The Unsolved Dingle Hill Murder

In 1870 a Dingle school headmaster was beaten to death. Nobody was ever convicted of the killing  after the police's only suspect was acquitted at his trial. 

Christian Fluek, a qualified surgeon and professor of languages and originally from Switzerland, ran a private boarding school at his villa in Dingle Hill, off the southern end of Park Road. At 5.30pm on Friday 25th November that year he went to his sitting room as he usually did at that time. Shortly afterwards servants in the kitchen below heard a thud but thought nothing of it, assuming it to be children fooling around. 

At around 6.30pm Mrs Fluek returned from an errand and found her husband insensible on the floor, with blood gushing from his head. She assumed he had had a fall and asked for help from the usher Richard Howchin then sent for Dr Barrett, who lived nearby. On cleaning the blood, it was soon apparent that there were four wounds with brain protruding from one of them. It was obvious that something far more sinister had happened and 41 year old Christian was lifted onto the bed, recovery seen as impossible.  

Police were called an a bloodstained iron bar was found in the room. Christian had been struck from behind in a coolly planned assassination by somebody who did not seem concerned that their presence would be noticed by the school's usher, five pupils, three servants and a lodger. There was no sign that anything had been stolen so robbery was ruled out as a motive. Suspicion soon fell on the attacker being a member of the household and the usher Richard Howchin was arrested when it was established that he had been given notice that his services would no longer be required after Christmas.

Christian succumbed to his injuries 48 hours later, having never regained consciousness. He was buried at in the graveyard of the Ancient Chapel of Toxteth and Howchin appeared before the Stipendiary Magistrate and was remanded in custody. Howchin was 21 years old and from Norfolk and also taught classics and maths at the school. During the inquest correspondence was read out indicating that he had applied for another teaching position but was not given a favourable reference, mainly in respect of his character rather than teaching ability. A verdict of wilful murder was returned and Howchin was committed for trial at the next Assizes.

Exactly three weeks after the murder was committed, Howchin's trial began on Friday 16th December. There was huge interest generated and the corridors of St George's Hall were besieged with people trying to enter the courtroom. Shortly after the trial began the judge had to order the area outside to be cleared due to the noise the crowds of people were making. 

Howchin confidently said 'Not Guilty' when the charge was put to him. Evidence was heard that there was so much movement around the house near the entrance that nobody could have come in unnoticed. Howchin was said to have been away from the schoolroom for about fifteen minutes, during which time the attack was believed to have occurred. Under cross examination, the boys accepted that he had been spinning pennies with them on his return and his manner was normal. 

On the second day of the trial, a park keeper from Sefton Park, which was being developed, said that the iron bar that was used to carry out the killing matched exactly ones which were being used as stanchions there, and that some had been found to be missing from wagons. He also said he recognised Howchin as having visited the park. 

Howchin's defence counsel Mr Torr was able to explain that blood found on his clothing could easily have been as a result of him assisting Mrs Fluek when she found her husband has been attacked. Torr described the prosecution of having made a chain out of weak links, and it was dangerous to condemn a young man to death solely on circumstantial evidence. He added that both two lodgers had the opportunity to carry out the killing and asked if Howchin could really have carried out such a diabolical crime then be laughing with boys just fifteen minutes later. 

In summing up the judge told the jury that they had to be careful with circumstantial evidence, but also ask themselves if the prosecution had been able to show that nobody else could possibly have committed the murder. After retiring for an hour an a quarter, they returned a verdict of not guilty and there as spontaneous cheering in the court room, which soon stopped when the judge said anybody continuing it would be taken into custody. On being discharged, Howchin had a gleaming smile on his pale face and he ran down the stairs to freedom. 

 

Unsolved Sectarian Killing

When Liverpool was struck by a wave of Sectarian violence in 1909, nobody was ever brought to account for the death of a carter who died after being struck on the back of the head.

On the evening of 21st June 1909 a carter named Andrew Cathcart and two workmates were heading up Hopwood Street when they were approached from behind. The other two got away but twenty six year old Andrew was hit on the back of the head by a wooden implement, possibly a rolling pin. Although he fell down, he did manage to get back to his feet quite quickly but after a few more steps, he went down again, losing consciousness.

The attack was Sectarian in nature as on the previous day over fifty Protestants had been arrested for attacks on Catholics in and around Prince Edwin Street. Andrew would normally have walked down Latimer Street but avoided there knowing a large crowd of Catholics had gathered. As carters were more often than not Protestants, they were particularly vulnerable to revenge attacks. Although Andrew was a Protestant, family members said he was not affiliated to any lodge or order. 

On hearing what had happened his sister Annie went to the Northern Hospital and saw him lying barely conscious with a bandaged head. He mumbled "mean fellows" to her. 

Andrew spent a week in hospital before returning to his home in Pugin Street. He continued to feel better but on Saturday 3rd July, whilst having supper, he felt a pain in the back of is head and slumped forward. Annie sent for a local doctor, who pronounced life extinct. 

A fifteen year old boy called Lawrence Duffy gave a statement to the police that Daniel Munroe, who lived at 111 Hopwood Street, had carried out the attack. Based on this, Munroe was arrested and taken to the Athol Street bridewell and charged with murder. 

