Mabel Violet Howell

Mabel Violet Howell was found shot with a humane killer by her side.

She was expecting to become a mother.

The house that she was in was locked and the discovery of her body was made by a charwoman who climbed in through a window at around 10.30am on 7 March 1925.

The doctor who examined her body said that her death had taken place about 36 hours before she was discovered. He also said that she was six months pregnant at the time.

When the police entered the house they said a lurcher dog came out. They found all the windows and doors locked except the one that the charwoman had gone though.

The humane killer was partly beneath her body.

The master of the house was away at the time and said that he had never had any angry words with her, contrary to rumours. He said that he had left on the 10.10am train on the Wednesday for Liverpool Street and had left the house at 9.55am. He said that she had given Mabel Howell instructions to send any letters for him to Peckham. He said that he checked twice at the address for letters but that nothing came and at 5pm he called the police and then returned at once to Wells.

He denied being the father of the child.

He denied that he had been cohabiting with her even though the police provided evidence that a single bed had not been used and that a double bed looked as though two people had been sleeping in it.

She was said to have recently gone to Burnham on the Tuesday and taken the humane-killer with her accompanied by a lad.

She was a housekeeper.