The Cotton Factory Times. — 1894-02-16 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

THE RESULT OF BAD WORK. The inquest on the body of Mary Alice Seddon, the girl who was found drowned in Oxford Mill pond on Saturday, was held at the Brown Hill Inn, tieights-lane, on Wednesday last week by Mr. Coroner Molesworth.  Edward Woolman Seddon, 6. Stanley Place, off Heights-lane, Rochdale, father of the deceased, said the body of his daughter wad found on Monday. She was 17 on the 30th of July last, and had been employed as a cotton weaver at Oxford Mill, Whitworth road. She had worked there since last September. The last time he saw her was at 53b on Friday morning. That was the morning she disappeared. He had never noticed that she was depressed, or had any suicidal tendiences, and she had never Complained to him about her work.  Ambrose Holden, 255, Whitworth•road, cotton manufacturer, said he last saw the deceased alive between eleven and twelve on Friday, when he had occasion to find fault with her work. She admitted that it was bad, and in reply to witness said she could not see very well in gaslight. Witness had been told that her eyesight was bad. The result of tbe interview was that witness thought it better to put her on two looms instead of three until she obtained some glasses. Shasaid she would rather not do this, and eventually declined to work on two looms. She continued to work on the three looms until dinner time, and then left. She seemed rather distressed at leaving the situation. When she went away she never said anything about committing suicide. Just be-fere she left she said something Nbout being afraid to go home if she had to be kept on two looms, but when witness asked her why she would not say. She admitted that her pareuta treated her kindly.  One of the jury" men asked Mr. Holden whether the empleyes at his mill were not subjected te great deal of bullying, but Mr. Holden declined to answer the question.  - --Ellen Edwards, 8, Stanley Place, said be saw the, deceased after she left her work at twenty-five minutes to two en Friday afternoon lest. She WWI crying bitterly, and said to witness, "Well, Neily, I don't know whether I shall see you alive again." Witness replied, "Oh, don't speak like that; come back with me and I will speak to the manager about you." Deceased replied, "No, lam sure I won't. It would only be a disgrace. Everyone is talking about my work being bad." Witness had never seen her so distressed before; she had never given any reasons for her work being bad. Deceased then walked down New-street. Daring the dinner hour on Friday deceased stayed in the mill to finish her work with a few other weavers. The others knew she was going to leave, and when they asked her about it she said that Mr. Holden had told her that her work was so bad that she would have to goon two looms whenever two looms were empty, but there were not two looms empty just then.  - A juror ; That's a different tale to the one Mr. Holden told us.  Mary Spencer, 1, Bullock's Square, said she knew the deceased very well, but was not aware that she had bad eyesight. The jury returned a verdict of " u,icicia during a AA a temporary umartity.!,  Northern Counties' Amalgazated Weavers' Association. AN