Munroe was remanded in custody pending a coroners inquest. By the time this took place on 21st July another suspect, Edwin Costello, had also been arrested and charged. 

There was  a lot of conflicting evidence. Although it was agreed by eye witnesses that Andrew had been struck on the back of the head with the implement, only one could say Costello struck the blow, while one woman said it definitely wasn't them. When asked to look at the two prisoners and state if one of them had done it, Lawrence Duffy now said he couldn't be sure. 

In summing up the Coroner said that witness evidence was unreliable and it would be unsafe to return a verdict of wilful murder against either Costello or Munroe. The jury came back with an open verdict leading to the discharge both prisoners. 

An Unsolved Christmas Day Killing

When a woman was found dead beneath a Liverpool office block one Christmas Day there was insufficient evidence to charge the only suspect in the case.

At around 830am on 25th December 1919 two messenger boys from the Union Telegraph Cable Company were running down Covent Garden when they came across a horrific find. The badly bruised and bloodied naked body of a female was huddled up in a recess overlooking the basement of the Oriel Chambers office block.

The boys found a policeman who on searching the immediate area located a pile of rain soaked clothing on the opposite side of the road. On examination it was found to be badly torn and was believed to belong to the woman. A purse with some coins was also discovered in the roadway.

Police enquiries established that the woman went by the names of both Elizabeth McDermott and Isabella Wilson. She was described as an 'Unfortunate' who was aged in her fifties and lived in a lodging house in Richmond Row. The keeper there had not seen her for 24 hours before she was found, but had not raised any alarm as she was often being taken into custody by the police.

On Saturday 27th December John Brien, a 23 year old seaman, was arrested on a steamer in the docks on suspicion of being implicated in the death. Magistrates granted a remand until the Monday so further enquiries could be conducted. Brien admitted leaving his ship on Christmas Eve and spending four hours with a friend and another female on Scotland Road. The female had then shown him to the Pier Head around midnight, and the next he knew he was being woken and arrested by the police. 

An inquest was opened on 29th December. The lodging house keeper, Mary Maguire, said she knew the victim as Elizabeth Wilson and that she had recently spent time in the workhouse hospital with injuries to her arm after being run over by a tramcar.  A police officer said that the woman was originally from Greenock, had been in court many times and usually gave the name Elizabeth McDermott. It was not known if she had ever married but McDermott was her father's name and her mother was Wilson. The coroner adjourned the inquest pending further enquiries while over at the police court, a prosecution request for a further remand of eight days for Brien was agreed. 

On 6th January 1920 Brien was again remanded for a week, appearing unmoved by the ongoing delay. His relaxed attitude was arguably vindicated the following week, when he was freed. At another hearing, the prosecutor said to the stipendiary magistrate "Although the circumstances under which the arrest was effected were distinctly suspicious there was not sufficient evidence to ask the bench to send the prisoner for trial at the assizes. I am now satisfied there is no evidence to place before the court". 

On being told he could go free, Brien bowed his head to the bench and left the court. Nobody was ever convicted in relation to the death of whoever the female was that was found dead at Covent Garden on Christmas Day 1919.

A Badly Burnt and Mutilated Childs Body

An open verdict as returned at an inquest in 1904 after the discovery of a newborn baby's body in Toxteth.

On Tuesday 6th September 1904 the charred remains of a baby girl were found in an entry behind Fernhill Street. The body was wrapped in a copy of the Liverpool Echo newspaper, dated 29th August.

Detective Inspector Holmes made extensive enquiries but could find no information about the identity of the mother or child. Dr Nathan Raw said that the body was black from extensive burning making the features unrecognisable. The left arm was detached from the shoulder and left leg almost severed.

Dr Raw also stated that the head had been severely battered, however he was unable to say whether the violence had taken place before or after death. 

With there being no evidence as to the identity of the baby girl or whether she had been alive when the horrific injuries were sustained, the inquest jury had no option but to return an open verdict and the case was never solved. 

Unsolved Murder of a Boy in Anfield Cemetery

The killing of a teenage boy whose body was found in Anfield Cemetery has never been solved. 

Widowed mother Margaret Howell of Bidston View in Walton Road last saw her thirteen year old son Edward alive when he left home at 6.30am on Friday 11th June 1875. He was on his way to work as an apprentice stonemason for Mrs Stirling's monumental works at Anfield. 

Edward did return home for his dinner whilst his mother was out at work, but on going back out looking for bird nests he never returned. His disappearance was reported to the police and posters were distributed asking for information about his whereabouts. 

At 10.55am on Saturday 19th June a body was found in some trees at Anfield Cemetery by four dock labourers. It was removed to the deadhouse there. Margaret identified the body as that of her son, who appeared to have strangulation marks around his neck.

At the inquest on 22nd June Margaret was asked by The Coroner Mr Driffield about her son's passion for birdnesting. She explained how he had promised her he would only find one more nest then would stop. She also did not believe he would have gone looking for nests in the cemetery, but more likely met his death whilst trying to escape a beating from someone on whose land he had trespassed. She described him as 'generally a healthy boy'. His uncle John Garrity, who also worked as a mason at Mrs Stirling's yard, described him as 'well and hearty and never in strange mind.'

