Arthur Stokes

Arthur Stokes was shot by a 16-year-old girl but she was acquitted of his murder.

She said that she shot him to protect her honour.

Arthur Stokes had been a farm hand at Penywal Farm near Pontypridd. The 16-year-old girl had been a domestic servant at the farm.

She shot him at the farm on 25 June 1917 in the kitchen shortly after breakfast. After shooting him the girl ran off to another neighbouring farm where she said that she had shot him in defence of her honour.

At her trial the defence said that the case was so simple that there could be but one verdict, that of not guilty.

When the judge summed up he said that a woman's virtue was a pearl of great price and that if the girl had done what she had done in defence of her virtue that the jury could say that it was justified. The jury then returned a verdict of not guilty without leaving the box.

Arthur Stokes and the 16-year-old girl had been alone in the house at the time, other than the mistresses’ mother who was 70-years-old.

The 70-year-old woman said that her son was the tenant of Penywal and of Hendre Rhys. She said that her son, daughter-in-law and their three children lived at the farm, as well as three servants, Arthur Stokes, the 16-year-old girl and a boy.

She said that on the Saturday morning, 23 June 1917 that her son had not been at home as he had gone to Flaudan Farm in Blaeullechar to assist in the shearing, leaving her daughter-in-law in charge of the house.

She said that she first saw the 16-year-old girl and Arthur Stokes in the morning between 6 and 7am, stating that the 16-year-old girl had been downstairs before her that morning.

She said that she went out to milk, leaving the 16-year-old girl in the kitchen preparing the breakfast and that her daughter-in-law then went off to Pontypridd with the milk, noting that she would go down on the Saturday and Wednesday mornings. She said that a man would take the milk to Pontyprid in his float and that her daughter-in-law had gone with him, taking her little boy with her.

She said that after her daughter-in-law left that she sat down to breakfast with the 16-year-old girl and Arthur Stokes. She said that Arthur Stokes was sat in the corner of the table near the door of the kitchen leading to the back kitchen and that she sat on the side of the table with her back to the fire and the 16-year-old girl sat at the corner of the table with her back towards the fire near the window. She added that the baby was sat in a high chair near the cupboard nearer to the window.

She noted that the other little boy was not in the house.

She said that there had been no quarrelling at all during breakfast and that the 16-year-old girl and Arthur Stokes had not been talking a lot to each other.

She said that they finished breakfast and that she then began to clean the things up from the table, noting that they washed things up in the back kitchen. She said that after she rose to commence clearing the things up that she took them into the back kitchen, leaving the 16-year-old girl and Arthur Stokes with the baby in the kitchen. However, she noted that she had to go back into the kitchen to clear more things as she had not been able to carry all the things at once and that when she went back a second time that she didn't notice anything, adding that she didn't hear any cross words.

She said that when she went back into the kitchen a third time that she didn't notice anything about the 16-year-old girl, other than that she had the gun. She said that she had been standing by the corner of the table facing the armchair. She noted that she could not say whether Arthur Stokes had been sitting in the big chair or standing.

She said that the 16-year-old girl had had the gun in her hand upside down.

She said that she then went back into the kitchen and began lighting the fire but that she then heard a shot and went back into the kitchen. She said that as she ran into the kitchen that she met the 16-year-old girl coming out and said that she told her that Arthur Stokes was shot.

She said that she asked, 'Did he shoot himself?', and that she replied, 'I did it, I pulled the trigger'.

She said that when she went further into the kitchen that she saw Arthur Stokes on the floor with blood coming out of him. She said that she saw his left arm move and told the 16-year-old girl that she would go for help, but said that the 16-year-old girl said that she would go herself.

When the 16-year-old girl was cautioned by the police, she said, 'I did it for my own good, I mean to save my honour. As soon as breakfast was over he caught hold of me, squeezed me and kissed me. The master had gone away last night, the missis had gone to town and her mother, who is hard of hearing, was in the back kitchen. He caught me and threw me to the floor and commenced to raise my clothes. I told him that if he did not get off I would run down and fetch a policeman. I struggled with him until my hair got loose down my back. He got up and got his pipe out to smoke. He then asked me to reach the gun. I did so. He then asked me to reach a cartridge. I gave him the gun and I got a cartridge from the cupboard. I thought he was going to shoot a rabbit. He then loaded the gun. He did not shut it. I shut it. I was standing by the window and he was by the armchair. He then said, 'if you love me show guilty. If not shoot me', and he told me to pull the back trigger. I pulled it and shot him then he groaned and fell down. He had interfered with me before and I complained to a neighbour about his conduct. After I shot him I told the 70-year-old woman and I ran to the neighbour's house and told her'.

She then asked for a scarf and the mistresses’ mother went upstairs to get one and as she was doing so, the 16-year-old girl said, 'I stood there by the window and he stood there by the arm chair. I suppose he must have had his back to me when the gun went off'.

The policeman said that he then measured the distance between the two places and found it to be three yards.

The 16-year-old girl was charged with murder and sent for trial at the Glamorgan Assizes on Friday 20 July 1917 but was acquitted and discharged.