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Annie Walsh and Michael Talbot for the murder of Annie’s husband. |
On Wednesday the 5th of August 1925, 23
year old Michael Talbot and 31 year old Annie Walsh were hanged at Mountjoy
prison
61 year old Edward “Ned” Walsh was murdered
in the family home at Carnane, Co.
Talbot testified that on the previous day, Annie had met with him and asked him to come to the house on the Friday evening and that he would receive a considerable sum of money for helping her kill Ned. He stated that all three were sitting by the fire in the living room. Annie asked Ned to fetch some more wood for the fire and while he was out of the room concealed a hatchet under her apron. When he returned she had turned the oil lamp down and struck him a blow to the head with the hatchet. He fell to the floor but was moving around so Annie told Talbot to hold him down while she hit him again with the hatchet, casing his death.
On the Saturday morning Annie told a neighbour that Ned had been shot during the night by Talbot. She said was going to the Fedamore Civic Guard barracks to report the murder, which she did. They went to the house and discovered Ned’s body. It was examined by Dr. Hedderman who found a depressed skull fracture and another head wound of about two inches in length, both consistent with an axe wound. But there were no traces of bullet wounds or empty shell cases.
The Guards arrested Talbot in an outhouse. He told them “You may as well arrest Mrs. Walsh as well as me. I did not kill him. She killed him with a hatchet and I held his hands. She struck him two blows and he died.”
Annie’s statement painted a completely different picture. She told the officers that she and Ned went to bed at 10 p.m. and then heard as knocking at the door. They did not answer this and then heard the door being broken down. A man ordered them to get up, which they did and went into the kitchen. She knew the man was Michael Talbot. He told her to put out the lamp. She and Ned sat at the fireplace and he sat opposite them. They talked for some time before Talbot got up and struck Ned with his hand before shooting him in the head. Talbot then ran out exclaiming “It is done now”. Talbot, in reply to that statement, said that he never carried a revolver in his life.
Obviously head wounds inflicted with a hatchet look completely different to bullet wounds so Annie’s account was clearly untrue.
Talbot’s trial opened on Thursday the 9th
of July 1925 and Annie’s the following day, at the Central Criminal Court in
There was to be no reprieve and Walsh and
Talbot were duly hanged in Mountjoy prison in
Talbot went to the gallows at 8.00 a.m., followed by Annie 45 minutes later. Thomas Pierrepoint was assisted by Harry Robinson at both executions. Talbot was given a drop of 7’ 2” and Annie got 7’ 7”. Dr. B. J. Hackett, the medical officer at Mountjoy, testified at the formal inquest that in both cases death had been instantaneous.
Annie was the only woman hanged in the
It was reported that Thomas Pierrepoint received a fee of £15 for carrying out the two hangings.
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