Richard A Cross, Home Secretary

Dr Matthew Hill of Bootle, who carried out the postmortem, said that he believed death was the result of strangulation with a cord or possibly a neck tie. Crucially, he suggested that the low state of decomposition indicated that Edward had not been killed at the cemetery, but more likely elsewhere before being carried and dumped there.  The cemetery's gardener George Priestly explained that he had twice been where the body was found that morning and not seen it, while the bushes and shrubs appeared to have been placed over it deliberately for concealment. This was confirmed by a police constable. 

Two brickmakers who worked in Cherry Lane told how they had been working at 6.45pm on the day Edward disappeared and had heard two screams from the direction of the cemetery. They also had passed through the cemetery the following Tuesday about fifteen yards from where the body was found, and noticed a cap that was later identified as being Edward's. They both said that they had heard one local resident was extremely strict with anybody who went on their land.

After the jury returned a verdict of 'wilful murder against a person or persons unknown' police made exhaustive enquiries but found no real clues to the killers identity. This led to the Home Secretary authorising a reward of £100 on 17th July to anyone who could provide information leading to a conviction. Such was the lack of information that he also granted Her Majesty's Pardon to any accomplice who would give evidence against the killer. Despite this, nobody came forward and the killing of Edward Howell remains unsolved. 

The Dale Street Skeleton

In 1862 some workmen in Dale Street uncovered a skeleton, believed to be that of somebody who met a violent end some years earlier. 

On 17th September that year workmen were digging up newly vacant land, making it ready for the construction of  Municipal Building. They came across a skeleton and quickly summoned the police who placed the grisly find in a sack and took it to the detective office to await an order from the coroner.  

The land had previously been occupied by a number of what the Daily Post described as 'disreputable houses' and speculation was rife that the person had met their end by 'foul means'.

Was Boy Murdered or Did He Fall?

In 1854 a Dublin man claimed to have dreamt of his son being murdered at the time he actually died. However there was insufficient evidence to convict anybody in relation to the boy's death, which the judge suggested could have been an accident.

On Tuesday 14th March that year the steamer Trafalgar, owned by the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company, was lying in the Sandon graving dock. At around 11.30pm two policemen on duty heard a loud noise similar to a door slamming and boarded the 190 foot long vessel to investigate. Lying between the wheels of a gun carriage they found the body of fourteen year old William Hare, an assistant ship steward.

Hare's body was still warm and there was a large amount of blood near the head. Just a few yards away a cabin door was open and inside the police found two crew members still asleep and the ship's acting steward John Jordan in a half awake state. Jordan was told of what had happened and taken to the murder scene, where he said 'Poor Bill, poor bill' and then returned to his cabin.

The body was taken to the Northern Hospital and Jordan kept in custody due to his suspicious actions. A search of his bag recovered a wet shirt, which would be used as evidence against him at the inquest. 

An inquest took place on 16th March, attended by Hare's father, who had travelled from Dublin after receiving a telegraphic message. He was the regular steward on the ship and he stunned those present by stating that on the Tuesday night the whole of the circumstances attending to the death were visible to him in a dream. It was established that the last confirmed sighting of Hare was at 930pm when he had been ashore with the ship's fireman, having earlier cooked bacon on board.

The first evidence regarding Jordan came from the two sleeping crew members who said they had last seen him at 730pm. A plumber named Thomas Ford stated that he had seen Jordan wearing the same shirt on the Tuesday that was later found in his bag. This led the police to suppose that he had washed stains from it. When questioned by the coroner about this, Jordan replied that he had been 'relaxed in his bowels' on the Monday and hadn't wanted his washerwoman to clean the shirt. This contradicted with Ford's evidence though about him having been seen wearing it on the Tuesday.

The surgeon who carried out the postmortem said that death had been the result of a fractured skull and lacerations to the brain. The injuries could have been caused by blows to the head with a blunt instrument or a series of falls. Although the evidence presented showed that Hare had met a violent death and that Jordan had been drinking excessively, nobody could state that they had seen him and Hare together. There was also no hint of any malice towards Hare from Jordan, who maintained that he 'never lifted one finger to the deceased.'

After 45 minutes deliberation the coroner's jury returned a verdict of wilful murder and Jordan was committed to the assizes for trial. He was then taken to Kirkdale gaol to await his trial, which took place just two weeks later on 31st March before Mr Justice Cresswell.

After the prosecution had presented their evidence, which was the same as had been heard before the coroner, the judge interrupted the trial. He said that for the prisoner to be convicted of wilful murder there should be 'direct evidence or a chain of circumstances as could not be reconciled by any other conclusion than the guilt of the party against whom the charge was made.' 

Justice Cresswell then went on to sum up the facts; that there was no weapon, nobody had seen Jordan near his supposed victim, there was no blood anywhere else apart from near the body and that no screams were heard. The judge also suggested that Hare could have died as a result of falling from climbing the rigging, although accepted that it was inexplicable as to why he would have done that. Finally, he stated that it was unsafe to convict when a life was at stake, he ordered the jury to acquit Jordan.

