The Ultimate Crime

Search Query

This list is intended to give both an historic and a modern look at murder. With both new and old cases included it is hoped that a more complete picture will be available. This list only contains murders committed by men. This section currently has information on 50 cases

Caler, Thomas

Thomas Caler was a South African negro who was convicted of the murder of Mrs Ayesha Ibraim and her 18 month old daughter on 15 December, 1919. Mrs Ibraim, who was the wife of an Egyptian coffee house owner was brutally raped by Caler before he cut her throat. He was tried found guilty and sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out by John Ellis and William Willis on the 14th April 1920 at Cardiff.

Camb, James

Camb was a ship's steward who was found guilty of the murder at sea. His victim was an actress named Eileen Isabella 'Gay' Gibson. Camb worked aboard the liner 'Durban Castle' and Miss Gibson was returning to England aboard it from South Africa. On 18 October 1947 Miss Gibson was reported missing. The vessel was then off the coast of West Africa and, though the vessel was turned about, all searches for her proved fruitless. At 3am on the 18th a ship's watchman had answered a call from Miss Gibson's cabin. When he got to the cabin he found Camb in the doorway. Camb had called out 'All right' and the watchman had left. When the vessel docked at Southampton police immediately interviewed Camb. He claimed that Miss Gibson had invited him to her cabin and that they had sexual intercourse. He further claimed that Miss Gibson had had a fit and died. He said that he had panicked after failing to resuscitate her and pushed the corpse out of the porthole.

He appeared charged with murder in March 1948 at Winchester Crown Court. Forensic evidence was given that stated that saliva and blood traces were found on the bedding in the cabin and that this suggested strangulation. There were also, at the time, scratches on Camb's wrists that could have been caused by the woman as she struggled. The defence had a hard time explaining why Camb had not tried to summon help and why he had disposed of the body out of the porthole.

He was duly found guilty and sentenced to death. At the time a no-hanging bill was being debated in Parliament and, because of the uncertainty of the outcome, he was reprieved.

Carr, Robert

Robert Carr was a handsome young man but was not too choosy about where his sexual preferences were. In 1606 he was taking part in a tournament when he fell from his horse and broke his leg. The king, James I, was watching the tournament and took an immediate fancy to the young man. James was a slobbering homosexual and Carr was no shy, retiring innocent. He had been seduced at the age of 11 by Thomas Overbury, the essayist and poet. Carr quickly became the king's lover, which suited the ambitious Overbury. He got himself appointed as Carr's secretary and within two years he had been knighted.

Carr took a fancy to the beautiful, 15-year-old Frances Howard, wife of the Earl of Essex. He had been abroad since the marriage and the relationship had yet to be consummated. Carr was illiterate so he got his secretary to write passionate letters to the girl expressing his feelings for her. Coming from a professional scribe like Overbury, it was not long before the young girl was yielding her heart, and virginity, to Carr. When the Earl returned Frances refused to let him touch her, even though they slept naked in the same bed together. The Earl, who had a different idea of what marriage was about, was soon persuaded to divorce Frances.

This left Carr and Frances free to marry. It is probable that Overbury and Carr were still lovers so, when Overbury heard of the marital plans, he flew into a jealous rage and quarrelled so violently with Carr that it was necessary for the king to step in and stop them. He offered Overbury a diplomatic post abroad, hoping this would calm the situation.

Frances seems quite an astute young woman. She got Carr to persuade Overbury to refuse the king's offer. The king did not take too kindly to this and had Overbury committed to the Tower of London, exactly what Carr and Frances wanted. A friend of Frances, Sir Gervase Elwes, was appointed Governor of the Tower. Carr purchased some poison and, with the aid of his manservant, Weston, they slowly fed the poison to Overbury. He died on 15th September 1613.

Carr and Frances were then married, though he still remained the king's lover. Frances, as astute as ever, didn't complain about the arrangement. Carr couldn't leave well alone. He expected that his association with the king would give him more privileges than he was receiving and regularly made a scene at court. The king was getting a bit fed up with Carr and his bad temper.

In 1615, the chemist's assistant died who had supplied Carr with the poison for Overbury. On his deathbed he had confessed his crime and word of the conspiracy soon reached the king. Sir Gervase Elwes, Weston and the chemist were all arrested and hanged at Tyburn. Carr felt reasonably safe that he had the king's protection. Unfortunately for him the king had grown tired of his irascible ways and made it clear that Carr would stand trial. Carr threatened to reveal his relationship with the king. When Carr and Frances were tried at Westminster Hall two men stood behind Carr with a cloak, ready to throw it over his head should he say anything of his affair with the King. The pair were both sentenced to death and were thrown into the Tower. But the king kept his word that no harm would come to them. After six years they were let out of the Tower and they retired to the country. Frances was 39 when she died of cancer of the womb while Carr lived on to an old age.

Carr, Andrew

Andrew Carr was a discharged army pensioner convicted on his own confession of the murder of his paramour at Bulls Lane, Dublin on 16 June. The couple shared a hovel in one of the city's slum areas, and after a drunken quarrel Carr cut her throat then told a policeman what he had done. He claimed it was a revenge attack after she had caused him some personal injury earlier in the year. His plea of insanity failed and he hanged at Richmond (later Mountjoy) Prison in Dublin. The execution was carried out on the 28th July 1870.

Chalmers, George

Chalmers was a forty five year old vagrant who was convicted on 8th September, at Perth Circuit Court, for the murder of John Miller, a toll keeper who lived alone at Blackhill Toll Barr, near Braco. Miller was last seen alive by a local shepherd on the evening of 21st December; the following morning his body was discovered with horrific head wounds and a blood-stained crow-bar beside it. Miller's house had been ransacked, and his watch, some money, and some of his clothes had been stolen. The murderer had left behind some of his own clothing and a local policeman recognised them as being worn by a tramp who had recently been released from Alloa gaol after serving ten days for theft. A description was circulated for Chalmers but it was six months before he was arrested in Dundee after a suspicious policeman had questioned him. When detained, Chalmers denied the crime but was found to be wearing some of the dead man's clothing. He was later hanged by William Calcraft on the 4th October 1870 in Perth..

Carter Horace

Horace Carter was hanged at Winsom Green Prison in 1952 for the sex murder of eleven year old Sheila Attwood. As is often the case in this sort of crime it seems to have been sexually motivated.

Carty, David

On the morning of Sunday 5th February 1984 a woman walking her dog on open grassland near Southwark Bridge in London noticed something strange in the bucket of a small dumper truck parked nearby. On investigation she found the almost naked body of a young girl. Beside her, and lying face down, was the clothed body of a young man.

It was quickly established that the bodies were those of Robert Vaughan and his fiancee Michelle Sadler. They were both 17-years-old. Michelle had been sexually assaulted and strangled and Robert's throat had been cut. They were sensible youngsters and, when they had not returned home the previous evening, their parents had informed the police.

Robert was a packer in a workshop and his employers, Courier Display Systems, told the police that he had asked for permission to work overtime the day before and for Michelle to help. It was also discovered that another employee at Courier Display Systems had also worked on the Saturday. He was David Carty, an 18-year-old West Indian. He was immediately picked up and denied all knowledge of the killings.

The forensic teams moved in on the workshop. The premises consisted of a single room measuring 60 feet by 20 feet that was reached by a corridor eight feet wide and also about 60 feet in length. Near the entrance to the corridor was a men's toilet fitted with two pedestal cubicles, a double urinal and three washbasins. The urinal drain was blocked by bloodstained paper and, although the tiling in the urinal had been washed it still reacted positive for bloodstains. There were also small spots of blood on the back of the urinal door. From the position of the stains and the fact that Robert had been found with his jeans unzipped and his penis exposed it was deduced that he had been attacked from behind in the urinal and had his throat cut.

Special lighting showed eight partly-bloodstained footprints from a left foot. Stains on the workshop floor proved to be blood mixed with semen and proved to be from the same group as Carty. A screwed up paper tissue found in a rubbish box similarly tested for semen stains which could have come from Carty.

When Carty was told of the evidence building against him, especially that the footprints matched those of his blue suede trainers, he changed his story and admitted that he had disposed of the bodies. He now said that he had left the workshop to go shopping and, on his return, had found the bodies of the young couple. Afraid that he would be suspected of the murders he had cleaned up the workshop and removed the bodies on a four-wheeled trolley and put them in the dumper truck.

Forensic examination of his shoes showed presence of blood that could have been consistent with clearing up the scene but it also revealed small spots of blood on the left shoe but not the right. The angle and position of the spots indicated that he had been standing behind, and slightly to one side of Vaughan, when Robert's throat was cut. Michelle's clothing was recovered from the roof of a tea-bar where Carty said he had thrown them when he was clearing up. Several items tested positive for semen stains that were of the same blood group as Carty.

Carty's trial began at the Old Bailey on 26th November 1984. He pleaded not guilty but was found guilty of both murders and sentenced to youth custody for life.

