FDSD Islington

by John Eddleston

  Summing up the evidence, the coroner asked if Rayner were still in custody. Told that he was, Mr Wakely said:

  I think there has been sufficient stated, to warrant his discharge. It is evident that the female, and the pot-boy at The Ship, were mistaken as to the identity of the deceased. There is no doubt that the deceased was found in the water, but how she came there, at present, there is no evidence to prove.

  George Rayner was then discharged. He had been a very fortunate man indeed. There had been reports of the finding of a woman’s body in the river, and those reports had been read by Michael Nathan, who had come forward, to positively identify Elizabeth, and prove that she was in Aldgate, at the time she was supposed to be drinking with Rayner. If it had not been for him, mistaken identity might well have hanged a completely innocent man.

  (8) Thomas Smith, 1840

  On 15 June 1840, a trial opened at the Old Bailey.Thomas Smith, a drayman, was accused of unlawfully killing fifteen-month-old Emma Brooker, on Saturday 23 May.

  There were a number of witnesses to the death of little Emma, in Liverpool Road, Islington. James Dolan was a resident of the street, and had been looking out of his window, when he saw the little girl standing on a piece of waste ground. As Smith’s dray, travelling at a very slow speed, moved down Liverpool Road, Emma took a step forward and was caught by the near-side horse. This caused her to fall to the ground and the wheel of the dray then ran over her head.

  John Howe was walking down Liverpool Road, between 7.00pm and 8.00pm, when he saw Emma fall and the wheel pass over her. He ran to the little girl, picked her up and took her to Dr Cooper’s surgery nearby. Howe also testified, that as soon as the dray had run over the child, the driver stopped, and tried to assist in whatever way he could.

  Constable Cornelius Savory was on duty in Liverpool Road, and had accompanied Howe, Smith and the child to the surgery. Once he had ascertained that the child was dead, he took Smith into custody, and later charged him with killing the child. At the time of his arrest, Smith was perfectly sober.

  Fourteen-year-old Susannah Odell was playing on the waste ground, on the evening of 23 May. She saw Emma playing with her two sisters. The eldest of these had hold of Emma’s hand, but at one stage she let go and Emma ran towards the road. Susannah believed that Emma had taken that last step into the road, to pick up a piece of paper, which was blowing along the street.

  Dr Cooper confirmed that Emma was dead by the time she had been brought to the surgery. The cause of death was a fractured skull. The final witness, James Hooper, was one of the cashiers at Whitbread’s Brewery, who employed Thomas Smith. Hooper confirmed that Smith had worked for the company for twenty-six years, and had an exemplary character.

  It was clear that this entire affair was a tragic accident, and that Smith was in no way to blame for the child stepping out into the road. The jury found him not guilty and he walked from court a free man.

  (9) The Murder of Dr Crook, 1849

  At around 6.00am, on the morning of 28 February 1849, Eli Deaver, on his way to work, walked into Dennis’s Brick Field, on Caledonian Road, Islington. Immediately, his attention was attracted by the sound of a dog, barking furiously.

  Turning to his left, Deaver saw a small black and white mongrel sitting at the feet of a man, lying on the cold and frozen ground. Going to investigate, Deaver saw that the man was lying in a pool of blood, a deep gash in his throat. As Deaver drew nearer, the dog growled and snapped at him, preventing him from getting too close.

  Deaver ran for help, and soon the police were on the scene. The man in the field was quite tall, possibly around five feet, ten inches. He was aged somewhere between fifty and sixty, and had grey hair. He was obviously a gentleman, as his clothing was neat and expensive.

  A search of the field revealed a number of clues. Though the body lay in a large pool of blood, there was another gory pool some twenty feet away. This suggested that the man had been attacked there, and then had managed to either crawl, or been carried, to where he was eventually found. As for a motive for this dastardly crime, that seemed to be indicated by the discovery of a man’s purse five feet away. The purse was empty, except for a small key, indicating that robbery was the most likely motive for the attack.

  The body was taken by the police to the vault of Islington Church where, later that same day, a positive identification was made. The dead man was Dr WH Crook, of 11 Bayham Street, Camden Town. No one was able to say what the doctor could possibly have been doing, in Islington.