The Fazakerley Mystery

The shooting dead of a man who was looking for work in Fazakerley in 1892 was never solved after the two boys suspected of the offence couldn't be traced.

On the afternoon of Friday 2nd September that year Emily Mellor was in her home on Strawberry Lane when she saw a man turn the corner from Stopgate Lane and beckon her. Emily and her sister went out to see the man and he told them he had been shot by two boys, who had ran off towards the stiles. 

Emily gave the man some water and beer and although in a state of exhaustion he did not appear to be in any great danger. A farmer named Mr Walker, who was working in a field opposite, said he had seen two boys, one aged about fourteen who was wearing a cape and the other younger, running across an orchard. As the man was having a drink of water he told Emily that he had been looking for Harrison's farm as there may be work available, and he had been shot in the back by a boy wearing a cape who was playing with some others.

The man got up and went into a rear yard and was found dead in a closet shortly afterwards. The police were sent for and the the body was removed to the Railway Hotel where it was photographed. There was a bullet hole in the back of the coat and the only personal effects was a small pocket knife. A description was circulated, describing the man as being 30-35 years old, five feet six inches tall, having brown hair an a moustache, and wearing a green coat and brown trousers.

A postmortem was performed by Dr Anderson, who found that the bullet had passed the spine and severed the mesenteric artery before resting in the stomach. There was no way in his opinion that the wound could have been self inflicted. However the police continued to investigate the suicide theory but accepted this couldn't be the case when no gun was found in the vicinity.

The inquest was opened at the Railway Hotel on the following Monday before the coroner Samuel Brighouse. Evidence was heard from Emily, Dr Anderson and police officers, then the hearing was adjourned for a week to allow further enquiries to be made. That evening a lady named Anna Purchase called into the police office at Dale Street and asked for a description of the man who had been shot in Fazakerley. She was then taken to Fazakerley where she identified the body as that of her James Kellet, who she was co-habiting with in Kempston Street off London Road.

When the inquest resumed a boy named Charles Quillam who lived in Walton said that on they in question he had spoken to two boys by the entrance to Everton Cemetery. He said that one of the boys showed him a revolver and said they had walked one hundred miles as they were looking for a man who had stolen a cloak from their shop. A girl called Elizabeth Kinghorn recalled giving two boys some water in Stopgate Lane and that they then ran away as fast as they could. On the direction of the coroner, the jury returned a verdict of 'fatally shot by two boys unknown' and the mystery was never solved. 

Stabbed Spaniard's Killer Unknown

When a Spanish sailor died after being stabbed in 1861 nobody was convicted due to doubts over who had struck the fatal blow.

At 11pm on 27th December that year a local lady called Mary Jones was accompanied to the Francis dancing saloon in Hood Street by 26 year old Antonio Lopez. Soon afterwards Louis Edmon, a fellow Spaniard whose ship Victoria was berthed in King's Dock, entered the bar along with a man named Garibaldi and began rowing with Jones. 

After striking Jones with a cane, Edmon was then challenged by his fellow countryman and both went outside to fight. Lopez was stabbed and taken to the Royal Infirmary where he died three hours later. Before Lopez slipped into unconsciousness police paraded a number of men, including Edmon and Garibaldi who had been apprehended, before him. After Edmon was picked out the person who carried out the stabbing, he was taken to the central police station where Jones identified him as having been involved in the fight.

The inquest took place on 31st December where the coroner Mr Cobbs addressed the jury to the tune that the facts of the case meant it was manslaughter not murder. After that verdict was returned, nineteen year old Edmon was before the police court on 1st January where he was committed to the assizes for trial. Garibaldi was charged with being an accessory before the fact, it being said he had encouraged Edmon to use  knife in the fight.

On 24th March Edmon appeared at the assizes where the landlady of the dancing hall gave evidence. In cross examination she said that another man named Lloyd had also had a knife and was threatening Lopez in a row over a scarf. Although she had told the police about this, the man had not been traced as they seemed happy with Lopez's identification of Edmon.

In his closing speech for the defence Charles Russell said that the evidence suggested it was unsafe to convict Edmon and even if it was determined he struck the fatal blow, it had been in self defence. After the jury considered the case for half an hour, they returned a verdict of not guilty and Edmon was discharged. This meant the total collapse of any case against Garibaldi, who cold not be guilty to being an accessory now that Edmon was not guilty of the killing itself.

Murder and Rape in Allerton

The 1960s murder of a fifty year old woman who was strangled and raped in her home remains unsolved after her nephew was found not guilty of the killing.

At 9pm on 20th October 1964 fifty year old nurse Mary Adamson returned to her home at 3 Rosedale Road in Allerton and was brutally strangled then raped by an intruder who escaped via the back door. An hour later her body was found by her seventeen year old nephew Daniel Browne, who let himself in with his own key. He had lived in the house with his parents until two weeks earlier but they were now in lodgings in nearby Oakdale Road prior to emigrating to Australia.

