The Sun.
London, England, 1847-10-14 00:00:00

LOWDON, THURSDAY EVENING,_ OCTOBER 14, 1847.

HOWELL, JAMES, and CO.

At a meeting of the creditors of the eminent house
of Howell, James, and Co., held on Tuesday, at the
London Coffee-house, the following balance-sheet
was exhibited :

HOWELL, JAMES, AND Co.
BALANCE-SHEET, SEPTEMBER 25, 1847.
Dr.
To sundry trade creditors
To sundry cash creditors
To Ransom and Co. :
Amount due to them ...£14,247 15 0
Less securities ... 9,665 15 0

£39.512 10 6
49,806 4 5

4,532 0 0

To liabilities
Considered bs(l
To sundry creditors for
goods still lying at the
Custom House

...£17,913 10 7

1,500 0 0

". 1,888 0 0

£95,400 14 11

Cr.
By cash and bills on hand £4,955 9 0
By sundry debtors, cons tiered good ... 63,611 3 11
By stock on band ... 62,475 13 2
By fixtures, furniture, &c. ... 5,150 0 0

£136,192 6 1
It was agreed to give time for payment in full, by
instalments, under inspection ; the assets of the estate
being considered ample for the discharge of the whole
of the debts.

THE BIRMINGHAM MURDER

BIRAIINGIIAM, WEDNESDAY EVENING.—ThiS af-
ternoon an inquest was held at the Woo!pack Inn,
Moor-street, on the body of Mary Davies, who was
murdered by her husband the previous day in the
same street. Dr. Birt Davies, the borough coroner,
presided, and a respectable jury having been em-
panelled, the prisoner was introduced, in custody,
into the jury-room. He appeared to be perfectly
calm and collected, and throughout the inquiry did
not betray the slightest emotion.
The Co twee, a.ter the jury had had a view of
the bAy, proceeded to call the following witnesses :
Eliza Yarnell, of Mount street, Bordesley—The
name of deceased was Mary Davies. Witness, by
working for her, had known her for eighteen months.
The deceased was wife of Matthew Davies, and also
kept the Prince of \Vales, in Moor-street. She was
about forty-three or forty-four years of age, and had
three children living. Witness was at the house of
deceased yesterday, and proceeded to peel some
potatoes in the back kitchen. When she went
in Mrs. Davies and the little girl Sarah Davies
were in the back-kitchen. Mrs. Davies, the
deceased, came in, and she heard the prisoner ask the
deceased, while they were peeling potatoes, not to
appear against him at the public office. The
deceased at that time was washing herself. Deceased
had previously been making pies and Yorkshire pud-
dings. The prisoner said, "Don't go, Mary—such
d—d nonsense—its no use going—I'll be tidy." He
alluded to going before the magistrates, in conse-
quence of a summons issued on Friday. The de-
ceased replied, "If God spares me, I will go." He
still continued to ask her not to go—his supplications
were frequently repeated. The prisoner might have
peeled six or seven potatoes during the time. The
pris-mer during this time steeled his knife five or six
times on the steelyard. After her refusal to abandon
her appearance before the magistrates, the prisoner
put his arm over the left shoulder of deceased, and
witness thought he was going to kiss her. She had
seen him kiss her under such circumstances and in
such a manner before. He said more than once, in
reference to going before the magistrates, "Mary,
don't go." She replied, "If God spares me, I will
go." At last he said, "D
—n your eyes, you shan't
g and immediately afterwards
,witness saw a gush
of blood upon her threat. It appeared to come from
the right side. Was sure deceased did not do it herself.
The deceased was stooping at the time. Witness felt
sure that the act was the act ofMatthew Davies. There
did not appear to be any struggle at the moment. Wit-
ness then gave the alarm of " Murder !" and the de-
ceased for three or four yards followed her down the
yard. After her (witness's) return from the eutry,
where she gave the alarm, she saw deceased in the
gutter, close to the door of the back- yard. Witness
subsequently saw a wound in the throat of the de-
ceased. Many people then gathered together in front
of the house, and a surgeon was soon on the spot.
Mr. Macpherson was that gentleman. Fro: i the time
witness saw the blood first issue to the time of the
death of the deceased was about five minutes. The
prisoner, after the murder of deceased, placed his
hands in his pockets, and turned his back to the fire.
He did not say anything, nor did witness observe in
his manner any peculiarity of any kind. Never saw
any slapping in the face or any provocation given by
the deceased to the prisoner in her presence. [ \Vie-
ness here identified the knife with which the murder
was committed.] The deceased said to the prisoner,
who was urging her not to g.) before the magis-
trates, "Go off with you, or l'il knock you on the
face." She did not offer, however, to do so. The
deceased was "as sober as a judge." The pthoner,
she understood, had been drunk over night, and she
saw him go do "In the cellar that morning. She ap-
peared to be sober. Had lately seen him often in-
toxicated ; since last May she had seen him fre-
qeently so.
By a juror—l do not know where the knife was
found. Never saw the prisoner violent except under
the influence of liquor. Yesterday morning, before
he cammitted the act, he was as calm as you are.
By the CORONER—By the word "calm" you mean
he was not excited ? Witness—Not in the least.
In the course of the conversation the prisoner begged
of deceased not to go before the magistrates. The
prisoner shed tears.
Henrietta Hughes, wife of John Hughes, deposed
as follows :—She was a neighbour of deceased, and
yesterday morning, between ten and eleven o'clock,
she met the last witness in the entry. She stated
that Mr. Davies had cut Mrs. Davies's throat, and on
entering the yard she saw the deceased on the floor.
The blood was gushing cut of her throat, and she
died during her removal upstairs. The prisoner stood
apparently unconcerned, with his hands in his pockets,
by the brewhouse door. He appeared to witness to
be perfectly sober. He seemed calmer than of late.
Police-constable Charles Bees deposed that yester-
day morning he was at the public office and heard
cries of "Murder," and immediately went to the
house from which they proceeded. On going up the
entry he saw a woman in the back yard of the pri-
soner's house, and he directly asked who had done it,
and where the person was ? A woman replied, "In
the brewhouse." Witness there saw the prisoner,
who said, " What's the matter, what's the matter ?"
Witness, after saying, " Are you not ashamed of
yourself ?" laid hold of him by the collar. The pri-
soner requested that he might not be dragged across
the street, but quietly walked over to the public- office.
A person afterwards gave him the knife which he
then produced. At the time he received it it was
covered with fresh blood. When he arrested the

