MYSTERIES OF CRIME.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 95, 21 April 1906, Page 13

MYSTERIES OF CRIME.

docbij: metboeb at jl toxELr FARM.

i. SEVOLTT>TG CBXME.

In. s. -little grey stone cottage in the leneiy mountain vitiate ot In Nortn Wales, there Uy side by side on March 12 the mutilated bodies of an eld Weisn. farmer, named John Evans, and his wiffc Miry, wiie- were murdered in tins earrjr hours at the previous Saturday morning.

Oa tb.e Tuesday the inqaest was held, and There was present a man named Bowland Liywarch. w.uom the police have arrested on snspicion. •John Evans was aged sixty-nve. and his wife was seventy-live. They made a comfortable living by killing a few sheep each week and selling the Cesh ro the isolated cottagers and farmers scattered over the Mils. Mr Evans was the president of tne local friendly society, and on Friday evening , he went down the vaiiey a eoupie at miles to- the Cann Office Hotel, where the society was holding Its annual eeiebrarton. At seven o'clock he came out from the hotel, and mounting his old pony set off *>n- his journey homewards. The pony ambled along the dark mountain, lane , nntil half the journey home had been covered, and then old Ifr Evans directed it towards rhe porch of a wayside Inn. where he called for a bottle of stout to b<» brought out to him for his own and his ,wife' 3 supper. He secured the 3tout. put it in aia pocket, and then turned his pony's head towards home. Now there comes on the scene another figure—Rowland LJy-warch. aged fortysix, a milkman, with business in Bermondsey and Shepherd's Bush, who is a native of wild Montgomeryshire. A week before Liywarch wetrt dowu. to his native place on a visir. He stayed for two days wirh his sister in her cottage, near Foe!, and then wenr over to stay with his mother, five miles away.

Wire old Mr Evans called for his bottfe of stout at rhp inn. Uvwarrti was rhat-

ring with the landlady. H> <-am*» ont and, exchanging a kindly word with iir Evans, walked by the side of the pony as the old farmer made his way home. H>

accompanied the pair all the way to the cottage, and there, personally at the invitation of Mr Evans, went in with him.

It was half-paat eight when Sarah £ones, a. little girl of thirteen, went to Foel Llwyd, the cottage •>£ the Ev&na, ;ind say Llywarch having supper with rhe oid couple. At midnight, a upighbonr passing by heard the party in the cottage in, friendly converse. FOOTSTEPS OF BLOOD. Xext uioxuing', Samuel Francis, a labourer, employed on the farm, failing to see his master or mistress ar. the unusually lute hour for them of half-past seven, wput from feeding tile euctle w> the cottage. He was almost frozen with horror to find bloodstained footstep.-* leading from the cottage door. He flung open the kitchen *Joor. and there lying in the stone floor was the stabbed aad blood-stained body of his master. The man rushed for assistance. Other men. came up. the cowage was enxered. and another discovery was made. In the licrie room adjoining the kitchen, used as a bed-chamber, there lay the dead body of Mrs Evans, her white hair dabbled with blood and her nightgown crimsoned. Both th* bodies had been stahbed again and again as though, by a madman. <n intelligent young Welsh constable named Push, had beeu called hi. and the rirst thing he did after mating aure thit the couple were dead, was to make tor the late residence of LJywarch. Liywarrh had nor been seen since rho day before. Pugh and bis superiors, who wen» quickly on the wpne. immediately began a. hue and cry for Llvwarch, which i-ontinned day and nisht. Llyn arch svas two day* latpr raptured in ■ wood at Elanflhangel. by Sergeant Price, md Constables Hamrr. Tndor. and Hughes «ftex a great atrngg-le. He attacked tilt, officers with a table-knife, and in the- he received a blow on the head from a trnnebfton. Having overpowered their ma a the officers conveyed him to Llanfyllln. wheTe a dixror dresapd his head, and he woe then taken to WeiaapooL .i. curious part of the tragedy, apart from the senseless fnry of tne wounds, in the fact that robbery, though, at first suspected, was found to be no part of the murderer's scheme.