Chaplin, Edward Royal

Percy Arthur Casserley was 57-years-old in 1937. He was managing director of a London brewers. He lived with his 37-year- old wife, Georgina May (Ena), in comfortable suburban surroundings at 35 Lindisfarne Road, Wimbledon. They had been married for ten years but had no children. Percy was an abusive, bad-tempered, alcoholic and, possibly following an operation, had ceased to have physical relations with his younger wife. It was probably safe to say that his marriage had lost its shine.

In the spring of 1937 a house was being built next to the Casserley residence. It didn't take Ena long to notice a handsome 35-year-old builders' foreman named Edward Chaplin. One day she asked him in for a cup of tea and things progressed from there.

Because of the state of his health Percy gave up work in September 1937 and was resident in a clinic for alcoholics between 16th January and 17th February 1938. While he was away being dried out Mrs Casserley took the opportunity to entertain and visit Chaplin. When her husband returned it was to find out that his wife was pregnant. This was quite a humiliation for Percy and was enough to force him back to the bottle resulting in a second visit to the clinic on 8th March. Once again Edward and Ena took the opportunity to indulge themselves in his absence. They both wanted the baby to be born within a happy marriage so Ena wrote to Percy asking for a divorce. If they expected him to be helpful in this matter they were to be sadly disapointed when he refused point-blank. Percy returned from the clinic on 22nd March and by the following day was dead.

That morning Ena had asked her maid Lydia Scott, to tell Chaplin that she would only be able to see him for a short while. This she did and, when Chaplin turned up, the pair of them walked the short distance to an off-licence for a bottle of whisky for Percy. They returned to the house so that Edward could speak to Casserley about Ena's condition. According to Ena, she went upstairs to her bedroom. She heard raised voices, the sounds of a struggle and two gunshots. Someone came up the stairs to her room, it was Edward.

His story was that he had confronted Casserley, and had admitted being the cause of Ena's pregnancy. He had then demanded that he allow Ena to go with him. According to Edward, Casserley had said, Oh, so it's you, you swine; and had produced a gun from his writing desk. In fear for his own life Edward had grabbed the gun and the pair had struggled. The gun had gone off, luckily only grazing Casserley's neck. Driven on by anger Casserley had grabbed Edward between the legs causing him considerable pain. Edward had reached out and grabbed a torch off the writing desk and swinging it around had hit Casserley over the head with it three times. This made Casserley let go of the younger man's genitals and the pair stumbled and fell to the floor. Casserley was still trying to point the gun at Edward and there were a couple of clicks as the trigger was pulled but it failed to go off. Chaplin got both hands onto the gun and forced the older man's arm across his neck. Casserley said that he gave in and Edward started to get up. As he rose he heard another click. He jumped onto Casserley and forced his hands to the side of Casserley's head. As he did so the gun went off and Casserley became still. The bullet had entered his head, just in front of the left ear.

In Shock Edward went upstairs to Ena and told her what had happened. When they both came down it was to find that Casserley was unconscious, but still alive. Edward wanted to keep Ena's name out of any publicity so decided to make it look like a burglary.

When the police arrived the house was in a state of disorder. Ena told the police that she had been absent for about 40 minutes while she went for a walk. She had returned to find her husband lying in a pool of blood. One of the items that police found in the mess was a grey button. The police were not totally convinced by the burglary theory and did some checking into the Casserley's background.

On the 29th March they visited Edward Chaplin at his current site in Epsom. He fetched his coat from the shed and put it on. It was missing a grey button and was still wet from where he had washed it after the shooting. Chaplin was arrested and charged with Percy's murder. Ena was charged as an accessory after the fact.

Edward Chaplin's trial began on 24th May 1938 at the Old Bailey with Ena Casserley's to follow. The story of the fight and the accidental shooting was once more related and despite evidence that Chaplin's body was unmarked after the fight while Casserley's body showed over 17 bruises, and the fact that Percy was a 58-year-old, sick, alcoholic who couldn't have put up much of a fight, Chaplins story was beleived and he was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. He received a sentence of twelve years' penal servitude. Ena was given the nominal sentence of eleven days in prison and released immediately.

Edward Chaplin was a well behaved prisoner and with remission only served eight years. When he was released Ena was waiting for him at the prison gates. On 17th May 1946 they were married.

Chapman, George

Chapman, whose real name was Severin Klosowski, was 38-years-old and the son of a Polish carpenter. After moving to England, in 1888, he took up employment as a barber's assistant in the East End of London. In 1889 he got married and moved to America but it didn't work out and he separated from his wife and moved back to London in 1895 where he lived with a married woman named Isabella Spink. He used her money to buy himself a pub in the City Road. Mrs Spink died in December 1897 after an illness with symptoms that included abdominal pains and vomiting.

In 1898 one of his barmaids, Bessie Taylor, became his mistress. Everything was fine but then three years later in February 1901 she developed similar symptoms to Mrs Spink and died. Soon another barmaid, Maud Marsh, was employed. She developed abdominal pains and vomiting and she died on 22 October 1902. Her mother was highly suspicious and told the doctors that she thought poisoning might be involved. With this accusation the doctor had no other choice but to refuse to issue a death certificate and to order a post-mortem which when it was conducted revealed antimony poisoning. The bodies of the other two women were exhumed and examined. It was found that they, too, had died from antimony poisoning.

Chapman was tried at the Old Bailey and it took the jury only 11 minutes to find him guilty after it was shown that he had purchased tartar emetic from a local chemist. Although he seemed to think nothing about causing the death of other people he was far from calm when the death sentence was passed on him almost collapsing in court. When his final moment arrived he had to be partly carried to the gallows and held in place until the job was done. He was executed on 7 April 1903 by William Billington.

Chikatilo, Andrei

The Soviet Hannibal Lecter. He was executed in 1994. This sexually impotent man killed children with impunity while he lived a quiet married life as a teacher.

Andrei Chikatilo lived in Rostov, 500 miles from Moscow, where he prayed mostly on children. He stalked many of his victims in train and bus stations and had a penchant for disembowlment and mutilation. He was also a cannibal and a sadist. His macabre twelve-year killing spree was uncovered in 1982. Previously he was taken in for questioning and let go when police found that his blood did not match the semen found in the victim. A little known fact is that the blood and semen of a person does not necessarily have to match. There are rare exceptions, one of which was Chikatilo. Free again, he continued on his path of destruction. While he was on trial, his gory descriptions, psychotic behaviour and litany of horrors gave the Soviet public their first taste of serial mayhem.

Cienski, Ludomir

No details listed on this case at this time

Clark, William John

In November 1967 William John Clarke was tried at Chester Assizes and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of John Whyte. It was thought that Clarke shot and killed John Whyte during a quarrel over the proceeds from some of their other crimes.

Clark, Henry Lovell William

Clark a 42 year old doctor was an unhappily married man who fell in love with another mans wife. To begin with the couple decided to kill her husband Edward Fullam. Arsenic was selected as it was easy to obtain. Fullam died on 10 October 1911. Clark signed the death certificate and the man was buried.

Having got away with this they then started to plan Clarks wifes death. Clark hired four men to kill her paying them each 100 rupees. They attacked Mrs Clark in her home and struck her down with swords. Clarks alibi maintained he was dining with Mrs Fullam which made the police suspicious. A search of Mrs Fullam's bungalow revealed love letters which were incriminating. Mrs Fullam who was pregnant turned Kings evidence. She was sentenced to life while he was hung in Agra India on 26 March 1913.

Collins, James Thomas

No details on this case at this time

Cook, James

The year was 1832, Cook was 21-years-old and had recently started in business as a book-binder at Wellington Street in Leicester. Cook was a customer of Mr Paas, a manufacturer of brass instruments and had received goods from Paas to the order of about 163;25. In May 1832 Cook's credit period had expired and Paas wrote to him requesting payment. On Wednesday 30th May Paas arrived in Leicester to make his rounds and collect several outstanding debts. He made one visit to Cook who had asked him to return in the evening. Paas was never seen alive again.

In the early evening a milkman, Mr Sawbridge, noticed a large fire in Cook's workshop but thought nothing of it at the time, as large amounts of heat were required in the binding process. About 8pm Cook visited the Flying Horse public house. He produced a purse that contained a considerable amount of money, which surprised the landlord who knew of Cook's precarious financial position.

When he left the pub Cook went to Mrs Sawbridge and told her that he was going to be working late and not to be alarmed if she saw the fire burning.

Cook worked through the night in his workshop. On Thursday evening a large amount of light was seen to be coming from the workshop, even though the blinds were drawn. The neighbours were alarmed and feared that the building might already be burning. Accordingly, a Mr Timson went and broke down the door. On top of the raging fire was a large piece of flesh which was pulled from the flames and the fire was extinguished.

Cook was sent for. He declared that it was horseflesh that he had bought to feed a dog but surgical examination determined that it was, in fact, human. It had been noted that Mr Paas had not returned to his lodgings and a further examination of the premises was made. A leg and two thighs were found suspended in the chimney. A pair of blood-soaked trousers, a snuff-box and a pencil-case, engraved with the letter 'P', were found in the workshop.

