Joseph Lewis

Joseph Lewis was convicted of the murder of Robert Scott and sentenced to death.

He shot him on the Margam Estate where Robert Scott had been a gamekeeper on 9 June 1898.

He declared that he had shot him in self-defence and had afterwards shot him again to put him out of his misery.

He was convicted at the Glamorganshire Assizes at Swansea on Wednesday 10 August 1898 and executed at Swansea on 30 August 1898.

Thousands of people assembled outside the prison walls to see the flag run up.

Before his execution, he wrote a note to Robert Scott's wife, which read to the effect of:

The murder took place on the Margam Estate, which was situated around Margam Castle to the north east and the mountain in the direction of Maestag.

The area to the north from Margam Castle rose to about a height of 500ft above sea level before coming to a farmhouse known as Blaenmalwg. From there the land continued to rise in a north eastern direction past a turnip field from where a track led to an old mountain road past some enclosed rough pasture until it came to the mountain itself, which rose with a depression here and there, but still rose in a general line all the way. From the top of the mountain the track could be seen to continue on towards Maesteg, a town or large village, about four miles away.

The terrain was further explained from the perspective the farm, Blaenmalwg Farm, it being noted that if you looked from there towards Maesteg there would be on the right a declivity, partly wooded and partly scrubby, but abruptly going down to land that was also partly scrubby, with the dingle there to the right being known as Cwmphilip, a name that the court were told would be referenced repeatedly through the trial. It was further noted that if one were to look from Blaenmalwg Farm to the north east that Cwmphilip would be on their right hand side. Additionally, if they looked to the left from the same spot they would see the turnip field, to the left of which was a broad wooded spot known as Cwmalwg.

From Blaenmalwg Farm, the road went abruptly up the old mountain track, until 300 or 400 yards away they reached the turnip field, being large and undulating in itself and on the left hand side of the track.  On the right side of it were three wall enclosures, that was to say, rough grass partly surrounded by walling, the three fields covng a distance approximately600 yards beyond the turnip field. Then, following the track along, just past the last wall, there was a gate leading on to the mountain which was known by the keepers and the people of the neighbourhood as 'the mountain gate', and beyond the gate they got to the mountain, which rose abruptly towards another spot, about 150 yards beyond, which also featured in the case as a spot where witnesses had been standing.

The court heard that between 6pm and 7pm on 9 June 1898 that Robert Scott, who had been head under-gamekeeper on the Margam Estate, had been out with another under-gamekeeper in the preserves of a place called the Deer Park. The deer park was more or less to the south-east of Cwmphilip and was not in itself high rising ground, though it was not covered with trees.

There had also been another person out, a police constable who was also engaged on the Margam Estate, who was out in pursuance of his ordinary duty that night. He had not been out with Robert Scott or the Other Under-Gamekeeper, but had been further up, more in the place called Tonmawr, further to the right. .

Robert Scott and the Other Under-Gamekeeper then saw a man coming down from the mountain about a mile away and as it was their duty to ascertain who it was, they went off to find the Constable.

The keepers had field glasses and they identified the clothing of the stranger. Having then found the Constable, the party made their way in the direction of the spot where they had seen the man, that journey taking them through Cwmphilip.

Having then got to Cwmphilip, they passed down the dingle and across the brook, and eventually up to a point at the east side of the mountain wall which separated the rough enclosed land from Cwmphilip and the mountain.

Having got there the man was seen again and the party formed a sort of plan of operation by which Robert Scott was to go back in the direction of Blaenmalwg Farm house whilst the Other Under-Gamekeeper and the Constable were to go to the mountain by the mountain wall to the mountain gate so as to get on the track.

The Other Under-Gamekeeper and the Constable accordingly went round the outer wall until they got to the mountain gate, about 200 yards away, and having a pair of glasses with them, they watched what was going on. From that point they could see the lower end of the turnip field, although they couldn't see the whole of the turnip field and neither could they see the whole of the rough land between them and the turnip field. However, they could see a great deal.

At the trial the Constable stated that using the glasses that he saw the man they had seen again, however, from the instructions they had received from Robert Scott, they were to wait where they were.

Robert Scott was then seen about 400 yards away from where the Other Under-Gamekeeper and the Constable had been standing, the last time he was seen alive.

