Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1889-04-20 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE WOMAN'S ANTECEDENTS.  The murdered young VlOlllllll is a native of Spennymoor, where she was born on the 28th of March, 1859. Her father has been about twenty years in the locality, where he has been employed by the Wcardale erten and Coal Company at Tudhoe Ironworks. He ie well known as a steady, industrious person, and much sympathy is felt for him and the mother of the deceased in their greet trouble. The girl, Burford, when quite a child evinced an intelligence and theta quite out of touch with her general surroundings, and was by no means partial to dressmaking, to which trade she served an apprenticeship in the town, subsequently adopting the business on her own account, and enjoying the reputation of a capital seamstress, rest ling the while with her remits in Half-eloondare. Spennymoor, where the latter still live. Liget] grew up to be tall and prepossessing in appearance. and some three et four years tl'!1:1 exhibited a passionate fonduese for the stage. She attended regularly the Cambridge Tit:rare at Spennymoor, where she mede the aequantence of the artistes appearing from week to week •, and from reading the threstrical journals and similar literature gained a considerable sena of informatiou, abich she nourished :or future uses. Near about two years aeo, after repeated applications, she became eneaged in a provincial dramatic company, which in time appeared in Spennymoor. Seven or eight months since Miss Burford coded her short career as an agrees, and returned home, where on the HIS Septeniher last slio became the mother of a male child. The sussociatione which led to this distressing circumstance in her young life are known only toe few, and will be better suirevervled. Her relatives, it is said, treated her kindly during her illness, Feld she continued under the shelter of the paternal roof till a fortnight gene Thursday. when she departed on a visit to Mr. Williams, her father's , sister, whose husband is an ironeorker at Derby, intending to try and procure a means of livelihood in the ; Midlands. The baby, a fine healthy child, was , , left with the father and mother, who appear to be very fond of the child. Only last week I Alien ! wrote to her parents in rood spirits, speaking I hopefully of matters generally, and intinustilit the probability of her liediegework in a mantle, warehouse in Derby. A young person in Speinnymoor is said to have received a letter i from deceased as late as Friday last, in which it ;is alleged the un'ortunate young woman I mentions a tender attachment, whieh accounts for the presence of tlie yonig Frenchman in the carriage with her on Saturday evening. The first intimation of the occurrence in Spenny-; moor was received on Sunday morning. It was conveyed in a telegram from Mrs William. to Mr Richard Knight, an ironworker at Tudboo, f whose wife is sister to Mrs Williams, and aunt to deceased. The telegram merely stated that " Lilly wing to Nnttinglmin yesterday. and in returning here lest night was found shot iii the train. She lies at the Infirmary dined. What must we do ?" Mr Knight had then to undertake I the sorrowful duty of acquainting the already !harassed parents and other relatiees of the tragedy; and the telegram was shown to Police' Inspectou Harrison, of Spennymoor, together: I with ae much information with regard to deceased and her associations as might ba of use to the police. Deceased's father is en old man and somewhat infirm, and the mother, with the meg, Mrs Knight, left Ferrybill by train for Derby on Sunday night, in company, to take charge of the remains and arrange the interment. Lilian was the youogeet daughter of the Burford., there bang several other !children, and the family being respectI shly connected great consternation was manifested when the nees of the sad affair teraine known. It was at once surmised by the family that Miss Burford had been on a visit to another aunt, Mr Barford's sister, at Nottingham on Satureay, but from the sparse information to he gleaned from the telegram it could only , be inferred that either a murder Or suicide had taken place. The latter idea the relatives strongly repudiated, declaring that deceased was the last in the world to make an attempt on her own life. She has always beets ol is buoyant ' turn of mind, and oven in her latest and greeeest trouble did not despond.