Browne phoned the emergency services and when questioned at Allerton police station said that he had been cycling around Sefton Park with a twelve year old friend and last been in Rosedale Road at 7.45pm, visiting Roderick Watson in number 29. However with police concluding that the attacker must have let themselves in with a key, switched the electricity off and lain in wait for Mary, Browne was charged with her murder a few days afterwards. He was committed for trial at Liverpool Crown Court the following January where he was defended by leading QC Rose Heilbron.

The key prosecution witness was Roderick Watson. He confirmed that Browne had been to his home but said it was nearer 8.45pm, putting him in the vicinity of Maureen's house shortly before the killing. Asked how he could be sure of the time, he said it was after he watched Here's Harry on television then played four gramophone records. With the prosecution proving that the programme had finished at 8.24pm, they suggested that Browne had deliberately misled police about the time he visited there. To explain the lack of motive, it was suggested that the killing was a prank that went horribly wrong. However under cross examination from Ms Heilbron, he admitted that he had 'used logic with the help of the police' to work out the time Browne had called'.

Browne was defended by leading QC Rose Heilbron. His father told how there had been problems with youths hanging around a phone box outside the house and also parking disputes due to the proximity to Allerton Road. An off duty police constable told how he had seen Browne in the ambulance and that he had seemed composed. It was acknowledged by the prosecution that Browne's mother had been back at the house that day packing belongings and there was every reason for him to have a key and be there.

In her closing speech Ms Heilbron said that Browne was no young thug but from a nice family. She said he was on good terms with his aunt and it was inconceivable that he could have the unnatural urge to rape and kill her. Ms Heilbron then put forward the theory that any man could have waited in the street, pushed past Mary as she entered her home and then carried out the act. Turning to Mr Watson's evidence, Heilbron dismissed it as unreliable and pointed to his hesitancy in answering questions. She told the jury that it was dangerous to convict based on what television programme Watson thought was being shown shortly before Browne visited his home. 

The jury took less than three hours to return a verdict of not guilty, much to the relief of Browne who had recited the rosary repeatedly whilst waiting for them to return. His parents, who had no doubt of his innocence, said it was the longest two hours forty minutes of their lives. Browne then spoke to journalists and expressed his thanks to Ms Heilbron and also the warders at Walton gaol, who he said had treated him kindly while he was on remand. Mary's grave is in Yew Tree Cemetery, where she lies alongside her parents. 

Unsolved Murder of a Clubman

The body of an insurance clubman who disappeared in Bootle was found in Cheshire, but despite an extensive police investigation, his killer was never found.

On Friday 6th June 1958 Harry Baker travelled from his Southport home to Bootle for his regular round of calls for the Jewish credit drapers that he worked for. After calling on fifty customers he went to the number 23 bus stop in Stand Road but was never seen again.

Nobody knows if Harry got on a bus or not, the last verified sighting of him was at 1.45pm when he was talking to a thin faced man. Seventeen days later his body was found covered in sacks just off the A50 trunk road in High Legh, near Knutsford. He had been strangled and beaten, and all that was missing from his person was £25, a watch and a fountain pen.

Despite 20,000 people being interviewed the police had no significant leads and the murder of sixty one year old Harry remains unsolved.

Dead Girl in a Water Closet

When a girl was found dead in mysterious circumstances in the early 1890s it was first through she had been murdered, but lack of evidence led to the coroner's court returning a verdict of suffocation. 

At around 11pm on Tuesday 2nd August 1892 Margaret Eaton went to the water closet at the back of her house in Hopwood Street and was horrified to find the body of a young girl there. Her head was in the water and Margaret called her husband to life the body out, but a doctor in Athol Street declared life extinct.

A post mortem concluded that the cause of death was suffocation but there were no marks of violence on the body. The girl had long blond curly hair and was well dressed and not undernourished. After the body was taken to the mortuary at Princes Dock, dock labourer James Concannon and his wife Louisa, whose three year old daughter had gone missing from Newsham Street around 330pm, were informed. The couple went to the mortuary and confirmed that the little girl was that of their three years and eight month old daughter Ann.

Mrs Concannon told police that a pair of nine carat gold earrings and new pair of boots were missing from the body and it was supposed that Ann had been killed after a robbery. An examination of the stomach contents found that she had eaten pickled onions something her parents insisted had not been provided by them. An inquest was opened on 5th August but immediately adjourned due to the police having had very leads available to them.

Enquiries at pawn shops found no trace of the missing items and when the inquest resumed on 17th August, police were unable to offer any further evidence. Two doctors who had examined the body said there were no marks of violence and it was suggested by the coroner that perhaps Ann had gone into the closet to escape a robber and fell into the position which she was found. With no evidence to suggest who may have placed Ann in the closet, the only verdict the jury could return was one of suffocation.

An Everton Baby Mystery

The killing of a newborn baby in Everton was never solved, detectives failing to trace the writer of a letter that was found at the scene.

On the morning of 16th April 1915 two binmen named Alfred Kelly and John Roberts found an unaddressed parcel on the steps of 2 Tynemouth Street in Everton, which was taken back to the dustcart. On cutting the leather strap that tied the brown paper together they were horrified to find the body of a newborn male baby whose throat had been cut.

