BELFAST MURDERS

15Belfast’s Local History Magazine

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In May 1911 a terrible tragedy occurred at the Belfast District Lunatic Asylum on the Grosvenor

Road near the Royal Victoria Hospital.

The distressing affair was unparalleled in the history of the institution, though by no means

unique in the records of other asylums in the UK and Ireland.

It was bright and sunny spring day and as usual a group of inmates were working in the institution

gardens. In the early part of the 20th century it was practice and in accordance with the medical

theory at the time, for open-air exercise be made available to mental patients. It was part of

their treatment so long as they were not suffering form any violent form of derangement. The

treatment was used mainly for patients suffering from depression.

Eight patients were engaged in general gardening in the kitchen gardens. The group had been

working together for some months and were well used to each other. They had never abused

the privileges afforded to them as working in the garden was seen as a special form of

employment. None were regarded as likely to develop homicidal tendancies. They were

perceived by the wardens as exceptionally inoffensive, trustworthy, and obedient workers. They

were in the charge of a head gardener and an assistant and it was while the head gardener was in

the green house and the assistant had gone off to get more seeds that the tragic affair took place.

Double Murder at the

Belfast Lunatic Asylum

44444

One of the patients, William John Dickson, a native of Belfast, and formerly a professional

gardener had been at the asylum for nine months and suffered form depression. He was digging

at the time when he suddenly rushed at an old man named Fowler who was sharpening a pea rod

with a chopper. He knocked the old man down when he struck him with his spade but did not

injury him too much. Dickson then picked up the chopper and struck three of his co-workers on

the head with the tool. He first struck James Elliot who was leaning over weeding and he struck

him such a terrible blow that he died a few minutes after arriving at the hospital. Dickson then

struck Samuel Verner who was wheeling a barrow and received a fractured skull when he was

struck with force. He died 24 hours after being admitted to the nearby hospital. The last victim

was John Sheeren who survived the attack after receiving treatment in the hospital but was left

with serious head wounds.

The attack took only a few minutes and before he could continue his attack the other gardeners

grabbed him. He made no attempt to resist them and his behaviour after the attack was quiet

and apparently indifferent if not unconscious of the consequences of his dreadful but irresponsible

act. It was as if the occurrence was one of sudden impulse and of homicidal mania.

The three men who had been attacked were all from Belfast, Elliot having been in the asylum

since he was seven years old. The wounds to Elliot appeared to have been dealt with almost

superhuman force, which is developed by the insane during the paroxysms of violence.

Dickson being a certified lunatic remained in the custody of the asylum until after the inquest

and investigation. Dr William Graham, the medical superintendent who attended the scene,

was regarded at the time as enlightened in his views of the humane treatment for his patients

and was familiar with the most modern of theories and mental science. He had always been

anxious to employ, as far as possible, his charges in suitable outdoor work, but had been in the

habit of instituting such a careful and farsighted selection in regard to those so employed that up

to the time of the attack no untoward result had followed a system which under the old method

of rigid restraint would perhaps have been looked upon as involving a certain amount of risk.

At the inquest William Dickson was charged with the murder of James Elliott and Samuel

Verner. The jury at the inquest found that the men came to their death from fracture of the skull

and laceration of the brain, the result of a blow on the head inflicted by a hatchet at the hands of

William J Dickson.

Dickson appeared at the summer assizes held at the county court on the Crumlin Road. A jury

was empanelled to decide as to the sanity of the prisoner. It was stated that the accused was

incapable of pleading and it was put to the jury that the only question for them to determine was

whether the accused was at the present time capable of understanding what was going on. It

was decided that the prisoner was insane and unfit and the jury returned a verdict to this effect.

Dickson was detained until the pleasure of the Lord Lieutenant had been ascertained at an

establishment for the criminally insane.

55555

The Crumlin Road at the time of the death

On Monday morning, 31st October 1887

Dr Adam Reid who lived off the Crumlin

Road, at 23 Walton Street, died suddenly at his

residence. Due to the nature of his death the

police were called to his home and that evening

an inquest was held by Dr Dill, the borough

coroner at the licensed premises of Mr Trainor

in Everton Street.

The doctor had been feeling unwell for a couple

of days, nothing too serious, but he had

complained of having a cold and had taken

some beef tea to try to relieve his symptoms.

On the Sunday he began to complain of

palpations and took a little whisky but he was

unable to eat anything. Dr Reid was 40 years

old and was a widower. In recent months he

had taken to the drink and his sister told the

inquest that this had become a problem for him.

His medical practice on the Crumin Road had

THE MYSTERY OF THE

DOCTOR’S DEATHsuffered and he had money problems. In recent

weeks he had had to leave his practice on the

Crumlin Road and had moved his practice to

the small side street off the main road.

By the Sunday evening before his death his

sister Emily Reid was getting worried about

him and sent out for Dr Parkinson but by the

time he arrived Dr Reid was almost dead.

Emily Reid told the doctor that her brother had

been taking a white powder substance, which

he kept in small packages in the back of a

drawer. Dr Parkinson was able to tell the

coroner that these were salts that his colleague

had taken and would not have caused his death.

The police searched his house for any traces of

arsenic or laudanum but could not find any and

when they questioned his sister as to her

brothers habits she seemed to have little

66666

knowledge of them but she seemed quite sure

that he did not take laudanum. She knew that

in the days before his death he had taken some

drops of sweet nitrate but Dr Parkinson again

did not believe this to be the cause of death.

The coroner called Sergeant McBrien to give

evidence, as he knew Adam Reid well. He

stated that Adam had recently had spell of

fitting and that he had called to the house in

Walton Street as soon as he heard of his death.

He found there was no evidence that Dr Reid

had killed himself but he could not rule out foul

play, as there did not seem to be any apparent

cause of death. He was aware that the doctor

had for several months been addicted to drink

but that Adam was quite careful in the

community and he was never seen in public

under the influence of drink. Both the local

sergeant and a neighbour of the Reid’s, James

Robinson, gave evidence that they had never

seen the doctor drink.

James Robinson told the court that the doctor

was well respected, and did not have a violent

nature and he could think of no one who would

inflict harm on him of wish ill of him. So how

did a young and professional man die so

suddenly?

The final witness at the inquest was Dr Samuel

Parkinson of St Mary’s Terrace on the Crumlin Road.

He told the court of being called to the house only to

find that Adam Reid had been dead around 15

minutes. After a superficial examination he found

no marks of violence on the body but he found his

legs to be swollen. It was his opinion that the cause

of death was from fatty degeneration of the heart,

accelerated by the misuse of alcohol. He confirmed

that there were no symptoms that would indicate that

he had taken poison. The police agreed that there

was not enough evidence to suggest that there had

been foul play and the jury after a short consultation

returned a verdict in accordance with the medical

testimony.

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through to the last hangings in Crumlin Road

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I n February 1875 the

inquest concluded into

the death of Maria Corry

who died under suspicious

circumstances at her home in

Sydney Street on the 14th

January 1875.

Early on the evening of the

14th January Maria Corry

had gone to Moorhead’s

pharmacy on the corner of

North Street and Millfield.

She had gone there to buy a

wrap of seiditz powder,

which was a common

powder, that people to took

Belfast Poison Casein the nineteenth century as

a general pick me up.

She bought a small amount

of the powder from a young

man called Robert Jelly who

was a junior assistant at the

pharmacy and when she got

home she mixed the powder

with water and drank it.

A short time later she began

to vomit and her condition

deteriorated such that she

called her daughter to her

bedside and said "Ellen, my

dear, I am going to die. It

was the red faced boy in

Moorhead’s that poisoned

me". A minute or two later

Maria Corry died.

The paper that the seiditz

powder was wrapped in was

found in Maria house, which

confirmed that she had

indeed taken the powder that

she had bought earlier on that

evening and the remaining

grains were sent off for

analysis to a Dr Hodges. Dr

Hodges also examined the

body of Maria Corry and he

told the inquest that her

stomach within days was in

88888

a state of bad decomposition

and he could not tell the court

why this could be other that

it usually occurred when a

stomach had been poisoned

or had been irritated.

When he examined the

powder he confirmed that it

contained the same

ingredients as the other

powder wraps he examined

at Moorhead’s the day after

the death, but that there was

so little of the mixture left

that he could no confirm if

there had been any other

chemical included. He had

also tested some of Maria

Corrys vomit but again he

could find no trace of poison

present.

Alexander Scott an

employee of Moorhead’s on

the day in question was

examined in court. He

recalled that on the day

before Maria Corry came

into the shop there were

seiditz powders made up.

They were made up of

Rochelle salts, baking soda

and tartaric acid. 45 powder

wraps were made up with the

tartaric acid wrapped in

separate paper, as was the

normal way to make up the

dose. The powders were not

blended together until

someone came in to buy one.

The powders were put into

boxes of a dozen each and

the nine left over were put in

a drawer. All the poisons that

were kept in the shop, and

there were only three sorts,

were put in separate drawers

that were each marked that

they contained poison. He

could not believe that any of

the poison could have got

mixed up with the seiditz

powder.

