Albert Ernest Stratton (age 20) and his brother Alfred (age 22) became the first men in Britain to be convicted of murder based upon fingerprint evidence. These two young men, both of whom were known to the police, were convicted of the murder of 70 year old Thomas Farrow. They also killed his wife, 65 year old Ann, but … Read more
With special thanks to Monty Dart for this article. Not the most flattering nickname ‘Old Sloppy’, though it was derived from her profession, that of a prostitute. Mary Ann Rees had a pimp called William Joseph Foy and she plied her trade around Merthyr Tydfil. She was about 33 years of age. It may have been … Read more
William Murphy, a 49 year old former soldier and now labourer, had been living with 36 year old Gwen Ellen Jones for more than five years. Her two children from her previous marriage also lived with them at Holyhead on the island of Anglesey. Gwen was very poor and hawked cheap goods around the town to make ends meet. In the … Read more
John Ellis and William Willis hanged 25 year old William Broome, aka William Brookes, at Reading Gaol at 8.00 a.m. on Thursday the 24th of November 1910 for the murder of 70 year old Isabella Wilson. Those present at the execution were the Governor, Captain T. F. W. Wisden, Dr. Freeman, the prison surgeon, the Under sheriff … Read more
Leslie James was the last woman to be hanged for baby-farming and also the last woman to be hanged in Wales. Only on the day before her execution did she reveal to her solicitor, Mr. Harold Lloyd, that her real name was Rhoda Willis, having been charged, tried and convicted in the assumed name of Leslie James. Apparently … Read more
