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Parker, Bonnie & Barrow,
Clyde
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Parker, George Henry
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Parker,
Frederick William & Probert, Albert
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Parker, Henry Taylor
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Palmer, Dr William
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Palmer, William Henry
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Palmer, Edward Richard
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Palmer, Edward Henry
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Parker, Cornelius
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Parker, George Henry
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Parker, George William
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Parkins, Henry
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Parr, John
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Parris, James
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Parry, Thomas
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Paterson, Charles
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Patterson, George
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Patchett, Leonard
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Pavey, George
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Payne, Thomas
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Peace, Charles Frederick
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Penny, Augustus John
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Perdovich, Hyman
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Perry, George
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Perry, George
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Perry, Henry
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Petrou, Theodosios
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Phillips, Henry
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Phipps, James
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Pickering, Henry
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Piggott, George
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Place, George
*****
Podmore, William Henry
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Podola, Guenther Fritz
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Pomeroy, Jesse
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Pomroy, Bernard
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Poole, Joseph
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Poutney, Elijah
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Powell, Henry
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Power, James Joseph
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Power, Patrick
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Pranzini
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Pratt, Thomas Benjamin
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Pratley, Michael
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Preston, Frederick
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Pritchard, Edward
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Pristoria, Joseph
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Pugh, William
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Purcell, Benjamin
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Purcell, John
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Palmer, Dr William
Born in 1824, Palmer took to crime at an early age. By the time he was
seventeen had been dismissed from one apprenticeship for embezzlement and
fled from another after having been discovered running his own abortion
service. He was however an intelligent man and in 1846 he qualified as
a doctor from St Bartholomew's Hospital. He settled down to working in
a modest practice in Rugeley, Staffordshire, and married. His domestic
life was not quite as respectable as it appeared and one of the servant
girls becamed pregnant by him and had his child. His other main interest
was gambling on the horses.
He was not a lucky gambler and was constantly in debt. In order to alleviated
the situation a bit he murdered his mother-in-law, so that her fortune
would pass on to his wife. This bought him a little time but he soon fell
back into debt. His love of horses was so great that he even started up
his own stables.
Having realised an effective way of obtaining money he methodically
murdered members of his family including his wife who had been insured
for £13,000, four of his legitimate children, several of his illegitimate
offspring, his brother, an uncle and several of his more persistent creditors.
In November 1855 he visited Shrewsbury Races with his friend John Parsons
Cook, another gambler, but one who had much more success than Palmer. At
the race meeting, Palmer as usual lost all his bets while Cook won a considerable
amount of money. After the meeting the meeting they all went to the Talbot
Arms Hotel, Rugeley, to celebrate Cook's success. At the party Cook became
ill and Palmer offered to collect the man's winnings. Once he had got his
hands on the money Palmer used it to pay off his own debts.
Cook was treated by Palmer during his illness and, on 21st November,
he died. John Cook's step-father was not willing to accept that a healthy
man could become ill and die so suddenly that he demanded a post-mortem.
An examination showed that the man had been poisoned with antimony and
Palmer was immeiately arrested.
There was a considerable amount of bad feeling towards Palmer and so
it was decided that in order to get a fair trial the case should be heard
out of county. In May 1856 Palmer was tried at the Old Bailey. He was duly
found guilty and was hanged outside Stafford Gaol on 14th June 1856 in
front of a large crowd. He was suspected of being responsible for fourteen
murders.
Parker, Bonnie & Barrow, Clyde
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are probably one of the best known criminal
partnerships in American History. They were a pair of infamous US criminals
who carried out a series of small-scale robberies in Texas, Oklahoma, New
Mexico, and Missouri between August 1932 and May 1934.
They were eventually betrayed and then killed in a police ambush. When
they died in a hail of bullets Bonnie was only 23 and Clyde was 25.
Much of their fame emanated from encounters with the police and their
coverage by the press. Their story was filmed as Bonnie and Clyde in 1967
by the US director Arthur Penn.
Parker, Frederick William & Probert, Albert
Joseph Bedford was an old man who ran a rather seedy general store in Clarence
Street, near Worthing. He was eighty and known to be a bit of a miser.
He would normally keep his shop open until eight in the evening and his
was the sort of shop where the stock was displayed on the pavement outside
and well as within. Because of Joseph Bedfords age, Miss Kathleen Russell
usually visited eighty-year-old Joseph Bedford each evening to prepare
a meal for him. She would normally get there just before he closed. On
Monday 13th November 1933 she called in as usual but, when she left around
8 o'clock, she noticed two men stood in the street talking One of them
looked up and spoke to her.
At ten to ten that evening another neighbour, Edward Myers the son of
a publican who lived in a pub opposite Bedford's shop, noticed that the
lights were still on inside the shop and the stock was still outside on
the pavement. He called a policeman. The constable, PC Peters, knew Mr
Bedford and tried the shop door. It was locked. He shone his torch into
the interior of the shop and saw the old man stumbling around, his face
covered in blood. The old man fell over backwards against some shovels.
The policeman forced the door. Joseph Bedford was rushed to hospital but
died the following morning from shock occasioned by the head injuries.
The local force called in Scotland Yard and Detective Chief Inspector Askew
travelled down from London to investigate. On the floor of the shop were
several copper coins and, amongst them, was an overcoat button and a bowler
hat with a dent in the crown.
