Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

9 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

CENTRE MURDER CHARGE. '**O

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

CENTRE MURDER CHARGE. O LANGE committed TO the ASSIZES. DEMONSTRATION BY A HOSTILE MOil. 4+ B .Vjije ,a early hour on Wednesday the Taff tn Nation at j^ontyprimi was besieged oy *Clted crowd waieiiing the arrival of; Of £ aia» with a view or gaining a glimpse wlc Lange, the alleged murderer of the 1><lllt r..Emlyn Jones, or the Lriagend Hotel, took reo Mr. Huriord, the station-master, Vithj Precaution oi not allowing anyone tiet Precincts of the station unless were produced, Still, at u.e time ther prisoner arrived—about 8.30 a.m.— are always a number of passengers on QQan ontypndd. Station awaiting the inter- Larf6 to the Ehondda and Merthyr. Chat„ge was brought from Cardiff Gaol in of Superintendent Thomas and Police- Smith, Cardiff, and awaiting his Co, were Police-sergeant Jones and Police. (U a"e Philiips and a number of plain «»rrj men. There was a great rush to the jj aSe where the man v,a3 in custody. 8te:e. Was at once hurriedly taken down the hin> atl £ i Put in a cab which was awaiting Tht: scene outside the station was an jiyj^a^ed one. The windows of the hotels and of ate houses adjoining, and along the line were occupied by eager and morbid VC. re the opening of the court at ten there was a multitude of people out- hut owing to the admirable arrange- made by Superintendent Cole those it business there were abie to conduct J Without difficulty. There was no hostile Titration. lla P6* of the ordinary business of the court tJ?11* been dealt with, Lange was brought cells and placed in the dock. He an apparently cool and collected I the aaoui'- but the occasional twitching of v Muscles of his face betrayed his internal l^Ottsness. was a ful1 -enc:h of magistrates, in- Alck8 1Ir- T- p Jenkins (in the chair), Richard Lewis, Dr. E. ftaunton |fuTl«e, Alderman W. H. Mathias, Mr. David jP^ae, and Mr. W. H. Gronow. OQ r- W. R. Davies (Messrs. W. R. Davies and Wi .citors, Pontypridd) prosecuted on IJ, alf poliee at the instruction of the jjeasury; and Mr. C. E. Matthews (Messrs. Grover and Matthews, Ponty- tb- watched the case for Mrs. Jones and family. magistrates' clerk (Mr. J. S. Davies) -!?g formally charged the prisoner that tb.o feloniouslY, wilfully, and of malice afore- «t did kill and elay one J. Emlyn Jonea lr^tre on September 11," the case for the ^°ution was opened. STORY OF THE CRIME. b. r. W". R. Daves, in opening the case, said ior appeared, on the instruction of the Direc- tj, 0f Public Prosecution, to prefer two 1^' r*e8 against the man in the dock, Erie ^osf6—°ne burglary, and the other a t})a, serious charge, known to the law aa 1 °f wilful murder. The story was within to ,Sry narrow compass. The proofs seemed >0 to be very simple and clear, such that BQ 1(* make it their duty to commit the pri- >a^ for trial on the capita; charge What *itu story? The Bridgend Hotel was £ *ated in the busiest thoroughfare *0a, the Ehondda, abutting on two y'1 and on Saturday night the streets tfad cr°wded. There would be considerable *bl at this particular house, and consider- in 6 taking of money They would have it jji that the prisoner wa-s not a eora- t0p stranger, and that he had been seen 11. Some days prior to this in the neighbour- 's and that he had been in the hotel, and :IlIa. there served with refreshments. The ijj pa £ ^r of this hotel was a man well known llj^OQtypridd, J. Emlyn Jones, and on the of the 10th of September he, with his t{0nIlJr' kept this house. There was, in addi- c t° himself and his wife and the baby, barman, whose sleeping-place was in the Some little distance from the bedroom t>0 by Mr. and Mrs. Jones there were tan armaids, Miss Richards and Miss Mor- rOad Leading to the back premises from the Jia(ji there were two large doors, locked by tllia 0c;k from the inside. They were locked Both these doors were very easily anc^ way access could be ob- into the house. On the upstairs floor fr^9, small closet, with a window 13ft. high tlle ground at the back and facing the ^Sht ?!nmediate!y under this window on the Jig in question was a ladder 14ft. long, against the wall, and whoever it was l1a."Ve entered the house that n'ght must lČ\<1Q. done so by means of this because it was fonnd soon after tioj^CTirrenee to be in quite a different posi- Gvejj.