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AP Wolf
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Apwolf
Post Number: 2545
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 19, 2005 - 4:21 pm: | 
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Herewith the full transcript of a case that I feel has much to say about the murder of Long Liz.
There are many parallels that can be drawn here and I’ll leave others to join up the dots before I do.
‘The Proceedings of the Old Bailey Ref: t18341016-5

See original
Trial Summary:
Crime(s): breaking the peace : assault,
Punishment Type: death,
(Punishment details may be provided at the end of the trial.)
Verdict: Guilty,
Other trials on 16 Oct 1834
Name search for: GEORGE BELL,
Crime Location: Cheshire-street, Bethnal-green
Associated Records...
Original Text:
Second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron Gurney.
1479. GEORGE BELL was indicted for that he, on the 26th of August, at St. Matthew, Bethnal-green, in and upon Martha Clements , feloniously, unlawfully, and maliciously, did make an assault, and with a certain sharp instrument then and there feloniously, unlawfully, and maliciously did strike, stab, and cut her, in and upon the left side of the navel, and the left side of the body, and the left thing, with intent feloniously, wilfully, and of his malice aforethought, to kill and murder her , against the Statute, &c.
2nd COUNT. Stating his intent to be to disable her.
3rd COUNT. Stating his intent to be to do her some grievous bodily harm.
MARTHA CLEMENTS. I am single. Some time ago I lived with the prisoner for four weeks - we parted twelve or thirteen weeks before this happened - on the 26th of August I lodged in a room in No. 4, Cheshire-street, Bethnal-green - the prisoner came to the house about twelve o'clock that day - he entered the room, which I was then scouring - he said, "Martha, I am come to murder you, and murder you I will before I leave you" - the shock was so great I could not speak at first, and he stabbed me in my left side, and I screamed out, and then he stabbed me again in the bone of my stays - he held me while he drew the knife out of my stays, and then stabbed me on the left breast - I then fell down, and he stabbed me in the thick part of my thing, and having no fire, I saved myself a great deal by bending myself into the fire-place - I screamed out, and Mr. Saint and his daughter ran down stairs - I think the prisoner heard that, and rather attempted to run away, but he tried to stab me in my throat, but I received the point of the knife in my fore finger - he went away; when Saint got to the bottom of the stairs I got up and went to the street door - I was hardly able to get up - a surgeon attended me - I had not said or done any thing whatever to the prisoner before he said he had come to murder me - I saw a knife in his right hand when he entered the room - I did nothing whatever to him before he stabbed me - he came unawares.
Prisoner. Q. Had I ever ill-used you before? A. I cannot say that he did use me well during the last fortnight- I was with him four weeks.
COURT. Q. Had he applied to you to live with him again after you parted? A. Yes, he did, but I did not agree to it.
JOSEPH SAINT . I live in the same house as the prosecutrix, at No. 4, Cheshire-street, Waterloo-town. On the 26th of August, just before twelve o'clock, I heard a violent sereaming, and ran down stairs - on going down I saw the prisoner leaving the street door - Mrs. Clements came out of her room with her hands extended - she appeared to be wounded - I saw blood on her thumb and fingers - I pursued the prisoner, and caught him - he ran, and when he saw me coming out of the door he rather looked round, and mended his pace - I followed him, secured him, and said,"You rogue, what have you been doing?" - he deliberately said, "I have stabbed the woman, and I hope I have done it effectually - I shall die happy to-morrow for it" - I took him back to the house - when I took him into the house I said to Mrs. Clements, "Is this the man who stabbed you?"- she said, "Yes;" and he said, "If I have done it effectually I shall die happy," and after that he asked her to shake hands with him - I said no, he had shook quite enough with her, and hindered him - he said she was the girl he
See original loved, and the girl he would die for - he said he had contemplated this two months to do it, and he had whetted the knife that morning to do it.
Prisoner. Q. Do you consider I was perfectly sober? A. No, I did not, because you smelt very offensively of liquor.