Young Robert Jelly was also

questioned in the court but he

denied having mixed up the

powders and the coroner

then summed up the case

against Moorhead’s. The

jury asked him a number of

further medical questions

regarding whether seiditz

powder on its own could

cause death, but the coroner

felt that he could not answer

the question with regard to

this case as there had been

so little powder left over

from Mrs Corry’s dose that

they could not be sure of

what she had actually taken.

He felt it unlikely that seiditz

powder on its own could

have caused Mrs Corry to

have such a swift death but a

dose of baking soda on its

own could have caused her

to have been poisoned.

It was a very difficult case

for the jury to deliberate and

the coroner advised them

that there was a possibility

that a person could swallow

an irritant substance and that

no trace of the substance to

be found in the stomach

afterwards. He asked the

jury to consider carefully

their verdict as no one could

be sure what Mrs Corry had

actually taken on the night of

her death. There was no

doubt that she ahd consumed

the powder form Moorheads,

and that the pharmacy did

not deny that they had sold

her the powder, but Mrs

Corry could have added

another powder to her drink

in error, or poison could have

got into her drink in another

way.

In accordance with his

advice the jury came back

into the court after a short

time and declared that

"Maria Corry, on the 14th

January 1875 came to her

death from the effects of a

powder partaken of,

supposed to have been

seiditz powder".

The implication of the verdict

was that Moorhead’s had made

a mistake and the reputation of

a long established pharmacy

was destroyed. No further

action was taken against the

Moorheads but their position

within the community never

recovered.

99999

A middle aged man named Edward

Boyce was put forward in the Belfast

Crown Court on an indictment for the

murder of 31 year old, Eleanor Teresa

Close, a married woman in Sancroft Street

on 3rd June 1915.

Boyce when arrested stated that he had no

intention of killing Mrs Close. That might

have been the case but the events of that

tragic day could have led to several others

being killed or seriously injured.

The tragedy unfolded in Sancroft Street a

thoroughfare which runs between

Snugville Street and Crimea Street just off

the Shankill Road

Edward Boyce according to the

prosecution case had fired at another

woman with intent but missed and killed

an innocent bystander, and was therefore

still guilty of murder. The Crown set out

to prove that from beginning to end of the

whole business the one fixed unalterable

determination in Boyce’s mind, not only

on that afternoon but for months

previously, was to murder the woman at

whom he fired. Her name was Agnes

Black with whom a bout two and half years

previous Edward Boyce lodged.

Mrs Black from 38 Sancroft Street gave

evidence of a catalogue of threatening

behaviour over those two and a half years.

It emerged that he had been bound over in

February for assaulting her and went to

prison for a month in default of finding

sureties. On the day he was released he

threatened her and as a result was bound

over to keep the peace for twelve months.

MURDER IN SANCROFT STREETAbout 5.00pm that same evening Agnes

Black was satnding at her front door

cradling her baby. Boyce who was living

opposite came out with a revolver in his

hand and charged at the woman firing

several shots. She ran into the house and

got behind the door, Boyce in pursuit. He

forced the door open slightly and putting

his right arm in fired blindly at his intended

victim. Her father-in-law who was sitting

in the kitchen while this was happening

immediately rushed to her assistance.

He struggled to get the revolver off Boyce.

At the same time Agnes Black rushed out

into the street screaming and sought refuge

in a neighbours house Mrs McClean.

Boyce broke free and chased after her and

fired once again. Ellen Close had just came

out of the house accompanied by her niece,

She was carrying a baby when she was hit.

She staggered and fell into the hall, Her

niece caught the infant.

Neighbours by this time were alerted to

what was happening and immediately

gathered around Boyce. Two police

constables who were walking along Agnes

Street were also quickly on the scene.

They seized Boyce and wrenched the

revolver from his grasp. He was arrested

and brought to Craven Street Police

Barracks and arrested him.

A feable defence asked for the mercy of

the court to find Boyce guilty of

manslaughter claiming that such a verdict

would satisfy the demands of justice.

Boyce received ten years penal servitude

at Belfast Prison. He was forty-five years

of age.

1010101010

In 1753 one of Belfast’s earliest murders took place on Black Mountain.

Belfast at this time was a small but rapidly growing town and the hills

and mountains surrounding Belfast were remote and isolated. There is an

old local saying which goes, "I’ll keep it as secret as Cole’s Murder", and

the origin of this saying is this eighteenth century unsolved murder which

was recorded in the Belfast newspapers.

In early February of 1753, a cattle drover William Cole, his daughter

Elizabeth and a local woman known as Mary Maguire were murdered with

a hatchet. Mary Maguire was either a visitor or servant to the Cole’s cottage,

which was near the white rock on the Black Mountain.

The murder took place at night when all three were asleep when a person or

persons unknown broke into the cottage attacked and brutally murdered all

three with a hatchet. The murderers then set fire to the thatch on the cottage

after removing any money or valuables they could find.

The coroner’s inquest confirmed the cause of death and that without a doubt

all three had been murdered. The son of William Cole put up a reward for

information leading to the arrest of the killer but none was received by

him.

The locals talked about the role of Mary Maguire in the incident. Many

Belfast people believed that the murders were committed by someone jealous

of the presence of Mary Maguire at the house indicating that she may have

been a companion to William Cole. The local authorities believed that the

motive was simply robbery as was common at this time in the area around

Belfast town. We may never know the reason for the murders but they

have not been forgotten. The name white rock and the actual place where

the violent murders took place have been remembered to this day in the

place names in the immediate area. Anyone familiar with Belfast will

immediately recognise the white rocks association with the Whiterock Road

in West Belfast and the site of Cole’s Cottage is believed to have been the

Hatchet Field.

The Hatchet Field Murder

1111111111

Late afternoon in

Institution Place,

Belfast, the body of

Ellen Little was found

lying on her bed, with

two of her children

lying beside her,

unaware that their

mother was dead. It

was Easter Sunday

1837 and she had been

dead for several hours,

her body was cold, her

eyes were wide open

and her mouth was

gaping.

Earlier in the day Ellen

had argued with her

husband and had taken

herself off to visit her

neighbours who lived

upstairs in the small

house in Institution

Place. She brought

with her a jug of

whisky and as the

morning progressed

she got so drunk that

when she came to

leave their company

she could hardly walk.

They helped her down

the stairs and Ellen

arrived home shortly

before her husband,

William, who was a

millworker. She had

DID WILLIAM LITTLE GET

AWAY WITH MURDER?been complaining for

several days to all her

neighbours that there

was never any money

in the house and she

could buy food or

clothes for the

children, but she

always had enough to

buy whisky.

When Ellen got home

she collapsed onto the

bed in the tiny rooms

that they rented and

her kindly neighbour

came in to help her

with the children. She

placed the youngest

child on Ellens breast

so that she might feed

it but Ellen seemed

unaware that the child

was there and quickly

fell into a drunken

stupor. An hour later

her husband William

came back to the

house and was very

angry to find Ellen in

such a state.

Neighbours overheard

him shouting at her

that he would hang on

account of her and he

generally was acting

in a threatening way.

Neighbours across the

street could look

straight into the Little

Map of Institution Place at the time of Ellen Little’s death

1212121212

lodgings and they

looked across

anxiously as the

argument continued.

Next they saw what

they thought was the

couple making up as

William appeared to

be kissing Ellen, but

then it seemed to them

that he was forcing

Ellen down onto the

bed and was

restraining her,

pushing has hand into

her mouth and

covering her nose with

his other hand.

The owner of the

house became

concerned and

knocked on the door.

When Little shouted

out that he was busy

she insisted that he

open the door but he

refused and told them

he did not wish to be

disturbed. The owner

broke into the house

by forcing the door

and found William

Little leaning over his

wife who lay on the

bed, apparently

unconscious. His

knee was on her hip,

restraining her.

William told her that

Ellen was drunk and

was sleeping and

asked her to leave, but

she insisted that Ellen

should at first be

covered up as she

would catch cold lying

uncovered. She went

over to the bed and

covered Ellen with a

blanket, not realising

that she was probably

already dead.

William Little left the

house and a couple of

hours later the owner

became concerned

that she had not heard

Ellen moving about,

nor the children crying

so she let herself into

the room again and

discovered Ellen’s

dead body on the bed

with the children’s

cuddling up beside

their mother.

The police were called

and the next day

William Little was

arrested and charged

with the murder of his

wife.

At the inquest

however the medical

experts were unable to

ascertain what exactly

had killed Ellen. They

discovered a number

of bruises on her hips

and arms, none serious

and they would

certainly not have

killed her. She had a

small cut on her lip,

some bleeding in the

brain and her liver and

stomach showed signs

of alcohol abuse. The

three experts who

examined her body

could not agree as to

whether her death was

accidental or if it was

intentional at the hand

of her husband as they

could not tell how he

had killed her, if in fact

he had killed her.

