The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1880-05-15 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

THE LEICESTERSHIRE MURDER.  Ms. G. P. Harrison (Coroner for Leicestershire) held an inquest at the Dog and Gin, in the parish of Thurfuton, Leicestershire, on Friday, on the body of Elizabeth Annie Davis, who was brutally murdered by her husband on tie previous morning, and on that of Henry Davis, her husbaad, who had committed snide. The proceedings excited the greatest interest in the neighbourhood, and a large number of spectators congregated sound the inn during the official inquiry. The jury, after being sworn, proceeded to deceased's cottage to view the bodies. Re-assembling, Mrs. 'Woodward, the mother of Mrs. Davis, identified the bodies. She explained that the deceased was her only daughter, and had prior to, as well as after, her marriage been engaged in dressmaking. She was about 38 years, Zlf age. Her husband, Henry Davis, was the son of William Harrison Davis, of Harrington Hall, Sutton Maddock parish, near Bridgnorth, Salop, and at his death was about 29 years of age. He had received a good education, knowing French and accomplishments, and being of gentlemanly appearance and good and steady habits. It was thus said that he was too good for his job as a farm labourer, and ought to have been a farm bailiff.—A man named Hancock deposed to a conversation het had with Henry Davis, on the eve of the murder. On that occasion the deceased virtually charged her with inconstancy, intimated that theolan with whom she was too familiar frequented a cettain public-house, and he threatened him, and said before they parted, " aood night Jim; this will perhaps be the last time you will Bee me alive."—Evidence was next heard as to the discovery of the bodies. It was stated that the husband had for some weeks been morbidly jealous cf his wife, and had occasionally been reserved and strange in his manner.—After other evidence had been given, Dr. Falshaw, of Earl Shelton, described the wounds on the bodies.—The jury, after a trief summing up by the Coroner, fot.nd that Mrs. Davis had been wilfully murdered by her husband; and that the said Henry Davis had committed suicide while in a state of temporary insanity. The proceedings were not of a protracted character.  On Sunday afternoon the body of Elizabeth Annie Davies, who was murdered by her husband, was interred in the graveyard connected with the General Baptist Chapel ab Tinirlaston. It was originally intended that the bodies of both husband and wife should be interred together, but the friends of the woman refused to allow this, and on Saturday night a grave was hastily dug in the churchyard, and about nine o'clock at night the man's body was put into a plain coffin and catried tcl the grave by a number of men in working dress, followed by about fifty other men, principally from the public-houses. On reaching the grave the body watt hastily lowered without a word being said. The funeral of the wife presented a strange contrast. A special service was held in the chapel, which was crowded to excess, and the gallery was occupied by the children of the Sunday School, in which the deceased woman had been a teacher for twenty years. In a brief address the minister declared that they discarded the name of Davis, and buried their dear old friend as Elizabeth Woodward, in all her virein purity. As for Davis, whatever his weakness of intellect, he had a determination, of malice aforethought, to take the life of kis victim. At the grave over 2,000 people were present, many having walked a long distance. The nnoeremonious treatment of the man's bgdy has caused some sensation in the neighbourhood