-bonnet business, where she has continued to reside ever since, occasionally paying a visit to her uncle and aunt at Wichbold. Tuesday week the noor girl arived from Birmingham by the Brilliant, to the surprise of her relations, who had not any reason to expect a visit. Wednesday she went out for a walk, and on her return appeared as well as usual, chatting familiarly to the family, and hinting to her cousin and confidante, Miss Baker, that her birth-day was approaching, and that before then she expected to receive a handsome present from Birmingham, but did not say from whom. On Monday last, when her eyes were closed in death, the present arrived. It was the " Forget-me-not," elegantly bound and richly gilt. On Thursday morning, about ten o'clock, the ill-fated girl said she would take another walk, when her cousin advised her to go towards Upton Warren, adding, " Don't be later than twelve o'clock, as we will have an early dinner." She went out, took the path to the right skirting her uncle's little garden, (the end of which is not more than 200 yards from the Wichbold paper-mill-brook,) and was seen no more alive. As the day wore away, the family became uneasy at her absence, and, after vainly seeking her in the neighbouring farm-houses, at night flattered themselves with the hope that she had returned to Birmingham. The week passed away, but brought no tidings of the lost one; and, at length, on Monday morning her aunt went to Birmingham, in the hope of discovering the wanderer, taking with her the few articles "C rn. •1 .  in the most intense anxiety. At length, the long-looked-for letter arrived, containing, not the welcome news that the lost one had been found, but lacerating their already wounded feelings by the intelligence that she had not been seen in Birmingham. No exertions had been spared in endeavouring to trace footsteps on the brink of the brook, but hitherto the search has been ineffectual. The wounds are two in number: one between the left eye a.nd the temple—a frightful gash, about two inches in length by nearly half an inch wide, from which the blood had copiously flowed ; and the other a small sharp cut across the bridge of the nose. We may further state that it is believed no money nor ornaments have been taken from the person of the ill-fated girl.—Worcester paper. —[On Friday an inquest was held on the body, when the medical gentlemen who had subjected the body -to a post mortem examination, deemed it most probable that the deceased had fallen into the brook in a fit, and was drowned, as the body indicated all the general appearances of apoplexy, and as the wounds had evidently not been produced by any sharp instrument, but probably by a kick from a horse's foot after death. As horses are in the habit of passing through the brook, this conjecture seems perfectly reasonable. The medical gentlemen added—" The degree of tightness of the stays of the deceased was so unusually great, that on remo vin the clothes the surface of the clies't and adjacent parts were perfectly blanched, while the upper parts of the body still retained their florid appearance. The stomach by this pressure was forced much below its natural position, and the liver was also out of itt proper position. This pressure would increase the liability of the patient to apoplexy." The verdict had not been returned when the account left Wichbold.]