Also inside was a letter written on bloodstained paper which read....

I am seventeen years old and am in service. I got into trouble through a soldier, I don't know what regiment he is in. I hope you will forgive this act of mine - from a broken hearted girl.

The gruesome find was taken to Breck Road police station, with officers there immediately calling in the CID. The note was treated with some caution, officers believing that it could easily have been written by a killer deliberately seeking to baffle them.

At the inquest on 22nd April the letter was read out by the Deputy Coroner and detectives told how exhaustive enquiries had failed to produce any results. A doctor said that the wound was two inches in length and so deep it went as far as the spine. The jury returned a verdict of 'wilful murder by person's unknown' and the mystery remains unsolved.  

A Tugboat Mystery

During the Second World War a man was found battered to death on a tugboat in the River Mersey and his killer was never caught.

On the morning of 22nd April 1944 crew members boarded a tug that was docked and were horrified to find the body of the firewatcher, George Parker. The 65 year old from Melville Place in Edge Hill was still in his bunk and his face had been battered beyond recognition. There was no sign of any murder weapon.

Police struggled to find a motive for the crime and there seemed to be no signs of a struggle. His landlady though was able to state that he was in possession of a torn one pound note when he went out to work on the Friday night and this was unaccounted for. This led to police appealing to anybody who may have received this in payment to contact them as a matter of urgency.

Although many people who had come across a torn pound note, worth about £40 today, came forward to give statements, none of them led to the killer. At the inquest on 10th May Parker's landlady described him as 'a man of violent temper and addicted to drink.' A detective inspector said that police inquiries had been extensive but not provided a solution and the jury returned a verdict of 'murder against some person or persons unknown.' Police failed to find either a motive or the killer and George lies in an unmarked public grave in Anfield cemetery.

Who Administered the Fatal Kick

When a woman was kicked to death in Everton in 1901, the person charged with her killing was acquitted as the prosecution were unable to prove who had administered the fatal kick.

On the afternoon of 14th May 1901 Mary McConville, a 29 year old unmarried woman, drank several gills of beer at her home in  Haigh Street with her brother Arthur and friend Annie Denham. At around 7.30pm Henry Ratcliffe, a sailor that lived with Mary when he was not at sea came around with some friends but didn't join the others in drinking.

What happened next nobody can be sure, but police had to be called due to Mary ending up lying on the floor in a pool of blood. A doctor from the dispensary was also called and he pronounced that Mary was dead when he arrived at 9.30pm. Arthur told officers that Ratcliffe was responsible and he was taken into custody, denying all knowledge of the crime. 

At the inquest the following day Arthur told the Coroner that Ratcliffe had hit his sister three or four times in the face. He then said that when Mary fell to the floor Ratcliffe began kicking at her abdomen and when he tried to intervene, Ratcliffe said to him 'You are not going to boss this house.' Arthur claimed that Ratcliffe wanted to fight him in the street but he refused and he instead went to William Henry Street to find a policeman.

Mary's friend Annie Denham also gave evidence at the inquest, but all she could recall was that Ratcliffe had knocked Mary down. However a neighbour called Margaret Worrall said that when Annie had come out of the house she had said that it was Arthur who had carried out the assault. The others present said that they had seen Ratcliffe push Mary to the floor but that he had not kicked her.

The jury returned a verdict of wilful murder and 28 year old Ratcliffe was committed for trial at the Liverpool assizes, where he appeared before Mr Justice Ridley on 2nd August. The doctor who carried out the post mortem confirmed that a kick had caused the death but in directing the jury, the judge said there was no corroborating  evidence of who had carried it out. The jury found Ratcliffe not guilty and he was discharged from the dock.

The Bootle Bath Murder

The killing of a Bootle woman who was found drowned in a bath in 1951 remains unsolved after her friend was tried for her murder but acquitted. It was a case which the defence barrister described as 'the most harrowing she had ever dealt with.'

Emma Grace was just 22 years old when she separated from her husband in the mid 1930s, going on to bring three children up on her own whilst working as a clerk for a pools firm. She lived in Irlam Road in Bootle in a house that was also occupied by Martin and Anna Neary and their three children. Each family had a floor in the house and they shared a bathroom.

On 25th May 1951 Emma's nineteen year old daughter Mary, a student nurse, returned home at around 5pm to find Anna sobbing hysterically. She described how she had heard Emma go to the bathroom and then raised voices, so when she went up to see what was happening a man had threatened her with a revolver then lifted Emma into the bath and drowned her before making off. When 39 year old Emma's fully clothed body was removed from the bath it was badly bruised and there had clearly been signs of a struggle.  

Anna was questioned by the police who were sceptical about her story, as they simply did not believe that the bathroom was big enough for one person to face great difficulty in drowning another while another escaped unscathed. As some of Emma's wages were found hidden within the fireplace in Anna's room, they concluded that she had committed the murder with robbery as a motive, refusing to believe her statement that a large man with hairy hands had committed the deed.

