Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1865-01-04 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

ALLEGED MURDER AT WINORCOMB.  01 Wednesday morning the people of Winchcomb were thrown into a atato of excitement in consequence of a report that a murder had been committed on tho previous night in the very heart of the town, and within a few yards of the police-station. On inquiries being made, the report was found to be only tot true, 4rs Smith, wife of Mr Richard Smith, a retired medical man, living in North-Street, having been discovered lying dead in a pool of blood at her residence. Deceased and her husband occupied a house belonging to latter@ brother, Mr Wm. Smith, solicitor, Winehoomb. They live alone, mune of their sons and a daughter residing with their uncle, and one with an :aunt at Winchcomb. The couple seem to have lived on good terms, and were not known to quarrel. Ou Tuesday evening, about nine o'clock, a neighbour heard the report of a gun in Mr Richard Smith's parlour, and thinking all was not right, she listened at the shutters. She heard Mr Smith speak, but no one answered. Hearing some one opening a door, and afraid of being detected listening, the neighbour returned to her own house, and hearing nothing more to excite her suspicions, wen, to bed. Between nine and ten o'clock Mr Richard Smith called at , the Marquis of Granby public-house, and inquired for his son Presto'. Having been told he was not there, he , went away. On the following morning, about nine ' o'clock, Mr Smith went to his brother's house and told two of his (the former's) sons that their mother was dead, and subsequently went to where the other son resided and made a similar statement. This son questioned his father as to the cause of his mother's death, and elicited that it had be-n brought about through a gun going elf. The son then asked if the gun had gone oil accidentally, but the latter made no answer and went away. He was met shortly afterwards by hie son Preston, to whom he stated that he was going to see his son Tom, and tell him what had occurred. In the meantime the sone to whom Mr Smith had first gone had made their wely to their father's house, where a dreadful sight met their gaze—their mother lying in her blood from a wound in the back of her head and quite dead and cold. In a room adjoining was founds double-barrelled gun, one of the barrels of which had been discharged, and the other was still loaded. From the circumstanee that an impression had only been made on one side of the bed usually occupied by deceased and her husband, it was clear that only one person had slept in it on the previous night. It seems that information was not given to the police of the occurrence till about the middle of Wednesday, when Sergeant Cook went to the house, and Mr Richard Smith was searched for. He was found at Southatu by P.c. Hinton, brought back to Winchcomb, taken before J. C. Dent, Esq., and, after hearing the evidence of one or two witnesses, he was committed for trial, and conveyed to Glouceater the same evening. On Thursday an inquest was held at the George Commercial inn, by I. Lovegrove, Esq., coroner. It was stated that Mr Smith had long been "eccentric," that he had delusions, and the surgeon who was called in (Mr Newnan) said, since he had known Mr Smith—twenty years—he had considered him in an unsound state of mind. A verdict of "Wilful Murder" was returned.  Tan RiILWATS.—The Observer contradicts the statement that the Government are considering the propriety of purchasing railways under the Act of 1844. TSB Rev. J.