The inhabitants of the usually peaceful neighbourhood Eckington were raised to a pitch of great excitement yesterday morning when the news was noised abroad that a horrible wife murder had been committed within a few miles of their doors, and that the murderer had afterwards put end to his existence by committing suicide. The scene of the tragedy is the little mining village Barlborough, which about three and a half miles from Eckington. The murderer’s name is Edward French, a collier, 31 years of age, the victim being his wife, to whom he has been married some nine years, and who came from the neighbourhood of Nottingham, her maiden name being Betts. French and his brother John were born in Eckington, and they married into the same family, John taking for wife the mother of Edwards’ affianced. The murderer and his victim have lived in this village for many years, and so far, as can be ascertained they have lived in fairly happy circumstances up to within the last year or so. A family of seven children has been the result of the alliance, the last two being twins, and they are between three and four months old. The cause which has been productive of such a direful result seems to have been jealousy fostered very considerably by annoyance. For some reason or other, whether there is any truth or not in it, no one seems apparently to know, Edward French has for a considerable time harboured feelings bitter resentment and jealousy against bis wife on account of her supposed undue friendliness towards a man well known to him, who also a collier. This feeling, it is alleged, has been fostered by two women, whose names have been freely bandied about in the village, and whom the murderer has himself publicly blamed for what he said would occur. As already stated, whether there was any substantial reason for this jealous feeling is not known. The man in question was often seen talking the murdered woman, but apparently, he never went beyond ordinary friendship, whilst all who knew her speak of Mrs. French a hard-working, tidy woman,
and thoroughly good housewife. Be this as it may, French viewed the friendship with feelings the reverse of kindliness and stated not only his relations, but to others in the public-houses which he frequented, that he would murder bis wife. In addition, is said that on more than one occasion thrashed his wife when he was told she had been talking to supposed rival.
The last occasion on which a quarrel took place was rather more than three months since, and then there was a break in the home life of the couple. French turned his wife out of doors, sold up bis furniture, and the pair parted. Mrs. French went to live with her mother in a house Barlborough, and French himself went to other lodgings, taking up bis abode with a friend. Several attempts appear to have been made to reconcile the parties, but nothing has come of it, and about three weeks or month ago French once more turned up in this village, and took up his abode with a brother-in-law named James Gee, who is also miner, and resides in West street. He obtained work Renishaw No. 1 pit, and was engaged there until Wednesday last, when he left. As to the man’s mode life, it may be well here to state that he was not what the villagers would call a man drunken habit. He “fond of his glass at times,” but he did not rule on such occasions become noisy create any disturbance. He was addicted to gambling, and at the time of his death he was matched to pay a game of “31 by thought” for £2 side with another man. The game is one that is not known generally outside mining circles, but it is one which requires a certain amount of skill and forethought.
To return, however, the murder itself, there can be but little doubt that French had been premeditating his crime for considerable period, but it only developed sufficiently to be carried into effect on Saturday. He had left his work on Wednesday at Renishaw, and on Saturday he left Gee’s lodgings, taking bis things with him, and was going to see his wife and look for work. On the same day he reached Barlborough and then proceeded to the house of his brother, where his wife was staying. He appeared quite different in his manner to what he had been on previous occasions, being quite cheerful and telling his wife’s mother that he intended to settle down with his wife once more. It had been his custom this time to go to barber’s to be shaved, but on Saturday he borrowed the loan of his brother’s razor and shaved himself. After doing this he was noticed by a neighbour’s lad to conceal the razor about his person, though the lad did not mention it at the time.
French left the house shortly afterward, saying he was going in search of employment, and, according to bis own statement when he returned later in the day, he had been unsuccessful is Barlborough itself, but had gone on to Staveley, where he had been engaged, and he was to start work this morning. About one o’clock yesterday morning John French and his wife retired to bed, leaving the murderer and his wife alone in the living room. What occurred after this no one seems to know, but about two o’clock Mr. and Mrs. J. French were awakened by cries from the lower room of “Mother, mother, mother.” Mrs. French at once rushed downstairs, and there saw her daughter lying in a pool of blood on one of the sofas in the room, her throat and hands cut, and her husband standing over her with razor in his hand. Mrs. French said to him, “What have you done?” and very coolly replied, ” I have murdered her, and if you raise any alarm, I will well do the same to you. If you want me you will find me in Foxton Dam (a dam between Killamarsh and Eckington), or in the canal or on the line.” Mrs. French promised to be quiet, but she managed to slip out of the house and raise the neighbourhood. French, however, who had his boots, hat, and coat off, left the bouse as he was, and made off. The police were at once put upon his track, but he got clean away, though he seems to have taken no pains conceal himself or to hide the fact that he was murderer. He met two men on the road to Eckington, and told them what he had done, at the same time threatening to serve them the same if they interfered. They either treated his statement as joke or were afraid of the man, but whatever was the cause they made no attempt to arrest him, and by three o’clock he had reached Gee’s house.
