X Manchester Evening News Saturday 22nd February1902THE NORTHENDEN TRAGEDY. ADDITIONAL DETAILS. InNorthenden, Didsbury, and district the terribletragedy which occurred yesterday morning atBradley Gate was the principal topic ofconversation last night. During the afternoon thescene of the murder and suicide was visited byhundreds of people, and it is safe to predict thatif to-morrow is fine it will be visited bythousands more.THE POLICEMEN'S COURAGE. The utmost admiration isexpressed for the coinage of Police SergeantFoster and Police Constable Lawson, who faced thefire of the murderer without a tremor. Everycredit is given to Foster, but Lawson is for themoment the hero of the village. His bravery isonly equalled by his modesty. He told the story ofthe ordeal he passed through in a matter of factway, and from his demeanour one might havesupposed that facing the fire of a murderer'srevolver was an everyday experience.- It is not solong ago that he was the victim of a brutalassault by a gang of Stockport poachers. He cameacross them while passing through Wythenshawe Wooda spot which is familiar to all Manchestercyclists in the dead hours of the night. When hechallenged them they set upon him. There were somefive or six of them. In the course of the strugglethey pushed his head through a barbed wire fence,and then bit him with bludgeons and left him fordead. For two months almost he lay at death'sdoor, but thanks to a strong constitution hepulled through and now, apparently, he is littleworse for the mauling he then received. It oughtto be added that the perpetrators of this crimewere afterwards secured and severely punished.THE MURDERER'S CAREER. From further inquirieswhich have, been made, it appears that Cottrillhad been living in Welbeck-Street, Booth-street,Manchester. He was 72 or 73 years of age, aboutsix feet or a little over six feet in height, andwell preserved. He had had experience as a butlerin the West End of London, and at one time wouldserve in no family beneath the rank of a nobleman.He had a violent temper, which frequently got himinto trouble. This was one of the reasons why hewas very unpopular in the village. When theaffairs of the nation were being settled by thevillage cronies he took an active part in thediscussions. He held strong views on the questionof the war and strongly sympathised with the causeof the Boers. Apparently he was never forgiven forhanging a black flag from a window of Mr. Dyson'shouse when Mafeking was relieved. He resented "theattitude of his fellow servants towards him onthis account, and for a long time seems to havenursed feelings of revenge. From conversation withthem it was evident that they believed he intendedto "do" for the lot, and after the terrible affairthey all congratulated themselves upon havingescaped injury. Barrett, the coachman, who jumpedon a pony when the firing began, rode bareback ata helter skelter rate to the village for thepolice, considered himself as having beenparticularly lucky. He arrived at the policeman'shouse in a breathless condition- It took him allday to recover his composure. Last year Cottrillwas the steward of a club in Douglas, Isle of Man,and three or four years ago he was in the serviceof a well-known baronet who resides in NorthWales. Though not a teetotaller, he was a verytemperate man, and his honesty was beyondquestion. His wife died some six months ago, afact, which coupled with his violent temper mayhave led to his mind becoming unhinged.THE COACHMAN'S ACCOUNT OF THE AFFAIR. AlfredBarratt, coachman to the late Mr. Dyson, in thecourse of an interview stated that he had been inMr. Dyson's service for over four years, and wasthere before Cottrill became butler. The cause ofall the trouble was Cottrill's conduct on theRelief of Mafeking and Ladysmith. Barratt believesthat Cottrill got into the house by gettingthrough a window. His first impression was thatMr. Coombs the butler, who was engaged afterCottrill left, had been shot. He at once went tothe stable, got a pony, and rode to the villagefor medical assistance and the police. When hereturned to the house he saw Cottrill with arevolver in each hand in front of the house. Thepolice sergeant; came and asked for a gun and hehanded him one. When Police Constable Lawsonarrived on the scene he was also supplied with agun. Then they approached Cottrill, who beganfiring at them, and they fired in return. Thenwhen Cottrill received Lawson's charge in the headand chest he put a revolver to his mouth and shothimself. "There was no doubt," added Barratt,"That Cottrill intended to do for the lot of us." ANOTHER INTERVIEW. Mr. William Leigh, a generalcontractor in Northenden, in the course of aninterview, put the time of the shooting in theroadway at about 8 30. When he came on the sceneCottrill was backing '" the direction ofStockport, with a revolver in each hand, and beinggradually approached by the sergeant and theconstable, who were armed with guns. Every now andthen Cottrill would fire a shot at them. He saidto Cottrill, "What are you doing here?" Cottrillreplied that he had some occasion to be there. Mr.Leigh tried to turn Cottrill away so that therewould be "no further mischief, but he refused.Then he asked him whether it was true that he hadmurdered a man, and Cottrill, replied that he hadshot one. Just after this the sergeant called uponCottrill to surrender. There was more firing, andthen Cottrill was hit. He then put the revolver inhis mouth and fired.COTTRILL RECEIVING OUT-RELIEF. For some timeCottrill has been receiving outdoor relief, at therate of 3s. a week, from the Chorlton Union. Helived in lodgings at Hulme, and often complainedthat, on account of his age (he was 73), be wasunable to secure a situation. Only this week heapplied to the relieving officer for an advance ofa sovereign, to enable him to advertise in severalpapers for a situation and to buy a fewnecessaries. As an inducement to the Guardians togive him a sovereign, he said that if it weregiven to him he would not trouble them again. Theapplication would have been considered at ameeting of the Relief Committee on Monday next. Inhis relations with the Union officials Cottrillclearly showed