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THE VALLEY TRAGEDY.

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THE VALLEY TRAGEDY. STORY KETOLD IN THE POLICE COURT. DEFENDANT COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. Tlv ueoessitjet- of the law compelled old Air. 1 iiornas Owen and his wife to once more relate to a crowded courthouse at Ponta.r- dawc ou Sndav the terrible tragedy nacted ou the evening of the 11th ins- when John Their1 as—known locally as "John Naniygwy n (after the name of the farm in which Lis father livss)—-suddenly burst througti the window of the dining-room of lhyrnvyt:, farm, on Bar an Mountain, and, it k alleged, deliberately discharged a double--barrelled gun at Sarah Elizabeth. Roberts, the niece and adopted daughter .,f 11" and Air. Owen, and the young lady for whom the accused entertained strong aelec- tions which were not reciprocated. She re- ceived terrible injuries, from which she af- terwards expired. The pm.o-twas now charged with toe u Wilful Murder" of the unfortunate iady, ana he had been brought from Swansea Goal in a cab earlier in the day. His in- teracts were now watched by Mr. Viner Leeder, and the accused displayed the same Bulien demeanour as he showed at the in- quiry a week ago. Mr. Herbert Lloyd was chairman uf a fuli bench|of magistrates, and M t". Lauren e Richards" repre&ented the I-el ice. LL was nearly 3.60 before the case was reached and the little rustle in court that occurred at accused was brought in and ac oommodaie;i wito a seat having subsided, Mr. I«;chai :K opened the case, saying that the circamsii'. "es were extremely sad, whilst the circamsii'. "es were extremely sad, whilst of the jouria tady whose death had been I c»u;iedJ he s^'d she was singularly bright prepossessing, and was engaged to be married to Mi. Isaac Jones, of Llangyfelach. He detailed h-yw she had been brought up fi om infancy by Mr. and Mrs. Owen, who had independent means. The little farm- house at Bryuwyth was described, and then prisoner's visit 1 here on the evening of t.he fatal day, folL-ved about an hour later when tha tragedy o-curred. De-.e.^cr,. on Hearing the window smash, got, up and s?j •amed," said Mr. Richards, coming to the terrible moment on that fatal nipbt, and ran towards the door. Almost iniraediately afterwards the prisoner came Vi through r..V broken panes with the gun in his hand. He seems to have fallen on to a sofa and by lhi? time the deceased had got 110 far as the door. Then she seems to have turned round and faced the prisoner, and at that moment he fired, the muzzle of the gun ür)+ being more than a couple of feet from the girl- vir. Owen, who was 71 years of age, then jumped up and seized the gun. Mr Richard? proceeded to tell the court of the struggle tb Íi ensued to have possession of the weapon ;.nd detailed the various in- criminating statements the prisoner made, both before ana after the girl died from tt-e terrmie wounds in the region of her beurt. Her falseness made me do it! prisoner told the police when charged, and Mr. Ri<-hards suggested that the motive fL: the crime was tha.t John lliomas wanted ttJ marry the girl, and she would have noth- ing to do with him. "I may say," the police advoca'e went on, that about 18 months ago, Mrs. Owen heard a noise outside. She gpoke to her niece. Then she came down- stairs and looked through the window at the t: and eaw a man leaning up against the door. She wa< frightened and went up- stairs and told her niece something. In con- sequence of that the niece called out, Who k in the yard? It was prisoner, and he replied. "John Thomas." The girl then ..IK? hrrr; AA he wanted there, and he re- d, I /it you to be my wife." The .J.0.. "It's no good your coming tiere on that-errand." Mrs. Owen would a^so say ¡ hat a fortnight later prisoner came aLain. but ^hat he wanted she did not know. On January- 14th this year he came again and stayed to supper, but deceased said she did not want anything to do with him. Fur- th<v; a few fays later Mrs. Owen and the girl wore gomg to fetch some water, and through the window of the back-door they f,? -v a man. The girl was frightened and ral) back. Mr. Owen then went out and saw John Thomas and spoke to him. Pris- oner Went, round with him to feed the pigs I think Mr. Owen said to him that it was no good him coming there to eee the niece. I'Hooiitr replied: "Bessie is afraid of me, and 1 sbaril come here any more to vex her." The lieit time he came there was on Thurs- day. previous to February 11th, and Mrs. Owen a ill tdl you that in the evening she heard the dog barking, and going out called o-.L "Is it John Nantygwyn?" Prisoner Mid Yes." Mrs. Owen then said, "In the name of goodness what do you