By this time Cook had vanished and Cummins, an officer, went in pursuit. Cook was apprehended in Liverpool the following Tuesday, just prior to sailing for America. He was put on trial at Leicester Assizes on Wednesday 8th August 1832 and pleaded guilty. He was hanged in front of Leicester prison on Friday 10th August and, on the following day his body was gibbeted in Saffron Lane, close to the Aylestone toll-gate.

Costa, Antone

This modern day Marquis de Sade and wannabe flower child left a trail of blood spanning from Provincetown, Massachusetts,
to California. All his victims were women who he befriended and with whom he shared drugs. He then killed them and enjoyed
having sex with their mutilated corpses. The police psychiatrist diagnosed him as being schizophrenic. He was found hanged in
his prison cell on May 12, 1974. He was suspected of being responsible for at least twenty murders.

Crippen, Dr Hawley Harvey

One of the most celebrated twentieth-century cases. Cora Crippen, who was born Kunigunde Mackamotzki, was a domineering woman who preferred to be known by her stage-name of Belle Elmore. Unfortunately her singing talents were not as great as she liked to believe them to be, though she did manage to maintain a career of sorts in the music hall.

Her flamboyantly dressed, ample figure was only matched by her meanness, though both were tolerated by her diminutive husband. Crippen had qualified in America as a doctor in 1885 and, at the time, worked for a patent medicine company. In September 1905, the Crippens moved to 39 Hilldrop Crescent, where Belle took in paying guests. She also had 'gentleman friends' who visited her while her husband was at work. Crippen found consolation for this treatment in the arms of Ethel le Neve, a typist who had worked for Crippen for over seven years. By 1910 Ethel and Crippen had been lovers for three years.

On 17 January 1910, Crippen had ordered five grains of hyoscine, a narcotic poison, from a New Oxford Street chemist. The poison was collected by Crippen on the 19, who signed the register. On 2 and 9 February Crippen pawned some of his wife's jewellery for £3;195. On the 2 Mrs Crippen should have attended a weekly meeting of the Music-Hall Ladies Guild, however, Ethel turned up with two letters signed by Belle, but not in her handwriting, explaining that she had had to return to America because of a relative's illness and that she would have to resign from the Guild.

As time passed, Belle's friends thought it was strange that they failed hear from her. On 20 February, Crippen and Ethel turned up at a dinner and ball that had been organised by the Guild and, on 12 March, Ethel moved into Hilldrop Crescent. Calling themselves Mr and Mrs Crippen, they went to France for five days, leaving on 16 March and staying over Easter. The day they departed, Mrs Martinetti, a music hall friend of Cora's, received a telegram sent from Victoria Station that said 'Belle died yesterday at six o'clock... Shall be away a week. Peter.' Crippen was known to his acquaintances as 'Peter'. Crippen told people that his wife had died in America and had been cremated.

All went well until 28 June when Mr and Mrs Nash, more friends of Belle, questioned Crippen about his wife's death. They had recently returned from a music hall tour of the States and were dissatisfied with Crippen's explanation. Mr Nash got in touch with a friend of his at Scotland Yard. Chief Inspector Walter Dew was asked to investigate.

Dew visited Crippen who told him that he had made up the stories about his wife's demise to cover up the fact that she had left him for another man and he didn't want to face the scandal involved.

Dew left satisfied with the explanation but, after the following weekend, decided to pay Crippen another visit. He was astounded to learn that Crippen had instructed his partner to wind up their business and that he was going to be absent for some time. Dew also learned that Crippen had had the office boy purchase some clothing suitable for a boy.

Dew returned to Hilldrop Crescent and during an exhaustive search of the building discovered some loose bricks in the cellar floor. On prising up the bricks they discovered a heap of human flesh and hair, but no bones.

Medical examination of the remains gave the information that the corpse was that of a stout female, who bleached her hair and who had had an abdominal operation. Traces of hyoscine, in sufficient quantities to indicate a lethal dose, were found in various organs. An arrest warrant was issued for Crippen and le Neve on 16 July. On 20 July the 'SS Montrose' sailed from Antwerp bound for Quebec. The ship's commander, Captain Kendall, noticed two of his passengers, Mr Robinson and his 'son', John, and had his suspicions aroused by their unusually affectionate behaviour. Two days later he radioed to the ship's owners voicing his suspicions. It was the first time that wireless was used in a murder hunt. As the ship steamed into Quebec, a pilot boat came alongside. On board was Dew, dressed as a pilot. He had sailed on board the 'SS Laurentic', a faster ship, and reached Canada before them. Dew arrested them both and they were returned to London.

The trial of Dr Crippen opened on Tuesday, 18 October 1910. Crippen's defence was that there was no proof that the remains in the cellar were those of a woman, never mind those of his wife. After a trial lasting four days the jury were out for only 27 minutes before returning with a guilty verdict and he was sentenced to death. The trial of Ethel le Neve began on 25 October and lasted one day. She was acquitted. Crippen was hanged in Pentonville Prison on 23 November 1910 by John Ellis.

Campbell, Michael

Campbell was a Berwick born tailor and former soldier. He was convicted of the murder of Samuel Galloway. a retired dock worker who was forty nine. Campbell and three accomplices were disturbed by Galloway as they tried to break into his home on Cannon Street. Stratford, on 8th February. Galloway spotted one of the men climb over a fence and gave chase, but the three men and one woman waited for him to approach. caught him. and while two held his arms. a third struck him on the head with a blunt instrument. Mrs Galloway witnessed the assault and was able to identify Campbell as the assailant; when Galloway died ten days later Campbell was charged with murder. He admitted his guilt but denied any intent. Twenty eight year old Campbell was hanged by William Calcraft on the 24th April 1871 in Chelmsford.

Collins, William

Convicted of the murder of John Ryan at Glassdrum, County Tipperary, on 31st March. The crime was committed in full view of a house owned by Patrick Hayes, in which were Ryan's wife, mother-in-law, and some friends. Collins attacked Ryan as a result of a long standing feud, and as Ryan called for help, Patrick Hayes rose but was halted by his wife, who thought it was a ploy to lure her husband outside as he too had had a fierce row with Collins. Eventually, when someone else went to Ryan's aid, it was discovered that Collins had almost severed the man's head with a knife. Collins fled but was soon tracked down. and police found a piece of skin stuck in Ryan's mouth fitted a wound on Collins's hand. He pleaded not guilty to the crime but confessed after sentencing. The executioner was thought to be William Calcraft. The execution took place on the 17th August 1871 in Clonmel

Connor, James

A powerfully built London boilerman sentenced to death by Mr Justice Brett on 16th August for the murder of Sheffield born James Gaffrey and the attempted murder of William Metcalfe on Monday 11th August. Connor had been drinking and visited a music hall in Liverpool. On leaving the theatre, he made conversation with Mrs Mary Shears, the wife of a ship's steward, and asked her to join him for a drink. When she refused he began to get violent and accused her of stealing money from him. Gaffrey and Metcalfe were walking down Mill Street, Liverpool, when they saw Connor strike the woman. They rushed over and asked him what was going on and during the ensuing row, Connor struck Gaffrey in the face. When Gaffrey responded by punching him back, Connor drew a knife and stabbed him behind the ear, then turned on Metcalfe, wounding him. Connor pleaded manslaughter through provocation but was convicted of murder. He was hanged by William Calcraft who was assisted by Marwood. It was another in the long line of botched executions by the aged hangman. Connor was pinioned in the usual fashion and took his position under the beam. As Calcraft pulled the lever, the rope snapped under the strain and Connor fell into the drop, landing in a heap on the floor where he squirmed about in a great deal of pain and unable to move due to his bindings. A new rope was fetched, Connor was brought up and then dropped a second time. This awful fiasco took place on the 8th September 1873 in Liverpool

Coppen, John Walter

Thirty seven year old Coppen was a coffee house keeper, who was addicted to drinking in excess and on the night of 27th August he again returned home drunk. Seeing the condition that her husband was in, his wife Emma Skevington-Coppen who was younger than him at thirty five, refused to share his bed and slept in another room. The next morning Mrs Coppen was getting ready to leave after breakfast when her husband rushed at her with a butcher's knife he had borrowed earlier from a neighbour. and stabbed her. At his trial at the Old Bailey, Coppen claimed that he had been aggravated into carrying out the crime, which was not premeditated. The evidence of the knife being procured on the morning of the attack suggested to the jury that the crime was planned and they returned a guilty verdict. On the 13th October 1874 he was hanged by William Marwood in Horsemonger lane.

