The Warwickshire Herald. — 1887-02-10 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY IN HOXTON.  ESCAPE OF THE SUPPOSED MURDERER. LYDIA GREEN, thirty-one, who lived with her parents at 8, Bacchus-street, Hoxton, on Friday evening went to bed in her usual good health. Shortly after six on Saturday morning a noise as of someone falling was heard in her room, followed by the steps of someone leaving the house. The woman's sister subsequently entered the room, and Lydia Green was found lying dead on the floor in a pool of blood. An examination showed that she had an extensive wound on the head and two stabs on the hand and ear, and there were signs of a struggle having taken place. It now appears, from further inquiries that have been made, that the deceased had kept company with a man named Currell for some years past, and that of late they had quarrelled. It is alleged that the man Carrell obtained from a lodger living in the house the street door key, under the pretence that he wanted to remove some things away, and this gives the grounds of suspicion against him. Subsequent inquiries showed that he went to the Dalston Junction railway station and there met two companions of the deceased, who he knew had something to give to the deceased, and telling them that she would not be able to keep the engagement owing to her mother being unwell, he obtained from them what they had for the deceased, he promising to give it her. The police officers visited the usual haunts that he was in the habit of frequenting, and succeeded in finding that after leaving the Dalston railway station he had visited them as usual, but made no reference to the deceased.  - . The followunt is the corrected official description of Thomas William Currell  "Age, 30; height, sft. 6in. ; complexion, fresh; small mole in right ear; hair dark, slight side whiskers, and tuft on chin sandy. Dress: dark blue Chesterfield overcoat, black hard felt hat, mourning band, (lark or checked trousers. Respectable appearance. Lately resided at No. 22, Fanshaw.street, Hoxton, and has been employed in a sponge warehouse. Supposed to be suffering from congestion of the lungs." An important discovery has been made by the police. The post-mortem examination having shown that the murdered woman met her death by being shot in the head, where two bullets were found, the police set to work to discover whether it was known that Carrell possessed firearms or notWhen they searched his room they found in a box a number of pin-fire cartridges similar to those discovered by the medical men in the brain of the deceased. Currell, the police have further discovered, stayed at a house in Clerkenwell on Sunday morning and had breakfast. It is not thought that he will be able to conceal himself very long, because it is well known that he does not possess much more than the 18s. that he obtained from the two young women on Saturday afternoon under the pretence that he was going to give it to the deceased. By some it is believed that Currell has committed suicide.  The inquest on the body of the murdered woman was opened on Tuesday. After fdrmal evidence, Mr. Burchell, of Kingsland-road, divisional surgeon police, stated that he had made a post-mortem examination of the deceased. There were no marks of violence aboct the trunk or legs. The deceased was about 30, rather below middle stature, and somewhat fat. There were two wounds removing the joint of the right hand thumb. On examination I found they communicated, the thumb joint was shattered by some missile, and whatever that missile was it had gone right through. The wound was small, and looked like having been inflicted by a bullet. There were two wounds at the angle of the right side of the lower jaw, about an inch apart. The angle and radius of that part of the jaw were also shattered. There was then no appearance of gunpowder on the surrounding flesh. The next wound was over the left arbital ridge, which disclosed some of the brain tissue. There was some unexploded grains of gunpowder near the wound, suggesting that the pistol must have been held close to the face. The fracture to the right wound had all the appearance of having been caused by a gunI shot. In tracing the two wounds at the angle of the right jaw witness found some pieces of lead at the back of the mouth. The wounds ran straight through to the spot where the pieces of lead were discovered. In witness's opinion there were two distinct wounds, caused by two distinct shots.  , The Coroner: There was nothing producing death there !—No; but opening the scalp there was a , large quantity of effused blood, and from the wound above the orbit there were two fractures of the skull, one running upwards towards the crown, and the other at right angles from it towards the right. In moving the skull cap I found an opening in the tiara mater opposite the external wound. About an inch and a half in the brain we found that , a portion of the broken skull had been driven into the brain by the pieces of lead. There were no ' hard pieces in the brain. lam of opinion that the piece of bullet Lund in the mouth was part of a cartridge similar to those now produced by the police. (Size "M"] The cause of death was the shock resulting from the bullet wound over the forehead Every organ of the body was healthy, and the deceased was not pregnant. The Foreman: Was it possible for the wounds to have been self-inflicted ! Certainly not ; if the woman caused the wounds to her right hand she could not have shot herself in the head afterwards. She could not have got her left hand round sufficiently to the right side of her head. _ .  At this stage of the evidence the inquiry was adjourned until Friday.  AN impromptu ode has just been composed by M. Francois Coppite in honour of M. Pasteur. It appears that M. Coppee was lately asked by the workmen of the glass manufactory of A ornate, who were organising a fete for the benefit of M. Pasteur's institution, to send them a copy of verses to be read on the occasion. The poet immediately complied with the request, and dashed off an improvisation which, although hastily written, is as full of pathos as any of those numerous compositions in which M. Copp& has shovn his sympathy With toiler,