Foul Deeds in Kensington and Chelsea Page 5

  Joseph knew that the woman referred to in the letter was Charlotte Sparville, an old family friend, who lived at 23 Spencer Road, Fulham. He dashed around to her house and she informed him that Frances had called there at around midnight on the Tuesday. Frances had had the baby with her and asked if she could stay that night, adding that there had been some unpleasantness back at Lordship Place. Permission was granted, Charlotte thinking that this was nothing more than a mild family disagreement, that would soon be sorted out.

  At around noon the next day, Charlotte had asked Frances if she was going to return home to Lordship Place and Frances had said that she hadn’t made her mind up yet. At that, Charlotte suggested that she should, at the very least, take the boy back to his parents. No more was said and, not long afterwards, Frances and Henry left Charlotte’s house.

  Joseph Scrivener took this information to the police and they, as part of their ongoing investigation, then warned all known friends and relatives of the missing woman to be on the look-out for her and report it immediately if they saw her. It was this action which led directly to Frances’s arrest.

  Caroline Stewart was another of Frances’s daughters and she worked at Bacon’s Hotel, which was situated on Great Queen Street. On Friday, 1 May, at some time between 4.00pm and 5.00pm, Frances walked into the foyer of the hotel and asked to speak to her daughter. Caroline was fully aware of the police search for Frances and told the manager to call a constable, whilst she spoke to her mother. The police duly arrived, arrested Frances and allowed Caroline to walk with her mother, to the police station. On the way, Frances mentioned to her daughter that she had left a letter for her, at the hotel. Later, when Caroline collected that letter she read, to her horror, a full confession from Frances, admitting that she had thrown Henry into the Thames at Chelsea.

  Henry Ernest Scrivener’s body was not found until the following day, Saturday, 2 May. The body was washed up near Millwall and positively identified, by his mother, Henrietta, the following Friday. Frances Stewart, meanwhile, was charged with the wilful murder of her grandson.

  Frances Stewart faced her trial on 8 June, before Mr Justice Blackburn. Mr Poland appeared for the prosecution and Mr Straight represented the prisoner.

  The first witness was Henrietta Scrivener who told the court of the troubles the family had had and their decision that either Frances must go, or they would. After detailing the search for their son, Henrietta also confirmed that, on Friday 8 May, she had been taken to the mortuary by Inspector Sherlock, where she identified the body of her son.

  After Joseph Scrivener and Charlotte Sparville had given their testimony, Ann Ireland took the stand. She said that she lived at 20 Lawrence Street, Chelsea but, on Wednesday, 29 April, she had been in the Fulham Road when she saw Frances, with the baby. It was then 8.15pm and quite a cold night.

  The two women fell into conversation and Ann remarked, ‘What a pity you have brought the baby out on such a cold night as this.’ At this point, Frances leaned forward and kissed Henry. They all walked on together and, as they approached Ann’s house, Frances asked if they might come in for a while.

  Inside her home, Ann gave Frances some bread, cheese and ale. Ann had not had any beer in the house so went on to the nearest ale-house to get some. On the way she saw Henrietta Scrivener who told her that she was looking for her child, which Frances had taken without her permission. Thinking that this was nothing more than a domestic dispute, Ann did not tell Henrietta that Frances and the boy were at her house but, when she returned home, she told Frances what Henrietta had said to her and advised her to return home with the child, without delay. Frances replied, ‘The boy is all right, bless his heart. He loves his granny and his granny loves him.’ Frances left Lawrence Street some time after 9.00pm, having promised that she was on her way back to Lordship Place.

  After Caroline Stewart had given her testimony, Constable Henry Dent told the court that he had gone to Bacon’s Hotel and arrested Frances. She was then taken to Bow Street police station but later, after the letter Frances had left for her daughter was handed over, Frances was moved to Chelsea police station, where she was charged with murder.

  Inspector James Sherlock was the senior officer on duty at Chelsea. After reading the letter, he showed it to Frances who admitted that she had written it. Inspector Sherlock was also present at the magistrate’s hearing on 2 May. After the proceedings had concluded, Frances made a statement to him, which he wrote down in his notebook. In that statement she detailed her movements after leaving Lordship Place and ended by again admitting that she had thrown the baby into the Thames.

