Runcorn and Widnes Examiner. — 1870-05-28 (Runcorn, Cheshire, England)

SUICIDE OF A SERVANT GIRL AT TOFT.  Considerable alarm was created in the neighbourhood of Toft at the end of last week through the strange disappearance of a girl named Maitha Jackson, aged 13 years, who was a domestic servant at Mr. Thomas Paulden's, farmer. The girl, it appears, left her work about half-past eight o'clock on Thursday night, and was not discovered until five o'clock the following night, when the police officer in dragging a pit near her master's house brought up the body. Various 1 rumours had been circulated as to the cause of the girl drowning herself, and the matter was much gossipped about through a wide district. The following facts taken before Mr. Dunstan, coroner, and a jury, on the 23rd instant, at Mrs. Johnson's, the Mainwaring Arms, Peover Superior, will show how absurd and foundationless were most of the things talked about in connection with the unhappy end of this young girl. Elizabeth, the wife of Thomas Paulden, of Toft, farmer, said: The deceased was her servant. She had a sharp, hasty temper. On Thursday night last, the 19th instant, about nine o'clock at night by our clock, which is about twenty minutes forward, the deceased was in the kitchen. Witness had been to Manchester that day. She had not spoken crossly to, nor had any words whatever with the deceased. The deceased was peeling potatoes when she left her work, and went out , out of the house into the yard without saying anything. Witness was the only one at home; her husband and sister left at seven o'clock, having gone to take another sister part of the way home. Deceased not returning, witness called, but received no answer. Her sister and husband returned soon after, and she told them how that deceased had left her work and not returned. Witness thought it strange. She knew of no sweetheart she had, and did not supposethat she had gone out to meet anyone. She asked the men, who said they had not seen deceased. Her sister went out to look, but came back without having found her. Shortly before ten o'clock, in consequence of something her sister said about deceased having talked of drowning herself some time before, she sent one Of the men to police-constable Gunn, in Peover Superior, who lives a quarter of a mile distant from here. Although deceased was a stout girl, of the appearance of 18 years old, she was not 14. Witness had no reason to believe that she had any quarrel with any person, or cause for threatening to drown herself. She never complained of the work or of the place. She entered upon her situation in New Year's week.  _ Martha Johnson, deposed: She was the last witness's sister, and lived with her. Deceased was good tempered and a 'willing girl. On Monday. last, the 16th, she was in her (witness's) bed-room golly,- to bed with her. Deceased said she expected her moiler to have gone over with a pair of new boots, or to have written about them. Witness had written a letter for simply ostoe , her. The letter produced is the one witness wrote for her. The writing on the other side is an old letter sent to deceased by her sister, and she (witness) wrote upon the other page, and sent it in an envelope by_post to Mrs. Joseph jackso her (deceased's) mother, Gralam, near Knut ford. The letter witness wrote at the dictation of the deceased 'was to ask her mother to send _her a pair of M boots and hair net. On onday. she complained of her mother not bringing the boots, and she said, "If my mother does not come I will drown myself." Witness called her a silly thin', and afterwards thought nothing of what she said, and did not name it until Thursday night, when deceased was missing. 011 Thursday, witness was out in the afternoon for a short time only. She had had no angry words or quarrel with the deceased, nor had she any quarrel with anyone else. Deceased appeared in good spirits all that day; witness knew of no reason or cause for her drowning herself. When she was looking for deceased at night, she noticed the pit, and observed the green stuff at the top of the water cleared for the space of a table top. She then became alarmed and the polices constable was sent for, and also , a messenger sent to deceased's parents at Lostock Gralam. Her brother-inlaw (Mr. Paulden) said he did not believe she could have drowned herself, and therefore did not drag the pit until the constable arrived. The piece of paper produced, marked B, with the following words ' "Martha Jackson at bottom of pit, drowned through Martha Jones," is in the handwritinr, of deceased ; on the back of it, are the words "and' Mrs. Paulden scold me," also in her handwriting. Deceased. knew witness's name, arid she could not say whether she referred to her or not. She used to talk of a person named Jones, but she (witness) did not know who she  was. She repeated, neither her nor her sister, to her knowledge, had scolded her. Deceased was ill with her throat four or five weeks ago. Peter Gunn, police officer, Peover Superior, said: He dragged a pit, about 40 yards from Mr. PeMldert's house, on Friday afternoon The pit adjoins the orchard, and is ía the township of Toft. At a quarter to five o'clock he recovered the body of deceased. It lay in water about twelve feet deep, and three yards from the side of the pit, the opposite aide from the house. There were no marks of violence upon the body. The lips were compressed. The body was taken to the Mamwaring Arms, the Pauldens objecting to the body being taken in the house, for want of convenience. The small paper produced, marked B, he found in the breast of . the deceased's dress. He received information about ten o'clock on Thursday night that deceased was missing. He tried the pit on that night, but did not find the body, and on Friday morning deceased's father and he searched the pits and premises. In the afternoon, a proper drag was obtained and the body was found, and removed by William Wainwright and himself. Witness did not know the deceased. _ _  Verdict: Committed suicide by drowning herself whilst in a state of unsound mind.