Frederick Davies

Murder of wife; Birmingham

Davies was a forty year old gunsmith who lived with his wife at Birmingham. They had an unhappy marriage due in most part to his intemperate habits, and as a result she left him and went to stay with her sister. On 16th May, he called at the house and asked her to come back, and she decided to give him another chance. Wary of threats Davies had made to kill his wife, Mrs Davies's sister and husband accompanied them back home. They had only been there a short while when Davies and his wife began to quarrel about his drinking. Without a word, he left the room, returned with a pistol and shot his wife. Mrs Davies rushed into the yard where she collapsed and died. Davies was attempting to reload when he was overpowered by his brother-in-law, who managed to hold him until police arrived. Sentenced to death by Mr Justice Hawkins and hanged by James Berry. Sentence of death was carried out in Birmingham on the 26th August 1890