that his poverty had soured him andmade him desperate. More than once he was heard tosay that he would not mind putting himself infront of an express train.THE INQUEST. The inquest has been fixed for 9 45on Monday, at the Church Inn, Northenden.LATEST DETAILS. The excitement caused by thetragedy yesterday at Northenden had somewhatsubsided this morning, but the murder and suicideare still the one topic of conversation in thevillage. It is expected that the body of the lateMr. Dyson will be interred at Cheetham Hill onTuesday, the inquest being fixed for Mondaymorning. Regarding the murderer Cottrill,inquiries have been made by the police as towhether he has any relatives in Manchester ordistrict. They have succeeded in finding a distantrelative, but have not been able to find anyoneclosely related to him. Cottrill appears to havebeen a man who has travelled all over the world,and there is some doubt in the minds of the policeas to what place he really belonged to. Thedistant relation referred to decline to haveanything to do with the arrangements for theinterment and Cottrill will in consequence beburied by the parish. It is expected that hisburial will take place on Monday afternoon afterthe inquest. His body lies in the stable behindthe Church Inn at Northenden, where it was removedafter the tragedy. After twenty-four hours'reflection the police hold the opinion thatCottrill in the first place intended to murder thegardener, a man named Carlisle, and Mr. Dyson, ashe had previously threatened to do. The witnessessummoned for the inquest include the new gardenerand Mrs Coombs, the wife of the butler, whosucceeded Cottrill. It is stated that during theearlier stages of the war Cottrill, every timethere was a British reverse, walked down to thevillage in a delighted frame of mind and expressedsentiments which were obnoxious to the majority ofhis acquaintances. No fewer than five bullets havebeen picked up in the bedroom in which Mr. Dysonwas shot.INTERVIEW WITH P.C. LAWSON". P.C. Lawson wasinterviewed this morning regarding his experiencesyesterday when, in conjunction with SergeantFoster, he was called upon to face the bulletsfrom Cottrill's revolvers. He said it seemed tohim like half an hour, though actually the affairlasted only two or three minutes. He was given ahammerless gun and in the flurry of the moment hemisunderstood its mechanism. He thought it wasready for firing and pulled the trigger withoutany result. Meanwhile he had to stand the shotswhich Cottrill was aiming at him. This morning heshowed an "Evening News representative the holeswhich one of the bullets had made in his tunic.These holes were just below the short ribs on theleft-hand side. When asked what he thought aboutwhilst the firing was going on, he said he had notime to think until it was over. Sergeant Fosterhimself kept walking on towards the murderer, andhe kept going backwards. Neither he nor Fosterseemed to realise what the danger was. The riskthey were running only occurred to them after itwas all over. The late Mr Dyson was a gentleman ofmeans. In addition to having relatives in Herefordit is understood that he had some living inCheetham Hill. It is stated that he had huntingstables and shooting in Herefordshire andoccasionally he went over there for the week-end.'His servants were four in number, these being thebutler, cook, coachman, and gardener.SKETCH OF THE MURDERER. Dr. O' Doherty, ofOxford-street, Manchester, had from time to timeattended Cottrill for various ailments, and hadalso treated him for a scalp wound which wasinflicted upon him about two years ago by agardener with whom he had quarrelled atNorthenden. Interviewed by our reporter thismorning the doctor responded cordially to arequest that he would furnish us with some idea ofthe man "I knew him well," said Dr. O' Dohertyhaving had him under my care, but there was thatin his appearance and general bearing whichcommended more attention than one would give tothe average man. For a man over seventy years, hewas very well set up, erect and dignified. He wascourtesy itself, in fact the very type of anold-fashioned gentleman's valet. His manner waseccentric, so much so, indeed, that I sometimesconcluded that he was not in full possession ofhis senses. He had politics on the brain. Hisenthusiasm as Radical was such that he hardlymissed a meeting where he could find a vent forhis feelings, and many a time, as I have beensitting on a platform, I have seen him amongst theaudience, always leading the app and following thespeeches with keen enjoyment and animation. Thereis no doubt he was a man capable of nourishingvery intense feelings of animosity, and I wasaware that he bore Mr. Dyson a grudge. AN APPLICANT FOR RELIEF - Cottrill, when out ofemployment, resided in Manchester. He had lived inSidney Street, and Welbeck Street, all in C.-M.,his last place of residence having been in WelbeckStreet, but within recent years he has filledsituations, in various places, including Kent andSouthport. It was in Southport last June he losthis wife within a week of their arrival in thetown Cottrill was again out for a situation andreturned to Manchester. At last, a mouth ago,Cottrill was driven to appeal for relief from theGuardians. He first applied to Mr. F. Cooper,relieving officer to the Chorlton Union onSaturday, January 25th when it was too late torelieve him officially. Mr. Cooper, however, gavehim something on his own account, and called lateron to see him at Welbeck Street. Cottrillsubsequently received out relief for four weeks.He impressed the Guardians as a man who ought, ifpossible to be kept out of the workhouse, and onlyon Tuesday last he inquired whether it was likelythat the Guardians would advance him a sovereign,saying that if he got it he would trouble them nomore. Whether Cottrill wanted the money to enablehim to purchase the fatal weapons can only besurmised. His own explanation was that he wantedto pay his lodgings and advertise for a situation,which in spite of his age according to his ownaccount was 73, he seemed confident of securing.The question of this advance was never settled,however, for he was to have applied for it againon Monday next.