SAD STORY OF LOVE AND SUICIDE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7650, 29 May 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

SAD STORY OF LOVE AND SUICIDE.

. ,> LYNCHING OF HKARTLESS SCOUNDRELS. At Castle Bromwicb, near Birmingham, recently Mary Ann Turner, a young woman of 11) years, committed suicide because she had been deliberately cast oil" by a young man named Baguall, who had ruined her. She had been i-jccted from her own father's house, and went to ask Bagnall to take her to his home, appealing to him in piteous terms, " Will, 1 have no work, no money, and no bed to s'ocp in." lie did not odor her any money, but contented himself with tolling her to go to her own home, though ho knew that slid had no homo to go to. The girl threatened to destroy herself unless ho assisted her, but he nevertheless left her in tho road, ami himself proceeded to his father's house. The girl appears to have then gone to the pit or moat near to Bagnall's house, and there drowned herself. The body was found in tho pit next morning, and the fact that the B.igualls had knowledge of the girl's threat to destroy herself wr.3 proved by the circumstance that, when the father raw a number of people about the pit, he sent a boy to inquire if " Mary Ann" had drowned herself. These facts transpired at tho inquest ; and tho jury appended to their verdict a strong censure of the conduct of the Bagnalls, both father and son. A vast amount of public indignation was excited against tho father and son when tho whole of the circumstances were published, and a number of letters, couched in forcible and threatening language, were sent to the Bagualls. For several days their house was almost in a state of siege, the members of t::o family being afraid to show themselves outside for fear of personal violence from the crowds who collected in the neighbourhood, and food had to be conveyed to them surreptitiously. On the day in question, from early morning, thousands of Birmingham roughs assembled at Castle Bromwich, and proceeded to the house, which they surrounded. A body of about twenty policemen had been told oil' to protect the family and the premises, but the oilieers were, of course, powerless against a mob numbering several thousands, who commenced an attack on the house and the adjoining brick mills, and succeeded to the almost complete demolition of both. Some idea of the magnitude of tho mob may be gathered from the estimate that nearly 30,000 persons wore in the neighbourhood of the house during the day. In the afternoon the " rough" contingent from Birmingham, Saltlcy, and other districts commenced operations by breaking the fences nud hurling showers of stones at the house. Every pane of glass was broken, and the window frames were torn away. The roughs then broke into the house through tho roof of the kitchen, which is a low structure, and possessed themselves of many of the contents. They pitched out to their comrades, bread, meat, butter, and epgs, aud followed thin up by throwing outside saucepans, kettles, at:d every culinary utensil they could lay hands on. They also seized a beer bsrrcl, and rolled it out of doors down a steep hill into tho crowd. Afterwards a heavy waggon was taken from the outbuildings, and that was also rolled down the hill, together with a light spring cart and some of the machinery from the brickworks. A long r;w of shedding used for drying bricks, and also the brickworks themselves, were completely wrecked. The mob then gathered the ilthrlt of woodwork into a vast pile, and, setting lire to it, created a conflagration which could be *een fer miles around. The scene inside Bα;;nall's house during the attack by the mob w?.3 of the most painful nature. Mm. Bsgnall, an old lady of about 70, with her two unmarried daughters, the eldest son, and Ida wifo and child, were, with several police oOiccrs, the only occupants of tho lower part of tho house ; while upstairs, guarded by a policeman, and in hiding under the bed, wa3 William Bagnall, jun. When ?.n entrance waa first effected, four men burst into the room whero Mrs. Bign.ill was, and threatened to kill the old lady ; unless they could find her son. Terrified at | the threat, she fell upon her knees, and cried, "For God's sake, don't; have mercy upon me." The other women present alao appealed to the men not to carry out the threats, and at last it was agreed among them not to "have it out of the women," whereupon they left the house, followed by throe policemen, who drew their staves. Outside several of the mob informed the ■ inmates that if William Bagnall was not given up to them they would pull the house down, and "dress the bricks." One woman declared that "the man ought to be hung," as he had "committed two murders." The front door was strongly barricaded, while ; the inmates crouched under the shelter of any furniture that was available. Old Mrs. Bagnall, however, received a very ac-rious blow from a brick, which came through the window, and struck her iu the ribs, inflicting injuries which, it 13 feared, coupled with the frieht of the day's proceeding!), may prove fatal. Several other occupant* of the houBC were more or lesa severely injured by the mieslea. Once Mrs. Bagnall's eldest eon camo outside, and, with tears Btreamirjg from his eyes, begged the mob to desist from their work of destruction. " For God's sake," he implored, " do not make the women sutler, do not continue these unjust proceedings, but remember that those inside should not be blamed for the action of another." These remarks, which were heard by very few, produced uo effect. Some of the crowd called for old Mr. Bagnall, but that gentleman, fortunately for himself, had left the house on the previous night. The furniture was much damaged, while the iloors were literally covered with stones and pieces of tile and brick. On hearing that an entrance had been effected at tho back, the officer in charge of Ba;;nall upstairs left him alone, so that he might render assistance to tho other officers, and the youth, groaning in abject terror, wished himself dead. It is stated that he has threatened to commit suicide. The whole of the food in the house has been destroyed, and the inmates were left without any provisions whatever. They slept upon the premises, however, having made them habitable by replacing the windows with pieces of boarding.