The Sun. — 1846-04-30 (London, England)

DISCOVERY OF SKELETONS IN MANCHESTER. The neighbourhood of the New Cross has been in a state of much excitement, in consequence of some men, employed in excavation, having discovered two human skeletons there: The excavators are employed in digging a branch sewer, near to, and parallel with, the easterly side of Oldham-road, at the New Cross, to connect the property of Mr. Wolstencroft with the main sewer. The men came to the first body yesterday morning week, at a depth of about three feet only from the surface. It was in a coffin, the skeleton being entire, and a considerable quantity of dark, pitch-like fluid was at the bottom, which emitted a most horrible stench, probably being a portion of the body in a state of decomposition. The workmen disengaged the skull, which being exhibited, and purchased from them by some passer-by, led to the matter being noised abroad, and a great cr )wd of people collected to witness the further operations of the excavators. At length, towards evening, about seven feet from the first body discovered, and about five feet deeper in the earth, the workmen touched upon the foot of another coffin. The excitement upon this became almost past belief; and though there was no occasion in this case to have disturbed the repose of the dead, the end of the coffin was broken off, and one of the excavators actually crept inside it, almost to the length of his body, that ho might reach out the skull. When the much-sought prize was obtained and exhibited, the "fever of speculation" may be said to have attained its height, for the riot and confusion were so great that the police were obliged to interfere. At the moment of their intervention, this second skull had just been knocked down to a cabman belonging to the adjoining coach stand. We believe, however, it was subsequently taken from him by the police, and by them privately interred again at night. During the remainder of the evening it required the presence of a strong police force on the spot to keep order. These skeletons are supposed to be the remains of suicides interred there under the " old law or usage," by which the bodies of all persons committing suicide, and upon which a coroner's jury had given a verdict of "Felo de se" (being denied a place in" Christian" burial grounds), were interred in the public highway ; and a shoemaker upwards of 70 years old, who has resided for the greater part of his life in the neighbourhood, states that he distinctly recollects two bodies of suicides being interred near the cross, approaching to 40 years ago, the one being a male and the other a female. The former was a man named Smith, a boot-closer, who had worked for Mr. Tysick, then a flourishing tradesman in " Market-street-lane." This man was said at the time to have committed suicide in consequence of an " affair of the heart" with a female of some considerable personal attractions living in Milk-street, who kept a very disreputable establishment at the time, and which, through the public feeling excited against her by this tragic act, and an indictment at the subsequent sessions she was compelled to give up, and she quitted the town. The interment was at near midnight' the " runners" of those days officiating to keep order among the spectators attracted to witness the sad scene. Of the female nothing particular is known, beyond the fact that she was a domestic servant, destroyed herself by poison, and was buried here on the 22d of September, 1808. The last interment there is said to have been the body of a soldier, who committed suicide in 1821. We may add that another place of sepulture in such cases was Kersal Moor, where, in 1807, a prisoner in the New Bailey, named James Massey, who hung himself, was buried the same evening near the distance chair; and was a few days afterwards exhumed and " buried in the ditch where old Grindrod was gibbetted," was a second time exhumed, and finally buried near the Salford weighing machine.—Manchester Guardian.  --- --