Lodger Killed by Landlady

A pre Christmas quarrel in Victorian Liverpool between a man and the woman he lodged with led to his death and her conviction for manslaughter.

John Farrell, a 23 year old sawyer, lived in Banastre Street (one of many streets cleared to make way for the Wallasey tunnel) with his 60 year old landlady Johanna Bell, both of them sleeping in the same room in separate beds.

On the evening of Friday 17th December 1869 the two people took supper together at about 9pm, but an argument broke out and Farrell punched Bell on the side of the head. She responded by picking up a kitchen knife and stabbing him in the neck and above the eye.

Farrell sought help outside and was taken to the Northern Hospital where he died in the early hours of Sunday, the principal artery in his neck having been severed. He had been able to give depositions to a magistrate though, claiming that he had been upset at a remark she had made about a girl he had been seeing and pushed her, leading to the stabbing.

At her trial, Bell claimed that she had been punched on the head after an argument broke out when he was unhappy some soap had been removed as he was behind with his rent. She admitted stabbing him but maintained it was purely due to the force of his punch, which she said gave her a black eye.

Bell was found guilty of manslaughter but with a recommendation for mercy. Mr Justice Willies took this, her age and the provocation into account when he sentenced Bell to just twelve months imprisonment.

Sectarian Killing With A Paving Slab

In 1869 a man smashed a paving slab over his teenage victim's head in what appeared to be a religiously motivated killing.

In the early hours of 2nd January, 42 year old labourer Thomas Monaghan started shouting out that he was looking for an Orangeman to fight with. 19 year old sailmaker John Gee, who lived with his parents in Duckinfield Street, said he was an Orangeman and punched Monaghan, before going back to his house saying he'd get a knife.

Monaghan chased Gee and on hearing the commotion a widow named Eliza Mather, who lodged in Gee's house, looked outside and saw Monaghan grabbing him by the throat and shouting 'I've got you now Orangeman, I will tear your liver out.'

With the help of his mother, Gee managed to get inside the house and Mrs Mather shut the door, before standing by the window and waving a knife. He then threw a saucepan at Monaghan and his stepfather tried to calm things down, shaking hands with the other man. However Monaghan, who was in a drunken rage, then threw a brick through the window, which didn't hit anybody. He then burst through the front door and told Gee he would take his life before hitting him over the head with a paving slab, knocking him unconscious and causing Gee's mother to faint.

Monaghan then left the house and paced up and down the street, shouting that if there were any more Orangemen about they should come to him, and he'd give them the same. Gee was taken to the Royal Hospital when daylight came and he was found to be suffering from a compound fracture of the forehead, from which he died on 12th January.

After initially only being arrested for an assault, Monaghan now found himself being tried for murder at the Liverpool Assizes on 29th March. His defence was that he had a fight with Gee, who fell over and injured his head, causing his eventual death. The jury though rejected this and found Monaghan guilty of manslaughter, telling Mr Justice Lush that they believed he had deliberately charged the door down to assault Gee with the slab. Monaghan was sentenced to ten years penal servitude.

Heavily Pregnant Woman Killed by Husband

The New Year of 1869 saw a man killed his wife after she became pregnant by somebody else, but was shown surprising leniency by a jury that found him guilty of manslaughter.

Robert Garbett, a 30 year old pipe maker, had been married to his 21 year old wife for three years but some time in 1868 they separated. They lived on opposite sides of the same court in Gildart's Gardens, Vauxhall, where Robert resided with his mother and Elizabeth lodged with a Mrs Seagrave.

In the middle of December 1868 Elizabeth told Robert that she was heavily pregnant to another man, but he offered to forgive her if she returned to him. She did so for one night, but they again argued and Elizabeth went back to stay with Mrs Seagrave.