Cranwell, James

Fifty nine year old James Cranwell was a shoemaker who rented a room in a house on Great James Street, Lisson Grove. On Saturday 17th October 1874, he invited his girlfriend, Emma Bellamy who was almost half his age at thirty, to his room for tea. Shortly after her arrival she said she felt tired and Cranwell told her to lie down in the bedroom while he prepared the tea. As she dozed, Cranwell crept into the bedroom, locked the door behind him, and struck her several times with a hammer. She pleaded for mercy, but Cranwell said: 'No, you have deceived me,' and proceeded to cut her throat with a large knife. Neighbours had become alarmed at the noise from his room and saw blood stains on him when he walked out of the room, prompting someone to find a policeman. When the officer returned he found Emma at the foot of the stairs; she had staggered from the room and collapsed. Cranwell immediately confessed that he had tried to kill her because he thought she had been unfaithful. Emma was taken to hospital where she died the following week. Cranwell was tried and convicted at the Old Bailey in December and sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out on the 4th January 1875 in Newgate by William Marwood.

Chamberlain, Thomas

John Cox Newitt was a wealthy farmer who occupied a lodge at Wood Burcote, Towcester. On the night of Sunday 30th November 1873, he and a servant girl stayed home while the rest of the family went to church. At around 8pm, Thomas Chamberlain, a local shoemaker, entered the kitchen of the house armed with a cutlass and attacked the young girl. Newitt was alerted by the sound of the struggle and rushed into the kitchen whereupon Chamberlain let go of the servant and started to attack him instead. The girl was able to flee and raise the alarm. The police found Newitt's body hacked to pieces on the kitchen floor and Chamberlain, who was known to the servant girl, was quickly taken into custody and charged. He was hanged by William Calcraft in Northampton on the 31st March 1874.

Corrigan, Thomas

On 3rd November 1873 twenty three year old Thomas Corrigan, an Irish born loafer and occasional dock worker, returned home after drinking all afternoon and went to bed. On waking, he heard his mother moaning about his girlfriend sleeping in the house, an arrangement his parents disapproved of. He went downstairs and demanded his supper but when told it wasn't ready he knocked his mother onto the floor and began kicking, stamping and jumping on her, all while his father and a couple of neighbours stood by! When his mother crawled upstairs to bed, he followed, and threw her back downstairs, this final act too much for her to take and she died. No one had dared interfere with Corrigan but when he walked out into the street, a policeman was called and he was arrested. He was convicted at Liverpool Assizes and after sentence of death was passed, Mr Justice Quain told him to expect no mercy. On the 5th January 1874 he was hanged by William Calcraft.

Coates, Richard

A soldier sentenced to death at Essex Assizes on 8th March for the murder at Purfleet of a young girl, Alice Boughen, whom he beat to death after attempting to violate her. He killed the child in a school closet then carried her body down to a riverbank, intending to throw it into the water. He was unable to lift it over a railing near the river and returned to the school. He was seen carrying the body back and was arrested. He confessed his guilt in the condemned cell and blamed it on drink. On the 29th of March 1875 he paid the ultimate price when he was hanged by William Marwood in Chelmsford.

Corkery, Jeremiah

On 7th March, PC Lines and PC Fletcher called into a Birmingham public house and arrested a man for burglary. As they took the man away, a group of his friends, led by Corkery, began taunting the officers and as they headed from the pub, one shouted: 'Let's give it to the pigs.' One of the men was seen by a witness to draw a knife during the disturbance, and both officers were subsequently stabbed. Although the witness couldn't positively identify the man, he claimed that the attacker had been struck over the head with PC Lines' truncheon. Corkery received treatment for a head wound later that night. A group of men, including Corkery, was paraded before the wounded officers as they lay in hospital, but he wasn't picked out as the assailant and was released.

On 20th March, PC Lines died and soon after Corkery was arrested and charged with the murder. He protested his innocence but was convicted despite the victim being unable to identify the attacker and a lack of any other evidence linking him with the crime. He was convicted at Warwick Assizes by Mr Justice Field, and declined the court's offer of mercy as he maintained his innocence. Four other men indicted for the riot were sentenced to life imprisonment. On the 27th July 1875 twenty year old Corkery was hanged by William Marwood in Warwick, innocent or guilty we shall never know.

Cooper, Edward

Sailors Edward Cooper and Edward Jones were both serving aboard the British ship 'Coalbeck' which had left Liverpool on 23rd January bound for the Chilean port of Valparaiso. All was well until some ill feeling developed between the two men. On 24th April, Jones, acting for the second mate, gave Cooper, a native of New Orleans, an order which he scornfully refused to obey. Angry words ensued which concluded with Cooper offering Jones to go on deck and 'Fight it out like a man.' As they squared up thirty three year old Cooper drew a pistol and shot Jones dead. Cooper was detained and brought back to port to stand trial. His defence that he was attacked and cut by the victim was contradicted by various witnesses, and he was convicted and sentenced to death by Mr Justice Archibald. He was hanged by William Marwood in Liverpool on the 6th September 1875.

Charlton, Richard

Charlton was a farm labourer sentenced to death by Mr Justice Denman at Durham Assizes for the murder of his wife. After the birth of their first child in the spring of 1875, Sarah Charlton left her husband because she became tired of him coming home drunk, and went to live with her sister at nearby Dinnington. On 5th June, Charlton went to his sister-in-law's house armed with his gun. After failing to persuade his wife to return home, he shot her dead and seriously injured his sister-in-law before turning the gun on himself. He was incapacitated for a time, due to his self-inflicted wounds, but after conviction was able to walk firmly onto the scaffold where he was hanged by William Marwood. This execution took place on the 23rd December 1875 in Morpeth.

Crowe, Thomas

Sixty three year old Thomas Crowe was found guilty of the murder of John Hyland, a driver who worked for a land agent called Nat Buckely, in Tipperary. Buckely was returning after collecting a large amount of money when the cart he was travelling in was ambushed as he passed a wood. The police who were escorting the agent caught one of the men, but he was left unattended when two others opened fire at the cart. During the fight, someone shot Hyland. When Crowe was arrested, he contested he was innocent and that he was the first man they had detained. He was hanged on the 25th August 1876 in Cork by William Marwood.

Clark William

William Clark was sentenced to death at Lincoln Assizes on 8th March, for the murder of Henry Walker, a gamekeeper at Norton Disney, in February. He was arrested at Lowestoft, and at the trial two colleagues testified that they had been with him when he shot Walker dead. He was hanged by William Marwood on the 26th March 1877 in Lincoln.

Caffyn, James

James Caffyn was an illiterate labourer who was charged with the murder of Maria Barber at Ryde on the Isle of Wight. They had been living together in a house they shared with her father and his paramour, when, on Monday 27th November, a neighbour heard screams and saw Maria flee from the house covered in blood. Another neighbour went inside to remonstrate with Caffyn and saw him put down an axe. Later that day Maria was found hacked to death. Caffyn fled to Portsmouth but was arrested on the Tuesday. He claimed that the motive for the crime was her threat to leave him. Caffyn was hanged by William Marwood in Winchester on the 11th February 1878.

Chantrelle, Eugene, Marie

Eugene was a French born school teacher from Edinburgh who poisoned his wife Elizabeth by inserting opium into her food. He had taken out an insurance policy the previous year for one thousand pounds which included a clause for accidental death. He tried to disguise the poisoning by making the death look as if it was the result of a broken gas main in the bedroom. Traces of opium were found in vomit stains on his wife's night gown and Chantrelle was arrested and charged. Found guilty he was hanged at Calton Prison by William Marwood on the 31st May 1878. He was forty four when he died.

Cholerton, Thomas

Thomas Cholerton and Jane Smith had lived together as man and wife until the end of May when she left him because of his ill-treatment of her and went to stay with a family called Lynch. At 7pm on 6th June, Cholerton went to the Lynch house and later he and Smith left together. At around 10pm that night, an old man heard screaming and when he went to investigate he found Jane Smith on the ground with Cholerton kneeling over her, cutting her throat. The old man dragged him off and almost at once a police officer arrived at the scene. Before she died in the street, Jane Smith pointed weakly at Cholerton, who then attempted cut his own throat, pleading with the officer: 'Let me kill myself.' He was convicted at Nottinghamshire Assizes, before Mr Justice Hawkins on 28 July, and hanged by William Marwood on the 12th August 1878.

Cunceen, Thomas

Thomas Cunceen was sentenced to death at Cork Assizes on Friday 13th December 1878 for the murder of Hannah Hogan, with whom he lived, and their child, at Singland. Cunceen had led the woman and child to a lonely spot, then battered them to death and concealed their bodies beneath a heap of manure. Found guilty he was hanged by William Marwood in Limerick on the 10th January 1879. For Thomas cunceen Friday the 13th had not been a lucky day.

Cooper, William

Forty two year old William Cooper was a former Bolton soldier who was convicted at Manchester Assizes of the murder of Ellen Mather. Cooper and Mather had been courting many years earlier but had split up after a petty quarrel. As a result Cooper had joined the army and left the country, returning just two days after she had married another man. In 1878, Ellen and her husband split up and she began working as a barmaid at the Albert Inn on Derby Street. When Cooper learned of this he became a regular and although she still liked him she had no wish to get involved in a serious relationship. On St Patrick's night, Ellen was asked if she would like to earn extra money by waiting on a dance at a local hall, so after her shift at the pub she set off on the two mile walk. As she neared a railway station, she was waylaid by Cooper who tried to prevent her from going to the dance. After a short argument, he cut her throat. Cooper was immediately arrested and charged with her murder. He was sentenced to death and hanged in Manchester by William Marwood on the 20th May 1879.