- rom what it occupied before in the tlj6 when the place was examined by t}¡is °^llarman. Any person having got into would, by putting his head out of 1 *l'mr window in the lavatory having «ijt?™^Fent aspect, ha-ro a clear view into the ^S-room at the back of the bar, and would jjj -'P tee everything that might be taking to q(le tbsre. And this was of some importance l>i ^r,ow• because about twelve o'clock that a local butcher, named Henry Rees brought the taking's from his butcher's "to the manager, John Emlyn Jones, at the both concerns belonging to the e company. The takings amounted to £ 32. rGone^ v:lc; placed on the table and 0y the landlord, and then put into aj to-tv ^hic-h he took 'nto the bar, presumably! 8a*e at the back of the bar. All of this bf, j dearly seen by anyone who might 4}>0ri).^e lavatory. The deceased went to bed two o'clock on Snnday morning, his: paving: preceded him about 11.45 p.m. Mr. J s- Jones plept in a bedroom having *«Hti °°r a-iar' anc* wafi their habit appa- y it was, at any rate, so on this par-; >a8 ar night—to leave the gas burning. This t^hjj. incandescent burner. In addition to there was also a night-light close to the the bed. About half-past three Mrs. heard a slight noise in the bedroom, waking up she saw a man crouching foot of the bed. She then naturally for and her screaming was the signal be man to come nearer to her and to couple of severe blows with an instru- >5S "^hich be had in his hand, and which Produced in court. 't'h TEEEIBLE DEATH-STEUGGLE. ^OfjGe, Roise caused by this and by Mrs. s s fcreamiwg woke her hl1.<:band, ^saii he got out of bed. At this the T)y jl nt left the side of the bed occupied th 1'8. Jones, and came round to the foot Vjj. e bed and attacked Mr. Jones. The bed Of S a. full-sized one, occupied the middle e room, having a clear srpaee on three fill.cl;' Mrs. Jones then got out of bed and took Part as she could in the struggle that Mr. Jones and the man got out of ^&ai ,room into the passage, and there the gas wa« lit. The passage was a very t}e °ne, and the men were straggling. The **Onf>aSe<^ laid hold of the bani»ter, and Mrs. Of h s tried to get the man to get go his grip husband. Mrs. Jones left the two men second and went to the back-door to it, and called out for "Jnck." the cellar-1 bedroom above The man there- ano^T^ither because he realised there was man in the house or for some other —imrrtediately made his escape. While on"a^e«i Mrs. Jones heard a thud as if bU €oi}e trad fallen downstairs. What took teji e, ,n that moment of time no one could togV "Qt it -was more than probable that what the Place made one man the murderer and a, ». °ther man the corpse The police, with aj-fJ^^Ptitudc that did them infinite credit, Vg^teji the prisoner on the Taff Vale Bail-, within a short distance of Pontypridd. C. capless and bootless, and had in his in ^ssio-B a knife, which would be produced h,gj0lart, and with which probably the blow tIle 0ecsi struck which caused the death of by tv°r man- was, undoubtedly, ca.used ^bis very man. WIDOW'S EVIDENCE. 1( WIDOW'S EVIDENCE. '1./9..Jones, who looked very pale, and was th«Fa? in deep mourning, eaid that she was *oM^lck)w of the late Mr. Emlyn Jones, land- lotb. of the Bridgend Hotel, Pentre. On the 12.J0 this month she went to bed at about • The baby was already in bed. She left ^sband and the hotel staff downstairs, bedroom is the first room on the right of the, ^otel, the bedroom window overlooking: °'cl 3"ard. Her husband came to bed at two 5^ on Sunday morning. The gas was lit: bedroom, the burner being an incan- one. The light enabled her to clearly everything in the bedroom, was also a night-light on the lo'r^ng-table. The dressing-table was at the ttle bed opposite to the window. She not (y&y whether the bedroom door was d0 r• I)t v;as not her custom to fasten the On the night in luestion the door was locked. At about 3.30 on Sunday morning beard a slight noise in her room. She otened her eyes and looked towards the foot he e bed, where she saw a man looking at trough tile footrail of the bed. The Wrae iu a crouching position. The foot- ^V"aS brass and fairly open, and she a clear view of the man. She noticed jhoJ"- wore a cap. Seeing the man she Ped out and shouted to her husband. epj.611 gbe called out to her husband the man itij»atlg at him with an instrument. In Ptrik- at him he struck her on the side of the 5, °n the left temple, and the blow caused which bled freely. He again t}jee<^ a second blow, and she averted! to lofw with her elbows He seemed I 'light11? anywhere, and this caused a ,VOTlIl(i. The instrument