On New Years Eve Robert went out and got drunk before getting into a row with somebody else in the court at 2am. Mrs Seagrave went out to see what was going on and in what proved to be a fatal mistake, invited him into her home where Elizabeth was still up. In front of other guests, Robert confronted his wife about her lover and she said something back that upset him, leading to him punching her. He then took a knife out of his pocket and stabbed her several times in the face, arm and stomach as she lay on the floor.

Mrs Seagrave went out and found a policeman, who immediately arrested Robert. Elizabeth, whose bowels were protruding, was taken to hospital where she died about 20 hours later. She was very advanced with her pregnancy, with the baby due to be born at any time.

Robert was tried at the Liverpool Assizes on 29th March. Witnesses, including a neighbour and Mrs Seagrave's 11 year old son, described how they saw the couple arguing and Elizabeth hit back once after Robert's first punch, only for him to then take the knife out of his pocket. He was described as a hard working and industrious man who had never previously been known to ill treat his wife.

In summing up, the Mr Justice Lush referred to Elizabeth's 'irregular life' but pointed out the differences between murder and manslaughter, in that for a reduced verdict to be returned they had to be satisfied that there had been a sufficient level of provocation. He also said drunkenness could not be used as an excuse for the killing.

The jury deliberated for only fifteen minutes before finding Robert guilty of manslaughter, leading to Justice Lush telling him that they had been very lenient. Describing the killing as 'on the verge of murder' he said he would sentence accordingly and taking no account of Robert's remorse, ruled that he must endure penal servitude for life.

Man Kills Partner With Fatal Push

When a man's partner died after suffering a head injury when he pushed her and she fell against a table, the trial judge was forced to comment that he had never seen so many crimes from drunkenness in any other large town.

46 year old Thomas Evans saw in the New Year of 1867 by going out drinking with Elizabeth Hughes, who he cohabited with in Fox Street, Everton (below).

After returning to their 1st floor lodgings in the early hours they argued and Mrs Simons, the landlady who lived below, went up to see what was going on. She saw Elizabeth bleeding from a cut head but when she asked for a doctor, Thomas laughed and said that she would be alright.

Three weeks later Elizabeth died and the surgeon who attended her said it was down to fluid on the brain caused by her wound. Thomas admitted to having pushed Elizabeth, causing her to lose her footing and bang the back of her head on the corner of a table.

Thomas was indicted for manslaughter and found guilty, causing Mr Justice Mellor to say that he did not know any other large town where he saw so many crimes committed as a result of drunkenness as Liverpool. However, concluding that Thomas did not intend to cause harm, he sentenced him to just 12 months imprisonment with hard labour.

Killing of a Gamekeeper

The shooting of a gamekeeper at Knowsley Hall in the early Victorian period led to five poachers being sentenced to death, although only one of them ended up on the gallows.

At around 430am on 10th November 1843 watchers on the Knowsley Hall estate became aware of ten men and a dog looking for game and Richard Kenyon, the gamekeeper was summoned. After shouting out to the men he was shot in the stomach and overpowered. He managed to retreat to safety while the group of ten dispersed, some towards St Helens and some to Liverpool. Kenyon, whose bowels were hanging out when he got home, died four days later


John Shaw, a known poacher had a dog and was formerly a gamekeeper at Knowsley, was soon arrested at his home in Eldon Street, Vauxhall, after watchers told police they believed they had heard his voice. On 15th November, the day after Kenyon died, he appeared at Kirkdale Sessions House and was committed for trial.

The evidence against Shaw was flimsy at best, as although witnesses said they had seen him in Huyton the evening before the shooting, others saw him in Scotland Road after midnight. It was also acknowledged he hadn't fired the fatal shot so a £100 reward and the promise of a Queen's Pardon was offered for anyone with further information on the crime. This led to John's 19 year old son Nathan, who lived with him in Eldon Street, coming forward and indicating that he was involved, not John.

He claimed that some of the men set out from London Road and joined up with others at Old Swan and Eccleston. John Shaw, Nathan said, met them at Old Swan but went back to Liverpool as the others went towards Prescot. In all there were ten men, two of them with guns and he said it was John Roberts who fired the fatal shot.