  The inquest on Dr Crook opened at the Pied Bull public house on 2 March. Little more could be stated with accuracy, apart from the fact that when he had been found, Dr Crook had been lying on his left side, with his hand underneath his body.

  A workman, who lived in a hut in the field, said that he had heard a dog barking furiously, during the small hours of 28 February, which had been a particularly windy and blustery night. Beyond that, nothing else could give any clue, to either the time of the attack, or the name of the perpetrator. As a result, the jury had little choice but to return a verdict of murder by person or persons unknown.

  Chapter 6

  Jeremiah Tooley

  1852

  Mary Downes lived happily with her husband, Alexander, at 2 Suffolk Place, Suffolk Street, Islington. To The area was a rather low-class one, and although many of the families there lived in abject poverty, there was, nevertheless, a strong sense of community, and the families all helped each other out whenever they could.

  On Tuesday 7 December 1852, Mary was busy in her kitchen, cooking a joint of meat for her husband’s dinner the next night. Alexander, meanwhile, stepped out into the communal yard at the back of the house, where he kept three dogs, so that he could feed them. It was then some time after 9.00pm.

  Alexander had not been outside for very long, when Mary heard noises coming from the yard. It sounded like there was some sort of scuffle going on and, looking out of her window, Mary saw that her husband was struggling with another one of the lodgers at 2 Suffolk Place: Jeremiah Tooley. Even as Mary watched, Tooley took a razor out of his pocket and drew it across Alexander’s throat. As Alexander slumped backwards, blood spurting from his neck, Tooley threw the bloody razor into a nearby dustbin.

  Bravely, Mary ran out into the yard, shouting: ‘Murder!’ and grabbed hold of Tooley. Her screams and cries for assistance brought others to her aid, and Tooley was placed into custody. Alexander, meanwhile, was helped to the doctor’s surgery but died within two minutes of his arrival.

  Jeremiah Tooley appeared before the magistrates the next day, Wednesday 8 December. After Mary Downes had given her testimony, Ellen Godburn was called to the stand.

  Ellen lived at 5 Suffolk Place, and she had been in her own kitchen when she heard Mary Downes cry out from the yard. Looking out of her window, Ellen saw that Alexander Downes was supporting himself against a wall, bleeding badly from a wound in his throat. Mary Downes had, by now, run out into the yard and seized hold of Tooley, and was shouting for her neighbours to come to her aid. Ellen ran out and helped support Alexander, as he staggered with her, to the doctor’s surgery.

  Dennis Shea lived at 1 Suffolk Place, and he too heard the scream from Mary Downes. Dennis went into the yard and helped Mary to hold Tooley. Alexander, meanwhile, was being assisted by Ellen Godburn. Alexander tried to say something but the wound in his throat meant that he was unable to speak. Dennis then said to Tooley: ‘You have murdered the man,’ to which Tooley replied: ‘Yes I have, and I would do it again.’

  Mary Donovan was a servant girl, who lived with the Downes family. She saw her mistress struggling to hold Tooley in the yard, and Alexander bleeding from the throat. It was Mary who ran out into the street to find a policeman.

  Constable Joseph Cotter was the officer Mary Donovan found. He immediately went to Suffolk Place. As he arrived, Ellen Godburn was just coming out of the house with Alexander Downes, to take him to the surgery. Constable Cotter took Tooley into cust
ody, and escorted him to the police station. On the way, Tooley remarked that they had tried to poison him, that he was growing horns out of his head, and that Downes had not been satisfied with his own wife, but wanted his too. Since the incident, Constable Cotter had interviewed all the neighbours, but none could shed any light as to what the cause of the argument between the two men had been.

  Dr William Butler practised medicine from his surgery at 19 Chapel Street, Clerkenwell. The injured man was brought to his surgery at around 10.00pm, but died within two minutes. Dr Butler noted a deep wound, starting below the left ear and going around the front of Alexander’s throat. The carotid artery, the jugular vein, the trachea and the gullet had all been severed and at one part, the wound was through to the spine.

