Wandsworth

1/ Wandsworth Boating Deaths, April 1883

2/ Tooting Cemetery, September 1896 (Fight at Funeral)

Ellen Donovan, a charwoman, went with the man she lived with, to his son’s funeral. The relatives at the funeral didn’t really like her and an argument ensued, followed by a punch-up. Donovan was a well-built woman, but she was punched and had her clothes torn to shreds. George Askew was charged with assaulting her (as well as the other stuff), he kicked her when she was lying down and broke one of her rib’s.

3/ Wandsworth Gaol, December 1882 (Execution Goes Wrong)

I don’t know if I can say that I feel sorry for a murderer, but to go the way this guy did was uncalled for and they should have taken more care than they did. I think it was William Marwood who hung him and he was a Lincolnshire celebrity at the time, as he was the hangman. Anyway, the story goes like this- In August at Camberwell, Charles Taylor killed his missus by cutting her throat with a razor. He did it at No 2, Tustin Road, Old Kent Road and his fifteen-year-old daughter went out for an hour, then arrived back, she saw her Dad leaning over the body, drenched in blood, then telling her that he did it because she kept on nagging him. He had also slit his own throat, in a bid to kill himself and not face the judge, but he was saved and recuperated in hospital.

It was now time for him to face the hangman, as he was found guilty when he had got better and they had obviously forgotten that he had gashes on his neck, that would affect things as they were still healing. When he dropped through the trap-door, the head was nearly ripped off the body.

4/ Putney Heath, (Human Remains) August 1875

P.C.William Payne was on duty on Putney Heath, when he stumbled on the decomposed remains of a man in the bushes. When the body was being moved when the head of the deceased dropped off. Payne had to cut back some of the bushes and shrubs to get to the corpse and it was suggested at the inquest that the deceased would have had to crawl there. He bore no marks of violence. On his person was a Remington pistol and six cartridges, plus a handkerchief with blood spatter on it, some keys, an eye-glass and some small change. The post-mortem examination proved that the body had been there approximately three weeks. The man’s clothing, height etc, give him a similar description to Alexander Collie, who was meant to be in court on charges of fraud but had failed to appear. Then another gentleman came to identify the Remington, which he said he lent to Thomas Grant of the London Scottish Volunteers, who had just been sacked from his City job. Police were satisfied it was the body of Thomas Grant.

5/ Beaufoy Road, Battersea, June 1891

6/ Wandsworth Lunatic Asylum Fatality, March 1854

An inmate of the Wandsworth Lunatic Asylum was scalded to death by another patient. Both inmates were momentarily left to their own devices by their attendant in the bathroom, when one named Poyle, held Alfred Gibson under the boiling water. He died soon afterwards.

7/ Putney, August 1856

Six-year-old George Wood Downe was watching a swing was being erected in a field near the Half Moon Inn in Putney. He was with a group of kids playing nearby, when a twenty-foot high triangular support made of iron, suddenly fell over, crushing the boy underneath. His head took the brunt of the force and death was instantaneous. “Accidental Death” was the jury’s verdict.

8/ Wandsworth Poisoned Children, June 1885

9/ Putney/River Thames Drownings, January 1885

Yesterday two boats were in collision in the Thames off Putney. The occupants of one of the boats, five in number, were precipitated into the water and two- Mr Mackenzie, a Twickenham gentleman and the Reverend Mr Garnish, who endeavoured to save him, were both drowned.

10/ Wandsworth Common, August 1844

Amelia Alfred, residing at Wandsworth, tried to drown herself and two illegitimate children in a pond on Wandsworth Common. She tied them around her waist, then jumped into the pond, but it is fairly shallow, so she laid on her back in order to drown them. A lad and her brother plus other passers-by dragged her out and she was restored back to life. Alfred is to be classed as insane, due to great stress.

11/ R.Bell & Co Explosion, Wandsworth, April 1885

12/ Surrey Lunatic Asylum (Murder/Manslaughter?) June 1856

Dr Charles Snape, the late superintendent of the male side of Surrey Lunatic Asylum, was charged “that he, on the 9th of April last, did unlawfully and feloniously kill and slay one Daniel Dolby”, an inmate at the asylum. Dr Snape was in the practice of giving shower baths to patients when one of them lashed out and smacked him one. The doctor gave the order to keep him in the bath for half an hour, telling the attendant to keep an eye on him. This was complied with for twenty-eight minutes, but twenty minutes after he came out, he was dead. The case was adjourned. (Are these ice baths?)

13/ Battersea Child Cruelty, January 1899

14/ District Railway, March 1892 (Pickled Baby)

The dead body of a newly-born child was discovered in a first-class carriage under the seat on the District Railway. This is not an unusual story on this website as you might think, but this child was pickled in a jar. Tests reveal that the child was still-born and the liquid in the jar was some sort of spirit. There were no marks of violence on the baby.

15/ No.12, Fountain Road Familicide, Tooting, March 1895

16/ Wandsworth Gaol Execution, June 1895

17/ Clapham Junction (Fatal Accident) August 1870.

18/ Clapham Common Suicide, September 22nd 1870.

September 24th, 1870. Cedars Road is still there, opposite Clapham Common North Side.

19/ Battersea Wife Manslaughter, April 26th, 1902. (Brocklesby Farmer Kills Wife)

20/ Battersea Wife Manslaughter, May 17th, 1902. (The Inquest and Verdict)

21/ Sad Fatality of Firework Cracker, Battersea. November 1903 (Culvert Road is still there)

22/ Sad Death due to Botched Abortion, Wandsworth. November 1903

23/ Death of a Child From Improper Feeding, Replingham Road, Wandsworth. March 1904

24/ Child Murder in Putney, March 1904. (The actual term is Neonaticide for a child less than a day old that is killed)

Mildred Cole, a young domestic servant, was brought from the Wandsworth Infirmary, where she had been lying ill, to answer a charge of murdering her male infant child on the 11th of March. The prisoner was employed as a domestic at a house in Disraeli Road, Putney. Shortly after its birth the infant was strangled with the aid of a piece of tape and thrown among the contents of the prisoner’s clothes box, where it was found devoid of clothing. The mother admitted her guilt and, after evidence had been given, was remanded.

25/ Child Dies From Want, Wandsworth. January 1904 ( 37 Aslett Street is still there)

26/ Child Murder/Suicide, Burmester Road, Wandsworth. February 1904

27/ Infanticide in Wandsworth, March 1904

28/ Barrister Stabbed by Girlfriend, Wandsworth Common. January 1905

29/ Boxing Fatality at Latchmere Baths. December 1906 (Was Latchmere Baths where Latchmere Leisure Centre now stands, on Burns Road, off Latchmere Road?)