The Sun. — 1856-01-22 (London, England)

ATROCIOUS MURDER OF A WOMAN.  LIVERPOOL, Jan. 21.—This morning, about half-past 6 o'clock, an atrocious murder was committed in Wolfestreet, Toateth-park, by a man named John Williams, alias John Ferguson, alias John Fake, his victim being a woman named Sarah Drummond.  The prisoner, whose real name is said to be John Ferguson, and who has been long known to the police as a thief and the associate of thieves, went this morning at a few minutes past 6 o'clock, along with the female, to the Ruthin Castle public-house, in Prince William-street, where they had some ale, and went away. IR about 10 minutes aftprwards, the prisoner returned, and said to a man named Thomas, " I've cut your wife's- throat," an assertion which, in the sequel, proved only too true. It appears that Ferguson has cohabited with the woman Drummond for the last 12 months or better, and that prior to her going to live with the prisoner, in whose mother's house they both resided, she had lived witii the man Thomas, by whom she had two children.  After leaving .the Ruthin Castle public-house they went to the prisoner's mother's, where they kad some slight altercation, when the prisoner suddenly drew a knife across the woman's throat, inflicting so frightful a wound as to occasion her death in a few minutes. The mother of the prisoner states that when her son and the deceased came in she was in bed and heard som• angry words between them, when she suddenly heard the deceased utter a gurgling sort of sound, as if something was in her mouth, and the prisoner said, " Come now, Sal, I'll take thee to the hospital," and they both left the house. On getting up the mother saw a large track of blood on the floor and over the threshold of the house, No. 87, Prince William-street, where she lived. Thomas Ryecroft, who resides in Edward-street off Wolfe-street, heard a woman shriek about half-past 6 this morning, and going in the direction indicated by the sound, he found the deceased lying on the footway, with her throat cut, and blood flowing profusely from the wound.  Police-inspector Creston had his attention called to a cry of murder in Wolfe-street, and on going forward, found the deceased lying on the footway, and quite dead.  INl‘Culloch, the detective officer, after a considerable search, discovered on a dust-heap, a clasp pocket-knife, which was afterwards identified as belonging to the prisoner. It was completely covered with blood, and no doubt can be entertained that this was the instrument with which the fatal wound was inflicted.  The murderer was secured immediately on his stating to the man Thomas that he had cut the poor woman's throat. After he had been conveyed to Bridewell it was discovered that the prisoner had endeavoured to commit suicide by cutting his own throat, and that in his attempt to do so, he inflicted a considerable, though not a dangerous, wound on the right side of his neck. He is a dirty, insignificant-looking wretch, of very low stature and forbidding aspect, and presents altogether a contemptible appearance. As already stated, he is well known to the police as a person of very bad character, and it is believed that the immediate cause of quarrel between him and his wretched victim was an opinion which he entertained that she had betrayed some of his companions into the bands of the police. Three of these companions, named respectively Thomas Garnett, John I.l`Bryde, and Robert Roberts, the two first-named being ticket-of-leave men, were this morning committed for trial on a charge of burglary ; and it is rumoured that they were apprehended in consequence of information given by the deceased. One of the female companions of the deceased states distinctly that several days since Drummond said to the prisoner in her hearing, that she would have "them snitched soon." To which the prisoner replied, "If she did he would cut her throat." The prisoner was brought before the magistrates, at the police-court, this forenoon, when the case was heard in a merely formal way, and he was remanded to abide the result of a coroner's inquest, which is fixed to take place to-morrow.  A