  At the police station, Tooley had made a statement, which was then read out to the magistrates. It read:

  I have nothing at all to say, but I am out of my mind with them. You can have the doctor’s opinion to say that state I am in, if you wish. I don’t know what I am doing. She called me a cuckold, and said I was a cuckold by her own husband and that drove me mad. I don’t know what I am doing.

  Sent for trial, Tooley appeared at the Old Bailey, before Mr Justice Wightman, on 13 December. By now, Tooley’s claim that the dead man had been having an affair with his wife, or that they had tried to poison him, were all found to be pure fantasy. There had been no reason whatsoever for him to take the life of Alexander Downes. As a result, only one witness was called at Tooley’s trial.

  Dr Gilbert McMurdo was the surgeon at Newgate prison and he informed the court that the prisoner was of unsound mind, and so was unfit to plead to the charge. As a result of that testimony, Jeremiah Tooley was ordered to be detained during Her Majesty’s pleasure.

  Chapter 7

  Celestina Somner

  1856

  Rachel Munt was only fourteen years old and worked as a servant for Karl and Celestina Somner, at their house at 16 Linton Street, Islington. Rachel worked hard and slept in the kitchen each night, but was well looked after and was happy enough living with the family.

  At around 10.00pm on the night of Saturday 16 February 1856, Celestina Somner told Rachel that she was going out. She approached Rachel in the kitchen and said: ‘I am going into Murray Street, and shall be gone for about half an hour. I shall expect you to be in bed and asleep before I come back.’

  Being a typical fourteen-year-old, Rachel did not, as her mistress had suggested, go straight to bed. Instead she stayed up, working on an apron she was sewing for herself. Then, some thirty minutes later, when Rachel heard the key turn in the front door, she simply climbed into bed, closed her eyes and pretended she was in a deep sleep.

  It was certainly Rachel’s mistress returning for Celestina called out: ‘Are you in bed Rachel?’ The girl did not reply and continued her pretence of being asleep as she heard Celestina go upstairs to her bedroom. She also heard her say, to someone she must have brought home with her: ‘Wipe your feet and go into the parlour.’

  An intrigued Rachel Munt now opened one eye ever so slightly, so that she could see what was going on. The kitchen was dark but she could see clearly as Celestina entered the room, for she was carrying a candle in front of her. Rachel saw that Celestina had changed her dress. She had gone out, half an hour before, in a black dress, but now she was wearing one with colourful flowers embroidered upon it. Celestina walked over to where Rachel lay, checked that the girl was indeed asleep, pulled down the window blind and left the room again.

  A minute or so later, Celestina entered the kitchen again. She still carried the candle but now there was a young girl with her. Through her half-open eyelid, Rachel could not be sure who the girl was, but she knew she had seen her before, just a couple of weeks before. Rachel could also see that as Celestina walked across the kitchen, the girl stayed at the doorway leading to the rest of the house.

  ‘What are you stopping for? Come in. What are you afraid of?’ said Celestina, in a very quiet voice, no doubt concerned that she might wake Rachel. The girl replied: ‘I am not afraid mamma, but it is a strange place to me. I have not been in this room before.’ At that, Celestina crossed back to where the child stood, took her gently by the hand and led her to the cellar door. The couple then went into the cellar itself.

  What happened next, filled Rachel Munt with terror. After a few minutes, she heard the girl call out: ‘You are going to cut my throat?’ To that Celestina coldly replied: ‘I am going to kill you.’ A now hysterical child’s voice cried: ‘You will go to the devil. The devil will have you.’ This was followed by some awful sounds of scuffling and gurgling and, a few moments later, by a weak cry of: ‘I am dying.’

  Though Rachel could not see what horrors were taking place in that cellar, she could see the flickering light from the candle Celestina had taken with her. Now, as Rachel gazed at the doorway, the light was snapped off. Celestina had obviously blown the candle out for now she returned to the kitchen, closing the cellar door gently behind her.

  Still the terrible act was not over, for now Celestina paced around the kitchen, occasionally going back down into the cellar and speaking to the child who she had taken into that room. At one stage Rachel heard her say: ‘You bastard, I will kill you.’ A few minutes later, Celestina said: ‘I will teach you to tell any more lies about me.’