want here to night? He said, Why does Bessie tell people I wart to do her harm." Mrs. Owen aekeu to whom she had been talking, and added, You know she has been engaged to the same sweetheart for years, and if she had not there might be some chance for you." Mr. Richards repeated that the motive for the crinr: was because prisoner could not marry the girl, and lie asked the Bench to commit him for the wilful murder of the 1 ,r;lr.. 9 Evidence was then called. Mr. Thomas Owen, the aged uncle, bore out the facte llm are already too familiar. The Oha irman interposed at one stage [ and what, was the prisoner's exact position at the moment he fired. Witness ►aid tl «it prisoner seemed to be on the sofa- with his kr.ees on the table. In the struggle fur the weapon witness said, "John., John, loose :00 gnn, to me," and tihen his (wit- ness's; v, lie beat prisoner with a stick a.nd possession of the gun was obtained. The "ourt seemed to picture this scene, but more vivid!v the picture came before them when witness detailed how prisoner afterwards brought the dying girl in his arms from out- tide where she had fallen, and placed her on the floor of the dining-room and then fetched water. He had already been told }*> had kilied her. Mr. Vi&ir Leeder bad only a couple of questions:, and one indicated that insanity was going to be the plea. for the defence. "Ha rd you noticed 2.IlytIDing ,strange about him latelyhe asked. Wtoess. No, sir; I have not- AJways tne same as other boys. Mrs. Owen, wife of last witness, oorrobor- aftd. detailing with a little realism how she heard her uieoe shriek, and then looking up saw a gun and wo hands poking through the smash**} window. The subsequent struggle for the gun WM a long one, and as she and her hupbr.nd and prisoner each held after- wards on to it sbe beat him with a walking- stick. Prisoner's conduct when the gun "was :t from aim was interesting. Now go," seid M;rs. Owen. "Where's my cap," he said. Sec.; ;1g an old one hanging up, Mrs. Oven said, "Here's an old one; now go." Btst I want my cap," he answered. Olass irmps had been smashed in the struggle, ar..d prisoner stood bv as witness ht a candle and searchod for hip own cap. Ho then left, ind witness called out to deceased who an- •.VCPXI with a groan. She then went out \;1 bring her in, but prisoner saying My dtar 10ve!" took her in his arms like a fea- i 'ier and brought her in. -i;ked H-hetheir prisoner had been to the 1 ■ f&c often, witness said "Y7os"to court i r.lece. VTr Richards Did she give him any en- ira^ment?—None whatever, and she told •<n plainly. VVitnefs then detailed the various inter- ■ ws referred to in Mr. Richards's opening ,c ech, saving that the conversation 18 i^onths ago was in Welsh. On the occasion 1. it prh-wier was asked to supper, the niece i not tike anything to eat. Wd you notice whether or IWt she spoke t. him?--She was very stiff and dry to him. lif wan?-dd to speak. Mr. Y ineJ. Leeder pasessod witness IiOUIb- r what as to whether prisoner had been pe- culiar in his manner, but witness did not notice it beyond saying that Bessie bad been telling people that he wanted to do her harm. He had never said anything suggesting tnat ht was compelled to go to the farm. Air. Leeder: Have you heard or known the prisoner to have ideas that people were saying things as he passed them? Witness No, never heard anything. Mr. Leeder suggested that prisoner, when at supper at the farm, might have had -pe- culiar ideas about the cnease and butter, but witness denied it, and said he ate a hearty supper, and added tlvat he wa,¡;; the same as any other man having supper with them. Mr. LeedeT Have you noticed anything about his demeanour of late? Witness Nothing. Mr. Leeder: Always the fame! Witness: Always the same. Very high- minded, you know. Tivmght he was better than all the other farmers. Mr. Leeder Oh! you formed that impres- sion?—Yes, I did. Inspector David deposed to the arrest and the various admissions made by the prisoner. Dr. W. Owen Evans was also called. In reply to Air. Leeder, Dr. Evans said lie had had many conversations with the pris- oner, who, in the charge-room after the tragedy, greeted him with, Hulloa, doctor, ,ly, how are you Prisoner reserved his defence. He was then COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. at the forthcoming Assizes, and Mr. Leeder concluded the painful proceed ing in court, by publicly expressing on be- half of the prisoner's relatives deep sym- pathy and regret with Mr. and M'rs. Owen pathy and regTet with Mr. and M"rs. Owen in their terrible bereavement. He also ob- served that in hie cross-examination of the witnesses he had indicated the line of de- fence.

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