Other witnesses to the shooting, who formed part of the crowd, were John William Howard, Stephen Turnbull, William Smith, Thomas Grover, James Wheeler and Erasmus Simmons. Turnbull testified that he was the man who wrestled the knife from Cooper, after the pistols had been discarded. Thomas Grover said that after Mott had been shot, Cooper seemed to take deliberate aim at Constable Daly, and Simmonds said that he had picked up the two pistols, after Cooper had discarded them. All the three weapons were then handed to Wheeler, who carried them to the police station.
The final witness, after those who had surrounded Cooper in Highbury Park, was Charles Mott, who told of the wound he had suffered, when he tried to rush Cooper. He had been in the hospital ever since, and was still not fit to return to work.
For the defence, witnesses were called, to show that Cooper was not a sane person. The first of these was his mother, Isabella, who testified that her son had been very ill when he was a very young child. Ever since that time, he had been different. He was very restless and hardly slept at night. He also seemed to be oblivious to pain. On one occasion, when he was a child of twelve, a pan of steaming hot broth had been spilled on his arm. So bad was the resulting scald that Cooper’s flesh came away when his shirt was removed. He didn’t flinch once, and said that it just didn’t bother him. He never seemed to grow up, and still played games where he said he was either King Richard or Dick Turpin. He also collected guns, and would rather spend his money on weapons, than food.
Hannah Southall had once lodged with the Coopers, and she testified that Thomas had always been strange in his behaviour. Many times he had said he was tired of life, and once he had taken laudanum, and his mother had been forced to administer castor oil to him.
The final witness was Dr Gilbert McMurdo, the surgeon at Newgate prison. He was called to counter any possibility of Cooper escaping with a verdict of insanity. He had had the prisoner under close observation, ever since he had been admitted to Newgate, and testified that he saw no signs of Cooper having an unsound mind.
With all the witnesses to the shooting, the jury had little difficulty in returning a guilty verdict, whereupon Cooper was sentenced to death. There was no reprieve and, on 4 July 1842, Thomas Cooper was hanged outside Newgate prison.
Chapter 5
Other Crimes
1800-1850
(1) William Field, 1807
On 16 August 1807, William Field was enjoying a quiet drink in the Clown public house at Islington, when he saw something which he strongly objected to.
Also in the bar, was James Warwick, a man who was known as something of a bully, and on this particular day, he had decided to annoy an elderly man. Not one to simply let this pass, Field went over, and suggested to Warwick, that he sit down and behave himself.
The old man left soon afterwards and, once he had gone, Field told Warwick that he should be ashamed of himself, for treating an elderly man in such a way. Warwick now turned his attention to Field, and told him that he would split his nose. He then offered to fight him, for money, and suggested a side bet of £10.
Anxious not to get involved any further, Field said he had no money, whereupon Warwick said that he would reduce the wager to just £1. When Field still refused to fight, Warwick called him and his friends beggars. It was at that point, that one of Field’s friends put £1 down. The fight was on.
The two men fought for over an hour, until those who had been in Warwick’s company saw that he was clearly getting the worst of it, and announced that he would fight no more. The fight ended, but Warwick appeared to have been quite badly injured. He was taken to hospital and died later the same day.
Charged with manslaughter, William Field appeared in court on 16 September. The jury, having heard that Warwick had been the one to instigate the fight, decided that Field was not guilty in any way, and he walked from court a free man.
(2) Joseph Clare, 1818
It was an argument about nothing really. On the afternoon of 23 December 1817, Joseph Clare was drinking in the Wheatsheaf public house in Islington. He had spent most of the day sitting in one particular chair, by the roaring fire but, at around 2.30pm, he got up for a few minutes, to relieve himself. When he returned, he found a man named Gregory Pridden sitting in his seat.
Clare began by pointing out that Pridden had taken his seat. Pridden replied that no seat was reserved, it had been empty when he sat down in it, and he now had no intention of vacating it. Clare then told him that if he did not move instantly, he would drag him from the chair. The discussion became a full-blown argument, and Clare then threw himself upon Pridden and the two men rolled onto the floor.
