The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-03-07 00:00:00

A FEARFUL TRAGEDY.

One of the most atrocious murders that have been heard of
In England since, perhaps, that comniftted by Hush, was
committed on Monday light at Todmorden by a weaver of
checks, named Miles Wetherell. me following is a brief ac-
count of the awful affair :

It seems that for some time past Wetherell had
been paying his addressee to a servant maid living at
the parsonage (the Rev. Mr. Plows's), and in canoe-
quence of hie visits the girl had been discharged, and
went back to York, where her parents lived. On
Saturday and Sunday he went to York on a visit to
her. On returning on Tuesday, Wetherell appeared to
have resolved on taking fearful vengeance upon her
late master and mistress, and upon the housemaid,
who was supposed to have told of his visits to
her fellow servant. About half-past ten o'clock
on Monday night Mr. Plows, who was preparing to
retire to his bedroom, heard a noise at the back door.
He went out by the hail door and proceeded to the back
of the house, where he saw Wetherell with a hatchet
in hie hand, who immediately snapped a pistol at him,
but it missed fire. Wetherell next attacked Mr. Plows
with the hatchet, but Mr. Plows closing with him
they went backwards struggling into the lobby of
the house, through the back door. The noise
alarmed the servants, and the housemaid, cook, and
nurse came to see what was the matter. Some of
these seized Wetherell by the hair and clothes to
hold him back. The result was that Mr. Plows
escaped by the front Lull door, but not until he
had received two long scalp wounds at the back of
the head and another at the top of the head, several
vertical cuts on the forehead, one ear torn from top to
bottom, and other wounds. The women also got out
of the murderer's way for the time, having locked the
front and back door. The housemaid heti sought
shelter in the dining-room, and for a time kept
the murderer at bay by placing her back against
the door. Wetherell, however, managed to get his
right arm through the door, and discharged a pistol at
her, shooting her dead. He next went into the kitchen,
armed himself with a poker, and proceeded upstairs
to a bedroom in which Mrs. Plows was lying, and
where she had recently given birth to a child. The
nurse told him he could not go there, but he told her
not to mind, as he had finished those below, and forced
his way past her. Stripping down the bed clothes he
fired at Mrs. Plows, but the ball did not take effect.
He next attacked her savagely with the poker, inflict-
ing some severe scalp wounds, breaking her nose, and
otherwise injuring her. While in the act of striking
another blow at her his arm was arrested by a man
named Stanefield, the church organ it, who had seen
Mr. Plows, and who was accompanied by two other
men. By these men he was removed and given over
to the police. It appears that he was armed with three
pistols and a hatchet when he went to the house. Ile
behaved with remarkable coolness in custody, remark-
ing, "I have done it—l meant to do it, and am only
sorry the d------ pistol (that aimed at Mr. Plows) did
not go off better." The lobby of the house was mftrked
with blood like a slaughter-house. The housemaid
was found dead behind the dining-room door. Mr. and
Mrs. Plows are lying in a precarious state.
To show how deliberately the murderer had laid his
plans, it may be stated that he had a piece of leather
fastened around his waist with a piece of string,
which had holes in for placing his deadly weapons.
He was supplied with ammunition, which consisted
of 27 bullets, four ounces of shot, a number of caps,
and a small Linden flask. The loaded pistols, which
were afterwards found, each contained two bullets, and
were loaded to within about an inch of the muzzle.
The prisoner had also on his person a Prayer-book,
watch, and the following letter, which bore the postal
date, October 30, and had apparently been sent from
the parsonage :
My dear Mills, please do not come any more, because there
has been such a row. My dear Mills, lam very sorry to dis-
appoint you, but inother says it cannot be now for one
thing. You must guess the rest, as I have to do, but I can
tell you it is quite as great a disappointment to me as it
would be to you. If it is convenient for you to be at the
station on Friday morning at seven o'clock I should so much
like to see you again. It is hard to part with you, my own
dear boy, but you must not fret, for I shall love you as well
away as here. You know it is bard-hearted Ling-parting, so
most say good night, my dear, for it is bed time. With a
kink I remain, yours ever truly, SERAIL E. BELL.