Cassidy, William

William Cassidy and his wife had been married for many unhappy years and after a series of rows, he decided to be rid of her. He joked with a friend in a pub that he intended to kill his wife and that he would swing for her. One night in November 1879, he crept into her room as she slept and after soaking the bed in paraffin he set it alight. She awoke engulfed in flames and died in great agony from her burns. Cassidy was hanged by William Marwood on the 17th February 1880 in Manchester.

Conway, Peter

Peter Conway was sentenced to death by Mr Justice Harrison for the murder of James Miller, his brother-in-law, at Pomeroy in July 1879. The Conway family were struggling to pay for the upkeep of their smallholding and had to mortgage the land to pay the bills. Through abject poverty, Peter Conway killed Miller on 14th July, then robbed him of some money. Witnesses saw Miller call at the Conways after he had spent the day fishing; he was never seen alive again. When his body was found battered to death a few miles away the next day, Conway and his father were arrested. Conway senior was acquitted at the trial but his son was later hanged by William Marwood in Omagh on the 14th April 1880.

Carey, Patrick

Samuel Carlam and his common-law wife Mary Mohan, kept a lodging house at Smallwood, a village just outside Congleton, Cheshire. On 9th February they were found battered to death at the house, which had also been robbed. A hammer was found beside the bodies. The police soon learned that a tramp had been seen in the area carrying a large bundle shortly after the robbery was discovered. Police arrested Patrick Carey who was a father of four, and also known as John White. He was tried and convicted at Chester Assizes and sentenced to death. He was hanged by William Marwood in Chester on the 8th May 1883.

Curley, Daniel

Thirty one year old Curley was a Superintendent with the Invincibles who was alleged to have master minded the Phoenix Park murders. He had been a Fenian for 18 years and held a high rank in the organisation. He was hanged by William Marwood in Dublin on the 18th May 1883.

Caffrey, Thomas

When tried Caffrey pleaded not guilty to the Phoenix Park murders. To try and save himself he claimed in the dock that the real killers were Joseph Brady and Timothy Kelly and that he had only entered the park because they had threatened to kill him if he did not. He was found guilty and was sentenced to death and hanged by William Marwood on the 2nd June 1883 in Dublin.

Cassidy, Peter

Fifty four year old Peter Cassidy was a tinsmith who lived with his wife at Bootle on Merseyside. On 25th June he returned home after a drunken binge to find his wife in a similar inebriated state. They began to argue, but Cassidy - although very mild mannered when sober - became so enraged that he picked up a cleaver and wooden mallet and smashed his wife's head in. Sentenced to death by Mr Justice Day at Liverpool Assizes on 31st July and hanged by James Berry in Liverpool on the 19th August 1884.

Cronin, John

John Cronin was convicted at Sligo Winter Assizes on Saturday 12th December 1885, of the murder of his father, Thomas Cronin, at Longford after a family quarrel in October. He was hanged by James Berry in Mullingar on the 12th January 1886.

Currell, Thomas William

Thirty one year old Thomas Currell had been courting Lydia Green who was also thirty one for over ten years and although they were in a serious relationship they still lived apart, with Miss Green occupying a room in a Hoxton boarding house, upstairs from her mother. After a night out, Currell would usually call at her room and leave in the early hours. Early in the morning of 5th February, Lydia's mother heard a bang from upstairs. After dressing, she went to investigate and discovered her daughter shot dead. When police went to interview Currell, he had disappeared. Currell had fled to a guest house across London under an assumed name. He would have escaped detection much longer if he had not been arrested for stealing another lodger's coat. He was identified as being wanted for the Hoxton murder and was charged. It was later revealed that he had gone to Scotland Yard to confess. but had been thrown out by the two officers manning the desk as they thought he was having them on. He was hanged by James Berry in Newgate on the 18th April 1887.

Cross, Philip Henry Eustace

Sixty three year old Dr Cross was a retired army surgeon from a good family, who lived at Dipsey, Co Cork, with his wealthy young wife and their five children, two of whom suffered from epilepsy. In the summer of 1886, they employed Effie Skinner who was twenty, as a governess for the children, and soon she began an affair with the old doctor. When Mrs Cross found out, she ordered that Effie be dismissed. Dr Cross immediately terminated the girl's employment and she left for Dublin, Within a week of her leaving, Cross told his wife he had to go away on business and spent five days with Effie in a Dublin hotel, Mrs Cross suddenly became ill and when her husband examined her, he diagnosed typhoid. Her condition deteriorated and in June 1887, Mrs Cross died. Dr Cross himself signed her death certificate. He may have got away with murder if he had not been hasty in marrying and installing Effie as the new mistress in the family home. Local gossip spread to the extent that police ordered an exhumation of the dead woman and traces of arsenic were discovered in the body. Cross was found guilty despite protesting his innocence and claimed that his wife had self-administered arsenic to aid her complexion. On the 10th January 1888 he was hanged by James Berry after telling his guards that he did not fear death as he had faced it many times on the battlefield.

Clarke, George

George Clarke was a forty two year old former tailor and discharged army pensioner, who ran a public house at Aldershot after retiring from the army. Clarke ran the bar with his wife and children, including his step- daughter Annie Vaughan who was just eighteen. Two years earlier, Clarke and Annie had had an affair but they stopped for fear of his wife finding out. On 5th February, Annie spoke to her father about a man whom she wished to marry. Clarke told her that he disapproved of her intended, but she told him she was adamant. The next morning, one of the children saw him leaving Annie's bedroom. When someone tried to rouse Annie, she was found dead with her throat cut so savagely that the head was almost severed. Clarke was tried and found guilty and sentenced to death at Winchester Assizes by Mr Justice Field. He was hanged by James Berry on the 27th March 1888 in Winchester.

Crowther, Samuel

As if to prove that murder has no age limits seventy one year old Samuel Crowther,an aged shoemaker was convicted of the murder of John Willis, a gardener, at Dudderhill, near Droitwich. Early on the morning of 1st August, Willis spotted Crowther stealing fruit from some tress on his property. He challenged the elderly thief who responded by pulling out a knife and stabbing Willis three times, leaving him for dead. Willis was able to crawl into his house and tell his wife that Crowther had stabbed him before he collapsed and died. Crowther was arrested later that morning. He was convicted at Worcester Assizes in November. The frail old man had no visitors while awaiting execution as his only living relative, a daughter, had testified against him in court. Crowther was lame and walked to the drop with the aid of a stick. He was hanged by James Berry on the 11th December 1888 in Worcester.

Clewes, Thomas

Twenty seven year old Clewes was a collier who was convicted, at Staffordshire Assizes, of the murder of Mary Jane Bovell. Clewes and Miss Bovell lived together at Washerwall, near Stoke, but during the summer their relationship grew strained when he became jealous of her seeing someone else. One night in September he lay in wait, then attacked her with a hatchet. He was convicted and sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out on the 1st January 1889 by James Berry in Stafford.

Chadwick, William Matthew

On the morning of Monday 22nd July 1889, Walter Davies, a pawnbroker's assistant at Atherton, near Bolton, was cleaning out the cellar when he heard the shop door open. He came upstairs and saw a man stealing watches from behind the counter. The two men began to fight and Davies received a fatal knife wound in the neck and fell down the cellar stairs. The assailant then emptied the victim's pockets, stole his watch and chain, and after taking the contents of a display cabinet, he disappeared. An intensive enquiry eventually produced some of the missing watches, and in October police arrested twenty three year old William Chadwick for another offence. Witnesses identified him as the man who was selling the stolen goods. A search of Chadwick's house resulted in further evidence linking him with the murder and he was charged. He was tried before Mr Justice Matthews at Liverpool Assizes on 22nd March 1890, and after a short trial was sentenced to death. He was hanged by James Berry, on a new type of scaffold which was built on a level floor without steps leading up to it. This design became the blueprint for all future scaffolds. Sentence was carried out on the 15th April 1890 in Liverpool

Conway, John

John Conway was a marine fireman convicted of the murder of nine year old Nicholas Martin. On 16th May, the boy's mutilated body was found floating inside a sailor's kitbag in Liverpool docks. The bag also contained a knife and a saw which police proved to be the murder weapons. The bag was traced to Conway, and witnesses came forward to say they had seen him and the boy together shortly before the body was found. Conway later confessed to the crime which he blamed on drink. He was hanged by James Berry on the 20th August 1891 in Liverpool. He was sixty two years old when he died. Because of his age and frail body it was not a good hanging as the head was almost torn off in the drop.

Campbell, James

James Campbell was tried for murder but the jury were unable to agree resulting in a second trial. This was more conclusive and he was convicted of the murder of six year old Mary Kate Keenan, who was assaulted and strangled in Co Clare on 19th December 1891. He was hanged in Tullamore on the 4th April 1892 by Thomas Scott.

