The Northern News. — 1896-04-04 (Carlisle, Cumbria, England)

THE CLITHEROE TRAGEDY.  The inquest on the body of the Carlisle girl, Eleanor Coulthard, was resumed and concluded on Monday, before Mr H. J. Robinson, coroner. The most important evidence was that of the medical man. Dr Musson, who examined the body, and made a past nvo.tern. He stated that there were no external marks of violence, and the canse of death was asphyria by drowning. There were a few scratches, but not recent. Deceased was not enceinte. In answer to questions by jurymen he said there was no reason to suppose murder. The fact of no water being found in the stomach showed that deceased bad not tried to breathe in the water, or had resisted its ingress. He attached no importance to the hands being held out in front, palms outward. Deceased's mistress, Mrs Chorlton, the Rookeries. Chatburn, said the girl was quite respectable and she was more than satisfied with her. She was not one likely to commit suicide. The evidence detailing Starr's movements on tl,e Monday morning and in the evening subsequent to the occurrence, as given last week by Police-Sergeant Holmes and others, was then repeated. The body was found in water three feet deep about 45 yards from the footbridge, where the prisoner alleged that he had fallen into the stream. Police-Sergeant Beaumont gave evidence regarding the arrest of the prisoner. In reply te a question as to where he spent the day, prisoner said he had been boozing ' all day. He admitted meeting the deceased about 7 o'clock, and that they took a walk down the footpath by the river. He quarrelled with her bec.iuse she would not go away with him, and then he left her standing on the footpath. Asked if he could account for deceased getting into the river he said "No." but after a pause added " When I come to remember, she said something about committing suicide." On being searched after apprehension, several letters from the deceased were found. In one, undated, sho wrote "Don't go away without seeing me or I shall do something desperate," and another was signed "Broken Hearted Sweetheart." The coroner, in summing up, said there was no evidence that would justify a verdict of " Murder.' The jury, however, did not accept this ruling, but after consulting threequarters-of-an-hour, returned a verdict to the effect that the prisoner caused the death of Eleanor Coulthard.  On Tuesday, in a crowded court, Henry Bertram Starr was brought up at the Clitheroe Police Court charged with causing the death of Eleanor Coulthard, by drowning her in the river Ribble.—Mr Wheeler prosecuted, and Mr Weeks defended.—ln opening the case, Mr Wheeler commented MI the verdict of " wilful murder" given by the jury, and said he thought an open verdict would have been better.—A large number of new witnesses were called, chiefly those who had seen the prisoner and deceased in company, but their evidence did not add materially to the information previously obtained.—Dr. Musson repeated the evidence he gave at the inquest, and in cross-examination stated that the inference he drew from what he found was that the girl had committed suicide.—Mrs Chorlton, deceased's mistress, said she was a strong, active, well developed girl, not at all excitable—Mr E. T. Welch, a surveyor, in answer to Mr Weeks, said that there was nothing to protect the footpath from the river, which in several places was very deep near the bank. In some places the bank had crumbled away quite close to the path, and it would be dangerous to walk along it in the dark, though not in the moonlight. A police constable deposed to taking the prisoner to a lodging house at one o'clock. His clothes were very wet, and he was under the influence of drink. He made no attempt to avoid witness.—Another constable said he had examined the banks of the river about the place where the body was found, but could not see any marks of a struggle.—ln concluding the case, Mr Wheeler said the circumstances were so suspicious as to justify the bench in sending prisoner for tri Weeks, for the defence, submitted that but for the fact of prisoner being wet, there would have been nothing against him. Deceased in her letters had threatened to commit suicide, and there was no conceivable motive why the prisoner should have murdered her. He asked the magistrates to dismiss the case.—The Bench, after about half-an-hour's consultation, intimated that they had decided to commit the prisoner for tri II at Manchester Assizes.—He pleaded not guilty, and reserved his defence.