After a short fight, Clare regained his coveted seat and Pridden left the public house altogether. This was not, however, the end of the matter, for just a few minutes later, Pridden was back and asking to fight again. Another brief struggle followed, during which, Pridden hit his head against a heavy table leg.
Over the next few days, Pridden complained to his wife, Eliza, that he was suffering from a very bad headache. His condition did not improve and, three days later, on 26 December, he died. Joseph Clare now found himself under arrest, and charged with manslaughter.
Clare’s trial took place on 14 January 1818. Various witnesses were called, including Thomas Cuthbert, and William Carter, both of whom had been in the Wheatsheaf on 23 December. Both testified that Pridden had been sitting opposite to Clare and, when the latter went to the toilet, Pridden had stolen his seat. The fight had been Pridden’s fault, and the blow to his head had been a pure accident.
The final witness was Dr William Wilton, who had taken care of Pridden in the last three days of his life. Whilst it was true that he had sustained a fractured rib, Pridden had other medical problems, including a disease of the viscera and a diseased liver and spleen. His lungs were also heavily congested, and it was likely that he would not have lived long under any circumstances. The fight, and the blow which he had received from the table, might well have hastened his death, but could not be said to be the direct cause.
With the testimony of those witnesses, the jury decided that Pridden’s death had been accidental and Joseph Clare was in no way responsible. He walked from court a free man.
(3) John Turner, Edward Jones and John Smith, 1823
On the morning of Sunday 26 October 1823, at around 7.00am, Thomas Carroll called upon his friend, Benjamin Sarson, at his home in Grub Street, and asked him to accompany him to the Rosemary Branch public house, in Islington. Carroll, it appeared, had agreed to take part in a prize fight.
At the Rosemary Branch, Carroll and Sarson met up with three men, John Turner, Edward Jones and John Smith. The fight was to take place between Carroll and Turner, with various spectators taking side bets on the outcome.
Turner handed a sovereign over to a man named George Owen, who was to act as the unofficial bookmaker. Another man, named Hurd, also handed over twenty shillings, as a bet on Turner. Once all the bets were placed, the two protagonists shook hands, in a most friendly manner, and Carroll even said to his opponent: ‘We will bear no animosity after the fight is over, but be good friends.’
Turner and Carroll fought for a full fifty minutes, with Carroll, the taller of the two men, seemingly getting the better of Turner. Then, suddenly, Turner landed a blow under Carroll’s ear, which caused him to fall to the ground. An unconscious Carroll was then carried to his father’s house nearby but, over the next few weeks, his condition grew steadily worse. Unfortunately, the family did not call for the surgeon until a month had passed.
Dr Septimus Read attended Carroll on the morning of 27 November. He found his patient still unconscious. Despite Dr Read’s attempts to revive Carroll, the man died later that same day. The matter was reported to the police, who arrested Turner for striking the fatal blow, and the other two, Jones and Smith, for encouraging the fight. All three were charged with manslaughter.
The trial of the three men took place on 3 December. Various witnesses stated
that the fight had been a fair one, and that Jones had even tried to stop it at one stage. Other men had also encouraged the two men to stop fighting, and whilst Turner had agreed, Carroll had refused, and said he would fight on until he dropped.
Dr Read confirmed that the direct cause of death had been an effusion of blood to the head, produced by external violence, but the problem for the jury, was that this had been a fight agreed to by both parties; two of the defendants had been heard, suggesting that the fight should be stopped; and medical attention had not been sought for a full month. Under the circumstances, the jury ruled that all three prisoners were not guilty of killing Carroll and they were immediately discharged.
(4) William Broadway, 1827
William and his brother, John, lived with their mother in Brittania Row, Islington. The brothers were always very affectionate towards each other, and rarely argued.
