"Aw havn't murdered anybody..."

Northern Echo, January 12
"The housekeeper, Mrs Jane Barron, was the widow of the late John Barron, a leadminer and small farmer. His father, John Barron, was a smeltor, and occupied the same land. John Barron jnr. was a quiet, inoffensive young man, and had three or four brothers who had a great respect for their brother's widow, and considered her a member of the family."

Northern Echo, January 14
"She possesses great firmness and determination, and is of a taciturn disposition. She lived as a servant with Mr White, Hedley West Riding, for three months. She left in November 1878, and went home unhired, as many others were at that time, and hired at Hexham May hiring to Mr Pearson. She left that place last November, and had then gone to keep house for the unfortunate man."

Illustrated Police News, January 17
"Jane Barron is described as a strongly-built woman, with deep chest and broad shoulders, and apparently possessed of above the average amount of strength of women. The only thing she lacks seems to be intelligence. She is very slow of speech and comprehension. On being formally charged she exhibited no emotion of any kind, and after an interval of fully a minute, she drawled out, "Aw's clear on't. Aw havn't murdered anybody, and aw hav'n't seen anybody murdered."

Northern Echo, January 19
"John Dodd of Hedley North Farm: "Jane Barron was the eldest girl of a large family; she was sent to the village school at Hedley to receive what education her parents were able to give her... "she was of a quiet, reserved and retiring disposition..." "Since she left school she has been engaged as a farm servant, and has lived with a few of the most respectable and well-to-do farmers in the district; for it was only farmers in good position that could secure her services, and she invariably received the largest wages which were current."

Northern Echo, January 24
"Deceased did not then, or at any other time, take any liberties with me. George White was never at Belmount on January 1st, or at any other time since I have been there as servant that I am aware of. I have had letters from him twice, addressed "Belmount, Blanchland," promising to come and see me. On the first of January, about three o'clock in the afternoon, when deceased was joking me about Geo. White, he said he had found that White had been as far as Blanchland, which is under three miles from Belmount, three weeks ago, but could not find his way across the fells to see me. White knew that I was in service with deceased, and that he was a young man."