On Thursday 16 November Parker and Probert were arrested on a completely
unrelated offence and charged with loitering with intent to commit a felony.
They appeared before Worthing magistrates on 23 November, where they received
a one day sentence on the loitering charge. Being so close to the murder
of Joseph Bedford the police immediately took an interest and they were
re-arrested and charged with murder.
Albert Probert was a 26-year-old fitter and Frederick William Parker
was a 21-year-old labourer. Parker confessed to taking part in the robbery
but blamed Probert for the violence. When they had been initially arrested
and searched both men had a quantity of farthings in their pockets, Parker
had 27 while Probert had 29. The total amount stolen in the robbery amounted
to a princely sum of six pounds, hardly enough to kill someone for.
They appeared at Sussex Assizes, in Lewes, on Wednesday 14 March 1934.
The jury took 35 minutes to find them both guilty of murder and they were
sentenced to death. They were both hanged at Wandsworth Prison on Friday,
4 May 1934 by Tom Pierrepoint.
Parker, George Henry
No details on this case at this time
Perdovich, Hyman
Hyman Perdovich was a Jewish Russian immigrant who was convicted of the
murder of his work foreman. Hyman was not a well man, he had
been wounded in the war as was still receiving treatment. Because of his
problem he was absent from work a lot and felt that the foreman, Solomon
Franks was treating him badly because of this. On the 15th August
1919 Hyman took a knife and stabbed 48 year old Solomon in the neck twice.
Seeing Solomon lying dead at his feet Hyman turned and made his way to
the nearest police station where he told them exactly what he had done.
His case was heard at Manchester Assizes and he was quickly found guilty
and sentenced to hang. The sentence was carried out on the 6th January
1920 by John Ellis. He was 39 years old when he died.
Petrou, Theodosios
No details listed for this case at this time
Podmore, William Henry
On 10th January 1929 the decaying body of 58-year-old Vivian Messiter was
discovered behind boxes in a garage in Southampton. Messiter was an agent
for the Wolf's Head Oil Company and the body was found by someone from
the company who had gone to find out what had happened to their employee.
The man had died from massive head injuries. When police searched Messiter's
lodgings they discovered a reply to an advertisement for a saleman's job
with the company from William F. Thomas. Thomas was wanted for questioning
by the police with regard to a wages robbery. When police got to the address
shown on the letter Thomas had left though they did find evidence that
Thomas was really William Henry Podmore, a 29 year old motor mechanic and
petty thief.
Podmore was apprehended in London and, because there was insufficient
evidence to bring a murder charge against him, he was charged with an earlier
fraud he had committed in Manchester. He received six months imprisonment.
While he was serving his sentence forensic scientists carried on the search
for evidence. A sales receipt book was found. In it were entries paying
commission to W. F. Thomas for fictitious sales. While the top two pages
had been torn out, forensic analysis revealed the writing on the page below.
In the garage a hammer had been found which had been used as the murder
weapon. On it was discovered an eyebrow hair that was identified as belonging
to Podmore.
This proof of Podmore's swindle, the forensic evidence, combined with
statements from fellow inmates from Wandsworth about his involvement, was
enough for a jury at Winchester Assizes, in December 1929, to find him
guilty. He was hanged in Winchester Prison on 22nd April 1930.
It would seem that the motive for this ghastly murder was fear of being
found out. He murdered his employer in order to silence him, as podmore
was defrauding the company and had been found out by Vivian Messiter he
felt he had to kill him to keep him quiet
Podola, Guenther Fritz
Podola was born in Berlin on 8 February 1929. He was the only child living
in difficult times. His father was a banker who died in 1943 at Stalingrad
and his mother was raped by Russian soldiers during the fall of Berlin.
He escaped to the West in 1952, abandoning a woman with whom his was living,
and his son. Podola moved on to Canada but was deported back to West Germany,
in July 1958, after being jailed for theft and burglary. In May 1959 he
moved to London and became a gangster. He changed his name and was known
as Mike Colato.
On 3 July Podola burgled the Rowland Gardens, South Kensington, flat
of Mrs Verne Schiffman. She was a 30-year-old model who was in London on
holiday. Podola's haul from the burglary included jewellery and some furs
with a total value of about £2,000 which was a lot of money. Posing
as an American private investigator named Levine, Podola wrote to Mrs Schiffman
offering to return some compromising photos and tapes, that he said he
had, for £500. Mrs Schiffman received the letter on 7 July and, having
nothing to fear from the blackmail threats, informed the police. Podola,
posing as Mr Fisher who, he said, was acting on behalf of Levine, rang
Mrs Schiffman on 12 July and wanted to know her reply to the offer. She
informed the police and they placed a tap on her telephone.
When Podola called again at about 3.30pm the next day everything was
in place to catch him. Mrs Schiffman managed to keep Podola talking while
the call was traced. It was made from a telephone kiosk at South Kensington
underground station. Mrs Schiffman was still talking to the man when she
heard him say 'Hey, what do you want?' After the sounds of a scuffle a
man came on the line and said to her, 'This is Detective Sergeant Purdy.
Remember my name.'
