The Potteries Examiner : — 1876-09-16 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

MURDER IN MANCHESTER.  A determinial act of murder was cognmitted on Satnrilay morning, in Claren lon-street, ChorltomonMedlock. The vietim of the crime is a woman mimed Margaret Dockerty, 40 years of age; nod althongh the deed was enwitnessed one {CIF not di,covered for some hours after it hail been committed, there is no doubt that it was committed by a man with whom she cohabite I, a boot:maker named William Flanagan, alias Robinson. Flateigin is as nvareeil nein, but has been separated from his wife for several years; and during the last eight weeks lie and the mud led woman liv,. together as Intan and wife: On tbe fist inst, they went to the house of ilooor Kelly, as widow resi Clarendon-street, is sistrath of lodgings, arid engaged the front parlour as a bedroom. On Friday they were both at:the Manchester races ;fend at night about eleven o'clock Mrs. Kelly saw them both 111 the parlour drunk, and, as she puts it, "enjoying themselves." Shortly afterwards, however, they ea:me-lied, and Flanagan struck the woman a heavy blew in the face. Nothing more was heard of them until ten o'clock on Saturday morniug, wheu Flanagan went into the kitchen, which was common to all lodgers. He complained to Mrs. Kelly that Doekerty had made a foal of him at the races on the previous day. and then loft the hoirie, and has not since been heard of. Nothing WOO semi of Dockerty until half-pest three on Saturday afternoon, when Mrs. Kelly. entering the parlour, found her Icing on the bed with her throat cut, and apparently dad. Mr. Calliugworth, surgeon, Oxford-street, was sent for, ant he gave it as his opinion that she had been dead for twelve hours, and that the cause of death won the wound in the throat, which had evidently beim inflicted by seine sharp instrument. There could in filet he no doubt as to the cause of death, for the head was almost severed from the body. There were also severial wounds on the face, one of them inflicted by the blow of the previous night, of the injury caused by which tin,' woman had complained. These, however, were not sufficiently severe to account for death. The bedclothes were satu. rated with blood, and underneath the bed was a man's shirt covered wilt blood and another shirt slightly stained with blood. A towel and a tablecloth were also fount with blood stains upon thin), and there was a bawl ,of water in which the murderer had evidently washed his hands after committing the deed. The weapon which he had used could not be (mind. It is supposed that the woman was murdered early in the morning, mid that she was attack-at whilst asleep, and that Flanagan afterwar is slept tor some hours. There are other lodgers in the house, but they heard no din. tur!iance ; but betweeu three and four o'clock a policeman passing the house heard what was apparently a woman moaning. Whilst Mrs. Kelly was out at chapel next morning Flanagan sent a girl who lives in the house for some brandy, which he took front her at the parlour door. He is about 42 years of age, a native of Clonmel, county Tipperary, and is described as a man of very violent temperament. About six years ago he nearly murdered his wife by heather le r with a poker ; after which he cut his own throat and inflicted such in• jury upon himself that he was for six mouths an inpatient at the Royal Infirmary. It is not improbable that he has again attempted his own life. If he is alive he will have great difficulty in escaping the police, as a minute description of him is in their possession, and as he bears a prominent marklin his throat as the effect of his attempted suicide six years ago. The holy of the woman has been identified by ten, iii ale w!io knew her.—Flanagan was apprehended and identified in a singular manner at Salford. It seems about noon on Saturday, the prisoner was found by Police-constable Lewis, of the Salford borough force, in Greengate. The officer had no suspicion at the time that Flanagan had committed as murdei ; and, in fact, the shocking discovery was not made till three hours and a half afterwards ; hut he took him into custody, as the prisoner was so drank as to b almost helpless. He was loeked up at the Salford Town Hall, where some hours later Sergeant Pope Caine ou duty as the officer in charge of the station. The sergeant was not aware that any prisoner of importance was in any of the cells ; but, in the ordinary course of his duty, he was reading descriptions of persons " wanted " by the police of various places, when he came upon one of Flanagan, sent by ' the Manchester police, and was at once convinced that the prisoner WWI the man who had committed the murder in Manchester. He was brought up at the City Police Court, on Monday. and remanded. At the coroner's inquest on the body of the woman the jury returned a verdict of " Wilful murder" against Flanagan. The prisoner attempted on Wednesday night to commit suicide. He opened an old wound in his throat with a piece of tit., and inflic,ed such injuries as will necessitate his remaining in hospital for several weeks.