The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1888-11-30 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

AND  SU I CIDE.  A shne.ktng tragedy was enacted, on Monday morning, in the little village of ltetley, a few miles from Crewe. About half-past five o'clock quarrelling was heard in a cottage occupied by James Jt.” via, a si.riadittalr in the employ o. the London and Noi en- Western Hall way at Batley Road Station. A neighbour living in an adjoining cottage heard screams, but being an invalid she was unable to give an shwa at ewe, alai as the noise soon ceased she took no fui ther notice of it. An hour later a workman was passing through the village on his way to work, and when he got opposite Jervis's house, Mrs. Jervis rushed out in her nightdress, and caught him tightly by the arms. She did not speak, but appeared in great distress. It was dark and raining, and the man could not tell what was the matter. The woman releary d her hold, and ran to a house on the other side of the road, where it transpired her mother lives. Here she sank ou the door-step exhausted. The man followed, and roused the inmates of the house, and she was got inside. The poor creature could not speak, and when a light was brought she was seen to be covered with blood, her throat being frightfully out. She died a few minutes afterwards, and an alarm was raised, and two men proceeded to the house of her husband, James Jervis. On going upstairs two children, one a baby fifteen mouths old, arid a little girl aged four, were found in bed dead, with their throats cut, but the wounds were trifling. Near the bed, in a corner of the room, lay James Jervis, the father, with his throat cut. He was still hacking at it with a table knife, but uppeated greatly exhausted by loss of blood. Irma what he was utile to intlande, it was gathered that he first attacira his w fe, and that he intruded to murder her and their eight children. His wife got away, and he then commenced killing the childreu, and whoa he was cutting the thr at of the third he heard the neighbours coming, which caused him to desist .and attempt to commit suicide. Jervis lingered until noon aud then died. The two eldest children, seeing the altercation between their father and mother, appeared to have left their beds and escaped from the house by the back door. No motive is assigned for the crime. The man, however, has seemed gi study depressed lately and suffering from melancholy. He has been in the railway service neatly twenty years, and has always home a good character. A uother correspoudeut states that thetable-knife with which the awful deeds were done was beat almost double from contact with the boue. There scents nothing to account for the tragedtes,exeept that tile man was seized with a sudden fit of insanity; he and his wife, having lived on the beat of teims. Monday morning Jams got up, and dressed, as it going to work, lie lighted his lanip,but suudenly returned upstairs; and one of the daughters heard a scream from her mother, " Oh, Jim, I have dune nothing." She got up, and went into the bedroom of her parents, when site &LW her falter kneeling on her mother's chest in bed. She was frightened, and she rushed downstairs, got unity from the house, and went to her giandmother's. Here the bereaved remaintiag children at present are kept. It is stated Jervis couressed the crime to a clergyman before breathing his last. He was thirty-six years of age, his wife being two years older, and since their marriage they have lived apparently very happily together in a small, comfortably furnished, semi-detached cottage, in which the term ibis deed was committed. Jervis, who was the  sou of a farmer who lived at Oakengates, Shropshire, was of temperate habits, and when last seen on the night preceding the murder was perfectly calm and sober.  A