Raymond Purdy, and his colleague Detective Sergeant John Sandford, had
been alerted to the situation and driven to South Kensington from Chelsea
police station. They had apprehended Podola at the station and, as they
emerged into the street, Podola broke free. He ran into a block of flats
at 105 Onslow Square and tried to hide behind a pillar in the hall. He
was soon spotted and recaptured. Purdy told the man to sit on a window
ledge, which he did. DS Sandford went to summon assistance from the caretaker
of the flats. He was unable to find the man and called out to Purdy to
tell him. His call distracted the detective and Podola, taking advantage
of the policeman's loss of attention, drew a gun, a 9mm FB Radom V15, shot
Purdy in the heart and fled. Identification was not difficult as Podola
had left his fingerprints in the hall of the building.
A couple of days later the manager of the Claremont House Hotel, Kensington,
informed the police that one of his guests, Paul Camay, was behaving strangely
and seemed to be hiding. The manager identified Podola and Camay as the
same man from photos taken by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at the
time of his deportation. At 3.45 that afternoon, Thursday 16 July, police
hammered on the door of the room Podola was hiding in and shouted for him
to open the door. Police heard a clicking noise, like the sound of a gun
cocking though it was probably Podola removing the key to look through
the keyhole, and sixteen stone DS Chambers charged the door. The door burst
open, the handle struck Podola in the eye and Chambers landed on top of
him. He was quickly overpowered and he was removed to Chelsea police station.
He was examined by the police surgeon who described him as 'dazed, frightened
and exhausted.' The following day he was removed to St Stephen's Hospital
where he seemed only vaguely aware of his surroundings.
His medical trial opened at the Old Bailey on 10 September 1959 and
over the next nine days the jury heard submissions that Podola was suffering
from amnesia as a result of the injuries he sustained during his arrest
and could not, therefore, present a coherent defence. The jury concluded
that Podola was not suffering from a genuine loss of memory and that he
should stand trial for Purdy's murder.
The second trial, on a charge of capital murder, began on 24 September
and lasted two days. The jury took half an hour to find him guilty and
he was sentenced to death. Podola was hanged at Wandsworth Prison on 5
November 1959. Podola became the last man to be executed in Britain for
the killing of a policeman.
Pomeroy, Jesse
Jesse Pomeroy was born in 1860. He was considered a natural born
fiend. His crimes made this identification not nreasonable. He was raised
by his mother in South Boston. Not very much is known about his life before
he was eleven years old. That's when he started to torture other children.
Between the winter/fall of 1871, Jesse trapped and attacked seven other
younger boys. He'd take them to a hidden spot where he would strip them
and tie them up. He severely beat some of the earlier victims, then he
started to use a knife and even poked pins into ones flesh. Pomeroy had
a hairlip and a completely white eye, so identifying him would be pretty
easy. After being caught he was sent to a reform school and was supposed
to be there
till he was twenty-one. He understood the idea that if he was good,
he'd get let out early. He was released after only a year and a half. Now
instead of just wanting to inflict pain on others, he was homicidal.
In March of 1874 he kidnapped a little girl and killed her, a month
later he done the same to a four year old, but he was so severe on the
boy that he nearly decapitated him.The police placed Jesse as the apparent
killer. When they asked him if he killed the little boy (his body was the
first to be found) Jesse replied "I suppose I did." Pomeroy was only 14
at the time of this. Most people wanted him killed, but the governor wouldn't
go for it. He instead decided on giving him a lifelong sentence in solitary
confinement. He spent forty-one years in solitary, before getting some
contact with other inmates. He died in 1932 at the age of seventy-two.
Pomroy, Bernard
Bernard Pomroy was a shop assistant from Hemel Hempstead who was sentenced
to death at the Old Bailey by Mr Justice Horridge on 1 March, for the murder
of Miss Alice Cheshire whose throat he cut while in a taxi cab on 23 January.
He was hanged by John Ellis and Edward Taylor on the 5th April 1923 at
Pentonville prison aged just twenty five.
Pranzini
Pranzini killed Marie Regnault and two others during a robbery. When
he tried to rob the safe he was unable to open it. He did however
manage to steal some jewellery. He was tried and found guilty and sentenced
to death. On the 1 September 1887 he was guillotined at the prison,
Place De La Roquette.
Parris, James
James Parris was a twenty seven year old labourer from Offham, he was convicted
of the murder of William Crouch, a boy of just six years old, whom he beat
to death with an iron bar in a barn at Ryarsh on 11 June. He had committed
the crime in a rage after the child's mother had failed to keep an appointment
with him. After carrying out the murder he walked to the local police station
and confessed. He was convicted and sentenced to hang. The sentence
was carried out on the 1st August 1876 in Maidstone by William Marwood.
Pratt, Thomas Benjamin
Thomas Pratt was sentenced to death at the Central Criminal Court on 25
October 1877, for the murder of Eliza Francis Rockington, with whom he
lived. She had threatened to leave if he didn't curb his violent habits
and although he repeatedly vowed he would, he failed to keep his promise.
She eventually left him but he tracked her down and stabbed her to death.
The sentence was carried out in Newgate on the 12 November 1877 by William
Marwood.