The court heard

evidence at his trial

from a number of

neighbours who

testified that Ellen had

been a hard drinker

and that her husband

was often both

verbally and

physically abused by

her when he came

home from work. She

could not cope looking

after the children and

she spent all the

money he gave her on

drink and rarely

provided any food for

her husband when he

returned from work.

The couple had been

having arguments for

over six months and

many friends and

acquaintances agreed

that William Little had

been overhead

threatening his wife

with violence but they

all concluded that he

was provoked

continually by his

wife.

A few months before

her death Ellen and

William had appeared

at court on account of

not having paid bills

due and William had

also been in court

charged with violence

against his wife.

In this case against

William Little the

judge concluded that

the jury would be

unable to return a

verdict on the charge

of murder due to lack

of evidence, both

physical, no weapon

was found to suggest

that Ellen had been

struck, also there was

no physical evidence

to suggest that he had

been violent. The

judge thus concluded

that Ellen’s death was

accidental, due to

cause or causes

unknown but most

probably due to

sustained drinking

over a period of years.

The charge of murder

was withdrawn and

William Little was

freed by the court.

1313131313

In the 1860’s the Herdman family were

wealthy linen merchants who owned

mills, first at Smithfield and then the

Brookfield Linen Company on the Crumlin

Road. They were also ship owners

connected to Belfast Harbour. The

Herdmans lived in the suburbs of

Cliftonville, an area where the wealthy and

influential had residences. An 82-year-old

aunt, Miss Agnes Herdman, lived at

Cliftonville Lodge and her nephew John

Herdman also lived at the mansion.

At that time the Cliftonville Road stretched

as far as where Solitude Football Grounds

are situated today, and the lands beyond were

owned by Mr. Lyons, one of the city’s

wealthy landlords. A gatehouse stood at this

entrance and just before this gateway were

the entrance gates to the Waterworks, much

Murder in the Waterworksin the same place as they are today.

On May 15th 1862, John Herdman was at

home entertaining some friends. At about

5.45pm he left in the company of Mrs.

Eleanor Thompson to take a stroll through

the Waterworks. Since John Herdman was

a resident of Cliftonville he had his own

personal key to the entrance gate to use at

his leisure. As they passed along the road

they engaged in quiet conversation. While

they were walking along they noticed a man

coming from the direction of Mr. Lyons’

estate. That man was Mr. William

Herdman, John Herdman’s cousin and a man

very much known to him. As he got nearer

he asked John for a moment of his time in

order to discuss some private matter. John

apparently tried to dismiss him and while

both he and Mrs. Thompson walked on, a

shot suddenly rang out. In terror they both

1414141414

turned to see William Herdman, his hand

outstretched, taking deliberate aim. They

both tried to flee towards the Lyons’ gate

but instead they both fell. Mrs. Thompson

had tripped over her dress but John Herdman

had been critically injured. As they both

tried in vain to rise and escape from the

gunman another shot rang out. John

Herdman was reported to have cried out -

"Oh God, I am killed, call for my wife."

Mrs. Thompson in the meantime had

managed to get up and run towards the gate

lodge at the Lyons’ estate. Here she met a

beggar-woman and the gatekeeper. The

gatekeeper ran back to Cliftonville Lodge

to alert the family. Mrs Herdman and her

servant rushed to the scene and help was

quickly summoned to the scene. John

Herdman was taken into his own house

where he died a short time later.

After shooting his cousin William Herdman

set the gun down on the ground and walked

calmly down the Cliftonville Road towards

the town centre. He was arrested later that

evening in the Vine Hotel, Corporation

Street and was subsequently charged with

the wilful murder of his cousin.

William Herdman was brought to trial that

same July. It transpired that he was supposed

to receive money from his ageing aunt. This

money was to have been an allowance and

its handling and distribution was left in the

capable hands of a Mr. Russell who acted

as Miss Herdman’s agent. Mr. Russell

advised Miss Herdman to hold back some

of William Herdman’s allowance until he

agreed to do several things, one of which

was to leave Ireland for England. William

blamed his cousin, John, for influencing his

aunt and it was alleged at the time that he

murdered his cousin as an act of revenge.

He apparently was of the strong belief that

it was John Herdman alone who stood

between him and the money he felt was

rightly his.

When he eventually came to trial he used

insanity as his line of defence. The defence

tried to prove that he laboured under some

delusion, which rendered him unaccountable

for his actions. Certain eccentricities in his

family were highlighted and it was also

alleged that he had been a constant source

of annoyance to his family and others and

that he had been bound over on more than

one occasion to keep the peace. The jury

considered all the evidence, which had been

presented before them and returned the

verdict of guilty

On the morning of Saturday, July 26th 1862,

shortly before 11.00 am, the Right

Honourable Justice Fitzgerald took his seat

in the Crown Court at the County

Courthouse on the Crumlin Road. The judge

solemnly addressed the convicted man.

"You, William Herdman, be taken hence to

the place from which you came and thence

on Tuesday the 2nd of September next, to

the usual place of execution - there to be

hanged by the neck until you are dead and

that your body be afterwards buried within

the precincts of the prison within which you

shall be have been confined after your

conviction. The prisoner then bowed to the

judge and then to the court and was led away.

An appeal was immediately lodged against

the sentence and William Herdman

successfully cheated the hangman’s noose

and was detained in the asylum for life.

1515151515

I n the Belfast Custody

Court on the 5th January

1910 a young man William

Mitchell was charged with

the manslaughter of Robert

McCutcheon on the 3rd of

January in the Mansion

Lodging house in Matilda

Street just off Sandy Row.

The accused Mitchell and

the deceased had both been

lodgers in the establishment.

At the initial hearing the

only evidence heard was

from the police who were

advising the court that

Mitchell should not receive

bail as the only witnesses

were also lodgers at the

house. The police read out

a statement from the accused

that he made when he was

arrested. Mitchell had said

"I was getting a drop of tea

from Morrow, and whilst

talking to Mr Moore, the

night man, Bob

McCutcheon struck me

twice. I hit him back and he

fell on the floor. I never did

the fellow any harm nor do I

know what he struck me for.

He was taken up to bed, and

I did not know anything

about it till this morning. It

was in self defence I struck

him back"

TRAGIC FIGHT IN BELFAST

LODGING HOUSE

Bail was refused and

Mitchell appeared again at

the inquest held in the old

Recorder ’s Court in

Townhall Street.

The brother of McCutcheon

formally identified the body

and the first witness called

was David Morrow, a tailor,

who was resident in the

Mansion Lodging House

where McCutcheon died.

He stated that he had gone

to the dining hall where

Mitchell, McCutcheon and

three other men were sitting

talking. He had tea with

Mitchell and he then went

into the scullery. A few

moments later Mitchell

came running in and shouted

"Look at my eye" and then

"McCutcheon hit me".

Morrow could see clearly

that Mitchell had been

injured and that he had been

hit with either a cup or a

William Mitchell

1616161616

mug. McCutcheon who had

gone upstairs then came into

the scullery and started

fighting with Mitchell again.

Morrow believed that

McCutcheon had started the

fight and he witnessed the

dead man hitting Mitchell

with his fists. After

McCutcheon hit Mitchell the

two men wrestled and

fought on the floor, and

Morrow then saw Mitchell

striking McCutcheon

several times. He struck him

so hard that McCutcheon fell

hard to the floor, and his

head struck the hard floor.

Immediately blood began to

flow from his head and

mouth and Morrow pulled

Mitchell off the injured man.

The witness stated that both

men were very drunk at the

time and that he had no idea

what they were arguing

about as they had been on

good terms earlier in the

evening.

Another witness James

Moore was also with the

fighting men and said that

McCutcheon had struck

Mitchell without any

provocation while they were

having tea. He confirmed

that the warders of the

lodging house had tried to

stop the fight and had done

all they could to separate the

men.

The medical evidence given

at the inquest confirmed

much of the witness

statements. Dr W J Wilson

of Queens University who

carried out the post mortem

said that it was his

conclusion that the cause of

death was die to pressure on

the brain, the result of the

forcing out of blood between

the skull and the membranes

of the brain. The blood was

shed owing to a rupture of

the blood vessel, produced

by a fracture of the skull.

The blow of the fist had not

caused the death but the fall

on a hard flat surface had

caused the fracture to the

skull. The dead man also

had marks around his eyes

caused by a fist.

The coroner then made a

statement to the lodging

house owners and to the

press:

I know this place, Mansion

Lodging House, is

conducted on charitable

lines, but I think it is a great

mistake to have drunken

fellows there at night. I am

afraid that the fact that

drunken men are allowed

about the place will not tend

to respectable people going

there. I only suggest that

they do not allow people like

this about the place, as it will

destroy the charity. The

place is a credit to the district

and relieves many poor

unfortunate creatures.

A Mr Wilson who

represented the lodging

house made a statement on

behalf of the owners that

they regretted that the affair

had happened at their

premises but that they were

satisfied that the officials on

duty that night had done all

they could to prevent it

happening.

