Friday 13th Boarding House Drama

It was a bad Friday 13th for two Scandinavian sailors in 1929 when they fought, leading to the death of one and the other being charged with manslaughter.  

On Friday 13th September that year, fifty year old Norwegian Alfred Nyberg, a fireman on board an Elder Dempster liner, arrived in Liverpool and took lodgings in Upper Pitt Street. That night there was a party in the house, at which gramophone records were played along with singing. 

Most of those present went to bed at 2am but Nyberg then got into an argument with thirty year old Swedish fireman Perly Petersen, who had been in Liverpool for a week. Petersen struck Nyberg who fell, cutting his head. Other boarders rushed Nyberg to the Southern Hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival. Petersen found a policeman in Great George Square and told the office he had acted in self defence.

When he appeared before magistrates the following morning charged with manslaughter, Petersen was granted bail on sureties of £25. A week later, Petersen was back before the court for a committal hearing. He said that he had objected to Nyberg removing food from the pantry without permission and a quarrel ensued, during which the Norwegian had scratched his face. With no witnesses to the incident, and it being acknowledged Nyberg was in poor health anyway, it was determined there was no case to answer. Petersen sobbed bitterly as he was released from the dock to waiting friends.  

An Edge Hill Double Tragedy

A former soldier who had never overcome the trauma of the trenches killed his wife and daughter in 1929. He was found guilty of murder but insane at the time and detained at His Majesty's pleasure. 

On 30th April that year, at 4.25am, John Edward Jones called at the bridewell in Lawrence Road and stated that he had "done in" his wife and baby. Police officers attended his home at 21 Casterton Street, off Spekeland Road, and found the body of ten month old Eileen on a bed. She was lying alongside her 35 year old mother Mary, who was still alive but bleeding heavily from a head wound. Three step children were cowering in a corner. 

Three hours later 42 year old John was charged with the murder of Eileen and made an extraordinary statement. He told the detective inspector that he had married Mary, a widow in 1927, but for the last year she had told him he was no more than a lodger as she had enough to do looking after the children. John stated that a row started over his arrest two nights previously for being drunk in the street. After being called a "Welsh rabbit" and "worm" he waited for her to go asleep then hit her three times with a hammer and did the same to little Eileen. After wondering for a few minutes what to do, he decided to hand himself in at the bridewell. A note was found  was found on his possession which said "My God, murder. No wonder. Give me a dog's life after what I went through".

A dishevelled John appeared at the magistrates court where he was remanded, charged with the murder of Eileen and attempted murder of Mary. When Mary died on 1st June, the attempted murder charge was withdrawn and replaced with one of murder. 

John appeared at the Assizes on 17 June. Evidence was heard that during the First World War he had suffered a shrapnel wound to the forehead and been kept prisoner for two years. A medical expert called by the defence said that he repeatedly had dreams of being in battle and that he carried out the act during an epileptic dream state. However, Dr Ahearn from Walton gaol suggested John's lack of horror at what he had done on coming round meant he knew what he was doing. 

After twenty five minutes of deliberation the jury came back and asked to see the legal definition of insanity, as read in the judge's summing up. After reviewing this it took just twelve minutes to return a verdict of guilty but insane at the time of the act. John was then ordered to be detained at His Majesty's pleasure by Mr Justice Charles.

Children's Throat Cut By Mother At Dinnertime

Two boys who came home from school for their dinner never returned as they had their throats cut by their mother, who was detained at His Majesty's pleasure following a guilty but insane verdict.

On the morning of 13th March 1929 Annie Stewart, a 31 year old mother of two who lived in Hesketh Street off Lark Lane, went to a nearby barbers and asked to borrow a razor as her husband's was broken. She explained that he needed to finish a shave before going to work as a warehouse packer, but she had other ideas in her mind when she got given it.

At noon that day her two children, seven year old Norman and five year old Gordon, returned home from school for their dinner she cut their throats with it. Annie then ran into the street screaming that she had killed her children. A local shopkeeper called the police and when they attended they found the bodies of the two boys in the front room with a razor nearby, blood splattered everywhere. 

Annie was arrested and the following day she had to be carried into the dock at the magistrates court, where she was remanded in custody for a week. She fainted and had to be revived before being helped from the dock, a scene that reduced some of those present to tears. On 25th March magistrates paid tributes to the police who had dealt with the harrowing case as Annie was committed for trial at the assizes. She was also granted permission to see her husband.

On 3rd April there was a sensational development when Paul Senar, a 34 year old ship's steward from Upper Mann Street in Dingle, was arrested and charged with both murder and 'counselling, procuring and commanding to murder'. As he appeared at the magistrates court for his committal hearing, it was claimed that he had been acquainted to Annie for eight months without her husband's knowledge and she had written to him whilst he was at sea. 

When the charge was put to him in court Senar, a married father of four, described it as 'ridiculous' and pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors alleged that Senar had been at Annie's home fifteen minutes before the killing and the motive was for both of them to rid themselves of their previous lives and start again somewhere else.