At lunchtime the following day Anna was charged and replied 'Why should I kill her, she has been awfully good to me.' A special court in Bootle was convened and Anna was formally remanded, leading to her shouting out 'This is not justice, God help me.' She was led away to the cells on what was her 27th birthday leaving her husband in the public gallery holding a young baby

Anna was 26 years old and had been born in France to Polish parents. After growing up near Lille, she had come to Britain after the war, during which she met her husband who was a serviceman with the RAF.

Martin's sister Margaret took the couple's children into her care, telling them that their mother was in hospital.

The trial opened at the Manchester Assizes on 11th July, with the the prosecutors outlining the case that the man with hairy hands had not been traced and as nobody else was in the house or could have gained access, then Anna was guilty. 

When Anna gave her evidence on the second day she stood by what she had told the police on the fateful night, that she had gone to the bathroom where she was locked in by a man with 'big ugly hairy hands' who then threatened her with a gun before drowning Emma. Anna then went on to to describe how there were a number of unknown male visitors to Emma and her daughter, one of whom she had expressed a wish never to see again as he had a nice wife. When asked by her defence counsel Rose Heilbron if she had killed Emma she replied 'No, never' and broke down crying, leading to a five minute adjournment to allow her to regain her composure.

In her closing speech, Miss Heilbron said there was no evidence of ill feeling between the two women and that Anna was not short of money so robbery could not have been a motive.

After retiring for two and a half hours the jury returned a verdict of not guilty. There was a round of applause from the public gallery but this came to an abrupt halt as Anna fainted in the dock and it took two minutes to revive her. She was still sobbing as Justice Barry said 'You may be discharged'. Anna then turned to the jury and said 'Thank you, I swear I did not do it.'

Outside the court, Anna buried her head into the arms of her husband as she was rushed to a waiting car. Miss Heilbron said that it was the most harrowing case she had ever been involved in and family members said that Martin and Anna planned to take a holiday in France. Although Martin's four sisters and two brothers had been of great help, Anna's mother was too poor to visit England during her daughter's imprisonment and trial.

The killing of Emma Grace remains unsolved.

Suspicious Death of a Shipping Merchant

The founder of one of Liverpool's most famous shipping lines was believed to have been robbed and murdered whilst he was walking home, the exact circumstances remaining a mystery today.

In 1807 John Bibby, then aged 32, founded the Bibby Line, which grew to boast a fleet of eighteen vessels thirty years later. An extremely wealthy man, Bibby lived in a mansion in Linacre Marsh, north of Bootle and it was whilst returning there on Friday 17th July 1840 that he met a horrible death.

That evening Bibby had dinner with a friend in Everton Brow then took a cab to the Rimrose Hotel, arriving around midnight. He then began the walk towards his mansion, but he never arrived. The following morning a search was begun which led to the find of his body at a pond in Stand Park, near Aintree racecourse. His watch was missing, but it was not known how much money he had been carrying.

The investigation into the death was led by the Head Constable Mr Whitty, but there were no footprints leading to the pond. It was also dragged in case the watch was there but nothing was found. On the Monday an inquest took place at the Rimrose hotel, which failed to reach a verdict as there was no evidence to show how Bibby had got there. Arguments raged in the town about the cause of death, with some suggesting he had fallen into the pond drunk, but others saying he must have been robbed and dragged there, pointing to bruises on his legs and a cut on the face.

In early August information came to light that at 4am on the day the body was found, a man named James Cullen was seen by a police officer near the duck pond and had walked away rapidly when approached. The officer had not believed anything suspicious to be going on, but had merely wanted some company. Further enquiries established that Cullen was an employee of Bibby's, having worked for him as a brickmaker.

Cullen was arrested and interrogated over the death, but any evidence against him was entirely circumstantial. He also had little motive, as he was actually due to be paid for his weeks work on the Saturday evening and the death of Mr Bibby led to all his brickmakers being laid off. After being held in custody for over a week and with nobody coming forward to implicate him in any way, Cullen was discharged on 24th August. 

Bibby's watch never materialised and with no evidence to go on the death remains unsolved, with the file remaining open with Merseyside Police.

Unsolved Drowning of a Child

A child was found drowned in Everton in 1859 but with no reliable witnesses to his movements beforehand, the crime remained unsolved.

Around 930pm on the evening of 23rd July 1859 a man named James Fox fished the body of 4 year old John Thompson out of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal off Bankfield Street. He did this in the presence of Mary Gibbons, a 15 year old who was a servant to John's family and who did not recognise the body at first. She had been sent to the Rosehill Bridewell to report John's disappearance but inexplicably went towards Sandhills railway station instead.

When the inquest took place two days later Mary told how she had been looking for John in the street near his Conway Street home but couldn't find him. She couldn't explain why she went towards Sandhills instead of Rosehill. A 9 year old boy named Charles Hill told how he had been playing in Conway Street when woman named Esther Latham picked John up and took him away despite his crying. Charles said she ran towards Great Homer Street and as he was unable to find  policeman, he went and told John's mother.

A lady called Mrs Leahy who lived in Conway Street said that Latham, who was a cowkeeper residing in Back Lansdowne Place, had been looking through Mrs Thompson's window and laughing following John's disappearance. Miss Latham herself though solemnly declared her innocence and the coroner heard from detectives that they had been able to verify her accounts of her actions on that day.

