The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1876-07-28 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

THE TUNNEL PIT MYSTERY AT 1 M4RTITIYR. On the summit of Cwmbargoed mountain, a short distance from the boundary line which divides the parishes of Merthyr and Gelligaer, in the parish of Merthyr, the Dowlais Iron Company have within the last few years sunk a pair of new shafts, near what was formerly a tunnel on their private Vochriew way, for the purpose of running the coal to the rise in the parish of Merthyr. In 1869, the shaft was an abandoned place, but two years later, when trade became so brisk, the company resumed the sinking, and have since got the colliery in operation. On the resumption of the sinking, a great sensation was occasioned by the discovery at the bottom of the skeleton of a man, to which was attached by a chain and decayed kershief a heavy tram wheel. An Inquest was held, and little doubt was felt that the remains were those of somebody who had been murdered, because the heavy timber at the top were such as required great effort to remove, and a man bent on suicide would find readier means of accomplishing such a purpose. There was to evidence, however, to show how the man got into the pit, although the kerchief enabled his brother to establish his identity as one Richard Jones who lived in the neighbourhood of Rhymney, and had been missing for about two years. The jury returned an open verdict. There has been a singular disclosure, however, during the past month, which threw, some light upon the tragedy—for tragedy it evidently was. A man named Rees Morgan, three weeks ago, called at a public-house at Vochriew, and openly asked the men who were there if they remembered when "Dick Pudding "—the alias of the miming man—was lost: and he proceeded to say that if he could swear to anything which he had not absolutely seen, he could swear to the manner in which that man was got rid of, for he was at David Morgan's public-house courting a girl at the time when ' they" went out of the hon..: and further, he had taken a man—since deal—to the pit's mouth, and shown him the mark of the instrument need—a mandrill—for the removal of the timber to let the body in. He also added that be had called many times at David Morgan's house for a pint of beer, and that person, no matter who was present, always enioined him to "keep that secret with him to the grave. He bad recently gone to the Tunnel pit and asked if one Henry Williams worked there, and being answered in the affirmative, replied that he wondered the man could work in the pit where "Dick Pudding " was thrown. These confessions becoming known to the police, they were on the alert, and arrested Morgan as a possible accessory. and Henry Williams as one of the principnls concerned in the crime, and those men were brought up at the police-court on Saturday afternoon charged with being concerned in the murder of Jones. The only evidence forthc-iming was the statement of the men who heard the prisoner Morgan make the confession. They were called, and Morgan admitted saying something. but said he was too much under the influence of drink at the time to remember exactly what he did say. The magistrates discharged Henry Williams, because there appeared to be nothing beyond the vague statement of Morgan to implicate him, but Morgan was remanded for a week. The confession has created quite a sensation, but it is not thought probable at this distance of time and with so many of the persons, whose evidence would form the most important links in the chain of testimony, dead or gone abroad, the charge can be brought home.