Piggott, George
In 1876 George Piggott, a married man with two of small children, left
his wife after seducing Florence Galloway, a young domestic servant, and
set up home with his lover in Birmingham. After living together for eighteen
months Florence became pregnant but left Piggott because of his brutality
and returned to her family. He moved back in with his wife, who forgave
him for the affair, and took a job as a tram driver. On 24 November 1877,
Florence Galloway's mother saw Piggott near her house and told him to stay
away. On 5 December he forged a letter to Florence arranging a meeting
to discuss a job. Only days after she had given birth to his child, she
arrived for the meeting whereupon he shot her dead. He was tried and convicted
of her murder and hanged in Manchester on the 4 Februrary 1878 by William
Marwood. He was twenty nine when the sentence was carried out.
Peace, Charles Frederick
Charles Peace was a notorious cat burglar and murderer who evaded arrest
for over twenty years. Peace was a master of disguise due to his almost
rubber like features, and often carried his housebreaking tools inside
an old violin case, an instrument on which he was very proficient. In 1877,
while living at Banner Cross Terrace, Sheffield, he began an affair with
a neighbour, Mrs Katherine Dyson. Although she was a willing instigator
of the relationship, she soon decided that she wanted no further part of
it and tried fruitlessly to be rid of him. Eventually Peace took the hint
and left the area. Around this time, Peace shot dead a policeman, PC Nicholas
Cock, in Manchester but the crime was attributed to a young Irishman, William
Habron, who was convicted and sentenced to death, which was later commuted
to life imprisonment on account of his young age. During the summer, Peace
returned to Sheffield where he again chased after Mrs Dyson. One night
her husband caught him as he pestered her and Peace shot him dead. He fled
to London and set up with a new name but was soon in trouble again, and
while robbing a house in Blackheath he attempted to shoot a police officer.
Peace was arrested and gave his name as John Ward. He was tried for the
attempted murder of a police officer and sentenced to life imprisonment
but no sooner had he begun his sentence, than he was recognised as being
wanted for the murder of Katherine Dyson's husband at Banner Cross, and
he was returned to the north to face trial. On the journey, he attempted
to escape from the train by throwing himself through a window but was thwarted
in his bid. Peace was convicted at Leeds Assizes and sentenced to death,
he was hanged by William Marwood after confessing to the murder of PC Cock
at Manchester, which resulted in the release from prison and also compensation
for William Habron. The sentence of death was carried out in Leeds on the
25 February 1879, Peace was forty six at the time.
Pristoria, Joseph
Joseph Pristoria who was also known as Francisco Moschera, was a Sicilian
sailor, he was convicted at Cork Assizes for his part in the 'Caswell'
mutiny and murder of 1876, when five Greek and Italian crewmen stabbed
to death the captain and several officers. While the ship was on
Argentina's River Plate, Pristoria and his brother escaped in a boat, and
when the 'Caswell' landed at Queenstown in May 1876, the mutineers who
had remained on board were charged with murder. While Pristoria was
working on a wharf at Montevideo he was recognised by a crewman who had
survived the mutiny. He was arrested and brought back to Ireland to face
trial. His executioner was a man named Stanhouse who had travelled
from Gainsborough, England, to carry out the sentence. The sentence was
carried out in Cork on the 25 August 1879.
Pavey, George
Twenty nine year old George Pavey was sentenced to death by Mr Justice
Hawkins at the Old Bailey for the murder of Ada Shepherd who was a young
girl of ten. The young girl's father had left her alone in the house with
Pavey while he went out. When he returned he found the child dead on the
bed with her throat cut. She had also been violently raped. Pavey disappeared
but was later arrested in a Hendon workhouse wearing bloodstained clothing.
His plea of not guilty was unsuccessful and he was hanged by William Marwood
in Newgate on the 13 December 1880.
Powell, Henry
On 27 September, twenty four year old Henry Powell, a bricklayer employed
by a Balham building firm, collected his wages but was unhappy at the amount
he had received for his last job. He confronted John Briton, the son of
the owner, and during a quarrel he beat him about the head with a heavy
chisel. He was arrested and tried and soon convicted. He was sentenced
to death and that sentence was carried out on 6 November 1883 in Wandsworth
by Bartholomew Binns, this was in fact his first execution.
Poole, Joseph
Twenty eight year old Joseph Poole was a tailor and prominent member of
the Stephenite Fenian society, convicted of the murder of John Kenny, an
informer, who was shot dead in July l882. Kenny had offered to reveal to
the British Government information regarding various activities involving
the society, including information on the unsolved murder of a police officer.
Joseph Poole went to a house in Seville Place where Kenny was staying and
shot him dead in front of several witnesses, none of whom would testify
against him. He later called on his dead wife's brother and told him of
the crime, and it was on his evidence that Poole was convicted. The sentence
was carried out on the 18 December 1883. He was hanged at Richmond
Prison in Dublin by a man named Jones, who had volunteered to carry out
the execution. It was reported that Poole's feet touched the ground when
he fell through the trap and that the rope had to be pulled up to allow
him to die.
Parry, Thomas
Thomas Parry was a steward from Kings County who travelled 112 miles to
commit a murder. Parry had broken up with his fiancée, a Miss Burns,
and after spending the night in an expensive hotel he called to see her
at her sister's house where she had been staying. Parry asked her if she
meant what she wrote in her last letter, and that she had really ended
their relationship. When she replied that they were finished, he said 'We'll
see,' pulled out his revolver and shot her dead. He then turned the gun
on himself but only succeeded in inflicting a minor wound. He was hanged
on the 20 January 1885 in Galway by James Berry after he was sentenced
to death by Mr Justice Lawson. Parry left a full written confession in
his cell.