Addressing the jury the

Coroner said that he

supposed the jury should

come to a verdict that the

poor fellow Robert

McCutcheon, had died as the

result of injuries received in

a drunken quarrel. They

would not want to return a

verdict of manslaughter.

The jury after a brief

consultation agreed and then

returned a verdict in

accordance with the medical

evidence, adding that the

injuries were received

during a fight with William

Mitchell.

Mitchell was discharged

from custody and faced no

other charges.

1717171717

In November, 1870, John Mullan, a cattle dealer, originally from County Derry had been residing

in Belfast for a few days along with many other traders. He was staying in a house in Earl Street

and was a well known figure among the other dealers. One early evening John Mullan set off

for Pelans public house, on the corner of Gamble Street opposite the Donegall Quay. This was

a popular bar for the cattle dealers and other tradesmen who were working in the area. John

Mullen was known for his love of the drink and by the time he arrived at Pelans he had already

had a few glasses of whisky that day.

By eight o’clock Mullan was in the company of his associates, Felix O’Neill, Thomas Coulter,

Henry McGrath and a young man named Connor. They were drinking cronies, but were all also

cattle dealers. The men were drinking whisky, followed by shots of rum and glasses of ale and

were all in good spirits. Samuel Colville the barman remembered the men to be loud but jovial,

despite them being quite drunk they were not drinking in huge quantities. Around 8.30pm John

Mullan passed Thomas Coulter a cigar for him to have a smoke and when Coulter refused to

give Mullan back his cigar the men began to quarrel. The dispute led to Mullan striking Coulter

and then the men began to wrestle. As they wrestled they both fell to the ground and the rest of

the people in the bar began to shout and cheer the men. Both men were so drunk that as they

tried to strike each other they missed most times. When the men fell to the ground Mullan fell

Tragedy after Pub brawl

1818181818

first and Coulter fell on top of him crushing Mullan's face into the ground. Immediately Mullan

was helped to his feet and the barman Colville could see that he had scratched his face and

bloodied his lip. There was no more physical contact between the two men, the fight was now

over and the argument forgotten.

Colville helped Mullan into the shop attached to Pelans and made him sit down to rest on the

sofa for a few minutes. Mullan was not complaining about any pain suffered from the blow he

received and he was a little unsteady on his feet but it was difficult to tell whether this was from

the drink or as a consequence of the fight.

The shop boy at Pelans called for Henry Gilmore, a friend of Mullan’s and they helped him

from the bar. The two men stood outside Pelans, around 9.00pm, and had another quick drink.

Gilmore helped Mullan to the house of Dr Alexander to get some plaster for his wound but the

doctor ordered him to go home immediately and to bathe the cut and rest.

Gilmore and Mullan left the doctors house but by the time the men had reached the shipyard

gate at Corporation Street, Mullan said that he was having trouble walking and he began to

stumble. Gilmore called for a taxi and the car took the men back to Mullan’s lodgings on Earl

Street.

When Mullan got in to his lodgings his brother Cormack, a farmer from Derry, was there and

Cormack got him settled on the sofa where Mullan seemed to drift off to sleep. The brothers

did not speak much and Cormack noticed the injuries to his brother’s face. By early Sunday

morning John Mullan was moaning in his sleep and some blood had gathered around his mouth.

His brother called for Dr Warwick who arrived around 9.00am on the Sunday morning. He

found John in a state of state of unconsciousness and he was very cold and his pupils were

dilated. Art 10.00am Mullan’s respirations was feeble, his pulse slow and weak. By 11.00 am

Mullan was dead and Thomas Coulter was arrested and charged with causing Mullans death.

At the inquest the doctors who were in attendance at Mullan’s death, Dr Warwick and Dr Wales

both stated that death was caused by pressure on the brain produced by a quantity of blood,

which had been found, clotted on the surface of the brain. This blood passing was most probably

the result of combined causes rather than just one particular origin; a blow or fall, excitement of

a drunken scuffle and the condition of Mullan’s brain which showed during their examination

that it was in poor condition, scarred by the excesses of the drink which Mullan took daily, all

contributed to his death. All the witnesses at the inquest agreed that Mullan was a heavy drinker

and that generally Coulter and Mullan were the best of friends.

The magistrate for the case Mr. O’Donnell instructed the jury as to the many circumstances

which led to the death of Mullan and after short deliberations they returned a verdict that John

Mullan had died from the excesses of his life and exonerated Thomas Coulter from all charges.

Coulter was accordingly discharged.

1919191919

Just before the Halloween festival of

1910, in Mountjoy Street, Belfast an

eight year old girl named Isabella Hill died

under violent and tragic circumstances.

On the 29th October, a Saturday, Isabella

played out on the streets with her good

friend Mary Ann Bryans who was a little

older than her. Mary Ann was a kind

young girl and she took Isabella to the local

shop to buy sweets and "wee" Isabella as

she was known was in great form, happy

and in good health. Mary Ann brought

Isabella home when the two girls had

finished their games and she left her in the

kitchen of her home with her mother who

was also called Isabella.

Isabella Hill was a widow of five years

and lived alone in the house in Mountjoy

Street with her daughter Isabella. She was

well known in the area as an industrious

and hard working woman, sober and often

was seen in fits of laughter since her

husband had died. Mrs Hill and her

daughter got on very well and Isabella took

good care of wee Isabella. Mrs Hill was a

weaver and worked in the local mill six

days a week but she had no family living

in Belfast, only a sister who lived in China.

Around lunchtime on the 30th October

Constable William Gilmore was on duty

in the Shankill Road and Isabella Hill came

up to him, She said to him, "Come up

quick to 45 Mountjoy Street. I have killed

by little daughter and poisoned myself".

Constable Gilmore at once went to the

house and called his colleague Constable

LITTLE FAREWELL PARTYClarke to come with him. They both went

into the house of Mrs Hill and in the room

off the kitchen they found the child Isabella

lying on the bed, bleeding from a wound

on her head. There was a large pool of

blood on the pillow and the girl was

moaning slightly. The policemen

immediately called for the local medic, Dr

Gray, who on arrival examined the child

but it was too late for her so he then

administered an emetic to the mother. Mrs

Hill was then taken to the Union Infirmary

by ambulance. The police searched the

house and found two bottles, both of which

were empty and labelled "Poison" and

"Laudanum". A bloodied hammer was

also found.

2020202020

After she recovered in hospital Mr Hill

voluntarily made the following statement

to the police and this is her account of what

happened;

About nine or ten o’clock I got a basket

and two bottles. I put one of the bottles in

the basket and the other in my pocket. I

went to Mr Sufferns’ and got 3d worth of

laudanum. I went to Mr Roberts’ and go

3d worth more there and then I came home.

My little Bella was running about the door.

I brought her in, washed her, combed her

hair, and had a little farewell party. I then

read to her from the Bible – ‘I am the root

and the offspring of David and the bright

and morning star’. I put her to bed then,

and waited till she slept. I then went to

her bed; I brought a hammer with me. It

was loneliness made me do it. I wanted

her to be put on my breast in the coffin. I

whispered into her ear – ‘You are going to

Jesus, and I am going too’.

I struck her two blows. She didn’t shout,

she only trembled. I went to the kitchen

then, and put the contents of two bottles

into a cup and drank it. I undressed then

and went to bed to my little daughter. I

couldn’t stand her moaning, I got up and

took her in my arms to the fire, and sat

down with her, hoping she would die in

my arms. As she was not dying I put her

back to bed, dressed myself and went for

the police.

This was the chilling account of the murder

of Isabella Hill by her mother Mrs Isabella

Hill. At the inquest the police were

questioned about the enquiries that they

made and they told the coroner that when

they asked about Mrs Hills family they

discovered that both the mother and sister

had died in the asylum. The medics who

had attended the daughter gave evidence

that it took Isabella over 12 hours to die

from her head injuries and that she had

soon fallen into an unconscious state and

then she became completely paralysed

before she later died on the evening of the

30th October. She had not died with her

mother by her side but at her home as she

was too ill to be removed to the hospital,

the doctor had stayed with her until she

died. She had been struck just twice in

the head which had caused swelling of the

brain and ecehymosis on the left side of

the head and face. Both her eyes were

closed over from the swelling.

Dr Graham who was the coroner at the

inquest addressed the jury noting that this

was a most melancholy and distressing

case and that he felt that the jury would

have no difficulty on coming to the

conclusion that the child had met her death

at the hands of her own mother. The jury

found that she died as a result of a fracture

of the skull, the result of injuries inflicted

with a hammer by her mother Isabella Hill.

A short time later Isabella Hill was charged

with murder and at once her solicitor

submitted that she was not fit to plead. The

jury were sworn in to make the decision

whether Isabella was capable of pleading

and it was confirmed by the prison doctor

that she was suffering from melancholia

and had strong suicidal tendencies. She

was quite incapable of pleading.

The jury found that Isabella Hill was

insane and an order was made removing

her to a lunatic asylum to be detained there

during the pleasure of the Lord Lieutenant.