When Roberts was arrested, police found gun caps in his cellar. James Hunt was apprehended on 19th November and was in possession of a poachers net. Thomas Jacques and Joseph Rimmer were rounded up and Henry Fillingham was found sleeping in a barn in St Helens under some straw. The other four men - John Webster, William Webster, Henry Robinson and Thomas Tither - remained at large, while Nathan Shaw was not charged.

At the trial Nathan Shaw repeated what he had told the police, and witnesses confirmed that they had seen him and other Defendants walking back towards Liverpool. Watchers identified the men on trial, a pawnbroker told how John Roberts had lodged the gun with him in a false name, while a surgeon told how Kenyon's death was directly as a result of the gunshot wound. The defence was quite straight forward. They dismissed the evidence of Nathan, claiming it was being given purely out of greed and the desire to get his father off a serious charge. They also said that he watchers evidence was unreliable, as they had mistakenly believed John Shaw was there and it had been shown that he wasn't. The Defence then made the mistake of calling two relatives of Jacques to try and prove an alibi, but they contradicted each other which only made the Prosecution case stronger.

In summing up, the judge said that if the jury were satisfied Roberts had shot to cause injury then it was murder and if they believed the fellow defendants had agreed using a gun was necessary then they were guilty as well. The jury deliberated for forty minutes and found all the defendants guilty, but gave a strong recommendation for mercy. The female relatives in court were so upset that they had to be removed before sentencing was passed.

Direct appeals were made by the relatives of he condemned men to Lord Derby, who refused to show sympathy. However the Home Secretary commuted the sentences on all of them to transportation for life except Roberts, who was to be hanged in public at Kirkdale on 20th January 1844. He claimed in the condemned cell that he had shot out of fear and also somewhat worse for wear through drink.

Around 30,000 turned out for the execution, which included a number of Roberts' female relatives who were shrieking as he took to the scaffold. Before the bolt was drawn he gave a short speech to the crowd, shouting 'Good People, never let yourselves be entangled with the devil nor go into bad company. Farewell.' After Roberts fell to his death, the hangman was pelted with stones by some of the crowd. Of the four men who evaded capture, three were never found but Robinson handed himself in in December 1846, having been in the army with the 48th Regiment of Foot. He was also sentenced to death, commuted to transportation for life.

Execution Ends 'Merry Life'

A teenager who killed two farm workers in an arson attack was hanged in 1882, bringing to an end what he described as a 'short life and a merry one.'

Originally from County Mayo in Ireland, Bernard Mullarkey came to England in 1879 at the age of 16. He had a brief spell in the army with the 95th Regiment of Foot, from which he deserted, before taking a series of labouring jobs and eventually ending up in Maghull where he worked for a farmer named John Sumner.

Mullarkey slept in an outhouse on the farm with three other workers, a father and son both named Thomas Cruise, and a man named Thomas Jordan. There appeared to be no ill feeling between them at first but during the month of September 1882 Mullarkey began to tell the others he would 'swing for them' and set fire to the outhouse. He also made a threat to do so whilst in conversation with a fellow drinker in a local pub.

On the 25th of that month, all four men went to Bradley's provisions shop in the evening and on returning to the farm, Mullarkey told the others he was going to the washhouse and they went to sleep in the loft. Soon afterwards though, one of them men was awoken by screams and saw that the barn was alight. As they desperately tried to put the flames out with sacks, one of them looked out of the window to see Mullarkey standing in a courtyard, having got the horses out of danger. Rather than get a nearby ladder to help, Mullarkey instead went away to find Mr Sumner and by the time he arrived back one of the three men, the elder Thomas Cruise, was dead.

