A WOMAN MURDERED

Te Puke Times, Volume II, Issue II, 21 October 1913, Page 3

A WOMAN MURDERED

ARREST OP SUSPECTED MAN. Christchurch, Thursday News reached the, Christchurch police this morning that the wife of Mr l ! k. Lilley, a resident of Mayfield, had been found dead under circumstances pointing to murder. Mrs Lilley left home yesterday evening,, presumably to visit a neighbour, Her husband, who is a farmer, was absent. When he returned she was still away.

Later, Mr Lilley became alarmed, and made a search.' He found his wife lying among some scrub, six chains from the house, dead, with a ghastly wound on her head. ,

A sledge-hammer was lying beside the body, arid it had evidently been used by the murderer.

Mr Lilley found no other person in the neighborhood. Detectives made a search ; and found a blacksmith's' Kit of tools'! a bicycle, and a sledge hammer lying near the body. Ashburton, Sunday.

The hammer with which Mrs Lilley was murdered has been identified as belonging to Alfred Biddle, a blacksmith, who had been in the neighborhood for the past four years, and was wellknown to the farming community. He is about 29 years of age. The police immediately made enquiries as to Biddlc's whereabouts, and found that his smithy was locked up, and that he had not been seen at his' boardinghouse since Wednesday evening at 6 o'clock, when he left on his bicyclp. About 8.45 this morning Biddle was arrested about half a mile from his smithy. He is a small, thin, emaciated man, and was in a very weak state when arrested. Ashburton, Monday. At the Police Station this morning, before three Justices, Alfred Mortran Biddle was formally charged with the murder of Rosanna Lilley, at Mayfield on October 15. Prisoner was in a very shaky condition, having to lean on the arms of two detectives. Otherwise he appeared calm. Sergeant Emerson,.applied for a remand till to-morrow, prisoner saying that he had no objection. The inquest will ; be opened tomorrow. Christ-church, This day, Apathetic story is connected with Mrs Lilley's four children, They were left alone in the house from Wednesday evening. The eldest, a boy of eight, looked after himself and the others. He stated that on Wednesday night Biddle called and told Mrs Lilley that Mrs Montgomery, a neighbor, was ill, and that he had been sent to ask her to go over. She dressed and left the house in company with Biddle.