The Potteries Examiner : — 1876-08-26 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY IN WALES.  A terrible tragedy was committed in Cirmar—th—ers.hire on Saturday h; a butler in a gentleman's family, who shot his master and his daughter, and then committed suicide. It appears that Mr. John Johns, aged 75, of Dolcanothy, a small village between Lampeter and Llandovery, hail given notice to his butler, Henry Tremble, an Irishman, to leave his service. At a little after ten on Saturday morning, Tremble, who was to quit the house during the day, and hail given up his key, went into the library and deliberately shot Mr. Johns in the breast. No one was with Mr. Johns at the time but the assassin, and no one heard the report Trembl then shut the door, went towards the kitchen, and saw Mrs. Cookinan, a married daughter of deceased, giving instrections to Ow cook. He levelled his gun at the lady, fired and struck her in the thigh. In the general conaternation some of the servants went to look for Me Johns, but the unfortunate gentleman was found in the library weltering in his blood. He expired about two hours afterward.. The murderer then let the house, and went to his house in the village, where he shot himself with a pi.tol in The presence of his wife. Mr. Johns had been intimately connected as a magistrate with the adruinistrati in of the affairs of the county of Carmarthen for some years pant. His first public appointment one that of Assistant Tithe Commissioner after the passing of the Commutation Act, and with Sir Frankland Lewis kit mode himself very popular in hi 3 decisions. Subsequently he was made Recor ler of the borough of Carmarthen, became His first juilg,e of the County Court, and latterly was elected chairman of the county quarter sessions, which he resigned from old age about two years ago, when Sir Harlinge Giffani succeeded him. Tremble was brought to this country from Ireland by Captain Cookman, to whom he actvol as valet and general servant, rising tote coachman and butler in succession on the death of other servants. He married the daughter of a respectable farmer, by whom he had six children, the eldest of ! whom is now It years of age He d 4 not live on very ! good terms with his wife, of whom he appeared to have been jealous. Tremble wished to obtain the lease of the Dolaneothy Arms, a ta.ern near to Mr. Johns' residence, and the refusal of that gentleman to grant it to him supplies some motive, though a very inadequate one, for the crime, as he took the rejection of his final appeal very much to heart, believing that as an old servant he had a prior claim. He betrayed no revenge fill or angry spirit after the first few days snbsequent to the refusal, and did his work as tonal up to the time of the murder. On leaving the house of Mr. Johns, Tremble shot too dogs, and he went towards his house carrying his gun on his shoulder. He threatened a police constable who went near him, and the officer went away. A second police constable, who had heard something of the murder, made inquiries at Mr. Johns' house, and started in parsuit of Tremble when he heard what had happened. When be got beck to the village he found the first constable watching Tremble, and in the meantime it was ascertained that he had made some statement as to what he had done, and had threatened to commit suicide, but he withheld from doing this until his daughter had been to Dolancothy to see whether or not Mr. Johns was still alive. B3fore she started, information reached the village of the death of Mr. Johns. Tremble then went to an sipper room, and having called out to those in the street that it should never he said to his children that their father bad hanged himself, he shot himself in the breast. The policeman who had been waiting outside, then entered the house and found Tremble lying on the ground, and after twenty minutes of great suffering he died.