  Throughout this period, Rachel could hear the child groaning from somewhere in the cellar. Finally, she saw Celestina re-light the candle, go back into the cellar and, after a slight pause, heard her say: ‘There you bastard, you must be dead by this time.’ She then returned to the kitchen and walked over to where Rachel lay.

  Rachel Munt’s heart beat wildly in her chest as her mistress tapped her twice on the shoulder and called her name. Fearful of what might happen to her if she revealed the slightest clue as to what she had just seen and heard, Rachel pretended that she had just been roused from her sleep and smiled broadly at Celestina, who then asked her to fetch some soap, as she wished to wash her hands before going to bed. Rachel did as Celestina asked and was relieved to see her then retire for the night.

  Early the following morning, Sunday 17 February, Rachel Munt took a few tentative steps down into the cellar. There she found the body of the girl from the previous night, her face and hands covered in blood. It was clear that the poor girl was dead.

  At 11.00am that same morning, Rachel’s sister called to visit her. Rachel told her what had happened the night before, and even showed her sister the body of the girl in the cellar. It was Rachel’s sister who ran to the nearest police station and told the officer on duty what had taken place at Linton Street.

  It was Sergeant Edwin Townsend who visited the house later that same day. The door was opened by Celestina herself, who demanded to know what the officer wanted. Sergeant Townsend replied: ‘To search your cellar.’ To this, Celestina laughed and shouted: ‘Look into my cellar. Good God, whatever for?’

  At that point, Karl Somner came into the hallway from the parlour and, after Sergeant Townsend had identified himself to Karl, all three then went down into the cellar. There they found the body of the girl, lying on her back, her face partially turned to the right. There was a large gaping wound in her neck and a large amount of blood on the body and pooled around it.

  ‘I did not do it’ cried Celestina to her husband. She then continued: ‘I did not tell you, as I did not wish to make you timid, but I heard a noise outside of the railings last night.’

  Sergeant Townsend now made a search of the house. In the bedroom that Karl and Celestina shared he found the flowered gown, stained with blood. To explain this, Celestina said that she had recently suffered from a nose bleed. Townsend was having none of it. Celestina Somner was arrested and charged with murder.

  Celestina made her appearance at the police court the following day, Monday, 18 February. Here she admitted that the dead child was ten-year-old Celestina Christmas and said that she was her brother’s child. He had now gone away
and left the child in Celestina’s care. She, in turn, had placed the young girl with a Mrs Harrington who lived at 4 Peter Street, Hackney but, on 6 February, had taken the child away and left her with Mrs Groves, her married sister, who lived at 16 Murray Street. She could not explain how the child had come to be found dead in her cellar.

  Sent for trial, Celestina Somner was originally due to appear before Mr Justice Wightman on 8 March, but the defence were not yet ready and the case was put back to April.

  The main prosecution witness was, of course, Rachel Munt. After she had told her story, the prosecution called various witnesses, who were able to show that the dead girl had, in fact, been Celestina’s own daughter. Celestina had been paying ten shillings per week for the girl’s upkeep and it seemed likely that the motive for the crime was simply that she objected to paying out that cash for a daughter for whom she had no affection. It was also shown that the child, Celestina Christmas, was Celestina Somner’s maiden name, the same name she had given to her illegitimate daughter.

  Mrs Groves, the prisoner’s sister, confirmed that the dead girl had lived with her for a short time. On the night that Celestina took her away, she told Mrs Groves that she had found a position for her daughter at a greengrocer’s establishment, where she could earn her keep.

  The final witness was Dr George W H Coward, the Divisional Police Surgeon. He had examined the body of the child and reported three large wounds in the throat, running from the back to the front and embracing the whole of the left side of the neck. The jugular vein had been divided on that side, and the carotid artery had been badly injured, though not cut through completely. The child also bore defence wounds on her left hand and arm.

  With all the evidence against Celestina, the jury quickly returned their guilty verdict and the prisoner was duly sentenced to death. Twenty-six-year-old Celestina Somner did not, however, hang. In due course, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, her sentence was commuted to one of life imprisonment.