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.
Monday, July 14, 2008
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.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Weekend in 1908
It was a weekend in 1908. The newspapers I'm looking at didn't publish on the weekend I believe.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
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.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
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.
Charges of Murder
The Times, July 9th 1908
Widow 77 murdered in her own home
A charge of murder was brought before the Oxford court against Laurence Alfred Scott, accused of murdering 77 year old widow Annie Lloyd. Mrs. Lloyd lived in at a small farm near Oswestry. She was found dead in the Kitchen with marks on her throat which medical evidence suggested she had been strangled. The case against Mr. Scott revolved around the evidence that a man dressed in dark clothes and carrying an overcoat had been seen in the area the afternoon of the murder. Mr. Scott denied being in the area and a police line up failed to positively identify him. A verdict of not guilty was returned by the jury.
Presumably the murder was still at large, no doubt today that would prompt a headline of “OAP murderer still stalks the countryside”
By the way, compare this 100 year old story to this modern one:
Glasgow Boys Dangerous Prank
The Scotsman, July 9th, 1908
The police in Glasgow reported that boys in the city where inserting a wire into the workings of electric streetlights and shorting it to the body of the light. This in effect electrified the pole causing the next person to touch it to get an electric shock.
Two boys (the previous Tuesday) where caught and brought before the Southern Police Court. The age of the boys isn’t given, but the older boy (who denied the charge) was fined 5s and admonished. The younger boy pleaded guilty and was admonished.
“Bailie Dunlop said the practice was a dangerous one, and remarked that if the boys had been older he would have taught them a leason”
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