The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-09 00:00:00

MURDER IN BALL'S-POND-ROAD.

Yesterday morning having been appointed for
the examination of Thomas Robert Davis, aged 39,
a carpenter, residing at No. 11, Dorset-street,
Pall's-pond, who stands charged with the wilful
murder of his wife, Mary Davis, in Dorset-street,
in the parish of St. Mary, Islington, by cutting her
throat with a razor, the Clerkenvrell police-court
and its avenues were at an early hour crowded to
excess, notwithstanding the untoward state 'of the
weather, by persons who were anxious to catch a
sight of, and to hear the evidence against the pri-

toner.
The prisoner, who is a short, miserable-looking
man, hal since he has been incarcerated in the
Kinagand police-station, where he has been under
the care anA inspection of Inspector Langdon, of
tho N division, been very sullen and downcast.
Before he was brought to the police-court he was
so overcome that it was found necessary to give
Lim some brandy as a stimulant. The prisoner has
expressed his thanks both to the superintendent of
the N division (Mr. Beckerson) and to Mr. In-
spector Landon, of the same division, for the kind
manner iu which they have treated him. It would
appear from the letters found at the prisoner's resi-
dence that the wife has same very respectable con-
nexions both in the countiesof Dorset and Somerset,
and the police at once communicated the melan-
choly facts to them. Of the prisoner not much is
known, except that he has lived in his present resi-.
dente for nearly four years, and that he has con-
stantly been in the habit of getting drunk. The
deceased was well known as an honest, respectable
person, not a ddicted at all to drink, and it is stated
that the cause of the present lamentable affair is
that the husband was jealous of a soldier, but
without the slightest cause whatever.
Shortly after 1.2 o'clock the prisoner, who seamed
in a very dejected: state, was placed at the bar before
Mr. Tyrwhitt, and upon the charge being read over
t) him by Mr. Motrid, the chief clerk, he made no
reply.
Mr. Superintendent' Beckerson and Mr. Inspec-
tor Landon were in at;ltendance to watch the case
on behalf of the Commitn.ioners of Police.
Mrs. Sarah Stromp wa:4 the first witness called,
and said—l am married, a aid am the wife of John
Stromp, and we reside in the same house as the pri-
soner. I live on the second floor, and the prisoner
and his wife lodged on the flint floor front. I have
resided there about two years and a half, but the
prisoner resided there before I -went there to live.
On Thursday night last, about half-past 17, I was in
bed and heard a scuffling in the prisoner's bedroom,
which was on the first floor back. I heard him call

his wife a b--- —. The deceased replied, " No,
Davis, I have enough of you; one is quite enough
for me." Prisoner then said, " I will go and get it."
I said to my husband, " For God's sake get up ; he
is going to kill her." My husband got up and ran
down-stairs as he was. I followed, as did another
lodger, who resided in the next room to me. I
heard the deceased call out " Murder!" three times.
Mr. Tyrwhitt—Was that as you were going down-
stairs

Witness—No, air ; the first cry was when my
husband opened our room door for the purpose of
going down-stairs.
Witness continued—When we got down to pri-
soner's door we found the prisoner standing close
against his bei-rcom door. The wife was also out
of the room, and staggering along the passage with
her child in her arms.

Mr. Tyrwhitt—Was the wife dressed ?
Witness—Yes. She and the prisoner had not
been in-doors more than an hour. The deceased ran
out of the house with the child, which is four years
old. My husband took hold of the prisoner and said
to him, " What have you done, Davis?" The pri-
soner replied, " Now I have done it I am a happy
man. I have done it for her at last. I have done
for her." He then produced a razor and said, " This
is what I have done it with," and he gave it to my
husband. _ _ _

Mr. Tyrwhitt—Can you give me any idea ho w
long it was before you heard the cry of " Murder P'
and saw the prisoner with a razor in his hand ?

Witness—about two minutes.
Mr. Tyrwhitt..—Just explain to me how it was
that you could hear so distinctly.
Witness—Because my baby was awake, and the
prisoner was speaking very loudly.
Mr. Tyrwhitt—Did the prisoner appear to be
sober ?

Witnesi—He seemed to have had a drop, but he
was not so drunk as I have seen him sometimes.

