The Warwickshire Herald. — 1891-04-09 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

THE MATLOCK MYSTERY.  The adjourned inquest into the circumstances attending the death of Mrs. Martha Morrall was , held at Matlock Bank, on Monday. Martha Smith,a nurse, said that on Thursday, March 26th, she heard a shot as she was coming down a corridor in the Rockside Hydropathic Establishment. She could tell by the sound that it was a gunshot, but thought It was some one poaching.—Joseph Rowlett, hoots at Rockside Hydropathic Establishment, said that Mr. Morrell, came there at half past 10 o'clock on Thursday oight, and asked him to go to his house as his wife was dead sad there had been an explosion in the house. He seemed excited and in a great hurry. Witness followed him up, to the house with two stablemen. 'they all went into the house when Mr. Morrell took them into the kitchen and shrived them Mrs. Morrall sitting dead. There was a wound on the right side of the face and blood had run down the chair on to ,the door forming a pool. Mr. Morrall pointed to the fireplace and said there had been an explosion. He also looked in tlie kitchen boiler in& üiTei the grate and said be could not find where it bad come from. Morrell added that he was in bed at the time and heard the explosion and that as he was going downstairs lie heer4 others. On getting down be found his wife dead. Morrell was fully dressed when he went to the Hydrepathie Estalishment. The parlour was lark when they went through and there was no sign of an expleeion in the kitchen. Witness could not smell any burning in the house nor was there any smell of singeing.--Sergeant Ramshall said he went to Bairoorsl /IOU& a few minutes past 11 after heming of the murder. Be found two or three people with M. Merrell. The deceased was in a sitting position in an arm-chair Its front of the fire, which seas not quite out. There was a very large wound On the temple, and her tongue was severely lacerated. A pair of spectacles in a case lay in some blood. Be noticed twn panes of glass broken in the window. Several Ildwer pots were on the table, and two had smoke upon them. He found shot marks on the deer 'sit the passage opposite the window,the glass pt which was broken and scattered on the floor. A shot fired through the bottopa broken pane would account for the marks on the door and the wall. and the, singeing of the hand. The charge appeared to hives been a very heavy we. On the right side of the room there was a bookcase with the glass front smashed. The bookcase was locked, and had the Appearance of having been broken to take something The diamond pme in the kitchen window had evidently been broken from the inside. He found quantity of glass in the garden facing the window. The other windows appeared to have been shot through. There were no other signs of an explosion is the house.—lrepector Hutchinson said no blood was found upon Morrall 's clothes, except on the bottom of one leg of his trousers, which was slightly stained.—The Coroner, in summing up. said it eras Perectiy clear to his mind that this was not a case of suicide. It was surrounded with mystery, and he should advise them to return an open verdict. After a few miuntes' deliberation the jury found that the deceased was wilfully murdered by some person or persons unknown.