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William Davies

Age: unknown

Sex: male

Date: 16 Nov 1903

Place: Montgomery

William Davies died following a fight with a publican.

William Davies had been a police constable.

The publican had been the landlord of the Cottage Inn.

It was said that there had been ill feeling between the two men in consequence of William Davies having obtained two convictions against the publican and that shortly after midnight on 16 November 1903 that they had struggled together, shortly after which William Davies died from heart failure.

A friend of the publican said that he had been with the publican on the night in question and said that he had been quite sober. He said that the publican came with him a part of the way home and that on the road they met William Davies and that the publican remarked, 'It is hard lines we cannot walk up the road without a policeman must turn his light on us'. He said that they afterwards parted and that the publican would have had to pass William Davies on his way back home.

It was claimed that his death had been accelerated by the struggle and the publican was charged with murder.

A doctor that had attended William Davies in January 1903 said that William Davies had had a serious illness, stating that he had been down with influenza and congestion of the lungs. He added that his heart was weak and that he was not a robust man. He said that he thought that William Davies had suffered from valvular affection of the heart but that he could have been uncertain.

The doctor that carried out the post mortem said that recent external marks that he found included slight abrasions on the right side of the mouth whilst the right side of his eye was slightly bruised. He said that his heart was fatty and had ceased to be in a state of dictation of full blood. He said that his lungs and kidneys displayed congestion and that he was of the opinion that William Davies died from heart failure and that he thought that the scuffle that was alleged to have taken place had accelerated death.

William Davies's uniform was taken as evidence and found to be covered with dirt and blood on the right sleeve.

The publicans clothes were also taken as evidence and were said to have furnished evidence of the fierceness of the struggle.

After the evidence was heard at the inquest, the publican, who had at the time been on remand on the charge of wilful murder had a verdict of manslaughter against him returned and he was sent for trial

However, when the case was heard at the Montgomeryshire Assizes at Welshpool on Tuesday 12 January 1904, the judge said that there was no case upon the evidence and the jury returned a verdict of not guilty.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Birmingham Daily Gazette - Wednesday 13 January 1904

see Montgomeryshire Echo - Saturday 28 November 1903