Novel examines unsolved murder of a Pontypool landlord (From Free Press Series)

Newport author Monty Dart writes novel on unsolved murder of Pontypool's Dripping Lewis

3:30pm Friday 2nd November 2012 in News By Katey Pigden, Reporter

AUTHOR Monty Dart will be releasing a book about an unsolved Pontypool murder which took place in 1939.

Who Killed Dripping Lewis? explores the murder of businessman and property landlord William Lewis who was killed in his home on Conway Road, Pontypool in May 1939 aged 59.

He owned approximately 70 buildings in the area and was discovered, sprawled across his bed with a pillow over his face, by Thomas Brimble, an Abersychan builder who was renovating Mr Lewis’ home. The story made the national newspapers as well as being covered in the Free Press but the murderer was never found.

Mrs Dart, 60, who lives in Newport, says she began researching the murder after she stumbled across it by mistake.

She said: "I couldn’t resist it. I kept being drawn to it because the murder hadn’t been solved.

"Originally I thought it would make a nice little story for the local history magazine, but it was so intriguing, I couldn’t leave it alone, and the rest, as they say, is history.

"There was a lot of good coverage in the local paper and I came across a smashing front page. I also had copies of all the Scotland Yard files on the case.

"I’ve already given a lot of my research to Pontypool Museum for its Pontypool Townscape Community Project and eventually they will be getting all my material on it.

"Nearly everyone you ask in Pontypool will say Dripping was a butcher, but he was actually a draper by trade and owned a butchers shop among others.

"He came from a very rich family, but I don’t believe they are local anymore.

"I’ve been playing at writing the book for about three years while working on other projects, but have been writing it seriously for the past year and a half.

"I’ve already started my next murder mystery project which took place in Abergavenny in 1920.

"It was nice to put this one to bed."

PONTYPOOL Museum has opened its Past 2 Present exhibition, which is the culmination of the Townscape project and will run until November 18.

Who Killed Dripping Lewis? published by Book Midden Publishing will be on sale exclusively at Pontypool Museum from Tuesday, November 7, with proceeds being donated to the museum.

A book signing with Monty Dart is being organised and the date will be announced soon.