ABERTILLERY MURDER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16571, 2 November 1921, Page 6

ABERTILLERY MURDER.

HAROLD JONES PLEADS GUILTY. “A DESIRE TO KILL.” By Telegraph—Props Association—Copyright. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received November 2, 9.5 a.m.) LONDON, November 1. Harold Jones has pleaded guilty to the murder of Florence Little, aged eleven years, at Abertillery. His confession to the chaplain described bow the murder was perpetrated from a desire to kill. He also confessed that he killed a girl named Burnell. Jones was sentenced to detention during his Majesty's pleasure. PSYCHOLOGY OF CRIME. LONDON, Julv 22. The first stage of an extraordinary case has now been closed by the committal for trial of Harold Jones, of Abertillery, a boy of only fifteen years of agfc, as the result of the inquest into the death of Florence Little, a girl of eleven. The verdict was brought in of wilful murder against the boy. Interest in the psychology if not the pathology- of the case is extreme, for the boy Harold Jones was acquitted only last month of strangling an eight vear old girl, and many of the people of the district had been active in support of the boy against the first charge. There is now a reaction, and the police had to take measures for the safety of the accused. The story a-s told by the little girl's mother was that when Florrie did not return home she went to the Jones’ house and found the door locked. She knocked twice and then was answered by Harold Jones, who was stripped to the waist. He told her Florrie had been there but had gone by the back way. Lily Little, Florrie’e sister, said that before supper Harold Joneg asked her to tell his sister be wanted her, and when they went out to play after supper Flossie Jones came out and told Florrie that Harold wanted her. Both Flossie and Florrie went into tho house together. Flossie came out again a l ttle later but she (Lily) did not see Florrie again. When Flossie Jones, aged nine, was called, her father said she would not come. The Coroner said she must, and she was brought into court crying. She said she went to her home with. Florrie Little. Her brother was then in the kitchen. Florrie Little went through the back and she (Flossie) went through the passage to the front door. William Greenaway, a lodger w’Ph the Jones, said on the night in question he found the door locked, which was unusual. He knocked and in about half a minute Harold On the arrival of his parents Harold said he had been bathing and wanted a clean shirt. This would be About 10.50 Mr Jones and Harold left t-o join the search party. Philip Jones, father of Hnrold. described how, when the hodv was found by the police, he immediately went to look for Harold, who was plaving in the street. When told of the finding of the body Harold said, “ I never dona it, dad.” Mr Little, sa : d his two girls. Florence and May, finished super about 9.20 and thev went to the front door to play. Ho saw them finish their game of hopscotch ten minutes later. He did not see Florence rtEvo after 9.30. Mr Little said he searched the streets till dark and afterwards he and others scoured the mountains with miners' lamps till daybreak but thev failed to find her At 10.30 he had a conversa- / tion with Mr and Mrs Jones and tlieir daughter and they said they liadn t seen Florence. Mrs Little was overcome and could hardly be heard giving evidence. About ten o’clock she went to the Jones’ house because her daughter May had told her Florrie had gone there with , Flossie Jones. I knocked twice, she paid, and after I had tried to open the door Harold came. The Coroner : How was he dressed ? Witness: He had no shirt on, and wore nothing but trousers. I ached him if Florrie was inside playing with Flossie, but lie said : No. Slio has been here but went through the back way. Harold then asked me how my son (a boy who was injured) was. Mis Little when asked to identify her child’s clothe? collapsed. The accused boy made copious notes while the case was going on but his mother was very distressed and wept while she gave her evidence. On the evening of Friday. July 8, she said, she went shopping and returned with her husband and her daughter Flossie and the lodger Greenaway. When they got home Harold had opened the door and was just going back indoors. The ga* was alight. He had blue trousers and shoes on, but nothing else. He said, “ I have had a wash. Let me have a clean shirt.” Witness and her husband were up all night. When Harold came home from the search for the missing girl, at 3.30 in the morning, he Had supper and went to bed. He got up before eight and had breakfast as usual. She had noticed no change in his demeanour. The Deputy Chief Constable of Monmouthshire described the search resulting in the body being found in the attic of the Jones’ house. ” After searching various rooms,” lie said. ** I searched the landing near the stairs, when I observed a man-hole in tho ceiling near the trout bedroom door. T also observed a smear on the ceiling near the manhole and 1 noticed that the walls had either been washed or wiped for a distance of live or six feet.” Police Constable Cox, who discovered | the body in the attic produced a straw rope used for tying round orange boxes and attached to which was a handkerchief. This rope, he said, was tied under the arms of the body. Continuing, witness described another visit to the house at 9 o'clock on the same evening when in company with another officer they found a stick, the knob of a table drawer, and a knife, all of which were blood-stained. Pathological evidence was given by the countv analyst and his assistant. They produced a portion of linoleum, wallpaper and stone floor, all of which were blood-stained. A pair of blue trousers, said to be those of Harold Jones had numerous stains and clots. These were positively of human blood and were comparable with the stains on the child’s clothes. The knife from flic kitchen drawer was covered with human blood from heft to point. Dr Lloyd described the- injuries of the murdered girl, stating that death was duo to loss of blood. There was no evidence of outrage. After a retirement of thirty minutes the jury returned a verdict of wilful Blunder against Harold Jones. Hxolftinnng "Oh! My God!” Mrs Jones, who had just been up to the boy and kissed him, fell hack and had to be removed. while the accused’s little sister cried biterly. The boy himself hung his bead and Teceivad the verdict impassively. And there the islands until Harold Jones once imrre faces the judge.