  Edward King was the next witness. He testified that he had been near the Millwall Docks at around 12.30pm on 2 May, when he had seen something floating in the water. After some difficulty, Edward managed to snare the object and bring it to the bank. Only then did he see that it was the body of a child.

  Dr William Giles had examined the body of the child at Poplar mortuary. Later he had performed the post-mortem and confirmed that death was due to drowning. There were no signs of external violence on the body.

  In her defence, Frances withdrew her confessions to the murder and now claimed that Henry had fallen into the water accidentally. Under cross-examination, however, she could offer no explanation as to why she had not gone for help or reported the matter to the authorities.

  The jury deliberated for just a few minutes before returning their guilty verdict but they did add a strong recommendation to mercy on account of Frances’s age and the mental excitement she was under at the time she committed the crime.

  That recommendation had no effect. Having been sentenced to death, Frances was hanged, by William Marwood, at Newgate prison, on Monday, 29 June 1874.

  Chapter 11

  Charles O’Donnell

  1876

  Charles Christian Scherer lived at 28 Lower George Street, Chelsea and had, until very recently, two lodgers living with him, Charles O’Donnell and his wife, Elizabeth.

  At approximately 4.45pm on Sunday, 29 October 1876, Charles O’Donnell paid a visit to his ex-landlord and, after exchanging pleasantries, the two men sat down to a refreshing cup of tea. The conversation, rather naturally, turned to O’Donnell’s family and Mr Scherer asked how Elizabeth was. O’Donnell remained silent for a moment and then replied that he hoped she was in Heaven by that time. Mr Scherer thought that O’Donnell might have been drinking and that this was the alcohol talking, so he didn’t pursue the matter. O’Donnell, however, had not finished and now asked his friend for a piece of paper. One was handed over and upon it O’Donnell wrote, ‘I trust you will see us buried as soon as you can. Pay yourself, and give my respects to your wife and child.’

  Charles Scherer was puzzled by what this scrap of paper meant and O’Donnell explained that it was his last will and testament. He was asking his ex-landlord to be his executor, pay himself for his services and then arrange funerals for O’Donnell and his wife. Scherer still thought that this might be the drink talking, but O’Donnell still insisted that his wife was dead and that soon he would be too.

  At 6.00pm, O’Donnell stood to leave. The two men shook hands and, as he left, O’Donnell remarked, ‘Mr Scherer, I don’t suppose you’ll see me alive again.’ For some time after that, Charles Scherer thought about what O’Donnell had said and then, finally, decided to see if there was any truth in it.

  Leaving his own house, Scherer walked to O’Donnell’s new lodgings at Rawlings Street, also in Chelsea. There, he spoke to O’Donnell’s landlady, told her of his encounter with her tenant, and that he believed that there might be something wrong. To be on the safe side, he was now going to the police station to report the matter.

  By 8.00pm, Charles Scherer was back at Rawlings Street but this time he was with Inspector William March. The two men then entered O’Donnell’s rooms where they found Elizabeth O’Donnell dead in her bed.

  Some ninety minutes later, at 9.30pm, Charles O’Donnell arrived back at Schere
r’s home in Lower George Street, in a cab. Mr Scherer immediately climbed in next to O’Donnell and escorted him to the police station where he was charged with his wife’s murder.

  Charles O’Donnell faced his trial on 20 November, where he was defended by Mr Montagu Williams. Mr Poland, assisted by Mr Beasley, outlined the case for the prosecution.

  Charles Scherer told the court of O’Donnell’s visit to his home on 29 October and confirmed that he and his wife Elizabeth had lived with him, until just before her death.

  Inspector March told of his findings when he had entered the room at Rawlings Street. Elizabeth O’Donnell lay in the bed, her head and neck black and discoloured with bruises. There was a large wound over her right eye and the bedclothes were saturated with blood. It was clear that Elizabeth had been battered to death and the weapon used appeared to be a pair of heavy fire tongs. These had been found in a corner of the room and the top of them was covered with blood and hair. The room itself was in a great state of confusion and a number of mirrors had been smashed.