After putting out the flames a police sergeant who arrived on the scene asked Mullarkey what he knew. Giving his name as Charles Rogers, he said that he had fallen asleep drunk in the washhouse and woke to find the building on fire, having no idea how it had started. The policeman was able to establish that the fire had been started from below the loft, indicating that none of the three men in there could have been responsible. Mr Cruise's body was also found to have received a blow to the head before the fire had started.

A Coroner's inquest returned a verdict of wilful murder and Mullarkey was committed for a trial that took place at Liverpool Assizes on 17th November. The evidence against him was largely circumstantial as nobody had seen him start the fire or enter the outhouse. However, in summing up, Justice Day pointed to the threats made a few days before, his odd behaviour at the time of the fire and the fact that those giving evidence as to his conduct had no reason to lie. Damningly, he also said that if Mullarkey set fire to the building knowing somebody was inside then it was murder. The jury took just seventeen minutes to return a verdict of guilty.

On being sentenced to death by, Mullarkey replied : 'Well sir, you can only judge a fellow on this earth. You can not judge me in the next, where we shall all be judged. I am as innocent of the crime I am going to swing for as the child who is not born yet.'

Whilst awaiting his fate in Kirkdale gaol Mullarkey was visited by two cousins, but he refused to allow his parents to spend what little money they had on coming to see him. In his final letter to them he wrote that he had been an indifferent son, but his life had been 'a short and merry one.' On 4th December Mullarkey got up at 6am, had a good breakfast and was attended to by Father Bonte. He was hanged by William Marwood, having walked firmly to the scaffold..

Murder on a Canal Boat

A man who brutally battered his wife on a boat, causing her to die of her injuries a week later was hanged in a triple execution at Kirkdale Gaol.

Originally from Scarisbrick, William Worthington was a 33 year old 'flatman', employed on a flat bottomed horse drawn canal boat that carried coal between Liverpool and Wigan. He lived on board along with his wife Ann, their two young children and her daughter from a previous marriage that had left her widowed.

On 29th August 1874 a woman in Vauxhall Road heard screams going on for a quarter of an hour and when she looked out of her window she saw Ann crouched down in a yard where flatmen tethered their horses. William was standing over her, kicking away at her body. The woman and a male passer by both told him to stop, but were told to mind their own business, leading to the male whistling for a policeman.

Even though Ann's face was covered with mud and blood and she was in a distressed state, the policeman who arrived on the scene took no action on establishing they were man and wife. Instead he told the couple to go home and make it up, even when Ann asked the officer to take her husband away. The brutality had taken place due to him being unhappy that she gave him only a shilling when he asked for some money.

On getting back on board the boat, which was moored under the bridge at Boundary Street, William continued his assault in front of Ann's daughter, administering one kick into her abdomen that was so hard it broke the stay-bone of her corset. He then went asleep but continued his assault the next morning, hitting Ann with a poker. Ann managed to get away and stayed for a week with a wellwisher called Mrs Duffy in Hopwood Street before being taken to her sisters address in Wigan. Whilst there her condition deteriorated and she died on 10th September, having suffered a broken collarbone, ribs and severe internal injuries.

The terrible deed was unprovoked and no doubt fuelled by drink, which turned William from being a kind man devoted to his family to someone in a complete rage. William was arrested on 10th September and transferred to Liverpool a few days later. he told the police officer who transferred him that it was a 'bad job' and that he wouldn't have done it for a thousand pounds now.

William was tried on 16th December, the medical evidence showing that Ann had died from pluro-pneumonia aggravated by violence. The only defence that could be offered was that William did not intend to cause death but he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by Judge Mellor, who informed him that he would pass the jury's recommendation for mercy to the Home Secretary.

Whilst in Kirkdale awaiting his fate William seemed confident of a reprieve but no appeal was forthcoming and his execution was fixed for 4th January 1875. John McCrave and Michael Mullen, who had been involved in the Tithebarn Street Outrage, joined him on the scaffold. Worthington, clutching a white handkerchief, was the first to be pinioned in what was an extremely efficient operation, all three dying instantly when the bolt was drawn.