A Greek Tragedy in Scotland Road

In 1898, a Greek man living in Liverpool was found guilty but insane after he killed his wife by cutting her throat. 

Emmanuel Mavromatis, a 50 year old cotton porter originally from Greece, had settled in Liverpool in the 1870s. In 1898 he lived in Louis Street, off Scotland Road, with his wife Elizabeth, who he had been married to for fifteen years. Things were not going well, with his wife telling friends early in the year that she wanted to seek employment as a domestic servant and leave him.

Drawing of Mavromatis
in Liverpool Echo

On the morning of Sunday, 27th April, the couple's neighbour, Samuel Widdup, heard cries of "murder" from the property, then a deathly silence. He went to investigate and was met by another neighbour, Margaret Simpson, who had also heard the cries. She went inside and saw Mavromatis coming out of the kitchen, wiping his bloodied hands on a towel. He casually said to her, "I have killed my wife."

Margaret ran outside and told a man called Hercules Shalliday, who lived opposite, what Mavromatis had said. Hercules went in and saw Mavromatis pale and trembling. When asked what the matter was, he replied "I have killed my wife, she called me a liar, me can't help it all the while bother." He then pointed to the kitchen and  said, "She is in there." Hercules could see that Elizabeth was quite dead, her throat having been cut. 

A police constable was soon at the house, and Mavromatis pointed to the fire grate, where he had discarded the bloodied knife. He remained calm and rational as he was taken to the Bridewell in Cheapside. A postmortem found that the wound was eight inches long and three inches deep. Death was due to haemorrhage. She wa buried in a public grave at Anfield Cemetery.

Little over a week later, on 10th May, Mavromatis was on trial at the Liverpool Assizes. Samuel Widdup acknowledged that he had never previously heard the couple argue or seen them in drink. PC Davies said that as Mavromatis was being conveyed to the bridewell, he had said "She talked about breaking my neck every day."

The defence counsel, Mr Segar, described Mavromatis as a temperate and industrious man who had lived in perfect happiness with Elizabeth until the previous year. However, he suffered a head injury when a bale of cotton fell in him. This caused dizziness, and he was further injured when he fell into a cellar. The doctor who had treated him for concussion testified that he did not believe Mavromatis to be of sound mind. Dr. Wigglesworth of the Rainhill Asylum gave evidence of his examination of the prisoner at Walton gaol. In his opinion, he was suffering from delusions and not feigning it. He believed that Mavromatis knew what he was doing when he killed his wife, but did not think that he was doing wrong.

In addressing the jury in his summing up, the judge said that the question for them was whether Mavromatis knew if he was committing a criminal act. Without leaving their box, the jury returned a verdict of guilty but insane. Mavromatis was then detained at Her Majesty's pleasure.

Genoa Tragedy for a Garstonian

In 1903, in the Italian port of Genoa, a Garston man who stood up to a fellow sailor who had a knife was stabbed and died from his wounds. 

On 6th May that year, the steamer Regnant left Garston for Swansea, where she took on a cargo of coal before sailing to Genoa. On 31st May, the crew were given shore leave, which was usual for a Sunday. Jack Davies, who was a fireman on the vessel, went to a bar with four of his colleagues and the donkeyman, a Greek who was only known by his Christian name of Antonio.

Entrance to the cemetery where Jack was buried

When a quarrel broke out between Antonio and one of the firemen, the Greek pulled out a knife. Jack attempted to calm things down, but the barman took a revolver from under the bar and threatened to shoot Antonio. This quelled the disturbance, and they all returned to the ship.

As the firemen were taking tea together, Antonio came out of his cabin and could be seen to be still in an excited state. All except Jack ran away, but when one of them shouted to him, "Jack, he has a knife", he replied, "Never mind; stand up like a man and face him." Initially, it looked like Antonio would walk past, but without warning, he gave Jack a backward lunge in the chest. Jack fell down, and Antonio then thrust the knife, which was hidden up his sleeve, into his heart and calmly walked off the ship.

The wound was bleeding profusely and within fifteen minutes, Jack had passed away. An Italian police officer, seeing blood on Antonio's hands and clothes, acted quickly and took him into custody. 

On 2nd June, Jack was buried in the English portion of the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno, where a service was conducted by the chaplain of the English Mission. The second officer, Mr R.Jones, attended on behalf of the crew. 

When the Regnant arrived back in Garston on 24th June, there was a huge shock at the news of Jack's death. He was around 40 years old and well known locally, having spent much of his life at sea and also worked in the graving dock and shipbuilder's yard. He was a member of the Royal Naval Reserve, and a friend described him as "a quiet harmless little fellow and the best man who ever took up a shovel."

Fatal Accident at a Shooting Gallery

When the proprietor of a shooting gallery was shot dead in 1904, no charges were brought against the man who pulled the trigger. 

On the evening of 12th March that year, Ernest Lacy attended a shooting saloon in Mill Street with two friends. The proprietor was 66-year-old Adolph Fleisher, who was originally from Leipzig in Germany and had moved to Liverpool in 1870. 

