The Sun. — 1848-01-31 (London, England)

COMMITTAL OF A WIFE AND MAN SERVANT FOR WILFUL MURDER.  ABERGAVENNY, SATURDAY, 3 A.ll,l.—illgt;;test excitement has prevailed in this district for some time past in reference to the death of Mr. William Howells, a farmer, in the parish of Llanwellen. lie died on the 10th of last November, Subsequently to his burial his wife and man-servant conducted themselves in a manner which excited suspicion, and various persons living in the locality, knowing that the deceased died without being attended by any medical man, were not slow in charging the wife and her male servant with having murdered the deceased. These charges came at length to the knowledge of Mr. Coroner Hughes, and assumed such a shape that that gentleman considered it necessary to hold an inquest. Accordingly the deceased's grave was reopened for the purpose of making a poet mortem examination of the remains, and on Friday, the 7th of the present month, a respectable jury met the Coroner at the Ilanbury Arms, Llanwellen. The only proceeding which then took place consisted in the jury viewing the body- and giving the contents of the stomach into the charge of Mr. Steele, a surgeon, for analysation, and the inquiry was adjourned. The Court was re-opened on the 14th, when the following evidence was adduced :  Jane Morgan, a servant to deceased, said that her master enjoyed good health up to the 9th of November last. He had some apple dumplings for supper that night, and shortly afterwards went to bed. The last dumpling he ate his wife helped him to, which she split up the middle, and put what she thought were sugar and milk upon it. The deceased, about ten o'clock, was seized with vomiting and purging, with excruciating pain, and he continued in that state till twelve o'clock the following night, when he died. After her master's death her mistress slept in the same room with the man servant, James Price. Shortly before deceased died her mistress said it was no odds if she gave him a fatal dose. Witness told her she would not, as she had another world to think of. After the body was exhumed she said, "It will be better for me to stand my ground, and then I shall not be suspected so much." She also said to witness, " If anything is found in his stomach you Al in be hung because you made the dumplings." Richard Steele, surgeon, who made a post mortem examination of the body, proved that deceased had died from the effects of white arsenic. He found as much as 6fr ounces of that poison in a very limited portion of the stomach.  Edward Evans, n druggist, identified the wife as having purchased a shillingsworth of arsenic at his shop about the time deceased expired. Thomas Davis, a labourer, said he had been in the service of Mary Howells about seven weeks. On Tuesday last he went up stairs to change his trousers. Price accompanied him to the room, when he told witness to shake the gown of the first witness. He did so, but nothing fell out. Price then told him to put his hand in the sleeve, which he did, and found a brown paper parcel. He declined to open it, because he thought it looked very suspicious that Price should tell him to shake the gown. and not do it himself. He called his mistress up, and she exclaimed, "Here is the poison—that girl has done it." John Royston, a constable, proved having apprehended Mary Howell the preceding day. The latter told him that she had seen the servant girl give the deceased the poison in a cup, after he had eaten the dumpling. The jury, after consulting, returned a verdict of "Wilful murder against Mary Howells, the widow of the deceased, and James Price, her servant ;" upon which they were both committed by the Coroner to take their trials at the next assizes.