The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1891-05-30 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

TIIE MURDER AND MUTILATION AT LIVERPOOL. IMPORTANT ARREST.  STARTLING DISCOVRRIB/L  The Liverpool police have arrested a man named John Conway at the lodging-house in Bridgewaterstreet, on suspicion of being _oonoerned in the murder of the boy Nicholas Martin, whose muti. lated body was found in a bag in the docks. The accused is about 60 years of age, and is a delegate of the central branch of the Sailors and Firemen's Union. In is understood that the police have traced to him the purchase of the sailor's bag in which the body RSA found, and also of the blankets found in the bag, while the remaining part of the copy of the Financial News, one par of whioh was In the bag was found in the room occupied by Conway. There are also, it is stated, other inoriminaing facts. Actively following up the scent the pollee made an important and startling discovery. Conway, it appears, is a paid delegate of the Sailors' and Firemen's Union. He had charge of the breach office, sod used to attend there regularly in connection with the work of the union. On searching the premiss the police found in an unfurnished room at the top of the house a large quantity of blood upon the floor and also blood stains upon the walls. The blood was evidently comparatively froth, and efforts had been made to wash it away, but without success. The police believe that this room was the scene of the murder, and that the unfortunate boy after being deooyed there, was killed and mutilated as described, and the body afterwards removed in the bag and thrown into the dock. A further link in the chain of evidence. was established by four boys identifying Conway as the man they had seen carrying a sailor's bag cut of the house in Stanhope-street in which the office is situated. The boys spoke to him, and offered to carry the bag, which they recognised again, but he refused, and shortly afterward• he called a hansom and drove off. Tho cabman who drove the accused has been, found and he at once recognised Conway, and said he drove him to George's Pierhead. 1e had a bag with him, and when they got to the pierhead Campbellf (which is the cabman's name) offered to assist him, but Conway would not alfow it, and walked away down the bridge to the landing-stage. The supposition is that he dropped the beg into the river as he was going down the bridge. The accused is a man of quiet and respectable appearance. For some years he followed the sea, and it is stated that previous to that he was a soldier, and served through the Crimean War. A tool dealer in a poor hart of the town, it is stated, identified Conway as a man to whom he sold • knife and saw, and the knife and saw have been identified as the identical implements purchased by Conway. The identification of the knife and saw strengthens the theory that they were not implements with which the murder was committed, but were only used in diem hnbering the body; and some importance is given to the discovery of a razor, which had been thrown over the wall of a, cart-yard near the scene of the murder. Conway was brought before the stipendiary magistrate at the Liverpool Police-court. Mr. Tetlow, as solicitor for the Sailors' Union, represented the prisoner. It was stated among other evidence, by Detective - Inspector Collingwood that he was present when the prisoner acknowledged having purchased the bag and rugs as identified. He found a pair of trousers very much stained With blood at the prisoner's lodgings on the night of the 20th. The prisoner was then remanded for seven days. Since then the Detectives have discovered in the room recently occupied by the prisoner Conway a concealed cupboard. OA the door being forced open a scrubbing brush was founds bearing stains which will be subjected to analysis. The funeral of the boy took place at Ford, near Liverpool, on Sunday, and was the occasion of an extraordinary popular demonstration. It was calculated that about 50,000 men, women, and children were in the cemetery. The hearse was drawn by four horses, and many school children followed, as also did members of the League of the Cross and other organisations.