  Doctor John Henry Waters had been called to the scene to examine the dead woman. He believed that she had been dead for perhaps three days, meaning that she might have died as early as 26 October. He also believed that Elizabeth had been attacked whilst she was asleep as there were no signs of a struggle around the bed itself.

  Ann Wheeler was another lodger at the house in Rawlings Street and she testified that at around 9.40pm on Thursday, 26 October, she had heard Elizabeth call her name several times, from the foot of the stairs. When Ann went to see what she wanted, Elizabeth handed her a parcel and asked her to keep it safe for her. She had not told Ann what it contained and, after Elizabeth had been found dead, Ann handed the parcel to the police. She was present when the parcel was opened and saw that it contained nine £5 notes and three sovereigns, a total of £48 in cash.

  Ann was also able to confirm that the O’Donnell’s had come to live at Rawlings Street on 14 October. She had grown very close to Elizabeth in the time that she was there and she had told Ann that she had married O’Donnell on 22 December 1874, her maiden name being Elizabeth Sullivan.

  Charles O’Donnell had offered no reason for his attack upon his wife, though the hiding of the parcel of money might have suggested that she was frightened that he would possibly spend it on drink. He never denied that he was responsible for Elizabeth’s death and, therefore, the only real defence was that he was insane at the time the crime was committed.

  Knowing that this would be the defence strategy, the prosecution called Dr John Roland Gibson, the surgeon at Newgate prison. He had observed O’Donnell since 9 November and believed him to be of sound mind. To counter this, the defence called Dr Dover who had previously treated O’Donnell for mental problems. Dr Dover had first examined O’Donnell in May 1875 and believed him to have suicidal tendencies. For that reason, he had him committed to the Colney Hatch asylum from where O’Donnell had been released earlier that year.

  In the event, the jury came to believe that O’Donnell was guilty as charged and he was duly sentenced to death. That sentence was carried out at Newgate on 11 December 1876, by William Marwood.

  Chapter 12

  Michael McConnon

  1877

  On the evening of Monday, 25 December 1876, Sergeant Charles Shepherd of the 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards, was not joining in with the Christmas revelries. Shepherd was the duty sergeant in the guardroom at the Chelsea barracks, ready to take in any soldier who had a little too much to drink, or committed some other breach of army rules.

  The first man brought in that evening was Private Alfred John Rawlings. He was not arrested for being drunk and disorderly, but for refusing to obey orders. He was placed inside the guardroom, a room with one large wooden bench or bed off to one side, where soldiers could rest. Rawlings wasted little time in lying down and getting off to sleep.

  The next soldier to be brought to the guardroom was Private John Slack, who was suffering from the effects of rather too much alcohol. He too found a place on the large bed and began sleeping off the beer.

  Some twenty minutes later, Private John Brewerton was marched in. He was sober and had been charged with being absent without leave. Brewerton joined his two fellow prisoners on the bed and he too fell into a deep sleep.

  At 11.30pm, a fourth prisoner, Private Noah Johnson, was escorted into the room. Johnson was very drunk and rather dirty, having fallen over in the street. He looked around the room, at the other three prisoners who were all now, apparently, in a deep sleep, and found himself a place on the bed.

  Twenty minutes after this, at 11.50pm, two police constables entered the barracks, and flanked by them was a fifth soldier, twenty-four-year-old Private Michael McConnon of the 2nd Battalion. He, too, was very drunk and, after details of his arrest were given to Sergeant Shepherd, was placed with the other prisoners in the guardroom. Ten minutes after this, at midnight, Sergeant Shepherd glanced through the peephole into the guardroom and saw that all was well. Four men were asleep on the wooden bed and the fifth, McConnon, was sitting on that same bed, away from the other four.

  Fifteen minutes later, at 12.15am on Tuesday, 26 December, cries of ‘Murder!’ rang out from the guardroom. Sergeant Shepherd looked through the peephole again. Now, two men were standing against the far wall, obviously afraid. McConnon was pulling a third man along the floor and the fifth man, Noah Johnson, was nowhere to be seen.

