Widnes Examiner. — 1890-03-22 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

THURSDAY.—TRIAL OF THE PRISONERS. The trial of Richard and George Davies for the murder of their father, Richard Davies, a master tailor, of Crewe, was commenced at Chester Assizes, on Thursday, before Justice Wills. The case excited intense interest, and the court was densely packed. Mr. Roberts, who prosecuted, gave an outline of the facts. The deceased, Richard Davies, was a tailorand draper at aewe. He and some members of his family resided at Crewe, but he had also a house at The Hough, a village about three miles out of the ton, where his wife and some of his children lived. It was his custom to spend Sunday there On Saturday night, the 25th January, the prisoner Richard Davies left the business house at Crewe, and walking home, arrived there about a quarter-past' ten o'clock. A little while afterwards the prisoner George Davies, who ' drove away from Crewe in a pony trap with the deceased, ran into the house and said his father had been stopped in the lane by two men. Richard ran out, and, other persons coming up, the dead body of the deceased was found tying in a pool of blood on the ground with a number of wounds upon the head. Inquiries were set on foot by the police, with the result that theprisoners were taken in custody and charged with the murder. Whiler under arrest they both made written confessions, the effect of which was that the deceased had treated his wife and children with habitual cruelty, and that for that reason they had attacked and killed him with an axe, which was subsequently found ,near the scene of the murder. Emily Davies, daughter of the murdered man, was called. She stated that she lived at the Crewe shoo along with her father, the two prisoners also working there. Her evidence did not throw any fresh light on the crime, but in cross-examination by Mr. Malcolm Douglas, she stated that the deceased only allowed /3s for housekeeping expenses, both at the Crewe shop and the house at Hough where the rest of the family lived. Her father did not live with the others, of whom there were eight, but had better food. She added that the family had meat only on Sundays. Albert Edward Mozeley, manager of a shop continuous to that of the deceased, deposed to having on the night of the 20th January, shortly before the murder, heard the voice of the deceased calling to someone "Loose me : loose my throat." Mary Davies, wife of the deceased, described the circumstances under which she was apprised of the murder, and added that they had a few acres of land at Rough ,where they kept a cow, pigs, and poultry. Butter and eggs were sold, deceased receiving the proceeds, hut part of the produce was consumed in the house. The witness afterwards stated that deceased attended races as a bookmaker and was very violent towards her when he lost, striking her in the presence of her children pointing guns at her, and lighting old newspapers under her tad for the purpose of hating it on fire. John Davies, a married son of the deceased, also gave evidence, after which police witnesses related what happened with reference to the confessions of the prisoners, which have already been published. The trial was adjourned to next day.