A Brighton Mystery.

Hastings Standard, Issue 102, 24 August 1896, Page 4

A Brighton Mystery.

MURDER AND SUICIDE. A mysterious affair, believed to be an act of murder, came to light at Brighton a few days ago, the victim being a widow, named Hall, about 50 years of age, who since her husband s death some t 1 months ago, had, with the a of a man named Perrin, carried on business in Edward street, ont 01 i poorer quarters of the town. \\ mini the last nine or ten weeks she had been visited two or three times by a man who was not known in the neighborhood, and who is supposed to be a stranger _to Brighton. On the previous evening Mrs Hall asked Perrin to mind the shop for a couple of hours whilst she went out. She was absent for about five hours, and then returned with the stranger, who seemed somewhat under the influence of drink, whilst Mrs Hall, who was a woman of temperate habits, appeared to be a little excited. Perrin left them in the house together, and later on sent his little girl there, as she was accustomed to sleep with Mrs Hall. The child was unable to make anyone hear, and after going twice and finding the place in darkness, she returned home. Next morning, as no one was moving, Perrin broke into the house, and there found Mrs Hall lying dead in a pool of b'ood. Death - had apparently res -.lo'd from several incised wounds (>'" .he heads, which could not, in inadical opinion, have been self-in-L\' i- 1. It was supposed that death had occurred about two o'clock in the morning. Mrs Hall's bed had not been slept in. At the inquest some little sensation was caused by the absence of George Perrin, who, as the coroner (Mr Bush) remarked, would have been an important witness. His little daughter Charlotte gave evidence, and stated that her father had gone to work. It was suggested that there had been some mistake as to the time- of the inquest. But the inquiry was adjourned without this subsidiary mystery being cleared up. Policeconstable James proved going to the ";--e about half-past five on Friday v Ji Perrin. They could get no answer to their knocks, and so Perrin climbed over the wall at the back and r/. ;itted witness. The back door was and there were spots of blood on t l v stairs and in the hayloft, which was built out over the back of the nou=< . . 1 on a level with •1 ssr I- , ••"'"yvii. They found her body. Sh' lying on the floor fully li f ■* t ~ «' .1 with wounds on her D •••*.. Hale stated that dp<v 's. ' r . 1 b r miller's bill on the 'flj.s-' . 'here was money amounting L u - \il pounds sterling in the house. The adjourned inquest concerning the death of Mrs Hall resulted in a verdict of 1 Wilful murder' against George Perrin. One witness positively swore that Mrs Hall returned home alone on Friday night, while another stated that he saw Perrin in the neighborhood of the shop about four o'clock the following morning. The Chief-constable informed the jury that when Perrin was told to be present at the inquest there was no reasonable ground for arresting him. The man had misled the whole force. The coroner assented to this opinion. In the afternoon the affair had a sensational development. It was discovered that the man Perrin had gone to Kemp Town, and on the sands there had cut his throat. A man, who had watched him for an hour, on discovering what had happened, fetched Chiefconstable Carter from Brighton. The man was carried to the hospital, and there he died without having made any statement. He was, it seems, at | work at the shop on Saturday, but aeon after the police officers entered the place he left, and was not seen again till found dying. It had been discovered that on the night of the nrnrder Le paid a debt of 80s, and bought himself a new shirt, and when interrogated about these things he equivocated. The police have little doubt now that he was Mrs Hall's murderer. The story of a strange man rests entirely on his uncorroborated evidence. A neighbor named Edwards has informed the police that Mrs Hall returned alone on Thursday night, and not with a strange man, as was at first reported.