The court then heard evidence from a farmer from Blaenmalwg Farm who said that he saw a man standing at the lower enclosure and then going along through the lower pasture. The man was also seen by the Constable, and was described as wearing a long coat reaching below the knees with a light grey cap and carrying a double barrelled gun. The farmer said that he had seen him from about 20 or 25 yards away. The Constable said that he saw the man about 30 yards from the gate.

From there, the court considered what happened, suggesting that either from there the man must have seen Robert Scott, or possibly that Robert Scott must have seen the man and that apparently the man went up the two rough enclosures to the right of the wood and that as he went up Robert Scott must have turned back from Cwmphilip, where his cap was later found, and gone round the second enclosure, which separated by a wall the last enclosure and gone up the mountain. When he got there, there was a wall, and on the other side a sort of dyke, which it was thought Robert Scott must have alongside it underneath the wall until in the middle of the enclosure he came to  place where there was a gap. It was noted that it wasn't really a gap, but more a place where the wall diminished in height to half its proper extent, having such a height that a man walking in the gutter and looking over it would show his face, and possibly only his face. It was then suggested that when Robert Scott got to the point that he looked over the wall.

It was noted that he had been unarmed as the estate owner didn't allow her keepers to carry firearms, but that he had had a little stick with him. It was said then that when he looked over the wall that he saw the man he was after, Joseph Lewis, who would have been within 14 or 15 yards, coming up the rough enclosure, and that at that moment the man put up his gun and fired, shooting Robert Scott.

However, it was noted that the shot was not fatal, as although there was a big pool of blood there where he was shot, he was able to crawl a bit further along the gutter up tyhe wall until he came to a second gap of very much the same nature as the first, and that when he got there he staggered about a bit and finally crouched down against the wall, getting exhausted from the loss of blood.

His handkerchief was described as being  found soaked with blood, as if it had been wrung out.

It was there, whilst he was leaning against the bank, that the man then came over and got into the gutter, and standing within three or five yards, fired the second barrel on the other side of his face, killing him. (It was noted that the evidence caused a sensation in the court).

It was added that, not being satisfied with that, that the murderer then went up to him and kicked him in the head to see if he was dead. (This evidence also caused further  sensation).

It was said that after that that the murderer would have continued his way along the same gutter until he got to Cwmheilog Wood where he came to a place where the wood abutted the mountain where there was a corner in the wall and there his gun, hid his shot flask, his powder flask and hid his box of caps.

It was submitted that the man then pursued his way down through the dingle until he came to a farmhouse above the main road, known as Brombil Farm, where he was seen by a witness who spoke to him.

It was said that from there he passed onto the main road and asked two men that he met for directions to Taibach, walking with them for some way, until he came to the house of a man known as Tom Pepper where he slept the night. The house was part of what were known as Salt Lake Houses at Taibach, which have since been demolished.

Regarding the two shots, the first was heard at about 8pm by the Other Under-Gamekeeper and the Constable who then rushed off to search for Robert Scott. However, they didn't hear the second shot, although it was noted that with the man going into the gutter and the wind blowing the other way, that that was not surprising that they didn't hear it.

Whoever, it was heard by the farmer at Blaenmalwg Farm that had seen the man earlier near the turnip field, and he said that there was only about half a minute between the two shots. As such, it was stated that the two shots he heard must have been the shots that killed Robert Scott.

The Other Under-Gamekeeper and the Constable went in search of Robert Scott, but his body was not found until 8.30am the following morning when it was found in the gap.

Although Joseph Lewis was questioned soon after the murder, there was not enough evidence against him and suspicion then fell on another man, but he was soon ruled out. However, it was heard that suspicion fell on Joseph Lewis again after he talked about the murder to other people.

Joseph Lewis had lived at 18 Union Street in Maisteg and was said to have been last there at 4pm on 9 June 1898. It was also known that he had slept that night at the house of Tom Pepper at Taibach, having arrived there about 10pm. It was then noted that he could have taken two routes from Maisteg to Taibach, one of which would have taken him across the mountain.

It was heard that when Joseph Lewis started out from 18 Union Street that he asked the landlord to lend him a gun that he himself and borrowed from someone, but the landlord refused. However, it was heard that Joseph Lewis went ahead and took it, going into the room where it was and taking it to pieces and putting the barrels into one inner pocket of his long coat and the stock into the other, and then went out.

