Christmas is associated with peace and joy, not with clashes and sadness, with tenderness rather than violence. It is the season of goodwill. But this does not mean that the devil is on holiday. Atrocities do happen even on Christmas Day itself, as the one that occurred in Holyhead on Christmas Night 1909.

A married woman, Gwen Ellen Jones from Bethesda, Arfon, had been cohabiting with an Irish labourer named William Murphy, with whom she had a child. Murphy spent much time working away from home, but he regularly sent her maintenance money and a few days before Christmas 1909 he went to Gwen Ellen’s father’s home in Bethesda with a view to renewing their relationship. The old man told him she had gone to live to Anglesey, but did not have her address.

William Murphy

Murphy eventually traced her to Holyhead and on Christmas Night approached her in a tavern and asked her to leave with him so that they could discuss their estranged situation. She left the ‘Bardsey Island Inn’ with him of her own accord and that was the last time she was seen alive, apart from by those who saw and heard the both of them singing in each other’s company whilst walking along the street.

What happened after they left the public house can only be imagined, but later that night Murphy went to the Police Station to confess to killing Gwen Ellen and he also led policemen to a ditch where her body was found. She had been strangled and her throat had been cut with a knife.

Murphy was arrested and, after a brief appearance at the Magistrates Court in Holyhead on December 27^th and was committed to stand trial at Beaumaris Assizes on January 26. 1910.

Even though the defence made a strong case in an attempt to prove to the jury that Murphy was not in his right mind when the offence occurred, the defendant was found guilty of murdering Gwen Ellen Jones on December 25. 1909. He was sentenced to death by hanging and spent the remainder of his days in Caernarfon Jail.

Many people were opposed to the Death Sentence and the solicitor, Mr. William George, brother of David Lloyd George M.P. organized a petition. It was signed by many influential persons and was sent to the Home Secretary. However, he decided not to intervene and to allow justice to take its course. Murphy’s brother had to break the news to him. He showed no emotion and it is doubtful whether he had ever hoped for a favourable reply.

Father Gouzier, the Roman Catholic Prison Chaplin, who regularly attended to Murphy’s spiritual needs, was of the opinion that he was very different from other prisoners he had known. Confirmation of his assessment is born out by this story related to the author by the late Miss C. Limerick Jones, 12 Market Street, Caernarfon. Her grandfather, Richard Jones, Pilot, lived in Shirehall Street and was sometimes employed at the Jail as an “Extra Warder”. He was with Murphy on the night before the execution and they talked together and played cards for hours. Shortly before 8 o’ clock the prisoner shook Richard Jones by the hand and said “Thanks old man for everything”. He then walked as part of the procession to the scaffold. Henry Pierrpoint was the Executioner and assisting him was John Ellis, who later became a Public Executioner.

The crowd eagerly waited the hoisting of a black flag with its ominous message, but that did not happen, as the practice was discontinued in 1902, by an Act of Parliament. However, something unexpected did happen. The Church Bell of St. Mary’s began to toll, but stopped abruptly after striking only twice. Had the prisoner been reprieved? The sound of the trapdoor being opened was heard and everyone knew that it was not so. Later, it was learnt that the clapper of the Church Bell had worn thin and fallen, and that after 170 years unbroken service.

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Whilst adapting the old jail for use as offices for the County Council in 1932, the bodies of William Murphy and two others executed at Caernarfon Jail were unearthed and permission was received from the Home Office to re-inter them at the Llanbeblig Municipal Cemetery.

That was done in the early hours of the morning, a short service took place, but it was not permitted to mark the location of the grave.

                                                                                                                 T. Meirion Hughes

ANFADWAITH NOS NADOLIG

Cysylltir y Nadolig â hedd a llawenydd nid â gwrthdaro ac â thristwch, â thynerwch yn hytrach nag â thrais. Tymor Ewyllys Da ydyw, ond nid yw hyn yn golygu bod y diafol ar wyliau. Digwyddodd erchyllterau mawr, hyd yn oed ar ddydd Nadolig ei hun, fel yn nhref Caergybi ar Nos Nadolig 1909.

Roedd gwraig briod o’r enw Gwen Ellen Jones o Fethesda, Arfon wedi bod yn cyd-fyw â labrwr Gwyddelig o’r enw William Murphy a ganwyd plentyn iddynt. Er bod Murphy yn treulio llawer o’i amser yn gweithio i ffwrdd roedd yn anfon arian yn rheolaidd i Gwen Ellen at ei fagu.

