Widnes Examiner. — 1899-09-15 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

WARRINGTON FACTORY GIRL FOUND DROWNED.  INQUEST AND VERDICT. Mr. S. Brighouse,Ncounty coroner, held an inquest at the Warrington Police Station, on Tuesday afternoon, on the body of Mary Ann lioarty, a girl of 19, who was recovered from the Nfersey on londav afternoon.—Michael 1-I.oarty, 85, Sharp-street. said  deceased was his daughter, and was 19 years o-f-a-g; last birthday. She was a factory operative. On Sunday he was working, and she brought him his dinner at noon. He never saw her alive again. His wife brou2ht him his dinner on Monday, and she told him that the girl did not come home till o'clock that morning, haying stayed out all night. She changed her clothes and went to work. He had never seen her do anything that would cause him  to suspect that she would commit suicide. She had stayed out all night before, and he had cautioned her about it. He could not say where she was on Sunday night. He saw her dead on Monday afternoon.—lnspector Phillips: Have you ever known your daughter threaten to take her life.— Witness: No Did you hear of her keeping company with any men ?—I don't known that she kept company with any *man.—Do you think she stayed out for somebody ?—I could not say, sir.---The Coroner.—lf i-,he was my daughter I should want an explanation.—Witness : She said once she had been sleeping in a closet and I cautioned her.—The foreman of the jury (Mr. W. Roberts): I should like to ask if when she has stayed out you asked her where she had been or whom shelhad been with. Witness: She always said she had been in the closet.—Yon have not seen her with anyone ?—No, sir. Sarah Curry, 24, Orford-street, Warrington, a factory hand, said deeeasel came to the factory on Nlonday morning and worked till dinner time. She left the factory with her at 12-40. Instead of going in the direction of home. decease I went towards town. She (witness) did not ask her the reason why she did so. She was not a friend of hers, but she had never noticed anything peculiar about her. John Gibbon, 101, Mersey-street,Warrington, said that at 'one o'clock on Monday afternoon he was driving *down Borough-road in the direction of the town when he saw the form of a woman disappear into the water. When he at first caught sight of her, her head was above the water, but she soon disappeared. He gave information to the police of what he had seen. P.C. Plumb said that in consequence of information they received from the last witness, he and P.C. Howard went to be rive,r. They obtained grappling irons and recovered the body of deceased at 2.45. There were no marks of violence on the body, nod deceased had all her clothing on with tie exception of her shawl which was floating on the water. There was nothing in her pockets. Brideet Iloarty said deceased was her sister. At 5.30 on Monday morning she came home and asked for her working clothes Witness gave them to her and later on took her breakfast to the mill. Neither her father nor mother were down steirs when her sister came in. When her mother asked her if her sister had been in she told her that she had not, as she was frightened that her sister would "lay on "her if she knew she had told. She did not want to get her into trouble. When she stayed out before she said she had been in ' the eloset.—lnspector Phillips : Do you know if she had a young man keeping company with her.— Witness : No sir.—Mr. Roberts : Did you ever I see her with one ?—Witness : No _sir.—Witness  said that her sister was singing on Sunday night before she went out.—Mr. Roberts : She did not tell you where she bud befn ?—Witness: No sir.— A Auror : Has your father ever beaten her for staying out ?—Witness : No but he threatened her. 'Chief Inspector Phillips said that from what the police could gather deceased had been walking about with 5-oldiers. She had stopped out late at nights.—Detective Barlow said deceased was very quiet at her work.:-The Coroner said that the jury mivlit suspect that I he girl was frightened that her lather had got to know that she had been out all nicht ; but they knew nothing except that she was f-und drowned: If they thought otherwise they would have to give a different verdict. —A verdict of F ound Drowned" was returned.