Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1878-08-24 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

SROCKINO MURDER AND SUICIDE. The other evening, about a quarter past nine o'clock, Wahex Reeve, coachman. wa, going along Manners . road, which is a 'err retired spot, when he pawed a young man and a young woman, who stood there talking together. Reeve meet into bin master's coach house, and directly afterwards beard the report of a gun. He returned to the spot where he had seen the young man and young woman talking, and there found two bodies lying bleeding. Reeve too much alarmed to examine the bodies closely, but hurried off to the Hampstead police-station. There he saw Inspector Moortimme, to whom be gave information or the occurrence. Detective-sergeant Thomas and Policeeconstable Proud were de• spatcbed to the scene of the tragedy, and endeavour, d to procure the services of a medical man, but at first, in vain. Inspector Moorhouse and Acting. inspector Head also went to where the bodies were lying, and there being no doubt that both were dend, the inspector had the bodies conveyed to the Hampstead Mortuary, where Or. Brown examined them and pronounced life to be extinct. The female has been identified as Rhoda Jefferys, aged about H) or 22, in service at Mr. Rdward Westridge, Prince Arthur-road. Hampstead, and her parents are mid to reside at Okenampton, Devonshire. Letters from a young man at Holloway were found in her possewien by the police, and form the subject of inquiry, with a Tics, to the identification of the other deceased. In one of tar letters f coos the female  found in the possession of the deceased man, she asks the youeg men referred to, to corn, to Hampstead about eight o'clock in the evening, and promiees to try ta get out to meet him. She addresses him as " Dearest Edward,' and her letters to him ere couched in the most affectionate language. The women seems to have been first killed by being shot through the left side of the head, and the man appears then to have blown bin own brains out. It has since been ascertained that th.- deceased man I. Edward Austin, aged lb. a butcher's foreman, lately out of employment, who lived with hin parents at le. 86, Alexandra-road, Holloway. Ile is described by his father and sister as of equable temper and cheerful disposition. but given at tunes to firs of violence. The young girl was engeged to be married to hint, and visited at his father's house as his future wife, and they always appeared upon the most affectionate terms. He possessed a revolver, which was seen frequently by his relative', and three or four days before the crime his Meter begged him to give it up, but her regent wag refused. On the fetal evening he left his home at six o'clock, saying that be would return at ten o'clock, and at that time he was in good health and spirits, and more cheerful than usual. What became of him between the time of hie departure and his meeting with the deceased girl is not known. On the morning of the tragedy the deceased, Rhoda Jefferys, a fine handsome girl of 20, went out to see her invalid sister, and was to have returned home to her mastern house at the customary hour, nine o'clock, at which time the tragedy occurred. The poor girl was shot beneath the our, the bullet travers ing the brain and peening out at the other side of the heed. Mr. and Mrs. Ourwen, of Weetridge, Prince Arthur-road, stated that the deceased had been in their employment for two months as housemaid, and "a better behaved, more trustworthy, and industrious girl it would be impossible to poesess as a eervant." An inquiry took place by Dr. Hardwicke, at Hampstead, into the cause of the deaths of Rhoda Jeffrey, end Edward A. Austin. At the close of is protracted inquiry the coroner said it did not appear that any . third party wee implicated, and the ;pity returned a verdict that Austin killed Jeff reps and took his own life whilst labouring under temporary insanity. The funeral of Rhoda Jeffreys, aged 19, who was murdered by her sweetheart, Edward Albert Austin, in the Manners-road, Hautpotead, on the evening of the 13th instant, took place on Saturday afternoon in the New End Oemitery, near Finchley. It was announced on Friday in several quarters that the funeral would take place at four o'clock on Saturday afternoon, and considering the short hours of work on that day, an iminenee assemblage of spectators was anticipated. In order to avoid this natural but unpleasant result of the publicity given to the murder and suicide, it was determined at the last moment by the friends of the deceased girl to change the hour fixed to a much earlier one, and to keep their knowledge of the alterations as private as possible. Accordingly, at half-past eleven o'clock, the body wan removed from the mortuary, where it had lain since the night of the murder. The mourners were three sisters of the deceased, a brother, and several fellorvservants. At the cemetery thecoffin was carried into the Nonconforrniet chapel, where a service was conducted by the Rev. Charles Hill, Beptiet minister, of Galashiels. The coffin was then conveyed to the private grave bought by Mr. Curers, the employer of the deceased, into which it was lowered after Mr. Hill had offered I prayer, which concluded the service. The coffin wile of potshot elm, in relief, and the plate here the following inscription: "Rhoda Jeffreys, died 13th Auguet,