Lacy took two shots at a row of pipes, and as he was aiming for another, Adolph shouted, “Look out there.” Lacy fired at exactly the same time Adolph entered the line of fire. He fell instantly and was immediately attended to by his wife, Eliza. Lacy put the gun down and walked to the couple, but returned to his Menzies Street home after a few minutes, as Adolph was still alive. 

Adolph was taken to the Northern Hospital in Great Howard Street, where doctors were unable to extract a bullet that had lodged in his brain. He lingered in a semi-conscious state until 21st March when he passed away. Whilst Adolph was in hospital, police tried to trace Lacy without success.

On 24th March, Lacy read an account of Adolph’s death in a newspaper and he immediately handed himself in to the office of the Coroner, Mr T. E. Sampson. The inquest took place on the same day, and Lacy was able to state what had happened and also explain that he had been unaware of the seriousness of Adolph’s condition. Various other witnesses testified that Adolph stooped down as he walked in front of Lacy. This led to a verdict of death by misadventure. 

Portuguese Honeymoon Tragedy

In 1914 a newly married Portuguese couple's marriage ended in tragedy when the husband shot his wife dead on an ocean liner.  He was convicted of murder at Liverpool Assizes, but his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. 

At the end of 1913 Alberto Coelho, a 32 year old confectioner married his wife Josephine in Oporto. The couple then boarded the Deseado, a Royal Mail steamer sailing from Liverpool to Rio, where Alberto had business interests. At first, they seemed as happy as any other newlyweds would be, but on 7th February, two days into the voyage, Alberto shot Josephine twice while she was sitting in the vessel's social hall. She slipped under the table and died instantly.

Coelho pictured in the Liverpool
 Evening Express 31/3/1914

Coelho, showed no resistance as he was placed in irons. As the killing had taken place in international waters on board a British-owned vessel, he was subject to the law of its home country. On arrival in Rio, he was handed to the British consul before being placed in a local prison to await the return journey. His wife was buried at a service attended by most of the crew. 

On 31st March the Deseado arrived back at Liverpool and Coelho, who spoke no English, was charged with murder. He replied through an interpreter that he had intended to take his own life. He was removed straight to the Police Court in Dale Street, where he was remanded in custody. He was described as a swarthy well-built man with dark hair, a heavy dark moustache and wearing respectable clothing. 

On 9th April Coelho was back at the police court for a committal hearing. It emerged that the ship's surgeon Dr Segar had refused to attend, and give evidence. This led to summons being issued. A cello player in the ship's band described how Coelho had been talking to his wife amicably, then left briefly and came back with the pistol before shooting her dead. When Dr Segar arrived at court five days later, he said death was instant and a bullet had struck Josephine in the heart. Coelho was committed to the Assizes, reserving his defence.

Just ten days after the committal, Coelho was brought up before Justice Bray at St George's Hall. When the charge was read to him by the Clerk of the Court, Sir Herbert Stephens, Coelho replied firmly in English "Not Guilty". The defence did not dispute the facts of the case, but argued that Coelho was insane at the time of the killing. They pointed to there being no apparent motive or any signs of a disagreement. Coelho's brother described that he had acted irrationally the previous year, often wandering aimlessly through the streets of Rio, saying that he was being followed by a large dog. 

Doctors from Walton Gaol told the court that Coelho had appeared rational during interviews and showed no signs of insanity. Although Coelho's counsel pleaded that he had delusions and was not responsible for his actions at the time of the killing, the jury took half an hour to find him guilty of murder.

After Justice Bray had passed the death sentence it was interpreted to Coelho. He replied that he was not guilty and that Josephne had planned on committing him to an asylum on arrival in Rio. He then held his head in his hands before being taken down to the cells.

The verdict was quickly seized upon by the Portuguese media, who appealed to the British Government to show magnanimity and grant a pardon as it had been a crime committed in a fit of passion. Prime Minister Bernardino Machado was petitioned by the League for the Defence of the Rights of Man to pursue this. Demands were also made for the recall of Portugal's consul in Rio, who had handed Coelho to his British counterpart. 

On 11th May an appeal was heard at the Court of Criminal Appeal. Coelho's lawyers argued that the verdict was unreasonable and that Justice Bray had misdirected the jury. They also submitted that Coelho had never been to England and had no knowledge of English laws. These arguments were dismissed and the appeal judges concluded that the defence had failed to prove insanity, therefore the conviction could not be quashed. 

Coelho's execution was scheduled for 14th May. He was due to be hanged alongside Joseph Spooner, who had killed his daughter and admitted his guilt from the beginning. However, due to the petitions still being considered by the Home Secretary, it was deferred. Spooner's execution went ahead as planned and later that day, Coelho was notified that his sentence had been commuted to life imprisonment. By the end of that decade, he had been released and deported to Portugal.   

A Terrible Tragedy In Everton

In 1898 an Everton man killed two of his children, attempted to kill another child and his wife then tried to commit suicide. He was found guilty but insane.

