Murder of a Lady at Accrington.

Hastings Standard, Issue 104, 26 August 1896, Page 4

Murder of a Lady at Accrington.

A BOY ARRKSTKi)

A crime of a sensational character w as committed at Accrington recently. The victim was Mrs Sarah Coates, (>:?. wife of Mr -Tohn Coates, cabinet-maker, an oltl and respected tradesman* The first story was that she was murdered by a stranger who had attempted to rob the premises, and that the murderer had, despite the heroic attempts of an apprentice to save his mistress and afterwards secure her assassin, made good his escape. Such was the story given by the apprentice, a lad named Christopher Hindle, 15 years of age, who was on the premises at the time the murder was committed, and whose bleeding arm, as he stated, was the outcome of the wounds he had received in the struggle. Bloodstains were found leading in a different direction altogether from that by which the lad stated the murderer hml made his escape. Laborers also who were working in the back street neither saw nor heard anything to attract their attention. There were other circumstances tending to show that many of the details given by the apprentice were untrue, and the result was that he was arrested. It was found that he had 18 scratches on his arm, but only two of them can be described as wounds and the medical men incline to the opinion that they were self-inHicted. The pocket knife with which the deed appears to have been committed was found lying by the side of the murdered woman. The husband of the deceased woman highly praised Hindie for what he believed to be his courageous conduct. Mrs Coates was alive when discovered in the bedroom partly strangled, with a deep cut on the right side of her neck, but was unable to give any clue to the assassin, and died in a few minutes. The inquest concerning the death of Mrs Coates was .concluded a few days ago. Sixteen witnesses were examined, and the inquiry occupied seven hours. The evidence showed that small sums of money had been missing from the bedroom ; that the apprentice, Hindie, who was in custody did not leave the premises by the way he had stated; that it was impossible for Mrs Coates to have caused the wound in her neck ; and that the cuts and scratches on the boy's arm might have been selfinflicted. An attempt had been made to strangle Mrs Coates, and the ipedical men were of opinion that she was unconscious lie fore having her throat cut. The jury, after having deliberated over an hour, returned a verdict to the effect " That Mrs Coates had been wilfully murdered, and that there was primii far if evidence against Christopher Hindle, the apprentice." They expressed deep sympathy with Mr Coates and his family in their sad bereavement. The coroner entered a verdict of wilful murder, and committed Hindle, who is only fifteen, to the assizes.