2121212121

On the 5th of February

1859 the body of a

young male child was found

buried in a dung heap in

Ballymurphy near

Andersonstown, on the

outskirts of Belfast. The local

police had been informed that

there was a child’s body

buried on the land belonging

to a Mr Ireland and Sergeant

MacAuley was sent out to

investigate. There he found

the newborn child, dead, and

concealed under a pile of

manure. The information that

he had received also led the

Sergeant to the nearby home

of Margaret McBride where

he arrested her, cautioned her

as to what she might say, and

charged her with the murder

of the child. Margaret

McBride denied the charge

and pleaded her innocence

and said that she had never

given birth to a child.

An inquest into the death of

the child was held at the

General Hospital in Belfast,

a couple of days after the

discovery of the body, to

determine the cause of death

and also to find out who was

the mother of child as

Margaret continued to deny

that she had given birth.

Ellen Hamilton gave

Child found dead in Ballymurphy

evidence that she had known

Margaret for around nine

months and confirmed that

she lived in a house

belonging to a man called

Thomas Graham. Ellen also

lived in one of Mr Grahams

houses next door to Margaret.

Ellen saw Margaret two or

three times a day but had

know idea that she was with

child. She told the coroner at

the inquest that people in the

area had said that Margaret

was in the family way but

Ellen had not noticed this and

there was nothing in

Margaret’s behaviour to

suggest that she was with

pregnant. On the Wednesday

before the child’s body was

found Margaret became sick

and Ellen called to see her.

She found Margaret lying on

the settle bed with her face

pushed into the mattress.

When she asked Margaret

what was wrong she replied

"that she had got no sleep all

night with cramps in her

inside". Ellen gave her some

laudanum and stayed with her

for twenty minutes to make

sure she was all right and then

left her. The next time she

went back she found

Margaret in the byre, on her

hands and knees, between

two cows. She was obviously

in a worse condition and

Ellen told her that she was in

a bad place and that she

should return to the house and

lie down but Margaret

refused. Again Ellen left her

for around twenty minutes.

The General Hospital in Frederick Street where an inquest

was held on the dead child

2222222222

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Ellen found her a short time

later in the stable and she

seemed better and she had her

dog at her side. Ellen noticed

that there was blood on

Margaret’s hands but Ellen

did not ask her about the

blood but instead returned to

her house and watched

Margaret from her own

house. She saw Margaret

leave the stable with a bundle

in her arms but Ellen could

not confirm whether it was a

child or not.

The next witness was

Thomas Graham’s wife,

Mary, who confirmed that she

lived in the same house as

Margaret. She had known

Margaret since she was a

child and she had suspected

for some time that Margaret

was pregnant. On the

Wednesday that Ellen had

been with Margaret, Mary

Graham had also visited

Margaret in the byre, but she

was asking Margaret to leave

the byre as she had work to

do. She asked Margaret to

move on somewhere else,

and while Mary Graham was

milking the cows in the byre

she heard moaning coming

from the adjacent stable

where Margaret was, but she

heard no cries and no baby.

The final witness at the

inquest was crucial to

Margaret McBrides defence.

He was William Aickin, a

surgeon, who had examined

Margaret. He had no doubt

that she had given birth to a

child, about one week

previously. He also

examined the body of the

child who he confirmed had

been born alive, as the lungs

had been fully inflated. The

baby was full grown and

there were no marks of

violence on the child’s body.

The baby had died from

blood loss due to the

umbilical cord not having

been tied so that the child

died from want of proper

attention at the time of birth.

The doctor’s evidence

showed that Margaret had not

murdered the child; in fact he

could not be absolutely sure

that Margaret was the mother

of the child, but if she was the

mother the utmost she could

be punished for was

concealment of birth. The

judge agreed that it was not

proved that a murder had

been committed and

instructed the jury that unless

they felt that the child had

died from neglect which

could have been prevented

then they could find her

guilty of manslaughter or

they could acquit Margaret

and find her guilty of

concealment of birth.

The jury retired and a short

time later found Margaret not

guilty of murder as they could

find no evidence that the

child’s came to his death by

the hands of Margaret

McBride.

2323232323

In August 1911 three young

children died and two

others were injured when a

ships distress rocket exploded

in Douglas Street, a long, thin

thoroughfare near the

Beersbridge Road in East

Belfast.

The street was deserted at the

time of the explosion except

for four young children who

appeared to be playing a

children’s game on the

kerbstone. Then suddenly the

whole street shook as if a live

shell had exploded; windows

and fanlights were smashed in

all directions and flying

splinters drove through a door

panel and the upper part of the

street was blotted out, such

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY IN

DOUGLAS STREETwas the thickness of the

smoke. As the dust settled and

the smoke cleared people from

the neighbouring houses ran

out onto the street and were

met with an awful sight of

children’s bodies, writhing in

pain and covered in blood.

Three of these children who

were playing at the kerbside

died a short time after the

explosion; they were Margaret

Ann Larkin aged 6 of 43

Douglas Street, Matthew

McKeown aged 12 of 45

Douglas Street and Patrick

Joseph Kelly aged 5 of 35

Douglas Street. The only

survivor was a little girl of four

named Toner of 26 Douglas

Street.

The first adults to reach the

scene of the tragedy were the

mothers of the children

Margaret Larkin and Matthew

McKeown as the explosion

had taken place just outside

their houses. The horror of

what had just happened must

have been unbelievable for

these parents. Within minutes

four medics arrived, Dr Smyth,

Dr Ferguson, Dr Blewitt and

Dr Boyd, but except for the girl

Toner there was little they

could do. The three children

had died a short time after the

explosion, one of the firemen

who arrived with the

ambulance, declared that the

sight that confronted the

emergency services was the

The 1911 Census Return listing the Larkin family without Ann

2424242424

most horrifying that any of

them had experienced.

Matthew McKeown was

literally blown to pieces his

limbs were torn from his body,

the top of Patrick Kelly’s head

had been blasted off and

Margaret Larkin sustained

appalling injuries.

Ambulances from Whitla

Street and the Central Station

arrived quickly but in the

confusion someone also called

for the fire brigade which

arrived from My Lady’s Road

and three machines arrived

promptly. Although not

required the firemen quickly

assisted the paramedics and in

a short time the bodies of the

three children were taken to the

Royal Victoria Hospital.

The little girl Toner who had

injuries to her legs and arms

was after being dressed in the

Royal Hospital sent home but

a short time later was rushed

to the Union Infirmary where

she was detained for several

days, suffering from shock and

loss of blood. A woman called

Agnes Miskelly, who lived at

46 Douglas Street was

admitted to the Union

Infirmary suffering from shock

but was not otherwise injured.

The police thoroughly

investigated the incident and a

cartridge case, about 5 inches

long, was picked up in the

street, not far from the

explosion. Head Constable

Peste at the inquest confirmed

that the explosion was caused

by a distress signal which had

been removed from the

steamship Calorie while a

number of heater and catch

boys were out on strike at

Queens Island. It would seem

that these boys went on board

the vessel at the Hamilton

Dock and while a number of

distress signals were laid out

in the cabin, as the crew made

a stock take, they took them

away from the vessel. It was

thought that Matthew

McKeown had somehow got

hold of the distress signal and

brought it to Douglas Street

where the children decided to

examine it and play with it

thinking that it was harmless.

The signal or rocket as it was

referred to at the inquest was

found by Robert Williams who

lived in My Lady’s Road and

he gave the discharged rocket

to the police who compared it

to a similar one which had

been found at Vints Fields, an

wide undeveloped area not far

from Douglas Street. The

other rocket had been fired at

boys who were playing there

and the police had been called

to investigate this incident

also, although no one was

injured at Vints Fields.

Eye witnesses told the inquest

that they had seen the children

in Douglas Street crouching

over an object which was

placed on the kerbstone in

Douglas Street and they

seemed to be trying to open the

object with a hammer, the

children obviously had no idea

that the object was explosive

and would harm them. Such

was the force of the blast that

two large segments of

kerbstone were blown apart

and the police produced these

fragments in court to explain

the force of the blast to the

coroner. All the experts in the

court could hardly believe that

such a device would have

exploded downwards into the

kerb rather than upwards,

killing the children, destroying

the kerb and also damaging

houses up to 30 metres away.

The inquest concluded that the

children’s deaths were caused

by the explosion and that the

only person who could shed

light on how the children came

to have such a device, the

McKeown boy, had died in the

incident. The incident was

investigated by a government

inspector on behalf of the

Secretary of State, as was

required by the Explosives Act

and a verdict of accidental

death was returned.

No one was prosecuted for this

terrible tragedy and the true

circumstance of how the bomb

came to be used as a toy by the

children would never be

known.

2525252525

T hroughout the

long and diverse

history of the Belfast

Prison on the Crumlin

Road there have been

numerous deaths

associated with the

building. Many of

these were as a result

of natural causes such

as old age and others

as the result of fatal

disease. There have

also been the

executions where

individuals have been

sentenced to die at the

hands of the hangman.