On the morning of 10th June that year in Village Grove, 33 year old refuse destructor Francis Murphy breakfasted with his wife Gertrude, telling her that he felt very low due to a bout of bronchitis. He refused to see a doctor and as she was preparing breakfast for their two daughters who were still in bed, he tied a cord around their two month old baby Bernard's neck. 

When challenged over what he was doing, Francis replied "That is finished, now for you". He then ran at Gertrude and cut her throat. Gertrude managed to grab the baby and run out of the house to a neighbouring property, where the cord was untied. The neighbour then came into the house and found the two daughters, six-year-old Annie and three-year-old Ellen, dead in their beds. Francis was sat in the water closet with a wound to his throat. 

Francis's domestic arrangements were complicated by Victorian standards. He had married in 1884 but his wife committed bigamy while he was away in America. He then had two daughters with another woman, who subsequently died. He married Gertrude in January 1898 when she was already pregnant with Bernard. 

At his trial on 1st August, it was acknowledged that Francis had been a loving husband and father, but for three weeks before the tragedy he had been in bad health. He had said to Gertrude that if he were to die they must die with him. Consideration was given to the suddenness of the violence, the fact as an eighteen year old Francis had suffered a skull fracture in an accident and that for a few weeks, he had been complaining of dizziness. There was also a history of insanity in his family and after hearing evidence from doctors at Walton gaol and the Rainhill asylum, a verdict of guilty but insane was returned. Mr Justice Ridley then ordered that Francis be detained as a criminal lunatic. 

Blades Knifed to Death

A man with the surname of Blades was stabbed to death in a fight in 1917. His killer was guilty of manslaughter and gaoled for just four months.

On the evening of  3rd September that year Richard Griffiths, a West Indian seaman and Alfred Blades, a second engineer on a dock dredger, began quarrelling over game of dice in a pub in Stanhope Street. They went outside to fight and as Blades got the upper hand, Griffiths pulled out a knife with the aim of fending him off. 

Instead of stabbing Blades in the hand as intended, the knife punctured the stomach and he died soon afterwards at the Southern Hospital in Caryl Street (pictured). Griffiths, who lodged in Park Lane, immediately confessed to the killing when he was arrested. 

Blades, whose brother also lived in Liverpool and worked as a dock labourer, was buried in a public grave in Allerton Cemetery. An inquest returned a verdict of wilful murder and Griffiths was remanded to await his trial.

At the Liverpool Assizes on 2nd November Griffiths, who was aged twenty, appeared before Justice Sankey. His offer to plead guilty to manslaughter was accepted by Crown prosecutors. In his sentencing remarks the judge said it was not one of the more serious cases of manslaughter, but passed comment on Griffiths's origin by saying "Coloured men must realise they are not at liberty to use knives in this country".

Homicide Charge in Venezuela

In 1927 a ship's captain from Liverpool spent a horrifying two months in a Venezuelan prison. He had been charged with homicide after his vessel collided with another, leading to the death of a crew member.  

On 7th April that year Percy Brining was in command of the Leyland liner Ninian, which was being escorted by a pilot into the port of Puerta Cabella. The Ninian collided with a smaller mooring boat, injuring three men. Brining was taken into custody with the matter initially expected to be settled by way of compensation. At first Brining was under house arrest at the residence of the British consul, however he was sent to a common prison five days later when one of the men, who had been struck by a propeller, died.  Although he was provided with furniture by the consulate, the stench was overwhelming and he regularly saw prisoners whipped or dragged along by chains attached to their feet. 

Fifty year old Brining had been with the Leyland Line for twenty four years, thirteen of them as a captain. Working with the Navigators and General Insurance Company, steps were taken to ensure he had the best possible defence. However it was feared he may be on remand for up to five years awaiting trial. Pressure to secure his release on bail was put on the Foreign Office by Liverpool's Lord Mayor Sir Frederick Charles Bowring, while the matter was also raised in the House of Commons. Six weeks after his arrest, his wife was worried sick at her home 14 Harlech Road, Blundellsands, having still not heard any direct news from him.

By the middle of June the Leyland Line's insurers had paid compensation of £240 to the widow of the deceased man. Brining was released back to the British consul's house to remain there until a decision had been made on any charges. Although prosecutors pressed ahead with the homicide case, at the beginning of July a judge did not take long to acquit Brining, allowing him to leave the country. His ordeal was finally over on 2nd August when he left for Europe on a French steamer. Much of the fifteen day voyage was spent receiving treatment for sores which had developed due to lack of clean air or exercise. Two weeks later he had a tearful reunion with his wife in St Nazaire. He told a Liverpool Echo reporter that he daren't use the exercise due to the number of 'cut throats' who walked there. 

On Saturday 20th August Brining finally arrived in Liverpool. His sense of duty meant he reported for work at his employer's James Street offices on the following Monday, where he was promptly given three months holiday to get over his ordeal. The Foreign Office continued to fight on his behalf, believing his ordeal was a dangerous precedent to other mercantile seamen. Two years later he was given £500 in compensation, after funds were received from the Venezuelan government