Adela Howarth

Adela Howarth was found dead in a mill lodge in Buckley.

She was a factory operative and had lived in Newman Street, Smallbridge, Rochdale with her parents.

It was said that she had had a comfortable home and that there was presumably nothing troubling her. She was unmarried.

She had returned from her work on the Wednesday night, which was her accustomed time, and after doing some housework she had gone out at about 7pm. However, she didn't return.

After she failed to return home her parents became anxious and in the morning her father went out looking for her and said that at about 8am he saw what he thought was the body of a boy in the lodge of Messrs Abraham Thompson and Sons at Low Mill in Buckley. He then went to tell the police that he had found the body of a little boy, saying, 'It is some poor man's lad'. However, when he returned to the lodge and the body had been removed, he found that it was the body of his daughter, Adela Howarth.

It was considered a complete mystery as to how she ended up in the water.