This is a cold case mystery.
I recently mentioned about a body of a man found drowned at the Martholme viaduct worksite and there are conflicting opinions from those around at the time as to who this person was. I'm asking for opinions and a probability rating as to do you think this person was one of the railway workers helping to construct the viaduct, here are the facts:
1. The body is found in October 1870 at the viaduct worksite.
2. The body is wedged under a sleeper which the railway crane needs to move back and forth.
3. It's stated one of the workers at the site is missing at the time the body is found.
4. The river was in flood at the time.
5. One of the workers called Richard Hacking seems to think he was a shoemaker.
6. A labourer in the nearby town identifies him to the police and states they joined the army back in 1857 at Liverpool together and the man was a shoemaker by trade. The labourer also states the man was a Private in the army and upon discharge received a daily army pension of 9d and was from South Wales.
7. During the inquest, a lady from the town thinks this is a man from Newchurch, Rossendale.
8. After the inquest he's identified as someone from Burnley who was licensed to sell alcohol.
9. The conclusion from the inquest is he drowned at Padiham and was washed down river to the viaduct site.
10. The distance from Padiham to the viaduct site by river is 4.5 miles.
11. The river although in flood, has many obstacles in the way from Padiham to the viaduct, such as weirs, bridges and sandbanks which split the river on several occasions as it twists and turns.
12. In 1875 with the river in flood again, a young lad only 18 drowned at Padiham, his body didn't get anywhere as far as 4.5 miles, he was found on the edge of town.
The labourer in the town Mr. Thompson (working away from the viaduct site) seems absolutely positive he knows the dead person and adds extra information.
Was this dead person the shoemaker who had come to work as a labourer or something on the railway works?
Was the official identification of the dead person a case of misidentification do you think?
Would the authorities override the labourer's opinion for that of someone more respectable?
What probability rating from 1 to 99 percent would you guess that it is in fact the shoemaker who's body was found?
I recently mentioned about a body of a man found drowned at the Martholme viaduct worksite and there are conflicting opinions from those around at the time as to who this person was. I'm asking for opinions and a probability rating as to do you think this person was one of the railway workers helping to construct the viaduct, here are the facts:
1. The body is found in October 1870 at the viaduct worksite.
2. The body is wedged under a sleeper which the railway crane needs to move back and forth.
3. It's stated one of the workers at the site is missing at the time the body is found.
4. The river was in flood at the time.
5. One of the workers called Richard Hacking seems to think he was a shoemaker.
6. A labourer in the nearby town identifies him to the police and states they joined the army back in 1857 at Liverpool together and the man was a shoemaker by trade. The labourer also states the man was a Private in the army and upon discharge received a daily army pension of 9d and was from South Wales.
7. During the inquest, a lady from the town thinks this is a man from Newchurch, Rossendale.
8. After the inquest he's identified as someone from Burnley who was licensed to sell alcohol.
9. The conclusion from the inquest is he drowned at Padiham and was washed down river to the viaduct site.
10. The distance from Padiham to the viaduct site by river is 4.5 miles.
11. The river although in flood, has many obstacles in the way from Padiham to the viaduct, such as weirs, bridges and sandbanks which split the river on several occasions as it twists and turns.
12. In 1875 with the river in flood again, a young lad only 18 drowned at Padiham, his body didn't get anywhere as far as 4.5 miles, he was found on the edge of town.
The labourer in the town Mr. Thompson (working away from the viaduct site) seems absolutely positive he knows the dead person and adds extra information.
Was this dead person the shoemaker who had come to work as a labourer or something on the railway works?
Was the official identification of the dead person a case of misidentification do you think?
Would the authorities override the labourer's opinion for that of someone more respectable?
What probability rating from 1 to 99 percent would you guess that it is in fact the shoemaker who's body was found?
