A charge of Murder in the midlands.

The Times July 14th

Thomas Farrell was brought before the court at Warwick charged with the murder of Alfred Faulkner. In a somewhat complicated story it seems the men where playing cards at Faulkner’s house on March 15th when a dispute arose of over some money won by Faulkner from the accused. According to witnesses in the house Farrell set about Faulkner in the house and kicked him behind the ear. He left and was followed by Faulkner and another man who set about him in the street. Faulkner was soon found dead in the road with Faulkner standing over him. It was Faulkner’s defence that he had not meant to kill Faulkner but in the struggle Faulkner had fell as a result of a chance blow.

Farrell was found guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to 6 months hard imprisonment with hard labour.

“Street fight leads to one man’s death” as we might read today. 

Shot in a drunken rage

The Scotsman July 14th 1908

Herbert Gregory Leons was remanded a Ormskirk over the shooting of Joseph Martland in a bar at Burscough bridge. The prisoner had been drinking in the bar with another man, Martland came out of an adjoining room when Leons accused him of saying something about him. Leons produced a revolver and shot Martland in the left side. The shooting happened on Saturday night, Martland died on Sunday.

Knife attack on three policemen

The Scotsman July 14th 1908

John Bull Brook, age 68 was sentenced to 10 years penal servitude at Staffordshire for a attack on three policemen the previous may 5th. He had been locked up for drunkenness and despite 2 knives being taken from him he managed to stab one police Sergeant between the nose and eye. Two other constables where also stabbed. The man Sergeant had been responding to the prisoners call when the attack took place.

Weekend in 1908

It was a weekend in 1908.  The newspapers I'm looking at didn't publish on the weekend I believe.

Tragedy in a jail

The Scotsman, 10th July 1908

A man (William Butler) charged with killing a mother and dangerously wounding her daughter was reported of hanging himself in Jail on this day. The report also states that head-Constable Frizelle had been wounded whilst trying to arrest M Butler. On interesting aspect of the case is that the daughter (Bridget Morrisey) who whilst in a critical condition, had been declared a lunatic since the attack and confined to an asylum. 

So here we not only have a violent attack, but also a death in jail.  

Revolting Murder near Aldershot

The Scotsman, 10th July 1908

On this day is reported a murder near Aldershot of a “particularly revolting character” . A milk carrier called at a shed in the early hours to find the body of Edith Bateman (aged about 40) naked and kicked to death. There where heavy boot marks all over her head and body with the report adding that all her clothing, with the exception of her stockings had been stripped from her. Her purse had been emptied and the pockets of her dress turned inside out. She had last been seen in the company of a man near the scene of the murder.

Modern day headline perhaps, “Kicked to death for the contents of her purse !”

This story is also reported in the Times as well, although it ads that the victim was the daughter of respectable village folk although she “had for some years led a depraved life”. Hmm, that’s not a term you’d see often today I think.

Gang beat and rob two men looking for lodging

The Times, July 9th 1908

A gang of four, two men and two women where brought before the Justice at Nottingham, on the 8th. They where charged with robbery and beating two men (Paxton and Bell) who had been looking for lodging after missing their train home for the night. The two men and spent the day in Nottingham and after discovering they had missed the train home decided to look for a room for the night in Nottingham. They where stopped by two women who told them they could show them where a room was to be had. Once there the women demanded money from the men, when they refused they called in the two men accused of the crime. All four set about the would be lodgers and robbed them of all their money.

Paxton and Bell suffered severe a beating to the face which included the loss of a tooth. After the attack they had been thrown from the house in semi unconscious condition.  

One of the male attackers was sentenced to 18 months in prison while the other was to receive 18 lashes form the cat and six months. Both the women went to prison for nine months.