The Grahamstown Murder.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2120, 20 October 1875, Page 2

The Grahamstown Murder.

Inquest on the Body of Mary Anne Walls. : . >

The Coroner, J. E. Macdonald, Esq., held an 1 inquisition :t6-day "at the Court House, Graharffstovra, at 2 o'clock, into the circumstances attending the deaih of Mary Anne Walls. The particulars of this dreadful affair are so fresh in the minds of our.readers that we need not recapitulate them.. The inquest on Monday was touching the death of Patrick Henry Walls; to-day the same coroner and jury met to decide upon the means by which the sister came to her MBtB.~ The evidence was in many particulars the same as that adduced on Monday.

To day we were sorry to notice the same exhibition of curiosity on the part of some of the public to get a sight of the unfortunate woman who killed her two children. Men, womeni and children were in attendance for some, time, before the proceedings commenced. Mrs Walls was in attendance, having been brought from Shortland. for that purpose.' "" The names of the Jury, who were the the same as on Monday, having been read ' over, the Coroner said there was no need for him to say much, the evidence offered would be pretty much the same as thkt given before; and their attendance would not be .required longer than was necessary to discharge their duties with decency. ,\ Mr Bullen on behalf of the policy called— • ■■''•■•■ ■'■'■■'-'■ ■ ■-•;•::: ,--^&*

John Baxter who repeated the evidence given by himon Monday, healsosaid—The last time I saw Mary Anne JVal!s was on Saturday last at about three o'clock, ;,nnd while I was playing, about a quarter to four o'cloct, some boys cried out that Mrs, Walls was killing her two children. I was then about ten yards from the entrance to the yard. I looked, down the yard and saw two children lyin£ on.the ground, Mary Anne Walls being one of them, and Mrs Walls with an axe with which she struck deceased twice on the head. I could see it was Mary Anne Walla from where I was standing. 1., ran for my mother and did not go back. Witness identified Mrs Walls, who was in tlie next room, as being the 'womant who struck the deceased. -

Adam Elliott repeated his- evidence" aS to seeing a woman striking .with an axe two children who were on the ground. He also said that Mr Eadford and Mrs Baxter came to the entrance of the passage and Mrs Baxter called out " murder." He himself ran for the police, and returned with them On his return he saw the bodies of a male and female child with wounds on the neck and head, and the woman whom he had previously seen using the axe standing close by. He identified prisoner, as being the woman h« saw. ' * •-•■-,-

Thomas -Badford also made his stafienient as on Monday,anddeposed-tosee* ing Mrs Walls coming away from tjvq children lying on the ground, and to iier saying in reply to a question from him, " Why did they tell me to do it P" The children were a boy and a girl, and there was an axe lying at their feet. The girl had wounds on the head and neck. He also said there -was. a man whom he knew not who took the. axe and appeared as if about to put it over the fence, when witness told him to put it back until the police came. He would be able to recognise him again if he saw, him, though he did not know him.

Detective JSrennan repeated his evi^ dence and deposed to the injuries received by deceased. Ho also said that a person named Taylor, a sailor, who had sailed in the Tarn O'Shanter, was the person referred to by Mr Badford who had moved the axe. Witness's impression was that the axe was simply removed to take it out of harm's way and not in any way to conceal it. From what ho had ascertained Taylor could not have been in the yard at the time of tlio murder.

Dr Perston repeated Iris evidence as to the cause of deceased's death. He also said that deceased died from the wounds^ she had received about a quarter te six o'clock on the same evening. The Coroner said that was ail th« evidence the police considered ifc neces* sary to offer, as they knew of no other evidence which would throw any light on; the case.

The jury without retiring returned the same verdict as on Monday, which is tantamount to a verdict of

■WXkFTJL MTODER against Margaret Walls in both cases.