Cudworth, Moses

On 4th June, forty year old Moses Cudworth, a weaver from Earby, took his wife and child for a walk up a quiet country lane near his home at Skipton. He later returned with the child and when friends asked the whereabouts of his wife, he confessed that he had battered her to death with a large stone. Cudworth said he was drunk at the time and that he didn't regret his actions. He was tried and convicted and sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out by James Billington on the 18th August 1892 in Leeds..

Cook, George Samuel

An unusual case in which the murderer was actually a policeman. On 7 June, a warder at Wormwood Scrubs gaol saw a policeman and a young girl walking together across the common adjacent to the prison. Early next morning a shepherd crossing the common stumbled across a female body. She had been battered to death and was covered in blood, though there was no sign of any sexual assault. Police identified the victim as Maud Smith, and when the gaol warder offered his information, detectives interviewed a twenty seven year old PC Cook whose beat took him past the prison. He denied knowing Smith but they soon discovered he had been having an affair with her. A search of his lodgings unearthed a bloody uniform, and in the garden a bloodstained truncheon. Despite his infidelity his fiancée made strenuous efforts for a reprieve but it was to no avail and he was hanged by James Billington in Newgate on the 25th July 1893.

Carter, John

Forty three year old John Carter was an agricultural labourer who was convicted at Berkshire Assizes for the murder of his third wife. On 20th June, their son heard banging coming from his parents' bedroom at Bronledge Farm, Watchfield, near Faringdon. The next morning, Carter forbade his son to enter the bedroom, and the boy later noticed that something had been burnt in the grate. Carter told his son and neighbours that his wife had gone to stay with relatives but eventually suspicions were aroused and the house was visited by detectives. A thorough search unearthed the body of Mrs Carter beneath the washroom floor. She had been beaten to death, burned and then buried. He left a note confessing to the murder of his second wife whose body was also buried at the house. He also wrote that he wanted her remains to be given a decent burial and described where she could be found. A female skeleton was later unearthed. He was hanged by James Billington in Reading on the 5th December 1893.

Crossley, William

William Crossley, sometimes known as William Sellers was a labourer in an iron foundry and lived in a large cottage at Burnley with fifty six year old Mary Ann Allen, and five other people. In September 1893, Mrs Allen's daughter came to live with them, and from then on Crossley became irritated. On 11th June, he and Mrs Allen had a disagreement and he was told to find fresh lodgings and that his dinner that night would be his last in the house. Later that afternoon, he was seen going down into the cellar and returning with something hidden inside his coat. He sat down for dinner in the evening, and when Mrs Allen went into the kitchen he followed and struck her with an axe. One tenant tried to disarm him while another called for the police. He was condemned to death by Mr Justice Bruce at Manchester Assizes on 12 June, and after leaving a full confession he was hanged in Manchester by James Billington on the 31st July 1894 aged just forty two.

Canning, James

Thirty two year old James Canning was a Jersey born army pensioner sentenced to death by Baron Pollock on 27th May at the Old Bailey, for the murder of his sweetheart Jane Youell. James Canning worked as a male nurse and lodged with Youell's parents at Bermondsey. They had a jealous quarrel one night around Easter and he cut her throat. He was hanged by James Billington and Thomas Scott in Wandsworth on the 18th June 1895.

Covington, Arthur

Twenty seven year old Arthur Covington was convicted of the murder of his cousin, Effie Burgen who was twenty, in June. He had been paying her some attention while she was visiting his parents, and while they were left alone he shot her three times with his revolver. His defence of insanity was rejected and he was hanged by James Billington. One of the last acts that the condemned man did was to fill in the census form. He gave his address as 'The Condemned Cell, Bedford Gaol.' The sentence was carried out in Bedford on the 3rd December 1895

Chipperfield, Alfred

Alfred Chipperfield was a young clerk who met up with a barmaid at Islington and persuaded her to elope with him. They went to Cork, and within a fortnight they had married. They returned to Islington, and while travelling together in a taxi, he cut her throat and then his own. He was tried at the Old Bailey and his defence claimed that she had committed suicide while of unsound mind. Evidence suggested otherwise and he was convicted. He was hanged by James Billington & William Warbrick in Newgate on the 25th February 1896.

Carlsen

Carlsen was a Swedish sailor convicted of the murder of Juliet Wood. with whom he lived at York. At 8pm on 23rd July. Carlsen went to their landlord and confessed that he had killed his sweetheart. She was found dead in bed with her throat cut. Carlsen was drunk when arrested. He was tried and convicted and hanged by James Billington. Sentence was carried out on the forty three year old sailor on the 22nd December 1896 in York.

Cotton, John

Sixty six year old John Cotton was a boatman who was sentenced to death at Derby Assize Court for the murder of his thirty six year old third wife, whom he beat repeatedly over the head with a poker. He claimed that the motive was extreme provocation through jealousy but in the condemned cell he confessed to his guards that he had also murdered his first two wives. He was hanged by James and Thomas Billington in Derby on the 21st December 1898.

Crozier, Samuel

On Monday 25th June, Crozier, the landlord of the Admiral Ross Inn, Galleywood Common, Chelmsford. was seen by witnesses to assault his wife Ann who was thirty one in a room above the pub. They had only recently married and he was seen to knock her off' a sofa, then kick and beat her. The next morning, she died from her injuries. but with the doctor unaware of the fight on the previous day. he stated that death was from natural causes as a result of a fall. Word soon reached police about the fight and less than an hour after Mrs Crozier's funeral. her husband was in custody on a murder charge. He was convicted at Essex Assizes and hanged by James and William Billington. When asked by the Governor. moments before being led to the drop, if he had anything to say, Crozier replied in a firm voice: 'No sir. nothing than I have already said at the trial.' Sentence was carried out at Chelmsford on the 5th December 1899. Crozier was thirty five when he died.

Cadogen, Timothy

Timothy Cadogen was convicted at Cork Assizes in December 1900, of the murder of William Bird. Bird was a land agent and there was a dispute between the two men over Cadogen's eviction from a piece of land. In February 1900, Cadogen walked into Bird's office and shot him dead as he was dealing with a client. At his first trial, held at the Summer Assizes, the jury failed to reach a verdict. Following a retrial at the Winter sitting, he was convicted. Cadogen failed in an attempt to cut his own throat using the metal tip of his boot, before he was hanged by James Billington. Sentence was carried out in Cork on the 11th January 1901.

Claydon, Alick

Alick Claydon was a shoe repairer in his mid-forties who battered his wife about the head with a large file, then fatally stabbed her in the neck. He was hanged by the Billington brothers in Northampton on the 13th December 1901. When the two brothers returned home after the execution it was to find that their father had passed away.

Churcher, William

William Churcher and Mrs Sophia Jane Hepworth lived together at Clarence Buildings, a block of houses in the poorer part of Gosport. On Wednesday 9th April, they spent the entire evening in the local public house, much of the time arguing with each other. At closing time, they returned home and neighbours claimed that they continued arguing until the matter reached a climax at around 1.45am when, after a piercing scream, the house fell into silence. The next morning Churcher was seen to leave the house early, locking the door and throwing the key away. When Sophia failed to keep an appointment that morning, the police were contacted and during a search of the house she was found dead on th living room floor with a cut throat. Churcher was soon arrested and made a full confession. He never denied the crime but claimed that he had been greatly provoked. Sentenced to death by Mr Justice Bigham on July 2nd and hanged by William Billington who performed the execution without an assistant. This was the first execution heralded by the tolling of a bell instead of the hoisting of a black flag. The sentence was carried out in Winchester on the 22nd July 1902. Churcher was thirty five when he died.

Chambers, William

Forty seven year old William Chambers was an electrical engineer from Fletwick who was convicted of the murder of his wife, Emily, and his mother-in-law, Mrs Mary Oakley, at Eversholt. After his wife had left him and returned to her mother because of his violent manner, he called on them and tried to persuade Emily to return. When she refused, he shot them both dead and then turned the gun on himself, shattering his jaw. He was hanged by William and John Billington, after it was deemed medically safe to carry out the sentence. The sentence was carried out on the 4th December 1902 in Bedford.

Callaghan, Jeremiah

Jeremiah Callaghan was a mason's labourer who stabbed to death Mrs Hannah Shee, a mother of four, with whom he lived at Tredegar. She was about to enter a workhouse when he killed her. His defence claimed he was suffering from 'Delirium Tremens', and he suffered a fit while in the dock. He was visited by her children in the condemned cell before he was hanged by William and John Billington. The sentence was carried out in Usk on the 12th December 1902, Callaghan was forty two at the time.

Clarkson, James Henry

Nineteen year old James Clarkson was a tailor charged with the brutal murder of Mary Lynas, a young twelve year old girl, at Guisborough, Cleveland, on 27th December 1903. Mary was last seen alive leaving her local church at 8pm. When she failed to return home, a search was made of the local woods. Later that night, police found her body near the Guisborough workhouse; her wrists and ankles had been tied up with a clothes line and her throat was cut from ear to ear. Suspicion soon fell on Clarkson who lived nearby and a search of his house yielded blood stained clothing and a razor. He was arrested in bed and confessed after being taken into custody. Convicted at York Assizes before Mr Justice Lawrence, Clarkson was hanged by William Billington and Henry Pierrepoint. The execution took place in Leeds on the 29th March 1904.