was covered lya*»ex. [Thio ia^mnent, which was here handed to the justices turned out to be an old file with a spike at one end, and the broad end flattened out and sharpened like the point of a. joiner's chisel, but much thicker.] Witness. continu.ing. said that her husband then jumped out of bed, and prisoner went round to meet him at the bottom of the bed. She saw accused strike her husband with the instrument produced The two men then closed, and a struggle ensued. Her husband, who was struck with the instrument several times about the body was doing all he could to defend himself. Prisoner was much more powerful than her husband, and got him down over the bed in a leaning position. The baby during this time was in bed, and witness was protecting it. Witness then closed with prisoner and tried with all her might to pull free her husband, who was pinned against the wall behind the door. The accused appeared to be trying to choke him. Witness pulled prisoner's arm, and with the other hand opened the door and con tinned screaming. They got out to the landing. The Chairman: Did Lange speak at all? Witness: Not at all, sir. Continuing, witness said that the struggle continued on the landing, and her husband got hold of the banister. Witness ran and opened the attic door, and shouted Jack, Jack," and he answered twice, and as he answered her she heard a thud on the stairs. Witness said, Come down quick, some f)-ne is j here murdering us." The thud sounded as if some one had fallen downstairs. Hearing the noise witness returned to her husband at once, and found that the man who had a-ttaeked them both had erone. She found her husband catching hold of the banister, from where she helped him to the b-adroom.. When they got to the bedroom door Mr. Jones fell to the floor. Jack, the cellarman, came running down stairs with a revolver in his hand. He said, "Where is he; which way has he gone?" Witness made a statement to Jack, and remained with her husband. Some little while afterwards she called out to Jack for some brandy, some of which she gave to her husband. It did not revive him. Jack then took her husband up, and witness went to! the barmaid's room. The Chairman: Did your husband say any- thing to you? Witness: No, sir, he was in agony. I Proceeding, witness said that 6he sent thel barmaid for the doctor, and remained with her husband until the doctor arrived. She afterwards went to the coffee-room and called for help, and oa returning she found her husband on the bed in dreadful a.gony, and crying for fresh air. She was not there when he died a few minutes later. The doctor attended to her wounds. The side of her face and the side of her night-dress were covered with blood. Witness was then handed a cap, and, after examining it, she said that it had never belonged to any inmate of the Bridgend Hotel; neither had the brown shoes, produced. Mr. Davies: Are you able to identify the man who appeared at the foot of the bed that night? Witness: Yes, anywhere. Mr Davies: You have seen him at Ystrad. Witness: Yes, and I sea him in the dock now. The Magistrates' Clerk (to prisoner): You listen to what I read. Prisoner: Very good, sir. The magistrates' clerk then read over Mrs. Jones's evidence, and asked prisoner if he had anything to ask. Prisoner (in a low voice): No, sir. THE CELLARM.A.N'S STORY. John Henry Carpenter, oellarman, living at the Bridgend Inn, said that after closing time on Saturday, the 10th inst., he examined the premises with his master. He retired at about 1.30, his bedroom being in the attic, one flight of stairs above the room which was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Jones. To get to his bedroom witness had to go through the scullery, and he bolted the door on the inside, and also the door at the foot of the attic sta rs. j After he had been asleep for probably a little more than an hour he was awakened by Mr. and Mrs. Jones calling out "Jack. He did not hear Mrs. Jones open the attic door, but I he heard her call, and replied, 1 CS, yes, I coming." When he had put on some clothes he ran down, carrying in his hand a revolver, j He saw Mrs. Jones standing in the middle of the landing in her nightdress, and she was covered with blood, which appeared to be flowing from the wound which she had on her head. Mr. Jones was lying in a corner of the bedroom. He was groaning and muttering, but what he said could not be understood. Witness raised him into a sitting posture. Mrs. Jones went into the bedroom, and witness asked