Denton & Haughton Weekly News, and Audenshaw, Hooley Hill, and Dukinfield Advertiser. — 1874-10-30 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

BODIES.  At about half-past seven o'clock On Monday morning a most painful tragedy. and one which has naturally caused a great deal of excitement, -was enacted at Bacup.- A man named John Holt, aged 53 years, and a labourer in a stone quarry, Murdered Mary Ann, his wife, aged 49 years, by cutting her throat with a. carving knife, and then took his own life in a similar manner. The parties lived in Plv.ntatiln-street. and .I,ad six children. HOlt had for some time been a than. Of .very intemperate habits, and had been _very jeloUs. ,of his wife, though there was not the slightest CILLIge for his jealousy.. He had also' frequently threatened to take. her life.. On •Wednesday week he left home,' taking with him_a considerable sum of money, and did not return again till Vriday evening. On Saturday he was drinking heavily, and in the course of the day had a, quarrel with his wife. On Monday morning, at about . . •Bik o'clo4, when their eldest daughter get up to go to ..vork she saw both her parents asleep .in bed. In anOther bed in the same room there slept two children and shortly after seven o'clock one of the children, a lad about four years old, -went,-,-- to the.:etreet door and called out that his father had -cut his throat. He was prying very much at the tiine, stud two of the neighbours who happened to hear him at once ran into the house, went up stairs,and found both parents •lying in pools of blood.- Helt was on the floor-with .a severe gash in his throat, and a .carving knife was lying abbut a yard from his elbow, His wife was about a yard from him, lying on her side, and she had a large wound • in her thro.at. Thcy were both quite dead.. Dr. Whittaker-. was called in, and he said. he was of opinion, frotn the position of the bodies, that the man had first. cut his wife's throat, and that while standing.he had cut his own throat, and had then fallen down. They were- bcith in.their night dresses, and their heads were very nearly s wered from -their bodies. Helt's eldest daughter was to have been married this week, •7 On Wednesday afternoon an inquest was held at Market Hotel, Bacup, before Mr. Deane, deputy-coroner touching , the deaths of John Holt,- aged 54 years, and Mary Ann his wife, aged 49 years. The 'parties lived in Plantation-street, and on Monday morning the hus band, murdered his wife by cutting her throat with a carving knife, and then conimitted suicide by cutting his own throat.  Rachel Holt, the eldest datwhter of thc deceased; said that her father had been very, jealous of, his wife for the last seen -months, but he had been more so during the last thee mmths. On Tuesday weckhe went gown into the cellar to draw some beer, and when he, came up again he Saida, man had been down. in the Cellar, and .that hehad slipped out through the grate. Between 3 and. 4 o'clock oh Wednesday morning She heard her father get out of bed, and he then said he would kill-her mother. She went into their bedroom, and her father had then hold Of her mother's hand. Witness dragged her mother out, of the bedroom, and her father then.went down stairs, washed himself, and left the place. On Friday evening; when he went home he said .he had something to do. and it must be done. Witnss asked mini what it was, but he said she must not know, but he hoped she would be a mother to the children,. Fibe again asked him what he Was going to do at her mother; and he 'replied she would 'see in a week or two. He did not look to be quite right. A week last- Wednesday he wanted her mothei• to find him a razor, and she did so. Her mother asked him what he wanted to do with it, and he threw at on the fire saying he would. burn it, and then be could do nothing with it. On Sunday he stopped in the house all day, anti said he was ashamed.to •go out. Witnesa did not think he would do an% thing=She thought it was mere talk. She went to the mill at-a quarter:past six o'clock on Uondly morning, and left both her•parents in bed.  Arthur Holt said he was eight years old, end he 'slept in the same room as his parents. Just after his sister had gone to the Mill his father got up and.went downstairs. , In about a minute he came up :again, but had nothing in his hands. Witness looked at his hands. His father then went and lifted his mother', who was. faSt asleep, out of bed-and cut her throat, and he after= wards saw hitn cut his own throat. His _mother did not scream or make any noise, And: she seemed., to die al-, most immediately. In about a minute after his fathei had fallen down witness went out, began to cry, and. -told the .neighbours what had taken place. • ' Hannah Redman; a widow, Hiring in Plantation-street,' said that on- Wednesday week. Mrs. Holt expressed to her a fear thiCsoinething would shortly happen to both herself and her bushand, and witness begged of her to seek protection. Witness had known Holt for el.!out four years, but never had any suspicion that anything was wrongin-the state of his mind. Dr. Whittaker then described the nature of the wounds and the position of the bodies.—The Depnty Coroner: The boy- says that his father lifted his mother out of tho bed While she was.esleep ; I e.atinot see how that can be. Dr. Whittaker: My pwn impression is either that she was unconscious from fright, or that he had hold of her very firmly. he Deputy Coroner having briefly summed up the evidence, the jury returned a verdict in the case of. Mrs Holt of "Wilful murder" against John bit; and that in his own case he had "Committed suicide while in an Unsound state of mind," .  - • •