The Cotton Factory Times. — 1888-11-30 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

CZOW3.—The Irquezt  The inquiry relative to the tragedy at Betley, near Crewe, was held on Wednesday. Mr. J. Booth was the coroner. The jury visited the house where the four bodies lay—James and Sarah Ann Jervis, husband and wife, aged 35 and 37 respectively, and their youngest children, Mabel and Harry. Evidence of the discovery of the nrime was given by James Malpas and Edward Ralphs, neighbours.  Malpas said he was going to his work at 6 30 on Monday morning, when he saw Mrs. Jervis and her daughter Edith rushing across the road to a neighbour's house. The mother returned to the roadway and fell against Ma'pas. He spoke to her. Without replying she went into Ralphs's house. Her throat was cut. She did not speak, but motioned as if she desired them to go to her house. She thou died. They went to her house, and met one of the children running out. A railway lamp was burning on the stairs. They found Jervis in his bedroom, between the bed and the wall. He held a knife to his throat, and moved round to escape their notice. They laid him on the bed. The child Mabel was then dead on the same bed. In an adjoining room they discovered Harry Jervis dead on the floor. A table-knife was found at the foot of the stairs.  Edith Jervis, aged 11, the eldest of the children, stated that on Sunday night, shortly ltfter returning home from church, they went to bed, leaving their parents downstairs. They lived comfortably together. Witness was aroused next morning by her mother's screams, and peepingnto her mother's bedroom she saw her father, whom she did not at once recognise, kneeling upon her mother, who exclaimed, "Oh, Jim, don't. I have done nothing." Witness ran out of the house terrified, and was followed by her mother. Ernest Jervis, who slept with Harry, said his father went downstairs after their mother and Edith had gone out, and locked the door. He returned upstairs and came into their bedroom. His face appeared to have been blackened. They did not know him, He had a knife under his arm. They were terrified and screamed, and got under the clothes, which they pulled tightly round them. The father tried to pull the clothes away both at the head and foot of the bed. He then went to Harry's side. Witness escaped together with a sister who had come into the room.  Dr. Arthurs, who had attended Jervis, said when he saw him on the morning of the tragedy his features seemed so darkened and changed that he did not know him. Jervis straggled to keep the knife at his throat. He asked for his wife, and, being unable to speak, immediately after made motions which witness understood to mean that he wanted to know how many were dead. He also made a sign that he wanted to write. Witness obtained some paper and a pencil. Jervis wrote, "I did it myself, there's no ." He was too weak to finish the sentence intelligibly, which witness thought he intended to be "there's no one else.:' He was able to sign his initials to the note. The Coroner said he apparently intended to kill all the members of the family.  Dr. Bailey said he had attended James Jervis for a number of years. Some months ago he came to him and he appeared very despondent, saying that he should not get better. He, however, encouraged him, and told him he would soon be all right. About a fortnight ago Jervis again saw him, and said he thought he should not get well. He was not suffering from any dangerous complaint, but his continued depresssion would render him liable to break out into a mania.  The jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against James Jervis in the case of his wife and two children, and they also found that he had coinsmitted suicide whilst in an unsound state of mind.