On Sunday 29 April 1827, William noticed, at supper time, that his brother was not yet home. He told his mother, Mary Pheby, that he would go out and fetch John back. However, when he did return, William was alone.
A few minutes later, John Broadway came home. He was carrying a small can of beer, which he threw down onto the floor. Then, without a word of warning, he struck William, hard, in the face.
His anger up now, John shouted that he would do for William that night, and show him who was master in the house. William remained placid, and walked out of the house into the yard at the rear, saying that he would not fight with his brother. This did nothing to assuage John’s anger, for he followed his brother and leapt upon him.
Knocking William to the floor, John sat astride him and struck out at his face repeatedly, forming a double fist with both hands clasped together. Still William did not retaliate. His mother, seeing all this, ran into the street and shouted for help. Her cries were heard by the local watchman, Thomas Sinfield.
Thomas dashed into the yard, and pulled John from William. He noticed that William’s face was, by this time, very much swollen and bleeding rather badly. Now, for the first time, William too was angry. As Sinfield held John back, William picked up a small garden rake and struck his brother on the head.
It was nothing but a light blow, but William had, by accident rather than design, struck John with the pronged end. Three of those prongs inflicted minute wounds upon John’s head.
Over the next few days, John complained that his head was sore, but refused to seek any medical attention until Saturday 5 May, when he finally agreed to the doctor being called out. Dr Robert Martin attended, and bled the patient, thinking that the wounds were not too serious. Unfortunately, John Broadway’s condition did not improve, and he died on Monday 7 May.
Charged with murder, William Broadway appeared in court on 31 May. However, having heard that it had been John who had provoked William, and that he in turn had only retaliated with one small blow struck in anger, the jury decided that William had no case to answer, and found him not guilty.
(5) Patrick Cadegan, 1834
Patrick Dunn was enjoying a pint of beer in the Blakeney’s Head public house, at the top of Parcel’s Court, Islington, on Sunday 17 August 1834. As he looked around the bar, he saw that a few of his neighbours were also there, including Timothy Brien.
A few minutes later, another neighbour, Patrick Cadegan, another regular at the Blakeney’s Head, entered the pub, and ordered himself a drink. He was standing close to Timothy Brien, and the two men fell into conversation. Though Dunn could not be sure about what was said, the conversation soon turned into an argument, and Brien called Cadegan a bloody liar. The two men squared up to each other and, when Dunn stepped in between them, Brien offered to fight him instead. Dunn could see that Brien was intoxicated and, thinking that it was better to avoid a confrontation, simply left the pub and walked home.
Brien, though, was not to be dissuaded. He followed Dunn to his house, at the other end of Parcel’s Court and shouted: ‘Come out and fight you bloody bastard.’ When Dunn ignored this, Brien shouted: ‘Come out you bloody rogue and fight me.’
By this time, a large crowd had gathered outside Patrick Dunn’s house, and he saw no alternative, but to go out and try to quieten Brien. He managed to grab Brien and escort him back to his lodgings in George Yard, but once there, Brien managed to free himself, and tore Dunn’s coat. A rather angry Dunn finally managed to half throw Brien into his lodgings, and close the door on him.
Even as this was happening, Patrick Cadegan, the original target of Brien’s wrath, came down George Yard. By this time, Brien was leaning out of his window, on the ground floor, and Cadegan went up to him and said: ‘Timothy Brien, what have you got to say to me?’ but, before Brien could answer, Cadegan struck him, once, in the head. That blow was witnessed by Patrick Dunn, and another man who was walking down George Yard at the time, Thomas Costello. Unfortunately for Cadegan, within fifteen minutes of receiving that blow, Timothy Brien was dead.
Charged with manslaughter, Patrick Cadegan appeared in court on 4 September. Medical evidence was given by Dr Edward Cupples Dillon, who had been called to the scene, and later performed a post-mortem examination. He noted one small, black bruise beneath Brien’s right ear, and upon opening the skull found a good deal of free blood around the brain. That single blow had ruptured a vein in Brien’s head and caused him to bleed internally, leading to his rapid demise.