A doctor confirmed that death had been due to drowning and in summing up the deputy coroner Mr Wybergh told the jury that if they believed Charles's evidence, then they should return a verdict of wilful murder against Latham. After some deliberation they returned a verdict of 'wilful murder against some person or persons unknown'. The killer of John has never been found.

Getting Away With Murder in Rodney Street

A horrific murder and attempted suicide occurred in Rodney Street in 1836, the alleged killer never standing trial after the principal witness, who was also his daughter, disappeared from the face of the earth.

In the latter part of 1835 Sarah Diffin, a 17 year old from Nottingham, left there to go into service in Manchester, working alongside 36 year old Grace Avery, who had once been a servant to her family when they lived in London. Early the following year Grace went to Liverpool where she took up a position as a cook for Mr William Jones at 5 Rodney Street, with Sarah remaining in Manchester.

Grace's departure to Liverpool had coincided with Sarah's father William arriving in Manchester where he took a position in a druggists store. Grace had told Sarah her father had 'improper intentions' towards her, but she had no intention of reciprocating them. In the April Sarah joined Grace at 5 Rodney Street, being followed by her father who begged Grace to go away with him but she refused. There was no sign though of the horrors to follow as William appeared calm at the news.

On the morning of Saturday 7th May William visited the house and was let in by Grace, who allowed him into the kitchen while she was working. Sarah came downstairs and saw him telling Grace that he would not take no for an answer and was staying there until she agreed to his demands. Grace went into the scullery to clean some candles and William went after her, remaining silent when questioned by Sarah. He paced around but was not drunk or angry, but after an hour he took out a pistol and fired it at Grace, who dropped dead instantly.

Sarah ran out and found a policeman within seconds but when they went back into the house William had managed to escape. However a search of the area beyond the back yard found the man in a near fainting condition, having taken prussic acid in an attempt to commit suicide. He was taken to the Infirmary where antidotes were administered and by 4pm he was fit to be discharged to the Bridewell.

During the inquest, which took place the following Monday morning, a communication was received that William had tried to hang himself at the Bridewell, but had been cut down before he expired. Sarah was the only witness and after hearing her deposition the jury returned a verdict of wilful murder, leading to the Coroner Philip Finch Curry committing him to trial at the assizes.

On 12th August William's case was adjourned due to Sarah not attending. The court was informed that Sarah had last been seen in Manchester on 12th July, where she told her employer that she had to return to Nottingham to sort out some financial affairs but would be back the following day. A subpoena had been issued but so far she had not been located, meaning William faced a further spell on remand at Kirkdale gaol.

With Sarah's whereabouts remaining unknown, the case was also adjourned the following April and again in August 1837, when William was granted bail at £200, to appear before the court when called upon. As enquiries continued into Sarah's disappearance, it transpired that when she left Manchester, it was with her uncle Thomas Calderaft, who was married to William's sister. He had been a frequent visitor to William at Kirkdale and the investigation then turned to Nottingham. It was established that Calderaft had told family members in July 1836 that it would not be pleasant for Sarah to give evidence against her father and he would take her away, and the pair disappeared around that time.

An indictment was made against William for 'having obstructed the course of justice by having spirited away or having removed from her place of residence a witness in a case of murder, in consequence of which the person charged could not be brought to justice or even trial.' This was heard at Liverpool assizes in April 1838, where Calderaft was found guilty in his absence. Neither him or Sarah were ever knowingly heard of again and William was never brought to justice.

Murder of a Customs Officer

The person or persons who robbed and killed a customs officer in 1863 were never caught. 

On 4th November that year Christopher Treeby signed off duty at the Custom House on the waterfront, received 27 shillings in wages and began his journey towards his home on Portwood Street, off Upper Parliament Street.

At around 545pm a police constable named William Callister was on duty in Wavertree Road when he received information that a man had fallen and been taken into Chester's public house. Callister went there and saw that the man's face was covered in blood and he was dead. Inside his pockets were pencil cases, handkerchiefs, a knife and papers that identified him as Treeby.

A post mortem was carried out and found wounds on the face and injuries to the shoulder, arms and ribs as a result of external violence. One of the ribs had been hit so hard it had fractured and severed an artery, which was the cause of death. The body was identified at the deadhouse by a neighbour who also worked with him.

The following day an inquest held by the Coroner Mr P. F. Curry was opened and adjourned, but from the level of injuries it was quite apparent that they were not accidental. The police were also satisfied that the assault had not taken place in the public house or been carried out by the men who took Treeby in there, all of whom were in respectable occupations. A week later those who had helped him after the fall gave evidence and in summing up Mr Curry pointed out that the loss of his Treeby's money and a chain could not have resulted from the fall. A verdict of wilful murder by persons unknown was returned.

Treeby was 35 years old and had left a wife Lydia and five young children, the youngest of whom was just five weeks old. He had worked at the customs house for thirteen years and a committee was set up to provide funds for his widow. This allowed for her to be paid what would have been his salary until all of the children had reached working age. However, Lydia died nine years later at the age of 44 and her husband's killer was never brought to justice.