He knocked him up, got into the house and told Gee what he had done. His former landlord seems to have asked him to stay in the house with the idea of getting him arrested, but French would not stay, and told Gee he would be found in the canal. The murderer left the house, and went next door, where his mother lives. He awoke her, and on gaining admittance said to the old lady, ” I’ve killed her,” and then said he was going to get rid of himself. He afterwards kissed her and wished her good-bye. This is apparently the last that was seen of him until his body was found on the Midland line under Boiley Bridge, about a mile from Eckington. Here, at 4.30 a.m., the warm body of French was found, with the head decapitated, lying, the former in the six-foot way, and the latter in the four foot. From the marks on the ground it is evident that the murderer must have laid full length the six-foot way with bis neck on the rails and his head in the four-foot. Two goods trains passed shortly before the body was found, one M. S. and L. goods and the other a Midland express from Normanton to Derby. The body was conveyed to the railway station, and thence to the Sitwell Arms Hotel, where it awaits inquest. Mrs. French expired soon after the attack upon her, and her body was conveyed to upstairs room, and the Coroner was communicated with. The room in which French did his wife to death contains two sofas, one underneath the window and the other the opposite end of the room. It was on the latter where the murder was committed. The poor woman when discovered by her mother presented a terrible appearance.
Her throat was cut right across the jugular vein and almost reached the spinal column. To show that the victim had struggled with her assassin I her fingers were much lacerated, the ring finger being severely cut, and the room was saturated with blood. At the point where French put end to himself the rails were bespattered with large quantity of blood, whilst the head was completely severed from the body, as if cut clean with a sharp instrument. Hundreds of people during yesterday visited both spots. Another account says: The victim is a woman 29 years of age, named French, and she has been murdered by her husband, Edward French, a miner, who is native of Eckington. The woman, whose maiden name was Betts, was married French about nine years ago, and they leave seven children behind them. There is no account of their earlier married life being unhappy, and Mrs. French is spoken by those who knew her as hard working, respectable woman. They came reside in Eckington some three or four months ago, and it was here that began to get Jealous his wife. This feeling his part led to frequent quarrels, and at length the couple decided to part, he selling the goods and going into some village in Yorkshire,’ while she went to reside with his brother, John French, who bad married her mother. Three weeks ago, the husband turned again and went to live with a man named Gee, a collier of West street, by whom he was well known.
During this three weeks said he saw his wife, and she did not seem to have any fear of personal violence; and although he had been heard to say in public that he would “do for her,” this was only taken as idle talk. On Friday last he was seen in one or two public-houses at Eckington, but on the Saturday did not have anything intoxicating to drink, and there was nothing in his manner movements to attract unusual attention. He was in the habit going to a barber’s to be shaved, but on this particular day he borrowed Gee’s razor and shaved himself, and was then seen by a boy who lives the same row to conceal the instrument about his person. French went out with the intention of seeking work one of the pits. He managed to get a place at Staveley and was to have commenced work to-day. From Staveley returned to Barlborough and visited his wife. In his conversation be led both his wife and mother-m-law to believe that he was repentant, and was about to turn over a new leaf, and it is said that he even went so far to give each of the women a sovereign. When bedtime arrived he seemed anxious get rid of his brother John and his wife, and although they first refused to leave him with his wife, getting tired they at length retired at 1 o’clock a.m. to the room above, leaving Edward French talking to his wife. Scarcely hour had passed before John and his wife heard terrible screaming from the room below, and cries of ” Mother, mother.” Without hesitation the elder Mrs. French jumped from her bed and rushed downstairs to find her daughter lying in a pool of blood, and Edward French standing over her with a razor in his hands. The poor mother took the situation at a glance, and exclaimed, “Oh, Ted have you killed her; what have you done?” Were upon he turned to her and replied, “If you make any noise until I get clear away I’ll well set you the same.’ also followed her into adjoining room, and there added, “I’ll lay you in just the same place if you make a bit of noise till I get clear.
Naturally being alarmed the threats the desperate man before her, she promised to keep quiet, but the first chance she got she backed to a safe distance and as French disappeared into the street she heard him say; you’ll find me at Foxton dam, the canal, or on the line. At this time had neither boots, cap, coat, nor waistcoat. Directly he had gone Mrs. French went to her daughter, but life was then extinct, her head having nearly been severed from her body. Her hands were also slashed, proving that she had not died without desperate struggle. An alarm was once raised, and Police-constable Ryan, who was informed of what had occurred, went in search of the murderer. In the meantime, Edward French made straight from Barlborough to Eckington, a distance of over three miles. On bis way met two men, to whom he communicated the fact that he had murdered his wife, but they declined to believe him, and he was allowed to pass on, lauded in Eckington about three o’clock, and Went the house of Gee, with whom he had been lodging, and to whom he repeated his story. Gee tried to detain him but failed. It is believed that French intended to go dam, but seeing someone in that direction crossed the turnpike on to the bridle road, which leads through three fields, across the Plumbley Colliery line to the Boiley Bridge, which spans the Midland line between Eckington and Killamarsh. Arriving here, he got over the fence and down the bank side, and thence the other side of the lino. There, at the very entrance to the bridge, he must have waited until goods train came along, and then placed bis neck deliberately across one of the metals.
