The Sun. — 1847-10-13 (London, England)

HORRIBLE MURDER OF A WIFE  BY HER HUSBAND.  BIRMINGHAM, TUESDAY.—About half. past ten o'clock this morning the inhabitants of Moor-street were alarmed by cries of murder proceeding from an eating-house nearly opposite to the Public-office, and kept by a man named Matthew Davies. The police, several of whom were near at the time, immediately ran to the spot, and in the back yard a frightful spectacle presented itself. 11:-e wife of Davis lay dead in the gutter with her throat cut from ear to ear, while her husband stood quite ur:cdncernedly in the door• way. The circumstances of the case ap peared to be these : Davies and his wife, for several months past, have lived on very unhappy terms, and he was in the habit of ill-treating her. His conduct 11:4s lately been remarkably bad, and last week it was so outrageous that on Friday she was compelled again to seek the protection of the magistrates. A warrant was accordingly granted against him, and this morning he was to have appeared before the Court to answer the charge. In the course of yesterday Davies, while under the influence of liquor, upbraided the deceased ; but this morning, apparently more subdued in manner, he entreated her to abandon legal proceedings. She positively refused to do so, when he went into the brewhouse, where his wife and a Mrs. Yarnold were, and sharpened a common table-knife, and soon after Mrs. Yarnold, happening to look up, saw Davit-s approach his wife, as if for the purpose of kissing her. He placed his left arm round her neck, and drew the knife repeatedly across her throat, alrn( st severing her head from her body. Mrs. Davi, s struggled to free herself, drew up her handkerchief to her throat, and by a desperate effort broke froi» him and rushed into the yard, when she fell. Two officers took the murderer into custody, the whole occurrence occupying not more than three or four minutes. Three of their children were in the house at the time. He was led before the magistrates, who were sitting not twenty yards distant from the spot, and remanded to await the result of a coroner's in quest, which takes place on Thursday.  CAUTION to RAILWAY SERVANTS  James Saxby, a point and signal man, on the London and Brighton Railway, was final:v examined before Mr. Simeon and two other magistrates, for the county of Surrey, at Croydon, on a charge of neglect of duty, and having caused by such negligence a collision between two trains coming in opposite directions. Mr. Games attended as the solicitor of the accused. From the evidence of Inspector \Voolnough, and other servants of the company, it appeared that on the night of Friday, the Ist inst., at forty-eight minutes past ten o'clock, when an up and a down train were due at the Croydon station, the defendant, instead of being at his points, as his duty directed, was in his box on.the other side of the line, and the consequence was that both trains were on the same line of rails and a collision took place. By the careful look out and prompt exertion of the engine-drivers on both trains, and the steam being shut off, the shock was not very great, and the injury done was of a comparatively slight nature. The defence set up was, that the sight of the defendant had been impeded by a number of empty carriages being placed on the line in such a position that he could not see the signal from his box. The defendant received an excellent character from Mr. Adams, the superintendent, and Mr. %V oolnough, the inspector, for the two years he had been a servant to the company. They both admitted that he was the most expert point turner on the line, and up to the present occurrence was considered an exceedingly careful and steady man. In reply to a question from one of the magistrates, Mr. \Voolnough said that it was quite contrary to his orders for the defendant to be in his box when a train was due; and that had not the accident happened he should have felt it to be his duty to have reported him for being absent from the points. Mr. Games admitted that his client had acted imprudently, but hoped the Bench would take into consideration uiat ttei odn ,t hiant tfixinghein vietsst gp Eairtniitiolnnt No- .w way slalyae sideration his former :good character, and the fact of ;s hisp(rN ol rpl.eorGs naign one,el 1 and that the charge was coloured against the defendant.  The Magistrate, taking- into consideration the circumstances so forcibly urged by his Learned Advocate, mitigated the penalty to 10s. and coots.