Widnes Examiner. — 1895-05-25 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

MURDER OF X STOCKPORT ALDERMAN.  SUICIDE OF THE MURDERER.  A murder of a sensational and peculiarly determined character was perpetrated at Stockport on Thursday. The victim was Mr. John Marshall, an alderman of the borough ; and the murderer, who atterwards committed suicide, was a man named James Barrow. The crime appears to have been carried out with relentless deliberation. There is a suggestion, of which more, perhaps will be heard, that Barrow's action was inspired by a powerful motive ; but whatever that motive may have been—whether it was one of revenge or not,—it did not hinder the murderer from laying his plans with perfect precision. One on the articles found on his body was a return ticket from London Road Station, showing that he had travelled from Manchester by a train that would ' bring him to Stockport in time to intercept Mr. Marshall on his way to business. The apparently trivial circumstance that Barrow had obtained a return ticket leaves room for doubt as to whether he may not, after all, have contemplated another termination to the encounter, but the suggestion receives no support from what is known of the actual circumstances attending the crime. The theory, on the contrary, that Barrow had prepared, and , doubly prepared, for the worst seems to be strongly I borne out by the fact that besides reserving two chambers of his revolver for contuagencies after the murder, he had also supplied himself with poison. Short as the story of the crime is, the deed itself was accomplished in fewer moments than it will take to read the narration. &fore nine o'clock in the nsorning a, man, then unknown, was seen standing by the gate of Mr. Marshall's building yard, opposite the Star Inn, in Higher Hillgate. The stranger ' was smokinx a cigar, and appeared to be waiting for someone. Mr. Marshall arrived shortly after nine: o'clock, and at twenty minutes past nine an employe in the yard named Patrick Moran obseived the stranger ' enter the office. Thera was nothing remarkable in any of these incidants, and Moran, believing that an ordinary business transaction was in progress,continued to occupy himself with his work. He was suddenly startled by the sound of three shots fired in rapid succession. As he rushed towards the office he heard two more shots fired. Entering tht building, he was arrested on the very threshold by what he saw. His employer had evidently sought to escape from the inner office, but had been caugut in the lobby, and turning to face his antagonist I had been immediately shot. As Moran opened the door Mr. Marshall was in the act of falling, while the other ' man was groping his way backwards towards the dear. The faces of both were stained with blood. On reaching the door Barrow fell, and thereupon Moran sought to enter with the intention of assisting his master. Barrow, who must now have been almost in the agony of death, gave one more example, even at this extremity, of his amazing determination. He turned on his side and levelled the revolver at Morao,who hastily withdrew and ran into the street. Here he met Police Sergeant Taylor who happened to be on duty in the vicinity. The officer returned with Moran to the scene of the crime, and on entering the office found Mr. Marshall lying in the lobby face downwards, but alive and conscious, while the other man, apparently quite dead, lay almost in the position in which-Moran had left him, his right hand still clutching the revolver. Mr. Marshall died a few moments later, without, as far as anyone knows, having uttered a word.