Both appeared at the assizes on 15th April, where interest was huge and queues began to form at 8am for seats in the public gallery. It was estimated that one thousand tried to gain admittance and police had to be called to disperse crowds who fought to get to the front of the queue.

Neighbours told how they had seen Annie with Senar near the house and in Sefton Park, while her husband said she had been a good mother and on the whole the marriage had been a happy one. However, she had been suffering depression since the death of her mother but just two days before the killing, they had gone to the cinema together and everything seemed normal. 

When the prosecution had finished presenting their evidence Justice Shearman intervened and ordered the jury to acquit Senar, against whom any evidence was circumstantial at best. He didn't deny knowing Annie, but insisted he had never been in her house and any inconsistencies in statements given to the police were to try and hide the matter from his wife. He was discharged from the dock and left the court immediately, having been told by the judge he had to accept some responsibility in that his actions had put Annie's mind in the state it was.

Basil Nield, defending Annie, then called medical evidence which showed Annie had attempted suicide as a teenager and been suffering acute melancholia of late. This led to the jury deliberating for just ten minutes before finding Annie guilty but insane. Justice Shearman ordered her to be detained at His Majesty's pleasure and Annie then had to be helped from the dock by two wardresses 

The Christmas Eve Tram Tragedy

Ten children were left without a father after a senseless attack that took place on a tram on Christmas Eve.

Forty year old Edward Molloy was returning to his home at Glynn Street in Orrell on 24th December 1929 on the Bootle to Litherland tram. When he went to get off he felt a hand go into a pocket where he had a bottle of rum. When he gripped the hand in question he was grabbed around the throat and pushed onto the road. A man intervened but was knocked unconscious by the assailant, 30 year old labourer William Inman of Islington.

Two other men who were passing by went to help but were assaulted by Inman, leading to all four who had been hit lying spark out on the ground. Inman made the mistake of going to hospital for treatment where he acted irrationally leading to doctors calling the police.

Molloy went home with a wound on the head and spent Christmas there, giving evidence in the police court in the new year when Inman appeared there on charges of assault with intent to rob. However Molloy then developed blood poisoning and died in Walton hospital on 23rd January.

On 12th February at the Liverpool assizes Inman pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and wounding with intent. He was then shocked to learn that the Grand Jury had allowed a murder charge to go ahead as well. In addressing the jury, the prosecution counsel said that if they were satisfied Inman had intended to cause violence and Molloy died as a result, then he should be guilty of murder. Justice Roche did intervene though and pointed out that they should take account of what weapon was used.

Molloy's evidence to the police court was read out and when one witness tagged 'My Lord' to every answer he gave laughter broke out in the public gallery. The judge was not impressed and ordered it to be cleared, saying 'I will not have laughter during a murder trial, clear the gallery at once I will not have this court used as a place of amusement.' 

The medical evidence showed that the wound was not dangerous, but the source of the infection was Inman's fist and that it had been cleaned and treated properly. As a result of this,  Justice Roche indicated that he would be directing the jury to dismiss murder and only consider whether Inman was guilty of manslaughter.

Inman's only defence was that he was drunk and could remember nothing therefore was incapable of putting thought to any action. This was no excuse though and a guilty verdict was returned. Telling Inman that he was a violent man, Justice Roche sentenced him to seven years penal servitude.

Man Hanged for Killing Pregnant Wife

In 1929 John Maguire was hanged for killing his pregnant wife Ellen leading to sensational scenes outside Walton Gaol.

45 year old fish hawker John and Ellen (42) had had ten children together, whose ages ranged from 24 to just eighteen months. They lived with the youngest seven children in a tenement in Newsham Street, off Scotland Road and on 5th September John killed Ellen, who was six months pregnant, by cutting her throat and stabbing her in the back. He then calmly left the home as neighbours came round to investigate the screams, which had occurred while the youngest child was playing in the street.

Ellen was found lying in a pool of blood and rushed to hospital but she was dead on arrival and three of the couple's children were told the terrible news of what had happened when they returned home from school.

Maguire handed himself in to police that evening and made his first appearance in court the following day. He broke down, saying that he had lost his temper but that it was over in a matter of minutes and he was glad his wife hadn't suffered.

At his trial before the next Assizes the defence put forward the argument that the crime had been committed while Maguire was in a state of post epileptic automatism. However the fact that he had bought a razor and knife on the day the murder was committed suggested premeditation and a guilty verdict was returned.

After the death sentence was passed by Mr Justice Humphreys, Maguire thanked his counsel Basil Neild, saying he hoped he rose to the top of his profession. He was about to speak about other witnesses when the judge told him there was no time for speeches and insisted he be taken down.

The Home Secretary refused a request for a reprieve and the day before his execution Maguire was visited by his two oldest children. On 26th November a crowd of 250 people were at Walton Gaol and when the notice was pinned to the gates his sister Mary Hagan was heard to scream 'Oh Johnny my poor brother' and threw herself to the floor. She was helped up by four police and eventually taken away in a taxi.

The inquest heard that Thomas Pierrepoint had carried out the execution and death was instantaneous.