COURT. Q. Did he appear to know what he was about? A. He answered very sensibly, and spoke very perfect.
WILLIAM SHEAN . I am a policeman. On the 26th of August I was on duty in the neighbourhood, and saw the prisoner pursued down Manchester-street - he was stopped, and I came up and saw Saint holding him by the collar - I inquired what was the matter - I took him to the house where the prosecutrix was - I saw her sitting on a chair, and blood flowing from her left side on the floor - I asked him where the knife was - I saw a number of knives lying on the table - he said the knife was gone - I looked among the knives on the table, and asked him which one he did it with - he said it was his own knife - I found no knife on him - a knife was afterwards delivered to me by a brother constable, Jeremiah Haynes, 130 - he is not here.
Prisoner. Q. Did I state any thing further to you? A. On the road to the station-house, he said it was not done in a drunken frolic, it was meditated in his breast for two months, and he was sorry he had not done it effectually - and at the station-house I said to the inspector, that I must go back to the house to get a doctor to attend the woman, and the prisoner said he wished that I might bring news that she was no more - these stays were given to me.
JOHN BIRTWISTLE . I am a surgeon. I attended the prosecutrix, and found one wound about three inches on the left side of the navel, about an inch in length - it penetrated into the belly - another on the fleshy part of the left thigh, about six inches in length; and in the middle of that wound it was about two inches deep - another wound, about two inches, on the left side of the left breast, which appeared to have been stopped by the rib - she was sitting on a chair, and a great deal of blood on the floor - she appeared to have bled profusely - she was faint - she is very unwell now - she was obliged to undergo a great deal of active treatment to prevent inflammation, and was in great danger - the wound in the belly was one of the greatest danger - I could not tell the magistrate for a fortnight whether she would get well or not - I could not tell whether the intestines were wounded.
STEPHEN LAWRENCE . On the 26th of August, between ten and eleven o'clock, George Bell , the prisoner, came out of his own yard, belonging to the house, into my yard, which is rented under the same landlady - he asked me to lend him a penny, which I gave him - seeing I had more halfpence, he asked me to lend him another, which I refused - he said, "I have an instrument in my pocket I mean to do murder with this day, and life I will have" - he pulled the knife from under his coat pocket, and showed it to me, and went out after that - I can swear to the knife produced - it was such a knife as that, and sharpened in the way that is - I said, "Mr. Bell, you do not mean to do such a thing as that?" - he said, "I do" - he went out - I told my landlady what had occurred - she told me to go out and look for him, and see for a police-constable - I went, but could find neither, but on returning back to my lodging I saw the prisoner - he stopped me, and said, "Stephen, what a deceitful fellow you are to tell the landlady what I told you" - I said it was my duty.
HENRY THEOBALD . On the 26th of August I was standing almost opposite the house - I heard a scream, and went towards the house, and the prisoner came out with a knife in his hand - he ran about eighty yards, and then Martha Clements came out and said, "Stop him; that is the man" - I did not see him stopped.