Mr. Tyrwhitt—How was the woman for drink
Witness--I do not think she had had a drop.
Mr. Tyrwhitt (to the prisoner)—Do you wish to
ask th's witness anything?
The prisoner in a dejected tone said—l do not
recollect seeing the witness there at all. My wife
and myself had been drinking all day.
Mr. John Stromp said—l am the husband of the
last witness, and was in bed about 11 o'clock on
on Tuesday night. I did not hear the prisoner and
his wife come home. I had been asleep about two
hours and a-hall when my wife awoke me. I heard
a kicking at the prisoner's door and loud screams of
" Murder !" The voices were those of Mrs. Davis
and her child. I got up, and following my wife
downstairs, saw the prisoner standing close against
his bedroom door with a razor in his hand, which
was covered with blood. 1 said to the prisoner,
"Bob, for God s sake what have you done?" He
replied, " I have done for her at last. Come here,
Jack ; I will give myself up to you. I have done
the deed, and I will die for it." 1 took hold of the
prisoner and said, " What a foolish man eou must
have been." The razor was in his hand, half open
and half shnt. I took it from him, and he said,
" That is the thing that has done the deed." The
prisoner then said, " Stand on one side a minute
or two, Jack, while I go out into the back yard."
I said, " No, Bob ; you are in my hands, and I
will not let you go until a policeman comes
up." A few minutes afterwards a policeman ar-
rived, and I told the policeman all about it,
who took the prisoner into custody, when I gave
him the razor, which was coveredwith blood. When
I gave the prisoner into custody he asked me to
fetch Police-sergeant Bovis, which I did. I saw
the deceased go down the passage bleeding from a
wound in her throat. The prisoner was rather the
worse for liquor.
The prisoner here said—When the witness saw
me at the door my wife was in the bedroom. I was
coming out to get some one to attend to her.
Mrs. Sarah Ann Day said—l am married and my
husband is a sweep. I live in the same house as the
prisoner. About 11 o'clock on Tuesday night I
heard the' prisoner and his wife come home. I heard
hint say to his wife in the passage, " You —= sol-
dier's whore." She said, " No, Davis, do not say
that. I have enough of you ; I want no more."
They then went into the bedroom and shut the
door. I heard a grumbling and beard hialssay,
"You whore, I will go and fetch it." The pri-
soner then locked the bedroom door, and I heard
hirre go to the front room door and burst it open. I
heard deceased say, " You b— rogue, you're going
to murder me !" I then heard screams of murder
three times from the deceased, the child screaming
at the time. I ran downstairs, and saw the prisoner
standing close to the bedroom door. He had an
open razor in his hand covered with blood. I then
saw his wife stagger through the passage w;th her
child in her arms. The prisoner then said, "I am
now a happy man. I have done for the --ss wretch.
Here I stand like a man, and I do not and shall
not flinch."
Mrs. Mary Ann Harmon said—l had been to
the William public-house, and on my return I
opened my whitlow, which is exactly opposite to
the house in which the prisoner and his wife resided.
I heard Mrs, Davis cry out "Murder 1" and I also
heard the child say, "My father has killed my
mother." The deceased, when she tan out iu the
street, held up her arms and said, "Oh ! my dear
Mrs. Harmon !" and I said, " How can I gat to
you F) The blood was pouring down her as fast as
it meld -from a wound in her throat. By the time
I le el got down stairs she had staggered into a gen-
t) em in.'s arms opposite. Ito ,k hold of hor, and,
e.cc)rduie to a gesture she made, I took her towards
her ownqiouse, when she died in my arms in the
street. I believe the prisoner was drunk. She
was al:rmt 35 years of age.
Mr. James Williamson am a member of
Luc, College •
of Surgeons and of the Hall, and
..rer.,ide at 6, Mddmay-place,
Jay night, about half vast 11
Ball's p end. Oa Tues-
sa sr the deceased lyingl was sent for, and
on the'in I), t-
etreef. She waspavement orsc
dead at the time,. but was quite
wane. I examined the throat,iwbich had a pccket-
handkerchief tied round it. found a wound ex-
tending from the end of the right side to the large
e wound was thedrip-
muscles on the left le. The
e‘t on the left side. It had divided the aulle
jugu!ar veins on both sides, and the deep one ornetlael
left side. The windpipe was also deeply cut, and in
fact it was cut nearly through. The wound would
account for the death of the deceased. There was a
great loss of blood.
Mr. Tyrwhitt—Was the wound you saw in the
beck such an one as might have been inflicted with
a razor ?
Mr. Davidson—Yes, most decidedly.
Mr. Tyrwhitt--There was nothing that could be
done for the deceased ?
Witacass--No, she was quite dead.
Police-constable James Haliday, 518 N, said—l
heard cries of "Murder !" and " Police !" and upon
running down Dorset-street I saw the deceased on
the ground, bleeding. I received the prisoner into
custody. He made no observation either then or
afterwards.
Police-sergeant Henry Bovis
of "Murder !" and "Polil N—l heard cries
Police !"'and about three mi-
nutes afterwards I arrived on the spot. When I