The Sun. — 1861-02-19 (London, England)

DIUI WEB IN THE ISLE OF TVIGIIT.  As the people chape.ls of Ry 07de were coming from their churches Sunday morning they heard man named Henry Lacy, a small farmer latedy or the charge of having murdered 3d, and well known in the rc i nhe thats l the a n e end i The ri amour unfortunately proved true. Lacy occu ivied s. farm at Westridge, known town,dered his was wife,in c as Old-house-far% ti, situate about a mile and a half from Hyde on tht %Bra ding-road. Ho is the son of a labouring neighbourhood, but becoming possessed omfansoimn( meant, ean by his marriage he was enabled to . take thin farm, which he had oc. cupied now for 11 )or 12 years. Lacy is a giant int both size and st! eugth, and it is much feared that, the evidence w' rich will be given at the inquest will show that he had been habitually ill-treating h.;s wife. Theft ermhouse is situated in a lonelyspot, thcre not being ; a habitation within half a mile of it, and the or inmates were Lacy and his wife,. and a woman named Susan Wilder, a niece of the, latter. In isro' v. last a summons was issued against. Lacy for' an 'assault upon this woman, but it was arranged without magisterial interference. Lacy was of very it temperate habits, and had been drinking freely at :Newport on Saturday, which place he, bad visited, accompanied by Susan Wilder, the niece. He returned to the farm house about 10 o'clock in the evening. The horrible event, full particulars respecting which will not be known till the inquest, must have occurred shortly afterwards. a 111 that is at prese, at known may be stated in a few words. The murdered woman has been confined to her bed for same time past, and on Sunday morning her medical at'endant, Mr. 011ard, of Ryde, was called upon by the farin carter, and requested. to visit his patient at once, as she had accidentally fallen downstairs. When Mr. 011ard arrived at the farm he found Lacy ire a -violent state of excitement and evidently under the. influence of drink. He refused to allow that gentleman to see his wife, and. the answers given to inquiries by the niece were so unsatisfactory that Mr. 011ard considered it his duty at once to communicate with the police. Sergeant King and anothitr police-constable, with Mr.. Pinager, also a surgeon of Ryde, accompanied Mr. .011ard, on his return. As soon as Lacy saw the police officers he made u desperate attack upon the onstable, but the pi,lice sergeant at once closed ith bim, and after a short struggle he was secured by the, handcuffs. On proceeding upstairs a most hpi -rrole spectacle presented itself. On the bed lay the body of the unfortunate woman, her features pres e nting the strongest evidence of her having been brutaily murdered. Her head was one mass of bruises and there were wounds on various parts of the bod y, which was reduced by disease or want of ment to that of a mere skeleton. The beddress is which she had been murdered had been taken 01.1; and was not to be found. The corpse had been carefully washed and laid out, and it is evident th% it some idea existed of passing off the story of he, " having fallen downstairs. Sergeant King, findini. Lacy likely to offer great resistance, returned to ilyde for a carriage and assistance. The police of vie, era 'were compelled to strap his legs, and it was wi.`l3- gr.eat difficulty he was brought to the station. It' s not till the following morning that he became conk scious of his awful situation.