The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1876-04-19 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

DISCOVERY OF THE SKULL AND OTHER PORTIONS OF A CHILD.  Great excite ment prevailed in Blackburn on :-;unday night, it having become known that the police had taken into custody William Fish, barber, of 3, Moss-street, on the charge of murdering Mary Holland, aged severryears, on the 28th March, and that they had found portions of the skull and hair of a child. General suspicion has always been attached to the barb..r, who keeps a lock-up shop, and resides at 162, Mess-street, with his wife and two children. The discovery of the skull was made in a mint extraotditiary manner. Chief-Constable. Potts arranged with a man named Preston, of 72, Nelson-street to bring over two of his dogs, one half-bloodhound and spaniel, and the other Clu-nher spaniel. Police-detectives Holden and Livesey were sent out with the does and their owner to the place where the trunk of the body was found at Bagwell, to see if any scent of the remaining portions of the body could be foetid. ho dogs (lid not appear to scent anything. They were taken to Royshaw Wood, else to where a man had been seen to go backwards Baal forwards to Lower Cunliffe, Rishton, where the legs of the child were found, but without any result. They retained to Blackburn, and Mr. Potts then decided to have the dogs taken td Fish's shops, 3, Mossstreet, who also bad been suspected. Between nine and ten o'clock the detectives entered the premises of the two barbers simultaneously, Police-detective Holden remaining at Fish's shop while the other establishment was exatnined. Front the movements of the dogs the police had no reeson to suppose that anything was concealed th re, and Superintendent Eastwood, Detective Livesey, Taylor, arid the dogs proceeded to Fish's premises, in which there are two Towns below and two above. The bloodhounds ran reund the roams downstairs and jumped upon the slop-stone in the back kitchen. Then the officers and dogs went upstairs, and the bloodhound at once scented up the chimney of the front room, and the owner of the deg put his hand up the chimney arid pulled down from the recess of the draught hole the skull and other portions of a child wrapped in a paper covered with blood. From a medical examination made by Dr. Patchett it was evident that the head had recently been burnt. Two teeth are left remaining in the lower jaw. It will be recollected that the trunk of the leely and the legs were found wrapped in the copies of the Preston Herald, three copies ledue of a recent date, and one of November 18. 1875. Fish's shop was twice previeuslv searched, and copies of the Herald were found in his possession, the dates of the papers in which the skull was found being missing. There is no heading to the newspaper in which the skull wrt found, but in one portion there is printed in italics "To the Editor of the Manchester Courier," and the prisoner Fish takes in the Manchester Courier. Fish was present with his wife when the discovery was made, but he said nothing. Mr. Potts was at once sent for, and it was with difficulty that Fish could be taken to the lockup. lie was in dancer of being lynched, and if the police lied not been prompt in getting him away violence would have been resorted to. Mr. Potts tried to appease the anger of the crowd by informing them that the head of the child had been found, whilst the ether officers were hurrying. Fish throneh the back streets to the town ball, where he arrived about a quarter to ten. Theusands of people collected in Moss-street, where Emily Holland resided, and the district, and a large assembly g tthered round the pelice station, the doors bAne guarded by a strong force of policemen. After the charge had been entered, Fish was removed to a cell, two constables remaining with hint all night. The prisoner's wife came to see him it the police-effice, and said s)e did not think her husband capable of committing a crime. There was a strong feeline against the prisoner in the distrim, and it was only the other day that he went to the police:office te ask for protection. The prisoner Fish is 27; years of age He evidently feels his position keenly, and lo (kg very pale. His shop is only about forty yards from the grem-r's establish meet of Mr. Cox, where Emily Hell:and purchas.el half-an-leane of tehecco for a Wall. Ever a day on her way horn, the little girl would have to pass the barber's shop, and he mast therefore have known her well.