However, the most

common form of

death within the prison

has been the result of

the prisoners taking

their own lives.

Today suicide is

treated as a medical

Tragic Prison Death

problem connected

with severe

depression, but in

Victorian Belfast it

was looked upon

differently. The

authorities were not as

sympathetic and those

who failed in their

suicide attempt were

treated as criminals

and brought up before

the courts. The result

of the case often ended

with the ‘victim’

receiving a fine or

fourteen days

imprisonment.

It was within the

Belfast Police Court

that one of the most

tragic cases of suicide

in the prison’s history

began. On Tuesday

27th April, 1858, two

young lads, named

Patrick Magee and

Joseph Moore, were

charged with stealing

some clothing from a

washer woman named

Jane Rea. The act of

theft was proved by a

little girl who lived

with the woman. The

boys both wept

bitterly, and stated

that, if forgiven this

time, they would

never make their

appearance before the

court again.

As Magee had been

before the court on a

previous occasion he

was sentenced to three

months imprisonment

and Moore received a

fine. Magee was taken

crying from the court

to begin his sentence

but unfortunately it

was also the beginning

of a terrible tragedy

which started almost

as soon as the boy

entered the gaol.

The following report

appeared in the local

press on Saturday,

May 1st, 1858.

SUICIDE BY A BOY

IN THE COUNTY

JAIL

TUESDAY, a little

before three o’clock,

one of the most

melancholy cases of

self destruction it has

ever been our lot to

record took place in

the County Jail.

Whether we take into

account the youth of

the deceased, or the

circumstances under

2626262626

which the event took

place, we are

warranted in stating

that a more

determined case of

suicide has rarely

occurred in the prison.

The boy (for he was

only thirteen years of

age) who thus stopped

short his career, was

known as Patrick

Magee, and was

entered on the books

of the head constable

as ‘a suspected

character.’ Although

young in years, he was

old in crime, this being

the third occasion on

which it was

considered necessary

to send him to prison

for the welfare of the

community. Magee

was’brought up before

the presiding

magistrates, yesterday,

W. T. Lyons, Esq., and

J. F. Ferguson, Esq.,

and charged by a

young woman, named

Jane Rea, with

stealing from her

house, in

Ballynafeigh, some

articles which she had

obtained from her

customers for

washing. Upon the

evidence adduced, the

magistrates sent the

prisoner to jail for a

term of three calender

months - a sentence

which, undoubtedly,

brought to a

m e l a n c h o l y

termination the life of

the young lad. While

the case was going on,

the boy stated that, "if

let off this time, I will

be a good boy, and

never trouble you

again," and when the

magistrates told him

they had no doubt of

his guilt, he stated,

while weeping

bitterly, "I had no

dinner yesterday; my

father is dead these

sixteen weeks, but I’ll

never be here again."

Whether the bench

could not pity the poor

boy, under such

circumstances, we

shall not pretend to

say, but the stern

rigour of the law was

enforced upon him,

and he was sentenced

to three months

incarceration in jail.

This long time

imprisonment, no

doubt, affected the

mind of the prisoner

with gloomy

forebodings of what

he was to endure, and

his melancholy end

proved that he would

rather put an end to his

life than endure the

continued stigma of a

felon. When brought

to the County Jail,

yesterday afternoon,

as is usual in the

establishment, the

prisoner was locked in

the cell appropriated

to him. At this time,

although the prisoner

appeared downcast,

there were no

apprehensions, on the

part of officers of the

jail, that he would put

an end to his career, as

he appeared to regard

his present fate as only

customary life. The

officers of the jail saw

no reason to suspect a

suicide on the part of

a boy of such a tender

age. The boy was

locked up in his cell;

the time other

prisoners in the jail

passed to their dinner;

but, on the warden

again proceeding to

examine the several

cells, the unfortunate

youth was found

hanging dead from a

hook in his prison

domicile. It appeared

that, he had taken the

handkerchief from off

his neck, and had

entwined it round his

throat two or three

times, and, throwing

himself from a stool,

which was in the cell

at the time, and which

the prisoner had used

for the purpose of

more effectually

carrying out his

design; for it was

thrown from before

his feet, and, at the

time he was first seen,

his feet were only a

few inches from the

ground. An inquest

was held on

Wednesday, when the

following verdict was

returned:-

"That Patrick Magee,

on the 27th day of

April, 1858,

committed suicide

while labouring under

temporary insanity, by

suspending himself

with his neck tie from

a hook, inside the cells

of the jail aforesaid,

while a prisoner

therein; and the jury

are of the opinion that

every care and

precaution were

adopted in the jail, and

that no blame can be

attached to any person

therein in reference to

the said death.

2727272727

In October 1908 a terrible tragedy occurred

in Plevna Street off the Falls Road in Belfast.

The period 1850-1920 is often called the

Golden Age of murder in Ireland and much of

this reputation came from events such as

happened that night on the 24th October 1908.

James Boyle lived in Plevna Street with his wife

Agnes and father in law Patrick Gallagher.

Patrick was well known in the area as a heavy

drinker, being drunk much of the day. He

worked in the McGladdery brickworks on the

Springfield Road and James Boyle worked as

a labourer. Agnes stayed at home caring for

the couple’s five children and attending to the

house. She was also known to be fond of the

drink but she was discreet in her drinking and

the couple appeared to all their neighbours to

be in good terms and to have a happy and

complete life.

THE TERRIBLE CURSE OF DRINKJames Boyle was a good provider for his family

saving consistently each week, and providing

insurance for himself, wife and family.

On the fateful night James and his father in-

law had gone into the city, stopping off in King

Street for a couple of drinks. They were going

to the Hippodrome Music Hall for a night of

entertainment and bought a bottle of stout at

the bar to take with them to the Hippodrome.

The entertainment finished at around 10pm and

the two men walked home, Patrick stumbling

along, drunk as usual but both men were in

good spirits and there were no cross words

between them. When the men got back to the

house in Plevna Street they found that Agnes

had been drinking and was a little worse for

wear. The children were all sleeping but Agnes

had let the fire go out and the men had been

expecting some supper on their return but she

had forgotten.

On the fateful night James

and his father in-law had

gone to the Hippodrome

Music Hall

2828282828

James was visibly angry and began to argue

with his wife. He then asked her to go and

get him a coupe of bottles of stout but her

father told her not to go, as it would only

make matters worse for the couple.

John then set off himself to buy some porter

and returned within five minutes. He was

still in a bad mood and when he got into the

house he began to shout at his wife. Patrick

was concerned and tried to stop them fighting

but James struck his wife hard across her

face, at which point Patrick rushed from the

house shouting that he was going to get the

police.

Patrick’s alarm disturbed the neighbours who

came from their houses and two policemen

who were on duty in Plevna Street rushed to

the house. When they went into the house

they found Agnes lying on the ground with

blood coming from a head wound. Agnes

did not move, and although conscious she

did not speak. One of the policemen went

off to get an ambulance and a doctor but

Agnes died before the ambulance arrived.

James was immediately arrested and charged

with the murder of his wife. James straight

away admitted to striking his wife but kept

repeating that she had fallen against the stairs

and that he did not intend to kill her. He

seemed very upset and kept asking the police

about his children and what would happen

to them and if he would be released to attend

his wife’s funeral. As he was taken away

everyone in the street could hear him

mumbling that he would hang for it,

repeating it over and over.

At the inquest medical evidence concluded

that Agnes had bruising at the right of the

mouth and her lips were badly contused.

Blood had come from her mouth as her tooth

had broken the skin on her lips and on further

examination the doctor stated that there had

been a dislocation around the spine and this

had caused clotting of blood at the base of

the brain.

It was this clotting and the blood, which

diffused itself over the upper surface of the

brain, which had killed the woman. The

doctor also gave evidence that she smelled

very strongly of alcohol and that when they

opened up her body during that post mortem

the stench of alcohol was almost unbearable.

She had died as a result of the fall and not

from the blow, which James had given her.

At his trial, it was obvious to the court and

jury that James Boyle was inconsolable about

what he had done and had pleaded guilty to

the charge of manslaughter which he had

now been charged with.

The judge told the court that the case was an

illustration of the terrible curse of drink and

that he saw a great many cases like each week

in his courtroom.

Under the circumstances the Judge felt that

nothing would be served by sending James

to prison as it would only result in the couples

five children being sent to the workhouse and

he directed the jury that the accused had no

criminal record and that statements by his

friends and employers indicated that he was

usually a devoted father and husband.

The jury returned a verdict of guilty to the

manslaughter of his wife and the judge

ordered James to enter into a recognisance

to keep the peace and set him free.

2929292929

Just over 116 years ago

the city of Belfast was

to witness a most brutal

murder which to this day

has never been solved. The

nature of the attack has

fortunately been a rare

event, as the instances of

crime involving brutal rape

and murder in the Belfast

area has not been a

common occurrence.

What made this case so

strange and sad was the

fact that the poor victim

had been arrested for

alleged drunkenness after

being found lying in the

Horrific murder on

the Shore Roadstreet. A slur that any

proud woman would

detest.