Pritchard, Edward
On 31 December 1886. factory clerk Henry Allen who was fourteen, called
at the local bank to collect over one hundred pounds in wages. Twenty year
old Edward Pritchard and a friend called Noyes had watched the young lad
make the journey on several other occasions, and when he left the bank
they followed him down a quiet street on a hired pony and trap. Later that
day the boy's body was found battered to death and evidence soon led the
police to Pritchard. The pony and trap was traced and police found bloodstains
upon it. Witnesses also testified that they had heard the two men planning
the robbery earlier in the day, and that Noyes was seen in the area before
the murder. Noyes was tried as an accessory to murder and for robbery.
Pritchard was tried for murder, convicted, and hanged by James Berry on
17 February 1887 in Gloucester.
Payne, Thomas
Thomas Payne was a labourer who pleaded guilty to the murder of his sister-in-law,
Charlotte Taylor. Charlotte Taylor shared a house in Coventry with her
sister and brother-in-law, Thomas Payne. She and Payne were having a clandestine
affair, and he was obsessed with her. When he learned that she was also
seeing a Salvation Army officer, Payne became insanely jealous and threa-
tened to kill her if she carried on seeing him. One afternoon in August,
he saw them together and when she returned home later, he cut her throat,
then surrendered himself at the local police station. He stood trial in
November at Warwick Assizes before Baron Huddlestone, and insisted on pleading
guilty. Many women in the packed courtroom were in tears when the judge
passed the death sentence. He was hanged by James Berry in Warwick on the
6 December 1887.
Purcell, Benjamin
Fifty year old Benjamin Purcell and his wife Emily who was forty four lived
unhappily together at Bradford-upon- Avon, and as a result would quarrel
over the slightest matter. On 9 November she returned home from shopping
and they had an argument over a floral petticoat she had just purchased.
In a rage, he picked up an axe and split her head open, then beat her about
the head and body with the blunt end. When he was satisfied that she was
dead, he walked to the nearest police station and confessed. He was sentenced
to death at Wiltshire Assizes by Baron Pollock and hanged by James Berry
on the 9 December 1889 at Devizes..
Purcell, John
John Purcell who was a blacksmith was convicted of the murder of Bridget
Smith and elderly lady aged sixty, She was found battered to death in her
home at Naul, Co Dublin, on 21 November 1890. Forty year old Purcell was
hanged by James Berry on the 13 March 1891 in Dublin.
Pickering, Henry
Twenty nine year old Henry Pickering was a mechanic by trade but after
getting married in January, he had been unable to find work. As a result.
he and his wife had to live with his parents at Holbeck, near Leeds. On
23 April, the younger Pickering and his wife had a quarrel, and she retired
upstairs to their room. He followed and attacked her, he cut her head off
with a carving knife. Making no attempt to get away he gave himself up
and said he wanted to be hanged. James Billington saw that he got his wish
on the 14 June 1892 in Leeds.
Pugh, William
William Pugh, a collier, called at a farm at Brackenfield, Derbyshire,
where Miss Elizabeth Boot who was nineteen years old, was a housekeeper.
A young girl at the farm told how she saw Pugh persuade Elizabeth to accompany
him to a barn, where she was later found beaten to death. Pugh was arrested
and denied the murder, claiming: 'Why should it be me, what motive could
I have?' He did confess to helping a friend move the body, hence the bloodstains
found on his clothing, but the jury were not convinced by his story and
he was convicted. He was hanged in Derby by James Billington on the 5 August
1896 aged just twenty one.
Patterson, George
George Patterson was a soldier sentenced to death by Lord Young at Edinburgh
High Court for the horrific murder of his paramour. Mary McGuire, whom
he beat to death with a red hot poker in their home at Milton Lane, Glasgow,
in February. When the body was discovered police counted forty burns on
the upper body. His defence attributed the murder to the fact that Paterson
was insane as a result of sunstroke he had suffered while serving in India.
The jury found him guilty by a majority of 8-7 and on 17 May he was sentenced
to death: they also added a unanimous recommendation for mercy on account
of provocation. It was expected that Paterson would be reprieved as the
execution was due to take place amidst the celebration of Queen Victoria's
Diamond Jubilee. In Glasgow on Whit Monday 7 June 1897 he was hanged by
James Billington on a scaffold specially constructed in a part of the gaol
known as the joiner's shop.
Parker, Cornelius
Twenty four year old Parker was a blacksmith's striker who shot dead his
girlfriend, Mary Elizabeth Meadows. He stated at his trial that they had
arranged to die together, but after shooting her twice he claimed he 'hadn't
the heart to kill himself.' He pleaded insanity and it was revealed that
he had tried to commit suicide at least three times. In the condemned cell,
he confessed to a warder that he had planned the murder in advance, and
that he had intended to kill her on a Friday night, but after they had
been out drinking he postponed it until the next day. He was hanged in
Northampton on the 11 July 1899 by James Billington.
Preston, Frederick
Frederick Preston was a young twenty two year old French polisher who murdered
his girlfriend, Eliza Jane Mears, on 9 July at Hackney. They had been going
out for a while but her mother urged her to give him up as he treated her
in a brutal fashion. She did so, and he beat her to death with a blunt
instrument. He was tried and convicted and sentenced to hang. That
sentence was carried out on 3 October 1899 in Newgate by James Billington.