Prisoner. I wish to state that in the morning I had no knowledge of what I did - I know nothing of the transaction - I am a stranger in London, and have no witnesses.(The prisoner here handed the following written defence.)"I beg your clemency, your protection, your gracious assistance. I humbly place myself at your feet, imploring your mercy and the humanity of the Court. I have known Martha Clements from my childhood, and at the age of seventeen I have formed a strong attachment for her. Soon after, I entered the East India Company's service, and served in it the term of seven years. On my return to this country, in May, 1833, I landed at Gravesend; I came direct to London, and made inquiries after Martha Clements, and found she was not married, but had a child, who is now living. I remained in town three days, chiefly with her. I left and went to my friends in Gloucestershire, with a full intention (as I then promised) to return in a month, and that we would then get married, as my affections were very great for her, and I believed she felt the same ardent wish for me. When I returned to Gloucestershire, my health became much impaired from the sudden change of climate, and continued so a long time, which prevented me coming to London for nine months. I returned in February last; Martha Clements and I, from that time, associated together: we arranged to get married, had the banns put in and registered at Shoreditch Church; we then mutually agreed and cohabited together until circumstances would admit of our union. I am a shoemaker, and with our industry we lived in comfort: we were several weeks in this mutual, and, as I believed, affectionate way. I have done all in my power to make her happy, and resolved to get married in a few weeks. She caused the marriage to be delayed. I was told that she was carrying on an unlawful intercourse with another man, which caused a dispute between us, and much uneasiness to me; she denied it, but in a short time after she proved it to be too true, for she left me and took with this man. I went after her four different times; each time we met, and she told me that she was cohabiting with this man, ( Benjamin Dorman , a silk weaver,) and that they were intimate together before I came to London - we drank each time that we met; I on all those meetings used all the persuasion that I could to her to give up this man's acquaintance, and that I would never accuse her of it. She did not say that she would agree to my wishes, but told me she would come to me at my lodgings: she did not come to me. I was very much troubled and unsettled in my mind since she left me, and from that time I could not rest but thinking of her. The morning I was taken into custody, I drank several glasses of spirits; I therefore lost all command of myself, all
See original reason and judgment. I could not rest day or night from her ill-nature to me, for I was excessively fond of her.
My Lord, and Gentlemen; I throw myself to your mercy, and hope you will take my case into your humance consideration.
GUILTY - DEATH . Aged 30.’ |
Helge Samuelsen
Inspector
Username: Helge
Post Number: 299
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 20, 2005 - 4:11 pm: |
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Ap,
Now here I can see better where you are going (re the thing we discussed at the LVP thread concerning Millers Court)
The witnessed assault on Stride could indeed have been due to similar circumstances
I'm still keeping the possibility open that she was a Ripper victim, though, but I'm not betting money on it anymore...
Helge
"If Spock were here, he'd say that I was an irrational, illlogical human being for going on a mission like this... Sounds like fun!" -- (Kirk - Generations)
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Jon P. Van Skiver
Sergeant
Username: Jonvs
Post Number: 12
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 10:43 pm: |
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What is "the left thing"?
Victorian for breast?
Thanks,
Jon |
AP Wolf
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Apwolf
Post Number: 2555
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 2:43 am: |
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They mean the vagina, Jon.
When the victim says 'the thick part of my thing', I assume she is referring to the pudenda.
It appears that 'thing' was the only way to describe such an abhorrent piece of biological equipment in that age. |
Helge Samuelsen
Inspector
Username: Helge
Post Number: 312
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 2:51 am: |
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I wonder what they called the other "thing"?
You know, the poking one.
"If Spock were here, he'd say that I was an irrational, illlogical human being for going on a mission like this... Sounds like fun!" -- (Kirk - Generations)
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AP Wolf
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Apwolf
Post Number: 2557
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, September 23, 2005 - 1:44 pm: |
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Probably the 'other thing', Helge.
Anyways, to the points of interest and similarity in the case above.
The couple had been separated for some weeks.
The woman was seeing another man to the certain knowledge of her jilted lover.
The ‘out of the blue’ attack, built up over the course of weeks and then fuelled by alcohol at the time of the attack.
‘He came unawares’ & ‘I did nothing whatever to him before he stabbed me.’
The victim was not expecting to be attacked, and neither was Stride.
A history of physical abuse and violence.
The shared language of Kidney & Bell.
‘I was excessively fond of her.’ Bell.
‘She liked me best, better than all the others.’ Kidney.
That statement from Kidney says a lot to me. |
Helge Samuelsen
Inspector
Username: Helge
Post Number: 335
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Friday, September 23, 2005 - 2:24 pm: |
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AP,
Yes, I see what you mean...
More clearly than ever!
And, about "the other thing". I should have guessed!
Helge
"If Spock were here, he'd say that I was an irrational, illlogical human being for going on a mission like this... Sounds like fun!" -- (Kirk - Generations)
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