Campion, James

James Campion, a miner was convicted of the murder of his second wife at Castlecomer, in November 1903. At the trial it was claimed that he constantly treated her badly and that on the night she died, Campion was seen dragging her down a road, kicking her about the head and body. She was found dead in the road the following morning and her death was later diagnosed as due to the effusion of blood on the brain, caused by severe head injuries. He was hanged by William Billington in Kilkenny on the 14th April 1904.

Curtis, Samuel

Sixty year old Samuel Curtis was convicted at Kent Assizes before Mr Justice Grantham of the murder of Alice Clover who was thirty four, the mother of his three children. She had left him after meeting another (much younger) man, and had moved from her home in Bedford to live with him in Kent. Curtis went from town to town trying to find them, and when he eventually located her, he cut her throat and left her to bleed to death in a gutter. He was hanged by Henry Pierrepoint and a new assistant, William Fry. Sentence was carried out on the 20th December 1905 in Maidstone.

Connan, Thomas

On Thursday 19th July 1906, three young English holiday-makers out walking at St Saviour, on the island of Jersey, stumbled across the partly dressed body of a man in a cornfield. From the state of the ground and the condition of the body, it appeared that a fight had taken place, ending with one man being battered to death. Police were summoned and a search of the area produced a probable murder weapon in the form of a blood stained stone, as well as a watch chain that looked as if it had been torn off in a struggle. The body was soon identified as that of Pierre Le Guen, a young married man who lived nearby. Doctors certified that he had died two days earlier on the night of 17th July, a Tuesday. Le Guen's wife, Marie Francsiou, claimed she had not seen her husband since Monday evening, as did her elder brother Thomas Connan, who shared the house with them. Marie could offer no explanation as to why her husband should have been killed. Enquiries on the island produced nothing until over a fortnight later when a woman contacted police and claimed that the evidence Thomas Connan had offered at the inquest about last seeing his brother-in-law on the Monday evening was not true. She claimed she had seen the two men quarrelling on Tuesday night. Around the same time, a jeweller identified the watch chain found at the murder scene as one he had sold to Connan, who was then arrested on suspicion. Once in custody, he immediately confessed that he had helped to kill Pierre Le Guen but indicted his sister, whom he claimed had begged him to help her murder her bullying husband. Connan added that it was Marie who struck the first blow and had gone through his pockets as he lay dead, but when she was taken into custody she totally denied his claims. Police arrested Marie, and both she and her brother were put on trial for murder. The trial at Jersey Assizes was before Mr Justice Venables-Vernon and lasted five days. It ended with them both being convicted. Mrs Le Guen was sentenced to twenty years in gaol, her brother was condemned to hang. Despite local fury at the murder, which included an angry mob attempting to lynch the prisoners, over 5,000 people signed a petition for a reprieve. Henry Pierrepoint carried out the sentence, the first execution on the island since 1875, and also the first not to be held in public. Connan confessed in the cell that he had been alone when the murder was committed, although he maintained that his sister had put him up to it and he had done it for her. Twenty nine year old Thomas Connan was hanged on the 19th February 1907 in St Helier.

Collins, Noah Percy

Noah Collins was a twenty four year old collier convicted of the murder of his fiancée, Dorothy Lawrence who was only nineteen, Abertridwr in August. Collins was a lodger in a guest house run by her mother. During the summer Dorothy told him she wanted to break off their engagement. One afternoon he begged her to change her mind. When she refused took out a knife and stabbed her eleven times. Mr Justice Bucknill, sentencing Collins to death at Cardiff Assizes said it was one of the most cruel and atrocious murders ever heard in court of law, Hanged by Henry Pierrepoint and John Ellis after leaving behind a written confession: 'When I realised how unhappy I was, I tried to hate Dorothy Lawrence. That proved impossible. I always wanted to be near her. had so much love for Dorothy so I determined to kill her. It was too late to give me up after making a sacred promise to be my wife.' He was hanged in Cardiff on the 30th December 1908

Craig, Thomas

Thomas Craig, a twenty six year old former miner and ex-convict was convicted of the murder of Thomas Henderson who was twenty five, the husband of his former sweetheart. In the spring of 1908, Craig had been courting a girl although she was scared of his jealous temper. That summer, Craig received a seven year prison sentence for some misdemeanour, and he asked his girlfriend to wait for him. They corresponded and she made a number of visits to the gaol. In September of 1909, she met Thomas Henderson, and from then on she severed all contact with Craig. In January of the following year, Craig wrote to her saying he was looking forward to continuing their relationship when he was released on parole, which he hoped would be in a few months time. She ignored the letter, and in February married Thomas Henderson. On 24 March, Craig was released on parole, and two days later he called at his former girlfriend's home in Gateshead. The girl's mother, unaware of who the visitor was, took him across the street and pointed out her daughter's new home. He called at the house and asked his former love why she had given him up. She told him that she had fallen in love with Henderson. Henderson came into the room and offered to shake hands with Craig, who responded by pulling out a revolver and shooting the couple. Mrs Henderson received serious injuries but her husband was killed. Craig fled the area but was easily recognisable due to a badly scarred face, and he was soon detained. He was convicted at Durham Assizes on 26th June and hanged by Henry Pierrepoint and William Willis. A month after his son's execution, Craig's father called at the police headquarters and tried to claim the murder weapon, saying his son had left the gun - his only possession - to him. He was told that the will had been made while under sentence of death and was invalid, and that the gun would remain the property of the crown. He was hanged on the 12th July 1910 in Durham.

Coulson, John Roper

Thirty two year old Coulson was a foundry labourer convicted at Leeds Assizes, on 21st July, of the murder of his wife Jane Ellen Coulson who was twenty nine, and their five year old son, Thomas. On 24th May, the woman and child were missed by neighbours who became suspicious and alerted the police. An officer called at the house and forced the door. Inside they found the bodies, their throats cut so savagely with a carving knife that they were almost decapitated. A doctor estimated that death had occurred at around seven that morning. Coulson returned home while detectives were in the house and was immediately taken into custody and charged with the murders. At his trial he claimed that he had been driven to the attack by his wife's provocation, and he offered a plea of manslaughter. Coulson was found guilty of murder and hanged by Thomas Pierrepoint. Sentence was carried out on the 9th August 1910 in Leeds.

Collins, Michael

Thirty year old Michael Collins was a taxi driver and army reservist who was sentenced to death at the Old Bailey on 28th April, for the murder of Elizabeth Kemster, a widow with whom he lived at Whitechapel. Following a quarrel, she told him she was leaving. He replied by beating her about the head with a hammer and then cutting her throat. He gave himself up after her brother discovered the body. His sentence was carried out on the 24th May 1911 in Pentonville when he was hanged by John Ellis and Thomas Pierrepoint.

Coleman, Charles

Thirty one year old Charles Coleman was sentenced to death on 5th December for the murder of Rose Ann Gurney at Rickmansworth in July. He stabbed her to death in a park just hours after being released from prison, where he had served a six month sentence for mutilating a dog. His plea of insanity was rejected and he was hanged by John Ellis in St Albans on the 21st December 1911.

Cunliffe, George

A naval stoker by the name of George Cunliffe was convicted of the murder of his sweetheart, Kate Butler, whom he killed by cutting her throat with a razor at Plymouth on 8th November 1912. He was convicted at Devon Assizes, he made no appeal and was hanged by John Ellis and George Brown in Exeter on the 25th February 1913.

Clifford, Percy Evelyn

Thirty two year old Percy Clifford was a soldier, sentenced to death by Mr Justice Darling at Lewes Assizes on 6th July, for the murder of his wife. On the evening of 7th April, the bodies of Maud and Percy Clifford were discovered at their cottage in Brighton. Mrs Clifford had been shot dead while her husband had gunshot wounds, later found to be self inflicted. He was hanged by John Ellis in Lewes gaol on the 11th August 1914. It was the last execution to be held in the gaol.

Casement, Roger David

Roger David Casement was a fifty one year old Irishman and a former member of the Foreign Office who was convicted of treason. Casement had been knighted for his work in Africa but his devotion to his native Ireland led him to make for Germany at the outbreak of the war. His aim was to persuade Irish prisoners of war to fight on the side of the Kaiser, hoping that the Germans in return would supply weapons to the Irish in their fight for independence. He was arrested as he alighted from a boat in Ireland. By the time he stood trial at the Old Bailey on 26th June, he had been the victim of a smear campaign whereby his personal diaries that referred to his homosexuality were hawked around British newspapers. His appeal was dismissed in July and he was hanged by John Ellis and Robert Baxter. The sentence was carried out on the 3rd August 1916 in Pentonville.

