Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1881-08-13 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

SHOCKING MURDER OF A GIRL AT PRESTON. _ _  - A shooting murder hen beencommitted at Preston; the victim being Annie Ratcliffe, sixteen years of age, daughter of a publican. She had kept company with John Aepinall Simpson, a clerk, twenty years of age, who bad promised to marry her, the girl being pregnant. The wedding was to have come off on August Ist; but owing to some informality wee postponed until the morning of the fird Met., when it was arranged to take place at St. Paul'. Church. The girl was up early, and, deeming ,herself in her wedding attire, left the house. She was joined by Simpson outside. He, too, was well dressed. He asked her before the ceremony to go to there. Walter Scott Len, near St. Paul's. He cheerfully ordered two lemonades, and went into a parlour, where he seated hitrawilf beside the girl. In a minute the daughter of the landlady was startled by a fall of glass, and on looking into the room ,PRAV the young lady standing with her hands crossed, blood I shooting out of a deep wound in her throat. ; She fell hemilr to the floor. A man passing, ' who had heard the cry, "Oh, myi oh, my!" ran in. The murderer remained Bested cool and unaffected. The man caked him what he had Alone, and he said, "It', ale." A razor, open and blood stained, was one small table,.and Simpson was sprinkled with , blood. He had evidently held her head on the table, and cut her head a:meet off. He appear. perfectly acne and cool, but his relatives my he her been depressed and has shown symptoms of mental abet, ration for weeks. The acknowledged his guilt when *meted. It the inquest the father of the deceased, who was much affected, identified the body of his daughter, who be said bade him" Good morning" as she went ositto be married. An hour afterwards he new her dead. le was preyed that just before the murder the prisoner was looking out of the window in the parlour. Cu.. dently with the object of seeing who was about. A verdict "Wilful murder " was returned against the prisoner, mho was committed for trial. The premner, John Aspinal Simpson, wee charged at the Preston Police-court with wilful murder. The court and precincts were crowded. The prisoner was cool and impudent in demeanour, smiling at times. His sisters were in court as also the relatives of deceased. The evidence given at the inquest was repeated, and the primner was committed for trial on the charge of wilful murder. It has been ascertained that the prisoner bad made no arrangements to get married, end that he got the girl from her home under pretext of taking her to church. Anne Ratcliffe, the girl who wee murdered by John Aspinall Simpson, on the morning when he professed to be about to take her to church to marry her, was interred in the Preston Cemetery on the 6th inst. The prisoner has made a brief statement to a person who visited him. When asked if he had had any quarrel with the girl, he replied, No, I had not," and when further asked why he committed mobs horrible deed, he replied, "I had no idea five minutes before that I would do it." To other inquiries as to his motive, he simply says," Ido not know." He is but twenty-one years of age. His relatives, who hold that the murder was committed in a fit of insanity, say that he constently carried a rasor about with him. It has been ascertained that six weeks ago the prisoner went to the office of the Superintendent Registrar far Preston, and asked for a form of cement for a minor, the girl he intended marrying being under ace. He was given one, and this the father of the girl (on heating of .her condition) filled up, though he could not otherwise have approved of the mateh.