Parr, John
John Parr was a French-polisher who murdered his girlfriend, Sarah Willett
when she was just nineteen years old, at Bethnall Green. She had called
off their wedding after discovering that Parr supplemented his income as
a burglar. He accosted her outside a Bethnall Green police station and
shot her dead, surrendering to the first policeman who arrived at the scene.
Parr was sentenced to death at the Central Criminal Court by Mr Justice
Bucknall, and despite a call for mercy on account of his age, he was hanged
by James Billington in Newgate on the 2 October 1900 at the age of nineteen.
It was almost a year to the day from when Frederick Preston who was also
a French-polisher was also hanged.
Parker, George Henry
Twenty three year old George Parker was a former marine, turned petty thief,
who was convicted of the murder of William Pearson who was found shot dead
in a railway carriage. On Thursday 17 January, Parker boarded a London
bound train at Eastleigh, just north of Southampton, and settled into a
third class carriage which had one other occupant, a middle aged woman
called Mrs King. Parker was short of money and had only been able to buy
a ticket as far as Winchester. Knowing that when he reached London he would
be fined for not having the correct fare, he decided to rob one of his
fellow travellers. The train stopped at Winchester where William Pearson,
a wealthy farmer, entered the carriage. Parker considered him a suitable
victim and as the train reached Surbiton, he went into the lavatory and
loaded a gun he habitually carried. Re-entering the carriage, he shot the
farmer dead then turned the gun on Mrs King who had witnessed the murder,
wounding her. She pleaded for her life as he demanded money but when she
offered him only a few pence, he ignored it and rifled the pockets of the
farmer instead. The train entered Vauxhall, Parker opened the door, and
as it slowed down he jumped onto the platform, thrust the dead man's ticket
at the collector and fled, Mrs King hurried onto the platform and began
screaming 'murder!'. Parker was chased and caught; when searched he was
found to be in possession of items identified as belonging to the dead
man. At his trial at Hampshire Assizes before Mr Justice Phillimore, he
was convicted on overwhelming evidence and after sentence of death was
passed, he admitted carrying out the robbery to finance his liaison with
a soldier's wife. The sentence was carried out on the 19 March 1901 in
Wandsworth when he was hanged by James and Thomas Billington.
Place, George
George Place was convicted of the murder of Eliza Chetwynd, her baby daughter
and her mother. Place was the father of Eliza's eleven day old baby, and
they lived together at her mother's house at Baddesley-Ensor. When he was
served with an affiliation summons by the baby's mother, it affected him
badly, and in a rage he purchased a revolver and shot the family dead in
their parlour. After sentence of death was passed he was hanged by Henry
Pierrepoint and John Ellis in Warwick on the 30 December 1902. He was twenty
eight years old when he was hanged.
Patchett, Leonard
Leonard Patchett, a twenty six year old Lincoln scafolder was sentenced
to death for strangling his wife because she had left him for another man.
After committing the crime, he told a workmate that the next time he went
up the scaffold he would have a rope put around his neck. Convicted at
Lincolnshire Assizes before Mr Justice Ridley and hanged by William and
John Billington on the 28th July 1903 in Lincoln.
Parkins, Henry
Henry Parkins who was a shoemaker stabbed to death Patrick Durkin
after a drunken row at a lodging house in Newcastle where they both lived.
He was convicted and hanged by Henry Pierrepoint and John Ellis on the
6th December 1905 in Newcastle. He was just forty at the time of
his execution.
Paterson, Charles
Charles Paterson was a thirty seven year old half-caste sailor who
killed his landlady, Mrs Lillian Jane Charlton, at Manchester, by cutting
her throat. Paterson had been lodging at the house for a year when he was
asked to leave because he could not pay the rent. On Saturday 29th June,
he collected his things and left but returned later in the evening. Mrs
Charlton refused to allow him to stay but he pushed his way inside and
cut her throat in the bathroom. He was hanged by Henry and Thomas Pierrepoint
on the 7th August 1907 in Liverpool.
Phipps, James
Twenty one year old James Phipps was an unemployed Winsford painter convicted
of the murder of a schoolgirl. On 12th October, ten year old Eliza Warburton
was one of a number of children playing on Station Road, Winsford, when
they were approached by Phipps who said that if one of them would fetch
him some cigarette. from a nearby shop he would give them tuppence. Eliza
volunteered. When she returned, Phipps asked her if she knew where there
was a local lamplighter and if she would show him the way. At around 7.30pm,
they were seen on a footpath heading toward, some wasteland. Phipps had
a white scarf tied over one eye socket; he had lost the eye in a schoolyard
accident many years earlier. When he was next seen, an hour later, he was
alone and minus the scarf. Eliza Warburton's father had been told of her
errand, and set out t find her when she failed to return home. He was accompanied
by a score of locals in the search, and they fortunately came across Phipps
on the path. Seeing the advancing crowd, he fled only to be arrested by
the police and held on suspicion. In a cell, he confessed that he had been
teased about his missing eye and had stones thrown at him by a group of
children. He chased them caught hold of the girl, then drowned her in a
shallow pool. A search quickly revealed Eliza's body and Phipps was charged
with murder. So intense was local feeling against him, his Chester assizes
trial before Mr Justice Lawrence was convened for 19 October, barely a
wee,' after the crime. He pleaded not guilty through insanity. The prosecution
claimed that he had lured Eliza into the field and after sexually assaulting
her, knocked her into a ditch and drowned her in a pool of muddy water.
