Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1881-11-26 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

THE HORNSBY TRAGEDY. Sir John Humphrey., the coroner for Middlesex, has just held an inquest at tire Red Lion Tavern, Churchstreet, Stoke Newington, London, upon the bodies of Katherine Fitapatrick, aged 33, and her child Mate, aged 7, who were found floating in the New River, at Lordship-road Bridge, Stoke Newington. Mr. John Horatio Wynne, a private gentleman, of 5, Clarendon-road, Finney, said the deceased woman used to live with him. He believed her age to be something over 30. She seas hishousekeeper. Thetwo childrenof hers he adopted. After the police-court proceedings, he agreed to make her an allowance and furnish a place, which he did at 58, Highstreet, Plaistow. He visited her there the day before the tragedy. He retuntol home and never afterwards saw her alive. When he left she was not sober. She had previously tried to commit suicide by hanging herself. lie left the house whilst she was away so or to prevent any scene or disagreeable proceedings. He had not had auy communication with her afterwards. By the Coroner : When she went to the Highgate Police-court she was kept there during the night and discharged with a caution. Francis Thompson Chase, of Hornsey, a baker, said: I knew the deceased woman. I sew her at Finsbury-park Station. She then had two children with her, one on either side. I subsequently saw her at Wood Green by the railway, and she then had the children with her. That was about 11.23 or 11.25 p.m. She might have bad one of the little children in her arms at the time. William Heath, of the Reservoir Cottages, Stoke Newington. said he was " grateman" there, and found the body of the deceased woman and the elder child floating about six inches below the surface of the water. Both were dead, and had been immersed, he believed, for five or six hours. The water took five or sfijellili'vri'letror "thro ;11;7 nbot'd twheas Vutol g from . :Jed" gtal 1 all three got into the water at Hornsey-fields. A Juror: IWiry do you believe that? Witness: I cannot say. I Juror Why should one body sink at once, and the others float three unites? Witness I Ah, that I don't know. Alfred Kirkby, a police-constable, odd he assisted to get the bodies from the river. Both were fully dressed. Several letters were found upon the mother, but nothing I, to lead to a solution of the mystery. Mr. Wynnerecallol, I said the child Kate was about seven years old, and was the illegitimate daughter of Kate Fitzpatrick. By the Jury : Ile had known the mother of the child for ten or fifteen years. She first came to him as a domestic servant, and then left him. She sulnequently returned to him. The coroner, in summing up, said the whole of the evidence at present obtaitiable had been given. The evidence was certainly not conclusive as to bow the two bodice got into the water, and the jury would therefore give a verdict, first as to the death of the mother. The jury returned a verdict of " Found drowned." The coroner then addressed the jury on the subject of the child, but they ref used to give a verdict until Mr. Wynne was recalled and further examined. Mr. Wynne said he did not see any of the deceased after leaving the house at Plaistow, and that he reached home ultra o'clock that night, and went to bed hninoliately. He bad found that the woman had saved a sum of money, and had other property, and he had communicated with the relatives in Dublin. The jury returned a verdict of "Found drowned" in the caseof the child. In reply to Mr. Foster, Sir John Humphreys mid he should notmake any orderastothepropertyof thedeceased, and it had letter he given up to the relatives. The same afternoon Dr. Danford Thomas held an inquest at the Three Compasses Tavern, Hornsey, London, upon the body of Sarah Fitspatrick, aged 3.4 years, daughter of the woman Kate Fitzpatrick,who was found in the New River. Mr. Wynne, of 5, Clarendon-road, Hornsey, repotted the evidence he had given before Sir John Humphreys, and said the deceased child was born in East Smithfield. lie never disputed the paternity either of this child or the other, and in fact they were his children, mid he treated them as such. He thought if the mother had been kept in custody after she wag charged with the attempted suicide, this tragedy would not have been enacted. The coroner thought that the proper course would have been to have called in two medical men, aad got a oertificate in the usual way as to itimnity. Witness replied that the matter was in the Kinds of his solicitor. The mother was frequently complaining, declaring that she would commit murder, arid cut the throats of the children. After the last proceedings before the magistrate she went to Plaistow and lived in some rooms belonging to a friend of his. IBy the Coroner : Vl'hen he saw her the last time ehe was very excitable, and appeared to be under the influence of drink. John Barrett odd he found the body of the child lying in the water off Harringay-park. There were no marks of violence that he could see. Or. Groves said he was called to see the body of the demaned. He found no marks of violence, and the external appearances were not inconsiMent with death irons drowning. Detective Dodd mid although he had made diligent search, he had not been able to discover what beernie of the three deceased persons between the time that they were at Hornsey Station and the discovery of the bodies. Dr. Mayor proved that he bad been in attendance on the woman, and had heard her threaten to make away with hermlf and kill the children. The coroner mid he would like to know whether the deceased really was at Plaistow. Inspector Holland mid he had ascertained that they were there. In reply to the coroner, Mr. Wynne mid he could account for his own time. After leaving the woman he went home to Hornsey, and was in bed by ten o'clock. A verdict of will ul murder was returned against the. mother.  811OCKING