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.

The Serial Seducer Killer

In 1929 American Joseph Clarke, a confidence trickster who had relationships with a string of women, was hanged after killing the mother of one of them.

Raised in Norfolk, Clarke's mother was American and he finished his education at Princeton University, studying psychology and hypnotism. He used what he learned to great effect, engaging in a series of affairs in America and then taking a ship across the Atlantic in 1928 after persuading one woman to loan him a large sum of money.

Once in England he developed relationships with a number of women, including four sisters from Birkenhead. After their mother found out what was going on, he began seeing Mary Fontaine, a nineteen year old typist from Toxteth who he met whilst sheltering from the rain under the entrance to the Rialto cinema. He charmed her so much that he was soon lodging with her and her mother Alice at their home in Northbrook Street.

Clarke convinced the the two women that he was a wireless operator on the seas when he was in fact a deckhand. This led to Alice agreeing to lend him some money to set up a wireless repair business, which he ran from the basement of her home. On the morning of 28th October 1928 though, Alice asked Clarke about money he owed and he strangled her and then tried to do the same to Mary, but she managed to escape and run into the street to raise the alarm. Police arrived and Clarke surrendered himself, making a full confession.

On 4th February 1929 Clarke appeared at Liverpool Assizes and stunned the court by pleading guilty, leading to him being sentenced to death by Justice Finlay in a hearing that lasted just four minutes. An appeal was lodged against the death sentence, his counsel saying that he had pleaded guilty to spare Mary the trauma of giving evidence. This was rejected though and Clarke was hanged on 12th March by Thomas Pierrepoint, walking firmly to the scaffold. He was just 21 years old and outside the prison gates, some unknown women were seen to be sobbing as the notice confirming the execution was posted.

Fiancee Killed By Army Veteran

In 1928 Albert Absolom killed his fiancee Mary after he became jealous of her friendship with other men, leading to him being hanged for the murder.

Absolom was discharged from the army in 1923 and took lodgings in Scotland Road, working as a labourer. He met Mary Reed, who lived with her parents in Garibaldi Street and they began saving for a future together.

Absolom though was in and out of work and a marriage never seemed to be close, leading to him getting jealous of Mary's friendships with other men. It was one of these that would lead to the tragic events of 11th May 1928.A week earlier, Mary had gone out for the evening with her neighbour whilst Absolom worked in a fish and chip shop and he refused to believe that any wrong doing hadn't occurred.

At around 6pm on 11th May Absolom and Mary were seen arguing in Sackville Street (situated adjacent to Roscommon Street) outside St Peter's Church. When Mary tried to leave Absolom prevented her then pulled out a knife and plunged it into her throat. Mary collapsed at his feet and Absolom threw the knife away before running off, but some other males managed to catch him and turn him into a Rose Hill police station, where he admitted his act.

Mary died on the morning of 17th May and thousands of women lined the streets for her funeral and followed the hearse all the way to Walton Cemetery. Absolom was tried for her murder in July where his defence was that Mary's death wasn't a direct result of the stabbing but due to other occurrences in hospital. This was rejected and he was found guilty, although the jury did recommend mercy on the grounds of his previous good character.

The Home Secretary refused to grant a reprieve, informing Absolom of this just two days before he was hanged by Thomas Pierrepoint on 25th July. A crowd of around 200 women waited outside Walton Gaol for the execution notice to be pinned on the wall.