Rai dyddiau cyn Nadolig 1909 aeth Murphy i gartref tad Gwen Ellen ym Methesda i chwilio amdani er ceisio adfer y berthynas a fu rhyngddynt. Dywedodd yr hen wr wrtho ei bod wedi mynd i Sir Fôn, ond na wyddai yn union i ble. Aeth Murphy i Sir Fôn ac o’r diwedd daeth o hyd iddi yng Nghaergybi ac ar Nos Nadolig gofynnodd iddi mewn tafarn yno i ddod allan gydag ef i gael sgwrs am eu sefyllfa. Gadawodd hithau y  Bardsey Island Inn yn ei gwmni. Dyna oedd y tro olaf i neb ei gweld yn fyw oddi eithr y rai a welodd ac a glywodd y ddau’n canu yng nghwmni ei gilydd wrth gerdded y stryd.

Ni ellir ond dychmygu’r hyn a ddigwyddodd iddi wedi iddynt adael y dafarn, ond gwyddys i Murphy fynd i Swyddfa’r Heddlu i gyfaddef iddo lofruddio Gwen Ellen ac iddo fynd â’r heddlu i olwg ei chorff mewn ffos. Roedd wedi ei thagu ac roedd ei gwddw wedi ei agor â chyllell.

Restiwyd William Murphy ac ar ôl ymddangosiad byr yn Llys yr Ynadon yng Nghaergybi ar Ragfyr 27ain, anfonwyd ef i sefyll ei brawf ym Mrawdlys Biwmares ar Ionawr 26. 1910. Er i’w fargyfreithiwr wneud achos cryf i geisio argyhoeddi’r rheithgor nad oedd Murphy yn ei iawn bwyll pan gyflawnodd y drosedd, cafwyd ef yn euog o lofruddiaeth a’i ddedfrydu i farwolaeth trwy ei grogi a threuliodd weddill ei ddyddiau yng Ngharchar Caernarfon.

Roedd llawer yn wrthwynebus i’r ddedfryd o farwolaeth a threfnodd y cyfreithiwr William George, brawd yr aelod seneddol David Lloyd George, ddeiseb. Arwyddwyd hi gan amryw o wyr blaenllaw y cylch ac fe’i hanfonwyd i’r Ysgrifennydd Cartref yn erfyn arno atal y gosb eithaf. Penderfynu peidio ag ymyrryd yng nghwrs y gyfraith a wnaeth ef a gadawyd i frawd Murphy dorri’r newydd iddo. Ni ddangosodd unrhyw emosiwn a phrin ei fod wedi disgwyl ateb i’r gwrthwyneb.

Bu’r Tad Gouzier, caplan pabyddol y carchar yn ffyddlon iawn iddo, a’i farn ef am Murphy oedd ei fod yn annhebyg iawn i’r math o garcharor yr arferai ymweld ag o. Tebyg hefyd yw’r hanesyn hwn a gafodd awdur hyn o eiriau gan y diweddar Miss C. Limerick Jones, gynt o 12 Stryd y Farchnad, Caernarfon. Roedd ei thaid Richard Jones, Peilot, yn byw yn Stryd y Jêl ac o bryd i’w gilydd, byddai yn cael ei alw i wneud gwaith Gwarchodwr Achlysurol (Extra Warder). Bu ef gyda Murphy y noson cyn ei ddienyddio, a bu’r ddau yn chwarae cardiau ac yn sgwrsio am oriau. Ychydig cyn 8 o’r gloch, troes y carcharor at Richard Jones a dywedodd “Thanks old man for everything”. Yna cerddodd o’i gell yn rhan o’r orymdaith i’r crocbren. Henry Pierrpoint oedd y dienyddiwr ac yn ei gynorthwyo roedd John Ellis, a ddyrchafwyd yn ddiweddarach i swydd o ddienyddiwr cyhoeddus.

Bu’r dorf o amgylch y carchar yn disgwyl yn eiddgar i gael gweld a fyddai baner ddu yn cael ei chodi fel arwydd bod y dienyddiad wedi ei gario allan, ond ni ddigwyddodd hynny, gan i’r arferiad gael ei atal yn y flwyddyn 1902. Ond fe ddigwyddodd rhywbeth arall. Clywsant gloch Eglwys St. Mair yn distewi ar ôl dau gnul yn unig. Tybed nad oedd y carcharor i gael ei golli? Clywsant y ‘trapdoor’ yn agor a gwyddant fod popeth drosodd. Yn ddiweddarach cawsant wybod bod tafod cloch yr Eglwys wedi torri a disgyn ar ôl gwasanaethu yn ddi-fwlch am 170 o flynyddoedd.

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Wrth addasu’r hen adeilad carchar ar gyfer codi swyddfeydd i’r Cyngor Sir yn 1932, daethpwyd o hyd i gyrff William Murphy a dau arall a ddienyddiwyd yng Ngharchar Caernarfon. Yna, cafwyd caniatâd y Swyddfa Gartref i’w hail gladdu ym Mynwent Y Dref, Llanbeblig.

Gwnaed hynny yn nhrymder nos a chynhaliwyd gwasanaeth, ond ni chaniatawyd codi ‘maen na chofnod i nodi’r fan’.

T Meirion Hughes