On the night of Monday,

July 12th, 1895, Constable

Jackson, from York Road

Barracks was on his usual

beat along the Shore Road.

The 12th celebrations had

continued into the early

hours and it was not

uncommon for the police

to have to take some

people into custody,

suffering from the effects

of consuming too much

drink. As Constable

Jackson arrived at an open

field opposite the entrance

to "The Grove," on the

Shore Road he heard what

sounded like someone

moaning. He went in the

direction of the sounds and

about sixty yards from the

roadside discovered a

woman, partially

undressed, lying with her

feet in a pool of water.

Constable Jackson shook

her up but she looked quite

dazed and he concluded

from her appearance that

she was suffering from the

effects of drink. He left her

where she was and then

went for a car to convey

The Grove

3030303030

her to the barracks. By the

time he had discovered one

and brought it down, the

woman had recovered

enough to identify herself

as Elizabeth Jones from 8

Park Row, Greencastle and

that her husband was a

former sergeant in the

army. She still had the

appearance of being

intoxicated and the police

constable claimed that she

began to talk

incomprehensibly before

lying down to sleep again,

moaning all the while.

She was eventually

brought to the Police

barracks where a charge of

drunkenness was

subsequently preferred

against her. She was held

in the cells in order that she

would come before a

magistrate the following

morning. During the night

she took seriously ill and a

local doctor, Dr Aiken,

was sent for. He

immediately ordered her

removal to the Union

Hospital. This instruction

was promptly carried out,

but despite the medical

attendance there she died

the following morning. At

first very little importance

was attached by the police

to the finding of the

woman until rumours of

what had happened that

night began to emerge. It

was later discovered that

the woman had not been

drunk at all in fact she did

not touch alcoholic drink.

This furthered not only the

local community’s

suspicion but also the

police suspicion that

something untoward had

happened. As the woman’s

movements that night were

pieced together it was

revealed that she had been

passing along the Shore

Road at around 11.00pm

having visited her mother-

in-law. Nothing more

could be discovered and

the rest of her movements

on that night remained a

mystery.

A fortnight later however

an inquest was held in

Belfast. The medical

evidence showed that the

deceased had been

subjected to a brutal

outrage and that death

resulted in consequence. A

verdict was therefore

returned in accordance

with the medical evidence.

The police meanwhile

believed that they were

now following up a murder

inquiry and they did their

utmost to unravel the

mystery. They believed

that she had been pounced

upon by a man who had

been lying in wait

somewhere near the park.

He must have dragged his

victim into the park where

he brutally beat and raped

her before making off.

Doctors believed that she

had been concussed and

that perhaps a

haemorrhage of some sort

had moved over her brain

leading to the appearance

of being intoxicated.

This concussion eventually

led to the poor woman’s

death. No one came

forward however to help

the police catch this brutal

attacker despite various

appeals. The police

eventually conceded that

they had no clues

whatsoever to identify the

cruel person or persons

involved and without the

help of the public they

could not conduct a proper

investigation into the

murder. And so it was 108

years ago in Belfast - a

woman was brutally

beaten and raped to death

just off a main city

thoroughfare. The

murderer got away scot

free.

3131313131

In July 1881 a William Murray from East

Belfast died in hospital the consequence of a

nights drinking and brawling.

William Murray lived in Eliza Street with his

wife and two children. He had worked at

McCleish’s vitriol works at Ballymacarret for

over 26 years. On this one evening in July

Murray had gone to the races at the Maze after

work, and on his way home had called into a

few pubs to have a drink or two. He was in a

very drunken state when he decided to race a

few of the other carts returning from the races

back to Belfast. A couple of young boys warned

his wife Jane that her husband was on his way

home, on his pony, and that he was very drunk.

On the way William had picked up a drinking

companion, a young man called Daniel Ward,

who when they two men got back to the Murray

house continued on his way home.

Murray was in a very boisterous mood when

he got home and immediately confronted his

wife, Jane, about money. Jane ran an animal

food store in Eliza Street, where she sold hay

and other animal feeds to the local community.

He asked Jane for all the days’ takings, as he

wanted to continue with his drinking session.

Jane immediately gave him the takings of just

over 7s, but this was not enough for William.

He began scolding and shouting his wife

accusing her of not giving him all the money

and as he struck his wife his son came rushing

in to help his mother. William Murray, junior,

tried to reason with his father telling him that

his mother had given him everything but his

father then struck him.

At this point Jane decided to get away as she

knew that her husband would attack her again

SON MURDERS FATHER

and she knew she had to get to safety. She left

her home and a short time later her daughter

came for her.

Back in the Murray house and William senior

was very agitated and struck out again toward

Murray’s son William Murray, junior was

arrested and charged for his fathers murder

3232323232

his son who then struck his father but then the

facts of the event became unclear. William

senior made a statement to police that his son

had struck him with a brush but his son told

the police that his father fell against the fender

in the kitchen of their home and injured his

head.

When Jane arrived home with her daughter she

was too scared to go to help her husband, as he

was still conscious and very angry. She pleaded

with their neighbours to come and help her

husband but they refused to get involved until

one neighbour, Mrs O’Neill said she would help

Jane stop the bleeding. William was beginning

to lose consciousness and his daughter decided

to get a car to take him to hospital.

William Murray had to be taken to hospital with

a severe head wound and while there they

discovered he had a badly infected knee. A

couple of day’s later Murray died in hospital.

The medical examiner could not say for sure

what had killed him, the head injury or the

infected knee. However the medical examiner

did not believe that Murray could have died

from striking his head on the fender. The

wound to his head was more likely caused by

being stuck by a blunt tool, like a brush and so

his son William was arrested and charged with

the murder of his father.

In court evidence was heard from Jane Murray

regarding her husbands violence and also from

her daughter who told the court that her father

had told her that her brother had struck her

father, but no one saw the incident and William

junior denied striking his father.

The day before William Murray died he

retracted his earlier statement regarding his son

striking him and told the police that he had been

drunk and could not remember exactly what

had happened the night he was injured.

The coroner told the jury that after discussion

with the police that the authorities would be

happy with an open verdict from the inquest.

The facts were unclear he advised them in his

summing up and although the cause of death

was more are less known no one could be sure

whether the cause of death was due to his sons

attack. Duly the jury returned an open verdict

and the charges against William Murray were

dropped and he was freed from custody,

seemingly getting away with murder.

3333333333

In Belfast there was

a sensation as the

body of an elderly

man was found dead

in Oakdene Terrace,

Park Avenue on the

Ballymacarrett area.

Mr John Buckle, a

gentleman in well to

do circumstances,

was found in an

advanced state of

decomposition at his

home.

Gruesome discovery in

Park AvenueMr Buckle lived at

the house with his

wife for many years

and everyone in the

district knew the

couple well. Dr

Marks J.P. had treated

him for some time for

a liver complaint. Mr

Buckle had not been

seen for some time

and for several weeks

Dr Marks had been

unable to gain

admission to the

house when he had

called on his usual

rounds of patients.

The neighbours were

well aware that Mr

Buckle had not been

well and the fact that

they had not seen him

out and about in the

neighbourhood did

not give them any

reason to be

suspicious and his

wife had told them

that his illness had got

so bad that he was

now confined to his

bed.

During the early part

of July 1908,

however the people in

the locality missed

seeing Mrs Buckle as

well and a very

unpleasant smell was

Mrs Buckle was detained in the Union Infirmary for the rest of her life

3434343434

coming from their

house. The door of

the house was kept

closed and it was

impossible for

anyone to gain entry

or to find out what

was going on inside.

One of the

neighbours alerted

the police on the 17th

July and the police

broke down the front

door.

As they went into

one of the rooms the

smell coming from it

made it almost

impossible to stay

inside the house.

There they found the

body of Mr Buckle,

lying in a bed, dead,

and Mrs Buckle

beside her husband’s

body in a very

distressed state.

She was not upset

about her husband

but about the police

breaking into her

house.

The police told her

that the body would

have to be removed

to the Morgue but

then she became

hysterical. She kept

telling the police that

her husband would

wake up soon and

would want his tea.

She told them that he

had only fallen

asleep and would

wake up and be

sitting up soon.

Dr Marks was called

to the house and told

the police and Mrs

Buckle that her

husband had been

dead for several

weeks. It was then

decided that Mrs

Buckle should be

brought to the police

station for her own

safety.

At the inquest it was

discovered that Mrs

Buckle had taken to

the drink in several

months and the

doctor described her

as being demented

and with an

unreliable memory.

The doctor was

surprised that Mr

Buckle had died so

soon after his

diagnosis of cirrhosis

of the liver but the

police found a

telegram in the house

which Mr Buckle

had written asking

the doctor to visit

him as soon as

possible as he was

very ill. Mrs Buckle

had not sent the

telegram and so the

doctor had not come

to treat Mr Buckle.