Found guilty of manslaughter, twenty-four-year-old Patrick Cadegan was sentenced to two years in prison.
(6) John Norton, 1835
John Norton and his wife, Hannah, lived in George Yard, Islington, but their relationship was not a happy one. Hannah was rather too fond of drink, and, whilst John also imbibed from time to time, he was largely a sober man. However, he also seemed to be rather fond of beating his wife.
On the afternoon of Sunday 22 August 1835, the long-suffering neighbours heard yet another argument, coming from the Norton’s house. Ann McCarthy, who lived next door, heard raised voices and the sound of a scuffle. She simply drew down her blinds, to keep out the noise somewhat.
Bridget Welch was Hannah’s daughter, from her first marriage, and lived further down George Yard. That evening, Bridget’s brother, Thomas, brought their mother to Bridget’s house. Hannah’s jaw was hanging down and Hannah had great difficulty in speaking, but she did manage to say that John had struck her and broken her jaw. The family decided that Hannah needed medical treatment, and took her to the hospital.
Hannah was taken to the London Hospital. She was first seen by nurse Emma Parish, who confirmed that her jaw was broken. Hannah was then passed on to Dr James Duncan who treated her jaw, and a few minor bruises, which he had noticed. Hannah seemed to recover well, but on the late evening of Thursday 6 August, she suddenly became very restless. Her condition worsened and she became delirious. She died at noon on Friday 7 August and John Norton found himself facing a charge of manslaughter.
The trial took place on 17 August, when various witnesses told of the constant arguments between John and Hannah. More telling, perhaps, was the testimony of Dr Duncan.
In addition to detailing his treatment of Hannah, Dr Duncan said:
I am not enabled to say what was the cause of her death. From the appearances, on dissection, I believe it was from a constitutional disturbance, occasioned by these blows, and the shattered state of her constitution. That is the only way we can account for her death; but I cannot say positively that the blows did cause her death. The anger and irritation of the moment, added to her bodily state, might have caused her death. She might possibly have recovered, if she had been in a good state of health.
In short, Hannah’s addiction to drink had greatly weakened her constitution but the doctor was unable to state with certainty, what the cause of death was, or if the actions of John Norton were responsible. Despite this, Norton was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to one year in prison.
(7) George Rayner, 1839
On Monday 29 April 1834, an inquest opened at the
Pied Bull public house, at Islington Green. The coroner, Mr Wakely, was investigating the death of twenty-five-year-old Elizabeth Foster, whose body had been recovered from the river on Wednesday 24 April. The proceedings were of great interest to a mechanic named George Rayner, for he had been arrested, and charged with murdering Elizabeth, before her throwing her lifeless body into the water.
Two witnesses, Frances Pursey, who was the sister of the landlord of The Ship, at Camden Street, and David Abrahams, the pot-boy, at that same establishment, both swore that they had seen the prisoner drinking with the deceased, on the night of Tuesday 23 April, and that they had left the public house together.
Dr Robert Henry Semple had performed the post-mortem on Elizabeth, and he said that there were no signs of violence upon her body. However, although there did not seem to be any of the usual signs of drowning, he was unable to state, with certainty, that the woman had not died as a result of being immersed in the water.
The evidence of Michael Nathan, a wholesale butcher, of 67 Aldgate High Street, was in direct contradiction to the two witnesses, Pursey and Abrahams, whose testimony had caused Rayner to be arrested.
Mr Nathan confirmed that Elizabeth had been in his service, for the past six months. She had remained at home all day on Tuesday 23 April, and he saw her retire to her bed at 11.30pm that night. When he came down the following morning, he had found that the premises were still locked up, with the door chain on. He had gone out for a couple of hours and, when he had returned, one of his workmen, Joseph Stebbins, said, they had seen Elizabeth leave the house at around 6.00am. Both Nathan and Stebbins also said that Elizabeth had been very down in her spirits over the past few weeks.
FDSD Islington Page 3