her to take care of Mr. Jones while witness had a look around the house. He made a search, but saw nothing of any man. He found the sliding panel of the bar-door open, the door itself being locked. While looking through the bar he heard Mrs. Jones call for brandy. He gave the brandy to Mr. Jones's nephew, and went upstairs to the bedroom, and saw Mr. Jones where he had left him. Mrs. Jones then asked for someone to fetch the doctor. This witness did, accompanied by Miss Richards. He immediately returned, and found that the police had arrived at the house. The police had by this time put Mr Jones on the bed. He asked the policeman to lea-ve Mr. Jones, as he (witness) would attend to him, in order that the policeman might see whether the murderer was in the house. Witness then supported Mr. Jones on his left arm, where he expired in about three minutes. On Satur- day night the window of the lavatory was shut. There was no catch to the window, which was closed. On the Sunday raorning the lower half of the window was lying in the yard at the bottom of the ladder. On Saturday night the ladder was lying on the floor and leaning against the wall, but by Sunday morning the ladder had been placed against the window-sill. Witness was the sole male occupant of the house besides Mr. Jones,' and the cap and boots produced did not belong to either him or Mr. Jones. Prisoner, in a firm voice, said he had no questions to ask # Miss Kate Richards, a niece of the deceased, who lived at the hotel, said that about 3.30 on the Sunday morning, she heard her aunt screaming terribly. She was calling "Em, Em." Witness did not hear her call for Jack, and as soon as she heard the screams she rushed to the bedroom door, where she met her aunt coming in. Her aunt was in her nightdress and bleeding, and witness shouted for help. Then she went to her uncle's bedroom, which was on the same landing, and saw the deceased in a sitting posture on the floor. Jack was not in the room. Going back to her bedroom, she opened the window and called for help. She then went out to some men who were approaching, and by the time she returned to the hotel a policeman had arrived, and was holding her uncle, who moaned piteously, on the bed. She had seen the p-isoner in the bar of the hotel several times during the week before the tragedy, and had served him with drink. He was always alone. William Rees Davies, 196, Yetrad-road, Pcntre, manager of a. butcher's business, said he went to the hotel every Saturday to pay to the deceased the week's proceeds of the business. On the day of the tragedy he went, about a quarter-past four, and saw Mr. Jones in the sitting-room'. He was waiting for Mr. Jones in the sitting-room j immediately behind the bar, where he handed Mr. Jones the money taken in the shop, amounting to JE32, which he carried in a paper bag, and which was counted on the table and placed in a bag by Mr. Jones, who left it on the table for a few seconds. Mr. Jones (the deceased) afterwards took the money towards the bar. He had a little con. versation and then left, a full light being in the sftting-room at the time. The blinds were not drawn. There was no person pre- sent other than Mr. Jones when witness left the Bridgend Hotel. THE AJtEEST OP PEISONEE. The evidence of Police-constable Wood, who arrested the prisoner, as given at Ystrad Police-court on the occasion of the inquest, was then read over to him and re-swom. Inspector Williams stated that he saw Br. Thomas at the Bridgend Hotel, and the doctor told him that the landlord (Emlyn Jones) was dead. The barman, John Car- penter, informed him that someone had entered the house and had murdered his mas- ter. Acting on instructions from the superin- tendent, witness received Eric Lange into custody on suspicion of having burglariously entered the Bridgend Hotel, and murdered the landlord. He took the pair of boots downstairs and gave them to prisoner, remarking, Here are your boots. Put them on." He at once caught hold of them, and put them on his feet, and it was noticed that they fitted him all right; and having been given his cap, prisoner was conveyed to Ton Pentre Police- station by train, and there examined by Dr. Thomas, who found two wounds on the left knee, about Hin. apart, one an inch long and the other half an inch. This was to the hone. Dr. Thomas attended to his injuries. Witness examined him, and found scratches on his nose and a patch of blood on the right side of the face and top of the head. On his coat there were several