Several years ago I was researching some microfilms of news papers from Victorian England. A story caught my attention. There had been some riots and an Irish labourer had been murdered by a rioting coal miner.
From the reports in the paper -and some other research of contemporary documents I was able to put together the following story:
A Victorian Murder
In January 1848, 150 years ago Francis “Frank” Cunningham, an Irishman living in Wellington, Shropshire, died from injuries received on Christmas Eve 1847. He had been attacked, beaten and stabbed by a gang of colliers from the nearby mining village of Ketley.
He lingered until 12 January when he eventually died, despite the best attentions of Mr Steedman, a respected and much-loved surgeon of the town.
The inquest was held in The Kings Head public house in High Street, Wellington on January 14th.
From the evidence presented it is clear that the attack and murder had what we would describe today as a racial motive. -Although, in truth, it must be remembered that some of the colliers of Ketley at that time had a rather unfortunate passion for attacking anybody in Wellington, so it is probable that the fact that Mr Cunningham was Irish might well have been merely an excuse for attacking him, rather than an actual reason.
The collier who struck the fatal blows was George Taylor who was arrested the next day, Christmas Day, 1847.
From the evidence given at the inquest it became clear that on that night there had been a major dispute between members of Wellington’s Irish community and some of the colliers. One collier, Enoch Pritchard, was seen lying on the street with wounds to his head. -He had appeared to have been struck with an instrument similar to a poker.
Meanwhile outside The Kings Head, Frank Cunningham was found by his landlady Honor Fynan and fellow lodgers Mr and Mrs. Owen, a Welsh couple. Mr Cunningham had been mortally wounded.
Evidence was given that Frank Cunningham had merely gone outside to get a can of water. Unfortunately, there was a dispute between colliers and Irish navies in the street outside at the same time.
Although Frank Cunningham had taken no part in the dispute, collier George Taylor had crossed the road to where Frank Cunningham had been standing under lamp outside The Kings Head and addressed him thus; “You are an Irish bastard, too.”
Taylor had then struck Mr Cunningham. The only response from Mr Cunningham had been; “I have done nothing to you boys.”
He had made an attempt to go back into his lodgings but Taylor and other colliers had grabbed him. The others colliers helped Taylor to attack him, holding him down on the road. They also turned on Edward Owen, Mr Cunningham’s fellow lodger and attacked him, too, when he intervened and tried to rescue Mr Cunningham.
At the same time there was another fight taking place at Parker’s Beer Shop, which was also in High Street.
Whilst fellow colliers were holding Mr Cunningham down and beating him, Taylor pulled a knife and stabbed him “a number” of times.
The other colliers were horrified by what they saw, and one of the other colliers, Thomas Murrill, had taken Taylor by the collar and dragged him off Mr Cunningham. But by then it was far too late. Taylor had already struck the fatal blows that had changed him from a street brawler to a street killer…
When Taylor was taken by Police Superintendent Baxter of Wellington police the next day, on Christmas morning, he found Taylor still had the knife on him, and noticed that it was covered by poor Mr Cunningham’s clotted blood, as Taylor had not even had the sense to wipe off the blood.
Normally the close-knit mining community would have been tight-lipped and have claimed to have known nothing. But this was different. For Taylor had gone beyond the pail. He had murdered someone. And worst of all, he had committed the murder on Christmas Eve.
John Onions of Ketley, made a statement that he had heard Taylor boast on Christmas morning that he had been involved in a fight with the Irish in Wellington on Christmas Eve and that he had stabbed one of them.
A deposition by Frank Cunningham was read out at the inquest. He stated that he had no quarrel with anyone on the night in question and took no part in any of the rows, having; “gone out of doors for a certain purpose”, but could not identify anyone who had attacked him.
The inquest jury, having heard all of the evidence, decided on a verdict of “wilful murder” against Taylor and of “aiding and abetting” against Thomas Murrill. On the Coroner’s warrant they were committed to Shrewsbury Gaol under the custody of Superintendent Baxter. According to press reports in The Wellington Journal Mr Baxter had been; “indefatigable in getting up the case against the prisoners.”
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