He was said to have gone out wearing a light cap, a long dark brown coat that reached below his knees, dark black or blue trousers and black boots which were known as colliers' evening boots, not being actual working ones.

He was then seen to turn into Neath Road towards Margam and then to the Heolmoch Road. He was also seen by other witnesses along the way with the gun and wearing the long coat, but the best witness was the farmer at Blaenmalwg Farm who described him as a sandy man with a lump on his neck and carrying a double-barrelled gun with him and as wearing the same long coat and light grey cap.

He was then next seen after the shots were fired when he got down to Brombil, the description being the same, but without the gun.

The jury were then told that it that if they believed that it had been Joseph Lewis seen with the gun at the start, seen in the turnip field and the rough enclosure, then having passed through the place where the gun was later found, and then seen next without the gun, that they would have no difficulty in saying that it was him that killed Robert Scott.

It was further noted that after Joseph Lewis spent the night at the man's house that the following day he sent a messenger to his lodging at 18 Union Street asking for a peak cap, dark blue serge coat, and a pair of sand shoes. It was noted that no trousers were asked for as Joseph Lewis only had one pair of trousers, which he had been wearing. When he was next seen on 10 June 1898 he was wearing those articles of clothing.

He also made conflicting statements respecting the necessity for changing his clothing and it was stated that there was little doubt that his coats and shoes had been thrown into the sea, as he had told a friend. The cap was found at the man's cottage where he spent the night. However, it was noted that if he had intended to go fishing as he said, but then not gone becuse a navvy had given him so much to drink, that there would have been no necessity for changing his clothing.

Further, it was also found that there was blood on his trousers. Joseph Lewis said that the stains were caused when he had pulled a man's tooth out and he had spat blood on him.

However, it was stated that after Joseph Lewis had initially told a policeman that he had gone fishing and when the clothes he had had didn't match the description of the clothes worn by the person they were looking for, that he was released, whilst Joseph Lewis's landlord remained in custody.

However, it was then heard that Joseph Lewis made various statements to people that indicated tat he had knowledge of what had happened and he was rearrested on 17 June 1898.

However, when Joseph Lewis and his landlord were taken to the magistrates, a conversation took place in which the landlord asked Joseph Lewis where the gun was and Joseph Lewis told him. It was noted that the landlord had himself borrowed the gun from a friend and whilst on their way to the magistrates he explained to Joseph Lewis that if it were not returned that he would have to pay for it. Joseph Lewis told him where it was, mentioning marks on the mountain wall at the exact spot where the gun was subsequently found at the top of Brynmalwg.

As such, it was asked how Joseph Lewis knew the gun was there.

Further, the landlord was discharged and immediately after he sent for the head keeper and the Constable, and together they went to the place described and found the gun, a shot case, a powder case and a box of caps. It was also found that both barrels had been discharged and on the nipples were the exploded caps, indicating that the gun must have been placed there very soon after it had been discharged on 9 June 1898.

It was also heard that Joseph Lewis had said that he had arrived at his friend's house at 6pm, but that several witnesses that had walked with him said he had not arrived until 10pm, and as such, the jury were asked who Joseph Lewis had told such untruths unless he had something to hide and didn't want people to know where he was at the critical time, 8pm when Robert Scott was shot.

He was also heard to say to another witness, regarding leaving his friend's house on the morning after the murder:

As such, at the trial, it was asked what tale that was? Whether it was that he had arrived at 6pm? And whether it was to show that he could not have been on the moor at the time of the murder.

However, at the conclusion of the Monmouth Assizes on 10 August 1898, Joseph Lewis was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. There was no reprieve and he was executed at Swansea Gaol on 30 August 1898.

Following his conviction, he wrote Robert Scott's wife a letter that read:

Joseph Lewis stated that the theory of the murder at the trial was wrong, and said that Robert Scott had come on him unawares on the same side of the wall on the hillside, only a few yards separating them . He said that he told Robert Scott to stand back and he would give his name and address if he wanted them and that Robert Scott then raised his hands and said:

And that he told him:

He then stated that Robert Scott had a big stick and that as he had no other weapon he put his gun to his shoulder and fired. He said that he then went forward and did unto Robert Scott what he would want others to do to him under similar circumstances, and placed Robert Scott in a sitting position against the wall and fired another shot to put him out of his misery.