His defence claimed that his story about the children teasing him was false
but argued that the lies were concurrent with the symptoms of insanity.
The jury took only seven minutes to find him guilty, and exactly one month
after the murder he was hanged by Henry and Thomas Pierrepoint on the 12th
November 1908 in Knutsford.
Palmer, Edward Richard
A twenty four year old labourer convicted at Wiltshire Assizes before
Mr Justice Wills of the murder of Esther Swinford at Swindon. Miss Swinford
was employed as a barmaid and had been engaged to Palmer. She had broken
off their intended union when she discovered that he had made no plans
to secure their financial future. Palmer left town but later returned with
a gun and shot her through the heart when she refused to reconsider their
engagement. He was immediately arrested and told officers: 'I did it. I
loved her.' Hanged by William and John Billington on the 17th November
1903 in Devizes.
Parker, Henry Taylor
A thirty two year old Coventry labourer convicted of the murder of sixty
one year old Thomas Tomkins, baker's assistant. It was alleged at
his trial at Warwick Assizes on 24th November that Parker, who bore a grudge
against the old man, went to the bakery and beat him around the head with
a piece of wood that had nails protruding from it. He was hanged by Henry
Pierrepoint and John Ellis on the 15th December 1908 in Warwick.
Perry, George
An ex-soldier and sometime window cleaner convicted of the murder of twenty
seven year old Anne Correll, his former sweetheart, at Ealing on 11th January.
Perry had lodged on and off with Anne and her family since leaving the
Army in 1907. After making no effort to find regular employment, he was
asked to leave the house as he was not paying his way, and consequently
he and Anne broke up for a short time. While they were apart, she received
an invitation to attend the wedding of a friend but it did not include
Perry. Incensed at his exclusion, he threatened to cause a scene on the
day until he was persuaded otherwise. At Ealing Broadway, Perry saw Anne
who was returning home after the wedding reception. He followed her back
to her house where they started to quarrel. In a rage, he stabbed her to
death with a pocket knife. Sentenced to death on 11th February and hanged
by Henry Pierrepoint and William Willis. The sentence was carried out on
the 1st March 1910 in Pentonville. He was the same age as his victim
when he died, twenty seven years old.
Palmer, William Henry
Fifty year old Palmer was a Manchester born painter convicted of the murder
of Mrs Ann Harris, an aged widow, who was found strangled at the foot of
the stairs in her lonely cottage at Walcote on 24th January. Hanged by
John Ellis, who recalled that this was his toughest and most exciting execution,
with Palmer protesting loudly against the injustice of the sentence and
kicking and screaming as he was dragged to the gallows. The sentence was
carried out on the 19th July 1911 in Leicester.
Phillips, Henry
Phillips was a forty four year old farm worker convicted of the murder
of his wife, Margaret, at Reynoldstone, Gower, and sentenced to death on
10th October at Glamorgan Assizes by Mr Justice Hamilton. On 22nd July,
Phillips had been served with a summons by his wife for his alleged cruelty
towards her. Four days later, he cut her throat in front of a witness,
whom he threatened to kill. Carrying a bloodstained razor and with blood
on his hands and clothing, Phillips subsequently gave himself up to police.
His defence of insanity failed and he was hanged by John Ellis and William
Willis on the 14th December 1911 in Swansea.
Parker, George William
Parker was convicted of murdering twenty three year old Mary Elizabeth
Spellar, on 22nd July at Dover, by cutting her throat. He was hanged by
John Ellis and his new assistant Albert Lumb on the 19th December 1911
in Maidstone. Parker was just twenty six at the time of his death.
Palmer, Edward Henry
Twenty two year old Palmer was a semi-professional boxer convicted of the
murder of twenty year old Ada Jones, his sweetheart, by cutting her throat
on 27th January at Purdown, a lonely part of Bristol. Ada was found bleeding
heavily from a gashed throat and was able to identify her attacker to the
police, naming Palmer, a former boyfriend. She died in the early hours
of the following morning, whereupon Palmer was charged with wilful murder.
Sentenced to death at Gloucester Assizes by the Lord Chief Justice on 19th
February, and hanged by Thomas Pierrepoint and George Brown on the 19th
March 1913 in Bristol.
Penny, Augustus John
In 1912 Penny returned home to Copythorn in the New Forest after spending
twelve years at sea in the Navy, and went to live with his mother and elder
brother. In January 1913, Mrs Penny made a will leaving her house and adjacent
land to her elder son as a direct snub to Augustus. While drunk, and in
a rage, he picked up a gun he had borrowed to shoot pigeons, and blasted
his mother to death. He was hanged by John Ellis and Albert Lumb on the
26th November 1913 in Winchester at the age of thirty..
Perry, Henry
Thirty seven year ofl Perry was a soldier who returned home from fighting
in the Middle East and murdered the Cornish family, forty seven year old
Walter and his wife Alice who was forty three, and their two children,
Alice who was fouteen and Marie aged five, at Forest Gate, east London.
Perry knew the family as Mrs Cornish was his step father's sister. He lodged
with them for a while until he was asked to leave following a row. On 28th
April, as he was passing the house, Mrs Cornish invited him in. They were
soon arguing again until Perry picked up an axe and beat her to death.
