Widnes Examiner. — 1890-08-30 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

EXTRAORDINARY TRAGEDY AT BURTON WOOD. SUICIDE OF TWO GIRLS.  An event unparalleled in the history of Burton-, wood, and the district, which has caused a most painful sensation in the neighbourhood, took place in Burtonwood on Tuesday evening. The actors in the dreadful affair were two little gills named Elizabeth Farimond, 10 years ;of age, daughter of Thomas Farimond, collier, Green John's-lane, Burtonwood, and Margaret Andrew, 11 years of age, daughter of Jonathan Andrews, collier, of Tan House-lane, Burtonwood. So far the affair is shrouded in mystery. It appears,however, that the two girls attended the Catholic day, school at Burtonwood, and were present on Tuesday as usual. After school hours, shortly after four o'clock in the afternoon, the girls were together, and Andrews, taking off her clogs, gave them to her younger brother, telling him to take them home, as she was going to drown herself, at the same time shaking hands with him, and bidding him good-bye. The girls then proceeded in the direction of Gipsey-lane, which leads down to the Sankey Canal, and is fully a mile and a half away from the school. About five o'clock they were seen by a lad named Joseph Hewitt, who lives at Red Bank Farm, running, along the canal bank, and this was the last that was seen of them. The boy Andrews, after parting with his sister, went home, and told his father what his sister had said. The father,hardly realising that the girl contemplated destroying herself,thought, it better to look after her, and accordingly he went in search of his daughter. Ile pursued the same direction as that taken by the girls, and about halfpast five reached the canal bank. After walking along it some short distance, he espied two hats floating on the water, onebf which he recognised as that worn by his daughter. The sight so unnerved him that he fainted, and on recovering found a man named James Smith standing by to whom he communicated his fears. They obtained rakes, and were shortly afterwards joined by another man named Pomfrett. Together they commenced a search for the bodies of the children, and very soon recovered one, the other being brought to the surface shortly afterwards. The bodies were taken to their homes, the police were informed of the affair, and the Coroner was notified. Mrs. Farimond and her husband received a terrible shock when intelligence of the death of their daughter was conveyed to them. The mother states that she cannot in any way account for such a rash act on the part of her girl, and can only surmise that she has been persuaded to it by the girl Andrews. When her daughter left home after dinner to go to school, she told her to be quick home, and she would make a cake for her, and the girl promised to do so. When she did not come home at the proper time, the mother became anxious, and on inquiring from a boy who attends the same school as to the whereabouts of her daughter, she was told that she had gone with a little boy to Newton Common. As the Farimond's had previously lived at the Common the mother displayed no further anxiety, and the next tidings she had was the sad news that the child was dead. The girl Andrews had no mother, and lived with her father, and he is perfectly bewildered. So far as he knew the child had no trouble, and no aetion of his would tend to make her tired of her life. It appears, however, that she had twice previously endeavoured to destroy herself, and no later than Tuesday morning she said she had tried one pit, but it was not deep enough. The mistress at the school can throw no light on the affair, and it is not thought that any harsh treatment on her part has anything to do with it, as all the children speak very highly of her. An inquest will be held in due course.