FRIGHTFUL TRAGEDY.

Southland Times, Issue 733, 7 October 1867, Page 3

FRIGHTFUL TRAGEDY.

A frightful tragedy has taken place at Wolverton, a village in Sumersetshire. A fire was discovered in a malt-house at an early hour on Saturday morning, Jnly 20, by a boy who was going to his work. An alarm was raised, and the fire was speedily extinguished. It was then found that the charred remains of a human body were lying on a board over the spot Avhere the fire had broken out. An examination led to the belief that the corpse was that of a farmer's wife, named Britton, who lived only a few yards from the spot. She was missing' ; Her husband, who assisted at the fire, was taken into custody on a charge of murder, and at the inquest, which was held on July 22, Mr Deggan, superintendent of police, gave evidence which left no doubt of the guilt of the accused. Witness went to the house and took the prisoner to the malt-house. Witness then said to him, " Look at that body. Is not that your wife ?" He said, " No, it is not." I said, " Look at her head, hair, and teeth." The prisoner went down on one knee and lifted up the head to shew the haiv, and I pointed to her prominent teeth in front. He put up his hand and trembled very much. He said, " I cannot recognise her." I said, " Look again." He looked very close to the body and said, "I believe it is — I am sure it is her." I then took him into his house and took him into custody at once. I took him into Frome, and at the policestation I charged him with wilfully murdering his wife, and setting fire to Mr Moger's malt-house, for the purpose of consuming the body. He said, " It's "a bad job." I neither threatened nor cautioned him either at the house or at the station. I produce a statement written by the prisoner. "When I went into the place where he was with Mr Wooley, his brother-in-law, Constable Westcombe was with the prisoner. The prisoner immediately handed the paper I produce to Mr "Wooley, and I took it out of his hand. It was directed to Mr Wooley. The statement is as follows : — Mr Wooley, — " Ido to you what I could not do to any one else, with shame, and true abhorrence and repentance of the deed I have clone. I confess it was I that foully murdered my, poor wife. It was done in the heat of passion and in a fit of jealousy, and arose thus. I saw what I should keep to myself; told her of it. She treated it lightly, which enraged me. I caught hold of the first thing that came to hand ; struck her with it three or four times. Oh, how I wish I had been blind, or Gl-od had struck me dead before I did so. Oh, what power the devil must have over me. It seems as " —In the afternoon, about 4 o'clock, the prisoner asked me for more paper to finish the letter he had begun in the morning. I took him in the sheet of foolscap paper I now produce, and gave him it. He commenced writing, and I stopped with him all the time. He did not speak the whole time he was writing the letter, nor did he hand it to me. The following is the continuation of the statement : — " It seemed as though I had almost a hundred devils in me, and 1 believe had 20 people been there I should had they interefered, served them in a similar manner ; but after this was done, and I reflected a little time, oh, how I detested and deplored the act — viewed it with abhorrence ; and, oh, what I would have gave to bring her to life again. I fully intended then to have destroyed myself, but was prevented by two thoughts. First, that alone in the house the child would come down and first find us, and no doubt would lose his reason, or something as bad ; second, that probably God may forgive murder even, but not self-murder. Then I thought of at once giving myself up; but then- the devil or my own evil heart tempted and induced me to try and hide my act from the world, which I did immediately by carrying her poor body over the wall by the pear-tree, into the malt-house, and finished the next night." The remainder of the statement consisted of expressions of penitence and the hope that his child would be taken care of. Witness continued his evidence as follows : — He shook very much and said, 11 1 would write more Iraft I caaV S©

then voluntarily made this statement to me : — " I killed her on Thursday night. I dragged her body up the ladder by the pear-tree, drew it over the tiles, dragged it over the plank which was over the cistern, and then set fire to the place. Oh, G-od ! forgive me. I loved her. I struck her with a piece of lead down stairs." The jury returned a verdict of ." "Wilful Murder " against the accused, who has been committed for trial.