patches of blood, especially on the top. His stockings were dirty and worn through, and his feet were dirty and appeared to be in pain, being covered with gravel rash and small cuts. He charged prisoner with burglariously enter- ing the Bridgend Hotel between eleven p.m. on the 10th and 3.30 a.m. on the 11th. Prisoner, in answer to the charge, said, "Yes; I went there for money, but could not find any in the bar." Prisoner was then further charged that he did unlawfully and with malice aforethought kill and murder one Emlyn Jones at about 3.30 a.m. on the 11th of September by stabbing him in the left breast with a knife or some other sharp instrument. Having been cau- tioned, prisoner replied:- PRISONER'S CONFESSION. Yes, I went for money, but could not find any in the bar. I went upstairs, and entered the bedroom. It was lit up. My said, "You go in," and when I was looking for the money she waked up and shouted. 1 then hit her with the bar, and he woke up, too, and caught hold of me. I struck him several times flat with the bar. We had a struggle. Both of them tried to stop me. I left the bar, and rushed out the same way as we came in—over the ladder, head first. My mate, Harry, must have been behind, as I heard somebody coming after me. I don't remember taking the knife, only to open the window before I came in. I only hit him with that thing in paper. The prisoner further said:- I am a fireman of the screw steamer Patricia, that came to Cardiff on Friday with timber. I know nobody in Cardiff. Whilst taking his description on Monday, the prisoner said: Boss, I told you a lie, that I came to Cardiff in the screw steamer Patricia. I came from Liverpool a week or so ago. Witness went on, in reply to Mr. Davies, to say that he had made an examination of the lavatory window. The window faced the river, and there was a second window in the lava- tory having another aspect and look out. From that window it would have been easy for anyone to see all that was taking place in the side room behind the bar. Dr. Thomas, of Pentre, repeated the evidence he had given at Ystrad on the occasion of the inquest as to the nature of the wounds on the deceased. On being shown the knife witness said that the death wound might have been caused by it. It was of English make, having the Sheffield mark upon it. Some might call it a dagger, although others would term it a painter's knife. COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. The Clerk then formally charged the prisoner, who replied, "I have nothing t<* say." Lange was then committed to take his tria) at the assizes on the charge of "Wilful murder." LANGE KEMOVED TO CARDIFF: EXCITING SCENES. Being market day, and owing to the large influx of visitors to the town, it was not expected that the accused man would have been removed to Cardiff the same day. About three o'clock, however, Lange was conducted to the Taff Vale Station between Police sergeant Morris and Police-constable Griffiths, and guarded by between fifteen or twenty stalwart members of the county constabu- lary. The procession was quickly sighted, and waa immediately surrounded by a large crowd, who mobbed and hissed the man in custody. Scenes of wild excitement followed, and so large and rough did the crowd become that it was with the utmost difficulty Lange was got to the railway station. On the way a woman was so badly squeezed that she fainted, and had to be carried to a neigh- bouring hotel. Arriving on the platform Lange was taken to the booking-office to avoid the violence of the crowd, who forced their way into the station. A large number of people who had failed to gain admission to the station at the proper entrances. climbed up the woodwork at the rear of the bookstall, which, not being a very firm struc- bookstall, which, not being a very firm struc- ture, was in danger of being damaged. As it was, one of the windows of the book- stall office was broken. When the train due to leave at 3.11 steamed into the sta-tion it was with the utmost difficulty that Lange was piaced in a compartment, and it was not before he received a blow from one of the crowd. The train was whistled off with- out a moment's delay, and as it passed out of the station the crowd hurled execrations against the man, who, throughout the whole scene, maintained a callous demeanour. Upon his arrival at Queen-street Station, Cardiff, Lange was hissed by a. small crowd which had assembled. He was driven rapidly to the gaol.

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