prisoner his right hand was all over blood.
Mr. Macpherson, surgeon, being sworn, stated that
he was called i❑ to the deceased. He found her dead.
The wound in the throat was six or seven inches in

length, and three in depth. It cut through the
jugular and windpipe, and must have been almost im-
mediately fatal. His attention was not directed to
Matthew Davies ; he never saw him.
After a short consultation the jury returned a ver-
dict of " Wilful Murder," and the prisoner was com-
mitted to take his trial at the ensuing Warwick
assizes.

POISONINGS IN THE ISLE OF ELT.—The inquiry
into this mysterious tragedy was resumed yesterday at
Nianea, before Mr. Pratt, the coroner. Lengthened
evidence, of a similar character to that already adduced,
was given, after which the coroner proceeded to read it
through seriutim. After the coroner had summed up,
the jury returnAl a verdie, " That the three deceased
children, Eliza Hurtles', Whitewell Audley, and Mary
Ann Young, died of the admin4tration of arsenic by
soxn person or persons unknown."
THE IRON TRADE. WOLVERHAMPTON, WED-
NESDAY.--TO-day "' the secoed of the quarterly meetings
of the iron trade was held here, at the Swan, and was
numerously attended by the representatives of nearly
all the large houses in the trade, and there were man)
re en
nt
d efrompre
si
asdnT
influences
n elst
on wasth
ed
commerceoubtful w whether
ht
the
country generally would not lead to a reduction in the
prices in this branch of our manufacture ; but the state
of the trade was declared to be such as
to warrant an
adherence to the prices of last quarter, and no alteration
took place to-day.