  Without further delay, Shepherd opened the door and marched into the guardroom. Now, he could see the fifth man, Johnson, lying off to one side. He was face down and his head was covered in blood. McConnon was placed in a separate lockup, the other three were moved to a large cell and the doctor called to attend to Johnson. It was all to no avail. Private Johnson was already dead and McConnon found himself facing a charge of murder.

  The trial of Michael McConnon took place on 8 January 1877, before Mr Justice Hawkins. The first witness was Sergeant Shepherd, who detailed the arrival of the five men on Christmas night. He also testified that when he first entered the guardroom after the attack, McConnon had shouted, ‘Take me to a cell, for I have killed him.’ McConnon was indeed confined in a separate cell, but it did little to calm him down. For the next half hour or so he kicked against the cell door and only stopped when Shepherd went into the cell and confiscated his boots.

  The other three prisoners in that guardroom were obviously important witnesses and the first of these was John Slack. He had been asleep at the time the attack commenced, but was woken by a loud disturbance. Looking across the room he saw Johnson lying on the floor, with McConnon standing over him, kicking him repeatedly in the head. Suddenly, McConnon stopped and turned towards the bed. Brewerton was still lying down and McConnon grabbed hold of his ankles and pulled him onto the floor shouting, ‘If you take this man’s part, I will serve you the same.’

  John Brewerton told the court that he was in a deep sleep and heard nothing of the attack. He was only woken when he was pulled from the bed and threatened by McConnon.

  Alfred John Rawlings had also been asleep when the attack started, but he woke and, seeing what was happening, went to stand against the wall, as far away from McConnon as he could. It was Rawlings who shouted, ‘Murder!’ two or three times, in order to attract the attention of the duty sergeant.

  A history of the two men involved in the attack was supplied by Henry Brown, a private in the 1st Battalion of the Grenadier Guards, the same unit that the dead man had belonged. Brown said he had known Johnson for about four years and they were close friends.

  At around 9.00pm on the night of 25 December, Brown and Johnson had gone into a beerhouse on Lower George Street, Chelsea, and enjoyed a few pints together. At 10.35pm, McConnon came into the same public house and he was already very drunk. For no apparent reason, McConnon walked up to Johnson and said, ‘You are a bloody liar.’ To this, Johnson replied, ‘You are the same.’ There was, however, no further confrontation and Johnson left the bar
soon afterwards, to be followed by McConnon a few minutes later. Brown said that he had no idea what the exchange of insults was about.

  Constable Octavius Wheeler was on duty in Commercial Road, Pimlico, at 11.30pm, on 25 December, when he saw McConnon approaching. He was obviously very much the worse for drink and when Wheeler spoke to him McConnon took off his tunic and announced that he would fight him. A small crowd gathered and McConnon extended his invitation, saying that he would fight any man there. Wheeler and another officer then arrested McConnon and escorted him to the Chelsea barracks.

  Walter Eason was a lance corporal in the 3rd Battalion of the Grenadiers and he was on duty with Sergeant Shepherd at the barracks. He confirmed that Johnson and McConnon were both very drunk when they were brought in.

  Sergeant Joseph Thompson had been called to the scene by Sergeant Shepherd, and saw the body of Johnson lying in the guardroom. He then went to McConnon’s cell and told him that the man he had attacked was dead, and he would be charged with wilful murder. To this McConnon replied simply, ‘I don’t care.’

  The final witness was Dr Albert Louis Fernandez, the surgeon of the 3rd Battalion, who was called to examine Johnson in the guardroom. He confirmed that the man was dead and two days later, on 28 December, performed the post-mortem. He found Johnson’s right ear had been almost kicked from his head. There were three ribs broken on the right side and one of these had lacerated the liver, which was the direct cause of death.

  Having listened to the evidence, the jury had no difficulty in deciding that McConnon was guilty, spending just five minutes on their deliberations. McConnon was then sentenced to death by the judge. He did not, however, lose his life in the execution chamber. In due course, the death sentence was respited and McConnon was sent to prison instead.