The East Riding Telegraph. — 1903-05-09 (Beverley, Humberside, England)

TNE MOAT FARM TRACEOT.  REVOLVER BULLET FOUND.  As the result of the sensational discoveries which were made last week at Moat Farm, the charge against Dougal, who made his eighth appearance before the justices at 'Saffron Walden Police Court on Wednesday, was enlarged to one of wilful murder.  Although he faced the people with clear eve and squared shoulders, the accused looked like a man who realised the seriousness of his situation. He sat in the dock thoughtfully fixing his eyes on the window panes, and rarely did he glance at the witnesses. A greater pallor and a twitching of the lips told perhaps of the long confinement, but he betrayed no feeling when witnesses described the finding and the condition of the female body at the Moat Farm on April 27th last, and the identification of the clothing as belonging to Miss Holland, who disappeared from the Moat Farm on May 19th, 1899. . . .  "You are further charged," said the clerk, to the prisoner, "hat you did on May 19th, 1899, feloniously kill and murder Camille Cecile Holland."  " Not guilty," aMd .Dougal, in a thin, dear voice, and without emotion.  P.S. Scott told again the story of the long police search at the farm for the body of Miss Holland. It commenced on March 19th and ended on Atiril 27th, when a filled-in drain leading from the house to the second moat was emptied, and human remains were discovered. They were at the bottom of the ditch, about 4fl. deep. The cliteh, he said, had been filled in about three or four years, and the drainage diverted. Mr. Pearce asked if lie would describe the , Moat Farm as a lonely place. It is, indeed," said the sergeant. The nearest house is about , half a mile off, and the villages are a long way !off.  Have you found any ammunition in the house? —Yes, I found a box of thirty-four revolver cartridges. Also I discovered in a tin in the kitchen six other cartridges. The production by the sergeant of the little boots, the blue serge skirt, and the fragile underclothing of the body caused a thrill in ! court. An important point was that the de- ' ceased was wearing two woollen vests. Dr. Augustus Joseph Pepper, the expert, who examined the body in the conservatory at Moat House the day after it was found, next gave evidence. In describing the state of the skull, he said that on ,the right side, above and behind the ear was a round aperture a quarter of an inch in diameter. A fragment of the inner table of the skull of the same diameter was lying just within the aperture. At the aperture also was a fine piece of lead, which had been cut off the bullet as it traversed the bone. It was nearly circular. On the left side of the head there was a more or less circular aperture three-eights of an inch wide by half an inch long. The outer table of the skull was splintered off more than the inner. These portions of detached bone were lying close to the aperture. The bullet produced ' was found by him in the skull. It was elongated ! in shape, and weighed 85 grains. Dr. Pepper then came to a sensational par: of his evidence. „ .  "You have," asked Mr. Pearce, "weighed the bullet which Sergeant Scott produced this morningr—l have. What is the weight of It?—Eighty-seven grains. How much would the scrap of lead found in the aperture of Miss Holland's skull weigh?— Two or three grains. Is there any similarity between the bullets found in Moat House and the bullet found in the skull?—Yes, the base of the bullet found in the skull is exaotly the sine of the bullets found in the house. Evidence was also given by Dr. Sprague, Mrs.l Blackwell. and Superintendent Pryke. Mr. Newton renewed his application that the balance of Dougal's own money, amounting to £44 les., should be handed over to his defence. This was aeeeded to. Dougal was remanded until Wednesday next.  On Sunday last a sensation was occasioned at Bridlington by the news that George Wilkinson, of Bempton, had committed suicide by hanging himself. A man named Moore went into a cowhouse and found Wilkinson's lifeless body suspended by the neck, the rope being at- , tached to a cross beam. Wilkinson was one or the most daring of the many cliff climbers who gathered sea birds' eggs, and was well-known to thousands of visitors. He was about 54 years of age. An inquest was held at the White Horse Inn, Bempton, on Monday, by Mr. Luke White, M.P. Maria Wilkinson, deceased's wife, said her husband had complained of pains in his head lately, but had gone about his work as usual. A verdict of suicide while temporarily insane was returned.