He then waited for each member of the family to return home and systematically
killed them. He also stole money and valuables from the house. Perry pleaded
insanity at his trial, and it was alleged that he was insane after being
beaten and tortured at the hands of the Turks while a prisoner during the
war. He had seventeen previous criminal convictions, including violence.
Found guilty at the Old Bailey on 27th May, sentenced to death by Mr Justice
Darling, Perry was hanged by John Ellis and William Willis on the 10th
July 1919 in Pentonville.
Poutney, Elijah
Forty eight year old Poutney and his wife, Gertrude, had a public house
at Bilston in the West Midlands. While she ran the pub during the day,
he worked in the local steel mill. In 1921, he was accidentally struck
on the head with a bag of coal and from then he became bad tempered and
suffered headaches. He also became convinced that his wife was having an
affair with a man named McCann. In April of 1922, she announced that she
was pregnant and Poutney told his wife that he suspected McCann was the
father. They began quarrelling until he slit her throat. Sentenced to death
at Staffordshire Assizes by Mr Justice Shearman on 7th July and hanged
by John Ellis and Robert Baxter in Birmingham onthe 11th August 1922.
Perry, George
Perry was lodging with his brother Edwin and his wife Emma at Burslem.
On Boxing Day, 1922, the three had been drinking heavily at home with some
friends. Shortly before midnight, the friends left and Edwin went to bed
leaving his wife and brother alone downstairs. The next morning she was
found dead on the kitchen floor with her throat cut. Perry was arrested
later that morning after making a failed bid to drown himself in a nearby
canal. Convicted at Stafford Assizes before Mr Justice Shearman on 22nd
February, and hanged by John Ellis. The sentence was carried out on the
28th March 1923 in Manchester. Perry was fifty at the time of his
death.
Pratley, Michael
On 7 March, three armed and masked men attempted a wages robbery of a Belfast
factory. One of the employees. Nelson Leech, offered resistance and was
shot in the back. The disturbance alerted police from an adjacent barracks
who gave chase, eventually detaining thirty year old Michael Pratley, a
tailor. who tried to shoot his arresting officer only for his pistol to
jam. Pratley was taken into custody and when Nelson Leech died, was charged
with murder. He admitted that while he did take part in the robbery, he
was not responsible for firing the fatal shot. Evidence suggested otherwise
and he was found guilty. His accomplices were apprehended and later sentenced
to lengthy terms of imprisonment. He was hanged by William Willis and Robert
Wilson on the 8th May 1924 in Belfast.
Power, Patrick
Power was a forty one year old unemployed Irish labourer convicted of the
murder of his landlady, Mrs Sarah Ann Sykes. Power, who claimed unemployment
benefit, had been lodging with the Sykes for several months. At the beginning
of April, he borrowed £5 from Mrs Sykes; on 11th April, Mr Sykes
informed Power that if he did not repay the loan that day, he would be
evicted. Sykes then went off to work as usual, and later that afternoon
Power walked into Pendleton police station, Salford, and confessed that
he had killed his landlady. Officers accompanied him back to the house
and found her body lying under a piano. She had been attacked with a hammer
and knife and had massive injuries. Power claimed he had no idea what had
happened. At his trial before Mr Justice Finlay on 8th May at Manchester
Assizes, his defence claimed that Power's mind was distorted by spiritulism,
and they asked for a verdict of guilty but insane. They also declared that
Power was a former soldier with over twenty years service, and although
he was in debt to the Sykes, his bank balance was in the black to the tune
of some £40. He was hanged by William Willis on the 26th May 1925
in Manchester.
Power, James Joseph
A former policeman sentenced to death at Birmingham Assizes by Mr Justice
Swift on 9th December, 1927, for the murder of Olive Turner, a young factory
worker. One night in autumn l927, twenty one year old Miss Turner
and her boyfriend Charles Bromhead were strolling beside a canal at Winson
Green, in the shadows of Birmingham prison, when they were stopped by Power.
Pretending to be a plain clothes policeman, he asked them for proof of
identity. When they could not prove who they were, he told them he was
taking them into custody on suspicion of committing some crime. As they
headed towards the station. Power suggested he was open to a bribe by saying
they could 'square up with him.' Bromhead offered him fourpence. 'Fourpence
is no good to me,' he replied. At that moment. Bromhead, rightly suspecting
that Power was an imposter, told Olive to make a run for it. Power gave
chase. and struck Bromhead a blow to face. rendering him senseless for
a short time. When he came to. the others had disappeared. Further down
the path. a courting couple spoke to Power who was dragging the distressed
girl by the waist, and he told them he was a policeman taking her into
custody. It was l 1.30pm. Five minutes later, another couple heard sounds
of a struggle followed by a splash. Olive's body was later discovered in
the canal. She had been raped and had died as a result of drowning. Thirty
six year old Power was identified by several people as the man on the river
bank claiming to be a police officer. As the sentence of death; was passed,
Power shouted at the judge that he did not want any sympathy but announced
that he planned to appeal. It failed, and he was hanged at Winson Green
prison, a stone's throw from where he had committed the murder, by Thomas
Pierrepoint and Robert Wilson on the 31st January 1928.
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For more information contact:
Gregg Manning