On examination of

the deceased the

doctors concluded

that he had died from

his liver disease and

that there appeared to

be no bruises or

wounds on the body

although this was

difficult as his body

was in such a state of

decomposition.

A Mr William

Darragh, a close

friend of the couple

who told the inquest

that they had been

married happily and

that he had known

them for 34 years,

identified the body.

The couple he said

had lived quietly and

in recent times had

been a little short of

money. He had

noticed that Mrs

Buckle had been

c o m p l e t e l y

demented in recent

months and that she

constantly was

burning large fires in

the house that made

it unbearably hot for

all visitors and Mr

Buckle also.

Mr Buckle had

refused to go to the

hospital to be treated

as he told Mr

Darragh that "If I go

to hospital when I

come out there will

be nothing here. She

will have made

ducks and drakes of

everything". He told

Mr Darragh of his

wife’s drinking but

all their friends and

neighbours were

aware of her heavy

drinking.

In the circumstances

no charges were

brought against Mrs

Buckle and she was

detained in the Union

Infirmary for the rest

of her life.

The jury delivered a

verdict that they

could not be sure of

the cause of death

due to the

d e c o m p o s e d

condition of the body

but that the cause of

death was probably

due to cirrhosis of the

liver.

3535353535

In December 1892 Thomas

Smith of Durham Street

appeared at the Belfast Winter

Assizes charged with the

murder of his wife. Before the

trial started the Crown

Council, Sergeant Dodd Q.C.

informed the court that the

Crown had decided that the

jury only had to consider

whether Thomas Smith had

killed his wife, they no longer

had to reflect on whether there

was intent by Smith to kill his

wife. This was significant as

the jury did not have to

consider that if they convicted

Smith of his wife’s murder, he

THE DURHAM

STREET TRAGEDYwould be sentenced to death.

Jane Ann Smith had been

married to Thomas Smith for

only nine months. She had

been married before, but when

her husband died suddenly she

came into money and a public

house on the Oldpark Road.

After she met and married

Thomas Smith they sold the

pub in the Oldpark area and

moved to premises in Durham

Street where they opened a

small shop and pub.

The licence to the premises

was in the name of Jane Ann,

as was the title to the

premises, and many people in

the area believed that Thomas

had problems with his wife

being in control of all their

money and property.

It was in October 1892 that

relations between Jane Ann

and her husband began to

deteriorate. They had always

had a tempestuous

relationship and neighbours

and customers of the shop

gave evidence that Jane Ann

often served them with a black

eye and bruises on her arms.

She was also known to drink

heavily, gin and whisky,

Thomas Smith

3636363636

usually hidden in a tea cup

which she would sup from as

she worked in the shop.

Thomas also enjoyed a drink

or two but neither of them

showed their alcohol and

seemed to be able to take a

great deal before falling down

or being incoherent.

On the 31st October there was

a noisy and violent row

between the couple and

Thomas was observed

shoving Jane Ann into a wall,

kicking her and then pushing

her down. A friend came to

help her but she was thrown

out of the pub by Thomas, but

she returned and helped Jane

Ann upstairs to her bed, where

she rested.

The following day Jane Ann

was back at work and the

relations between husband

and wife had not improved.

Thomas was in a foul temper

and was complaining to all

their customers about Jane

Ann being lazy, employing

too many people when she

could be doing the work

herself, and most importantly

he talked about how much she

had been drinking. Again

Thomas struck her, this time

by using a closed fist, which

he used on her forehead, and

this time she fell to the

ground, striking her head

against the wall as she fell.

A local policeman who lived

in Durham Street called in to

see Thomas and warned him

that the violence towards his

wife would have to stop. If

he kept hitting her, the

policeman would report the

incident and Thomas would

be arrested. He also told

Thomas that he had to

remember that he was much

stronger and larger than his

wife and if he was not careful

he would end up killing her.

During the trial it was obvious

from the evidence given by

neighbours and friends that

there was some sympathy for

Thomas as they related to the

court how difficult Jane Ann

could be when she had been

drinking and that Jane Ann

told everyone in the area that

she was in control of her

husband, as she owned the bar

and controlled the money that

he had. All that Thomas had,

had come to him through her

late husband and at this time

in the late nineteenth century

this would have been a

difficult situation for a man to

live with.

By the 2nd November Jane

Smith had received a couple

of days of pushing, shoving,

and kicking from her husband

and had taken to her bed,

complaining of feeling

drowsy and unwell. In the

early hours of the 3rd of

November a neighbour called

with her and could not raise

her from her bed and called a

doctor. He found Jane Ann

unconscious but alive, but she

died a short time later without

regaining consciousness.

The medical reports revealed

at the trial that Jane Ann had

received a blow to the head

which had caused massive

internal bleeding and she had

died due to this single blow.

The medical report could not

determine whether Jane Ann

had died from striking her

head from a fall or whether

she had been hit hard by

someone.

The judge summed up:

What you the jury have to

inquire was this, whether or

not Thomas Smith was in the

habit of ill treating his wife

and if so was it from the

effects of the ill treatment that

the woman had died? There

was no doubt that Jane Ann

Smith was a woman of

intemperate habits, as was

shown from the state of her

liver.

The jury retired at 5.15 on the

16th December and returned

to court at 5.45. The verdict

was guilty and Thomas Smith

was sentenced to penal

servitude of 15 years.

3737373737

Another Durham Street MurderOn St Patrick’s Day 1882 an inquest was

held in Belfast on the remains of a man

named John Kane, aged 42, of 56 Durham

Street. Mr Kane had died from the effects of

injuries sustained in a drunken row on the

previous evening.

Jane Kane the wife of the deceased gave

evidence to the court that her husband had been

a brass founder but that he had been out of work

since December of the previous year. On the

evening of the 16th March she had been called

to collect him in a cart from the police station.

When she had got to the police station she found

her husband unable to speak. He did not speak

at all on the way home to their house and there

was blood coming from his nose and left ear

and he had an injury to his head.

The police told her when she picked her

husband up that her husband had been arrested

after an altercation at Doyle’s public house in

Station Street with a William McDonnell. John

had been at the pub drinking with his friend

Hugh McGahan of Josephine Street. They had

started at around 11 o’clock on the morning of

the 16th and had been drinking in the pub on

and off all day.

It seems that there were many drunken people

in Doyle’s pub that day and few of the witnesses

could remember how the fight had started but

McDonnell and Kane were in dispute and were

eventually put out of the pub. The argument

continued outside when McDonnell took off

his coat and challenged Kane to a fight. Hugh

3838383838

tried to stop Kane from getting involved but

the drink gave him courage and both men went

into the street and the fight continued, this time

physically.

Some bystanders separated the two men but

not until many blows were exchanged, no one

knew who threw the first punch.

Finally McDonnell knocked down Kane who

fell down backwards, striking his head on the

pavement. A man named McLaughlin had

helped McDonnell in his fight by keeping

back the crowd and shouting warnings and

advice.

The police were called to Station Street where

they found a crowd of over one hundred men

and saw Kane lying on the footpath, bleeding

profusely from his ear. His face was covered

with blood and there was a mark of a blow on

his left cheek.

Kane was still conscious at this stage and the

police asked him who had hit him but he

refused to tell them. Kane was quickly

brought to the Royal Hospital where his

wounds were dressed by a nurse and a Mr

Austin, a resident pupil, who asked the police

not to allow Kane to get any more drink and

to keep him under observation at the police

station.

When Jane collected him the police thought

he was well enough to go home but his

condition deteriorated when he got home and

Jane called Dr McKee just after midnight.

When Dr McKee arrived, early on St Patrick’s

Day morning, he found John Kane lying on

chairs in the kitchen of his own house. He

attempted to rouse Kane but failed. There

was a little blood on his face and a small mark

on the side of his head. There was also some

blood on his mouth and nose, and the front of

his shirt was saturated with blood. His left

eye was black and there were contusions

about his mouth and there was also an

abrasion on his chin. Kanes head had been

bandaged at the hospital and when Dr McKee

removed the bandage he discovered a cut

under it but the back of his head was greatly

swollen. Kane could not swallow nor be

roused and he announced that Kane had died.

Early that morning he conducted a post

mortem, which found that the flesh under and

behind his ear was bruised. His skull was

fractured and beneath the fracture was a large

clot of blood weighing nearly half a pound,

which pressed, strongly upon the brain.

The doctor stated that the cause of death was

the injuries described and he believed that the

skull hitting the pavement caused the fracture.

Meanwhile the police had found out that

McDonnell and McLaughlin had been

involved in the fight and had arrested them

on suspicious of causing the death of Kane.

However when the jury retired they returned

a short time later returning a verdict that John

Kane had come to his death from the effects

of the injuries received by a blow an a fall on

the pavement in Station Street, and that having

a great deal of drink taken, he had been

responsible for his own death.

McDonnell and McLaughlin were released

and charges against them were withdrawn.

Time after time in the late nineteenth century

this story is repeated, drunken brawls in the

street, with no reason behind the fights, and

in most cases it seems that people quite

literally were getting away with murder.

3939393939

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