Mrs Farley conducted herself but some were surprisingly critical of the widow. The Dorset County Chronicle primly stated, ‘Mrs Farley is still in the prime of life . . . She was wonderfully calm and still wore coloured flowers in her bonnet.’ This was indeed an affront to the Victorian code of decorous behaviour. However, the Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette had worse: ‘. . . the wife of the deceased who was the principal witness, in the course of her evidence exhibited extraordinary levity.’
No doubt, given the horror of the circumstances in which she had been embroiled, the spectators had expected a display of heart-rending emotion from the grieving widow. That they were disappointed may have been the result of Harriet Louisa still being in a state of shock. Another possible explanation is that her years spent with the army had taught her rigid self-control.
Had she presented a more pathetic picture, it is possible she would not have been subjected to the rigorous questioning that followed her initial statement of events. As the inquest progressed, so it became clear that not only was she not particularly liked by the local people, but she had in fact been the subject of gossip among them.
Having detailed the events leading up to her going to bed, she was asked about the rap at the door. This, she said, she had not heard herself, yet in the previous account she was reported as saying she had heard what she thought was the maid rattling the candlestick.
The next discrepancy came in her account of what happened when Arthur reached the side of the bed where the vicar was lying. She now said that it was Arthur who had twice said ‘What do you mean?’ The coroner picked her up on that, asking, ‘Mr Farley said so?’ On the contrary, she replied that it was definitely Arthur who had said it and her husband who had laughed. Mr Farley had laughed in his usual bright way as if not sick, as much as to say ‘Don’t be foolish’ or something like that.
The Suffolk Times and Mercury report continued:
Coroner : He said to the prisoner ‘Don’t be foolish?’
Mrs Farley : No, he didn’t say it, but it was in that kind of way. The vicar made no remark. He only laughed. He saw Mr Cooper was wrong and tried to intimidate him and send him away. When Mr Cooper made the remark, ‘What do you mean?’ I knew there was something wrong, and I went to him and ordered him out of the room. I said to him, ‘What do you mean talking like that? Get out of the room,’ and sent him out and followed him out.
Coroner : What took place then?
Mrs Farley : I did not close the door.
Coroner : Did you observe any blood flowing?
Mrs Farley : My husband said, ‘Oh Louie, he has’– done so and so.
Coroner : The deceased said his throat was cut, didn’t he?
[The witness nodded her head]
Coroner : Was that when Mr Cooper was in the bedroom?
Mrs Farley : I should say it was when he was passing out. He was most likely on my side of the bed, near the door. I went round immediately to my husband, and said, ‘Nonsense, nonsense, you fancy things’.
Coroner : Did you see blood flowing then?
Mrs Farley : No, I did not. I didn’t believe it; didn’t believe it was true.
Coroner : How long was it before you saw blood?
Mrs Farley : I followed Mr Cooper to his room, fearing that he had something in his hand. My first thoughts were that he would go to the servants.
Coroner : Did you go to the prisoner’s room?
Mrs Farley : Yes.
Coroner : Was he there?
Mrs Farley : Yes.
Coroner : Did he make any observation to you?
Mrs Farley : No.
Coroner : Did you see him put a razor or anything of that kind down?
Mrs Farley : No; he was standing quite upright in his room. He said nothing. I asked him what he had in his hands, and he said ‘I have got nothing.’ I tried to intimidate him, but he held out his hands and said ‘I have got nothing.’
Coroner : Were his hands open?
Mrs Farley : Yes.
Coroner : Both of them?
Mrs Farley :
No doubt, given the horror of the circumstances in which she had been embroiled, the spectators had expected a display of heart-rending emotion from the grieving widow. That they were disappointed may have been the result of Harriet Louisa still being in a state of shock. Another possible explanation is that her years spent with the army had taught her rigid self-control.
Had she presented a more pathetic picture, it is possible she would not have been subjected to the rigorous questioning that followed her initial statement of events. As the inquest progressed, so it became clear that not only was she not particularly liked by the local people, but she had in fact been the subject of gossip among them.
Having detailed the events leading up to her going to bed, she was asked about the rap at the door. This, she said, she had not heard herself, yet in the previous account she was reported as saying she had heard what she thought was the maid rattling the candlestick.
The next discrepancy came in her account of what happened when Arthur reached the side of the bed where the vicar was lying. She now said that it was Arthur who had twice said ‘What do you mean?’ The coroner picked her up on that, asking, ‘Mr Farley said so?’ On the contrary, she replied that it was definitely Arthur who had said it and her husband who had laughed. Mr Farley had laughed in his usual bright way as if not sick, as much as to say ‘Don’t be foolish’ or something like that.
The Suffolk Times and Mercury report continued:
Coroner : He said to the prisoner ‘Don’t be foolish?’
Mrs Farley : No, he didn’t say it, but it was in that kind of way. The vicar made no remark. He only laughed. He saw Mr Cooper was wrong and tried to intimidate him and send him away. When Mr Cooper made the remark, ‘What do you mean?’ I knew there was something wrong, and I went to him and ordered him out of the room. I said to him, ‘What do you mean talking like that? Get out of the room,’ and sent him out and followed him out.
Coroner : What took place then?
Mrs Farley : I did not close the door.
Coroner : Did you observe any blood flowing?
Mrs Farley : My husband said, ‘Oh Louie, he has’– done so and so.
Coroner : The deceased said his throat was cut, didn’t he?
[The witness nodded her head]
Coroner : Was that when Mr Cooper was in the bedroom?
Mrs Farley : I should say it was when he was passing out. He was most likely on my side of the bed, near the door. I went round immediately to my husband, and said, ‘Nonsense, nonsense, you fancy things’.
Coroner : Did you see blood flowing then?
Mrs Farley : No, I did not. I didn’t believe it; didn’t believe it was true.
Coroner : How long was it before you saw blood?
Mrs Farley : I followed Mr Cooper to his room, fearing that he had something in his hand. My first thoughts were that he would go to the servants.
Coroner : Did you go to the prisoner’s room?
Mrs Farley : Yes.
Coroner : Was he there?
Mrs Farley : Yes.
Coroner : Did he make any observation to you?
Mrs Farley : No.
Coroner : Did you see him put a razor or anything of that kind down?
Mrs Farley : No; he was standing quite upright in his room. He said nothing. I asked him what he had in his hands, and he said ‘I have got nothing.’ I tried to intimidate him, but he held out his hands and said ‘I have got nothing.’
Coroner : Were his hands open?
Mrs Farley : Yes.
Coroner : Both of them?
Mrs Farley :
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