As far as they can be gathered, the particulars are these:- on Sunday morning Bowman and his wife, who are the only inmates of the dwelling, were heard quarrelling and the same morning they were seen to be both the worse of liquor. Shortly after and somewhere about nine o’ clock, a shriek was heard to emanate from Bowman’s house, and a little thereafter Bowman was heard to leave the house, and lock the door behind him. After leaving the house, Bowman must have proceeded direct to Buckhaven, as that same forenoon found him among the worshippers in church there. He again attended divine service in the afternoon and returning in the evening he slept all night in his own house in a closet in a room adjoining the kitchen. On Monday morning he left for work as usual, locking the door and taking the key with him. Bowman had no family by this marriage but his wife had a daughter aged about 13, and to this girl he, in the course of Monday, gave the key of the house, stating at the same time that her mother was unwell and confined to bed; but instead of going direct to Bowman’s house to see her mother, she returned to her uncle in Buckhaven (deceased’s brother) to whom she delivered the key stating at the same time what her stepfather had said about the illness of her mother. The simple story of the girl at once aroused suspicion of deceased’s friends, who thinking all was not right, at once proceeded to Leven: and on opening the door and going upstairs there worst fears concerning their friend began to be realised. Struck with grief and horror at witnessing a large quantity of blood on the stair steps, they hastily entered the kitchen, where sure enough as Bowman had said, they found their friend in bed, but lying in a pool of her own blood- quite dead, and bearing all the appearances of having been dead many hours before. A pool of blood also lay on the floor. Towels and other articles were all more or less stained with blood; and these appearances, together with the confusion of the house furniture, and the saddest spectacle of all the silent corpse stretched upon the bed - made up a scene intensely horrifying. As Police Constable Finlay was from home the friends of the deceased put themselves in immediate communication, by telegraph with Chief Constable Bremner, whom at once despatched Sergeant McIntosh from Cupar. On his arrival at Leven Sergeant McIntosh was joined by Constable Finlay, and at once proceeded to the house of the deceased. On seeing how matters stood, the officers considered it their duty to take possession of the body, clothing and other articles; and afterwords proceeding to Buckhaven, they apprehended the husband of the murdered women in his father’s house there. Having been formally charged by the Constables with the murder of his wife he was handcuffed; and although a powerfully built fellow he offered no resistance whatever to the officers, towards whom his conduct was docile in the extreme. During the same evening Chief Constable Bremner, along with Mr Black Procurator- fiscal, and Dr Walker arrived in a machine from Cupar- Inspector Chalmers of the Kirkcaldy division also reaching the town later on- and sometime afterwards orders were given to convey Bowman to the county jail and in charge of Deputy – Chief Constable Watson and another officer, the suspected wife murderer left in a machine for Cupar prison.
Norrie G