Today's story takes us back to Wednesday, 24th December 1856 and to the inquest of how a young girls body was pulled from an old pit situated only yards from her own back yard, the week before on Friday, 19th December.
At the Whittakers Arms Inn, Mr. H. W. Hargreaves opened the proceedings on the body of Alice Nuttall, a 13 year old girl whose was found drowned in a pit near Highbrake Mill on Friday, 19th December.
The pit from where her body was removed from was roughly eighteen yards long and five to six yards wide. It was also only twenty-five yards away from where Alice had lived at Highbrake Terrace.
At around 6.10pm, Esther Smith was making her way home to Highbrake Terrace after finishing work at the nearby mill. She was being accompanied by John Nuttall who was also employed at the same mill as her. After arriving at Nuttall's house, which was only a five minutes' walk at best, she saw her sister, Alice standing and talking to Alice Nuttall at the bottom of the flag steps leading away from the house. Alice (Smith) was holding a jug which their father had given to her upon leaving work.
Waving at both girls, Esther continued on her way home which was only a few doors up from that of John Nuttall.
Ten minutes later, Alice Smith, in a state of panic came rushing into the house. She was wet from head to foot, her brow covered in green slime.
"Oh! Mother, two men have drawn us through the pit ; go after Alice, they have taken her!"
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