Clinton, Thomas

An army private by the name of Thomas Clinton shot dead a Sergeant Major Lynch. Clinton had received the King's Shilling in the autumn of 1916. He was a native of Manchester and his first posting on being summoned to join the Royal Welsh Fusiliers was at the company's training barracks in Barrow-in-Furnace. Soon after his arrival at the camp, for no apparent reason, he became a target for the bullying Sergeant Major Lynch. Throughout the winter, Clinton continued to be the butt of the officer's abuse which he bottled up through the first few months of his induction training, until he finally snapped. On 13th January, he entered the guardroom at the camp and called: 'Now then Sergeant Major.' Lynch turned to look at the soldier but before he could speak, Clinton fired. After staggering outside, Lynch collapsed on the parade ground. Clinton, who had followed him outside, dropped to his knees in tears. The Military Police were quickly summoned, and under escort Clinton was taken to a nearby police station before being returned to Manchester to stand trial. Clinton stood in the dock at Manchester Assize Court on 15th February before Mr Justice Sharman. The prosecution claimed that Clinton had shot the Sergeant Major because he bore him a grudge, while the defence contested that the gun had gone off by accident. The prosecution easily countered by arguing that it was unreasonable to assume that a man who walked into a room with a loaded rifle in the 'on-guard' position could claim that the shooting was an accident. The jury took twenty minutes to find Clinton guilty of murder. He went to the gallows in his prison clothes because it was considered a disgrace to the King's uniform that a man should be hanged wearing it. John Ellis carried out the sentence on the 21st March 1917 in Manchester. He was twenty eight when he died.

Cavanagh, William

Twenty nine year old William Cavanagh was tried at Newcastle Assizes on 5th November for the murder of Henry Arthur Hollyer, a seaman from Walthamstow, who was stabbed to death in a house at Newcastle on 25th June. Sentenced to death he was hanged by Thomas Pierre- point and Robert Baxter on the 18th December 1917 in Newcastle.

Cox, Thomas

Fifty nine year old Thomas Cox was a hawker hanged by John Ellis and William Willis for the murder of his wife. Afer an argument he had cut her throat at their home in Ludlow in August. Tried and sentenced to death his execution took place on the 19th December 1917 in Shrewsbury.

Crossland, John

John Crossland was an ex-soldier who was convicted of the murder of his wife, Ellen, at Blackburn. Thirty three year old Crossland and his wife had married in 1903 and later had 5 children. He had volunteered to join the army in 1914 and served until he was invalided out in 1916. He then found employment as a general labourer. He and Ellen separated shortly before the end of the war due to their frequent quarrels and during 1918 he served a short term of imprisonment for failing to pay maintenance to his wife. Upon his release from gaol, he moved back in with his wife and family in their home on Prince Albert Street, Blackburn, but their disagree- ments soon surfaced again and so once more he moved out. On the morning of 8th May, Crossland left his lodgings and visited his wife. He was shown into the house by his daughter as she was leaving for work. His wife at this time was still in bed. Crossland removed his shoes, climbed the stairs and entered her bedroom. Moments later there was the sound of a struggle and a couple of children ran into the room to find their father standing over the prone figure of their mother. He had battered her around the head with a blunt instrument and she had died almost at once. Crossland fled from the house but was only at liberty for a short while before being arrested and charged with the murder. At his trial at Liverpool Assizes, he claimed that his wife had fallen during a quarrel. When asked why he had taken his shoes off to enter the bedroom, Crossland said that the laces had broken and his boots were falling off. The prosecution argued that it was so no one would hear him enter the room and commit the crime. Medical evidence was presented that proved that Mrs Crossland's wounds could not have been the result of an accident. He was sentenced to death despite the jury recommending him to mercy. A petition of over 5,000 signatures requesting a reprieve failed to stop the execution being carried out on the 22nd July 1919 in Liverpool, John Ellis and Robert Baxter officiating.

Caplan , David

David Caplan, a former sailor convicted of the murder of his wife. Freda, and their two children. In 1917, the Caplans moved to a home of their own in Leeds after living with Mrs Freda Caplan's mother. David Caplan often beat his wife, and during the next two years, Freda and the children made the journey back to her mother in Liverpool on ten occassions. Each time, David Caplan came in hot pursuit, full of apologies and assurances that it would not happen again. In the summer of 1919, they moved back to Liverpool, once again settling with Freda's mother, before moving into a flat above a shop on Derby Road, Kirkdale. Caplan found employment at a local engineering works, while his wife ran a millinery business in the shop below the flat. On 13th October that year, Freda took out a summons for assault against her husband which resulted in a ten shillings fine. Caplan told his wife after the court case that he would have his revenge upon her, and the next day a neighbour heard screams coming from the shop. The police were called and they found the bodies of Freda and the two children in a bedroom, beaten to death with a blood stained flat-iron which lay at the foot of the bed. Caplan was downstairs with a self-inflicted throat wound made by a razor. He was tried before Mr Justice McCardie at Manchester Azzies on 2nd December, 1919. The prosecution alleged that it was a cold blooded, premeditated murder, while the defence offered an insanity plea, arguing that Caplan was not responsible for his actions and that he had no recollection of the killings. Forty two year old Caplan was executed on the 6th January 1920 in Manchester.

Colclough, Charles

Charles Colclough was a forty five year old fish salesman of Hanley, convicted of the murder of George Shenton who was forty, a collier. Colclough had a charming way with his customers and often flirted with the housewives who came to his shop. One customer, Anne Shenton, became enamoured with the shopkeeper and they began an affair. After several clandestine meetings, Anne told her husband that she was leaving him and moving in with Colclough. They lived together until the autumn at which point she began to miss her husband and children. After finding out from a friend that she would be welcomed back by her family, she packed her bags and headed home. When Colclough returned from work on Saturda 30th October, he found the note Anne had left for him. After spending the night brooding, he went to her house and tried to persuade her to return. Anne answered the door and told him that she was staying. Alerted by raised voices. George Shenton went to the door, and after seeing Colclough there was a heated exchange of words, followed by a brawl. Seconds later. George Shenton lay dead. Colclough had slit his throat from ear to ear. A neighbour hurried to fetch the police as Anne Shenton shrieked h stericall in the street. The police arrived to find one man dead while another stood bleeding from a self-inflicted throat wound. Colclough as taken into custody and charged. He was convicted at the Winter Assizes and sentenced to death. An appeal failed, as did a petition to the Home Secretary. At 8pm on New Year's Eve. Colclough walked to the scaffold inside Strangeways Gaol. As the clock struck the hour, a postman walked up the street leading to the prison gates. It was raining heavily but a handful of people had gathered in the street. 'Who are they tolling the bell for?' he asked one of the crowd standing in the rain. 'A man named Colclough.' came the reply. 'Hard lines, Colclough, I've got an express letter here for him.' It was a reprieve that had arrived too late to save him from John Ellis, the executioner. The sentence had been carried out on the 31st December 1920.

Cassidy, Daniel

Daniel Cassidy, a blacksmith. and his wife had separated and she had gone to live in Dublin. Returning to the north east for Christmas. on New Year's Day she attended a party at her daughter's house. Cassidy heard that she was in town and called at the house with the intention of making trouble. During the disturbance he pulled out a gun and fired five shots, wounding his wife and daughter, but killing his son-in-law, Bernard Quinn. Another guest managed to disarm him and he was later arrested. Sentenced to death by Mr Justice Roche at Durham Assizes on 23rd February, and hanged by Thomas Pierrepoint on the 3rd April 1923. He was sixty years old when he was executed in Durham.

Cronin, William John

Fifty four year old William Cronin was a ship's fireman who was convicted of murdering Alice Garret, whose throat he cut on 14th June. After being sentenced by Mr Justice Swift, Cronin said 'Thank you. I'm very glad that you have sentenced an innocent man to death!' He was hanged by Robert Baxter, assisted by Edward Taylor. The sentence was carried out on the 14th August 1925 in Pentonville.

Case, Samuel

On 20th October, 1927, George Mottram returned home from work at Orgave Colliery, Sheffield, and found his wife Mary dead on the living room floor. A cloth was tightly knotted around her neck; a doctor later pronounced that she had died from strangulation. Police assumed the motive was theft as her purse containing a few coppers was missing. The next evening, twenty seven year old Samuel Case, a Sheffield miner, walked into a police station and confessed to the murder. He admitted that he had been having an affair with Mrs Mottram, who three years earlier had been a bridesmaid at Case's wedding. He said he killed her during a row when she told him that she was pregnant. An autopsy found that she was not expecting. Case was tried before Mr Justice Roche at Leeds Assizes in December and pleaded not guilty, his defence stating that the prisoner was insane and that his family had a history of mental illness. In his summing up, the Judge pointed out that Case had seemed perfectly sane when he reported the murder, and that while some of his behaviour was certainly abnormal, abnormality was not the same as insanity. The jury took twenty minutes to find him guilty and he was hanged by Thomas Pierrepoint and Henry Pollard in Leeds on the 7th January 1928.

Go to the top of the page
For more information contact:
Gregg Manning