THE NOWILL-DELAY MYSTERY

Southland Times, Issue 17244, 15 January 1913, Page 7

THE NOWILL-DELAY MYSTERY

A CORNISH T RAO 101) Y. (From Out- Own Correspondent!. LONDON, December G. The discovery lust Monday of the body of Mrs Nowlll who disappeared <rom tiie Atlantic Hotel, Newiiuuy. on the afternoon of Saturday. November afforded only a partial solution of the mystery attaching’ to this curious Cornish tragedy. The enquiry into the unfortunate lady’s death revealed nothing save the fact that the corpse must have been in the water several days, tin- inference being that Mrs Nowlll threw herself Into the sen. fell in by accident, or was thrown in on the evening of her disappear a ncc. Nothing transpired at the inquest to give colour to the supposition that the hapless woman’s relation with Mr .lames Delay were anything more than platonic, nor was there a slued ’of evidence to allow that he might have had a hand in compassing her death. We are therefore in tiie dark as to why In* committed auicide. and whether Mrs Nowill’s death was accidental or otherwise. The cause of Mr Delay’s self-destruction may have been remorse for a black deed, or a tit of despair brought on by Ids inability to obtain any response to an overwhelming passion for Mrs Nowill. That h»v‘!'’ as madly in love with her is more than probable—lds legacy of EGO.HOD to her is proof of something more than mere liking—but there is not a particle of cvld- ’ ence to allow that ids feelings were reciprocated in any way by the lady, and nothing that has yot transpired fives any indication of there being any reason why Mrs Nowlll should commit suicide. She had health and wealth, and aeemed to enjoy life thoroughly. She was on the* best of terms with her husband, and his faith in his dead wife’s honour remains Arm as a rock. It may be well to recapitulate tiie chief features of this Cornish tragedy. Mrs Nowlll, tiie wife of Mr Sidney J>Towlll, a Sheffield merchant, accompanied by her mother, went to Newquay about three weeks ago. and stayed at the Atlantic Hotel. Among other visitors at the hotel was Mr James Arthur Delay, a retired solicitor, of Singapore, whom Mr and Mrs Nowlll had met during a Journey to Egypt, and witli Whom they were on friendly terms. Mr Delay and Mrs Nowill went about together, and on Saturday, November til. returned together to tiie hotel at about a quarter to five o’clock. Later, Mrs Nowill was missed, and as she had gone out In golfing costume and had made no preparations for a journey, a search was Instituted. Mr Delay, who ■eemed greatly upset at her disappearance, was out until a late hour with Lieutenant West. Coast-guards Officer, assisting in the search. Apparently lie was so overwrought by anxiety that once he raised a stick to Lieutenant "West and said: “You must do something, or I’ll kill yon.” Later he attempted to throw himself over the cliff, and was restrained by Lieutenan&.'West.

The search was continued throughout tha night, and on Sunday evening Mr Delay retired to Ills room early. Next morning he was found hanging dead behind the door. At the inquest a codicil of Mr Delay’s will was produced, by which he left Mrs Nowlll £30,000. An Important statement was made at tlie Coroner’s inquiry hy a coastguard who ■aid that at a quarter to four o'clock on the Saturday in question tie saw a lady and a gentlemen walking towards the lifeboat house. Through his glass he could see the gentleman walk a few yards and then take hold of llie lady’s hand. She appeared to push him away, and the impression of the const guard was that the couple were having an altercation. The jury returned a verdict of felo-de-se. Meanwhile no (races had been found of Mrs Nowlll. Her husband declared his belief that ids wife was alive, ami I'or many days was encouraged lu his belief by circumstantial reports to the effect that a lady answering to her description hud been seen at various places. As late as Monday morning Mr. Nowlll received a message stating in most positive terms that his wife was at Southport on Saturday, and that the informant hoped to meet her again that day. On receipt of this, Mr Nowlll, who was at Newquay, communicated with the police at Southport, and telegraphed to a friend at Liverpool to go there. But all the while the body of his wife was lying in the sea in a ruck-bound pool at the foot of the cliffs not a couple of hundred yards away from the Atlantic Hotel. It was only a few hours after he had received the hopeful message from Southport that Mr Nowlll was called upon to Identify his wife’s bodv.

In spite of Mr Nowill’s belief and the reports received from various parts of the country a close watch had been kept along the sea coast at* Newquay, and on Monday last a special look out was kept In view of the fact that in cases of drowning bodies often rose to the surface on the ninth day. At about three o'clock, a fisherman looking over the precipitous cliffs just east of the Atlantic Hotel, saw what appeared to be a human body among the rocks and breakers below. Ho summoned the coast-guards, and by aid of a rope ladder one of them descended the cliff, ami at some risk to himself, secured' the body, which was .Vaised to the top by means of ropes. it was the only way In which the body could be recovered, for the sea was running so heavily at the time that no boat could have got anywhere near the place where the corpse lay.

It was sadly battered about, but there •was no doubt as to identity, for the body was clothed in the golfing garments worn by Airs Nowlll when she left the hotel on the fateful .Saturday evening.

and the wedding ring on the left hand bore her name on its inner surface. The moment Air Nowlll set eyes on the body he said "That is my wife,”

The medical evidence at Hie inquest proved that all the inj«!ies suffered by the body had been intbJfed after death, and in the absence cJft any testimony justifying a more definite verdict the Jury returned one of "Found drowned."