The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-11-20 00:00:00

THE TRAGEDY IN FINSBURY PARK.

In London on Saturday, at the Police Court,
Clerkenwell, William Herbert, 54 years of age, stated
en the charge-sheet to be of no occupation, his address
being given as 133, Walmer-road, Notting-hill, was
charged with the wilful murder of Jane Messenger,
by shooting her, on the morning of the 22nd of
October last, in Finsbury Park. The prisoner was
further charged with having attempted suicide by
shooting himself at the same time and place.
The prisoner appeared ill, coughing frequently
throughout the hearing, and, until provided with a
seat, leaning his head on his hands on the rail of the
dock. He was undefended, the case for the prosecu-
tion being conducted by the inspector in charge, Mr.
M'Fadden.

John Bradley, living at 25, Chatterton-road, Finsbury
Park, railway agent, deposed that on the 22nd of October, at
about 12730, he was entering Finsbury-park from the Black-
stock-road, when he noticed the prisoner entering by the
same gate in company with a lady. He had not seen the
prisoner before to his knowledge. He did not hear either
of them speak, but saw them seat themselves. Afterwards
he heard talking, but did not distinguish what was said. It
commencing to rain, witness was walking to the gate, and
had got about 300 or 400 yards from the seat when he had
left them when he heard the report of firearms. Ile then
saw the woman running away from the prisoner, who was
pursuing her. She was running towards witness, and the
prisoner caught her by the shawl with his left hand, arid
fired a second time at her with a pistol. She fell on her
knees then, and held up her hands in a supplicating way
to him. Two or three other gentlemen corning up, witness
saw one of them with the revolver, which had been picked
up from the ground. The prisoner asked for it, exclaim-
ing, "Let me have it !" Witness took it from the gentle-
man who had it, and put it in his own pocket. A boy was
sent fora constable, to whom witness handed the revolver,

By the Clerk: Witness saw that the lady, when the pri-
soner fired at her a second time, was on her knees, and
after the second shot she fell on her face. 'Then the prisoner
shot himself, and witness afterwards, looking at the lady,
saw that she appeared dead. She was bleeding from the
breast. Did not see her removed, but he saw when she was
lifted up that a bullet was sticking hi her stays. It fell,
and was handed to the constable. A cab was sent for, but
witness, before she was removed, went away with the con-
stable and the prisoner to the police-station There were
several other gentlemen in attendance on the lady, and
witness left her with them. The 'prisoner made only one
remark—that the weapon was a dangerous one, or some-
thing of that kind.
- - - -

The Magistrate asked the prisoner If he wished to put
any questions to the witness, and he replied, "No, your
Worship."
John Allcoek, of Finsbury Park-villas, next deposed that
on the day in question he was walking through Finsbury
Park, on the East-road, and heard a shot tired. Re saw the
prisoner and a lady near him, and saw the prisoner fire.
The lady was running away, and the prisoner pursuing and
firing at her. She was screaming and trying to get away.
The prisoner fired two shots in witness's sight, He was
close to her when he fired, and when he fired the last shot
'witness saw the lady fall. She fell on her back. Imme-
diately afterwards the prisoner, with his left hand, opened
his coat, and, putting the pistol to his breast with his right
hand, fired at himself. He then fell backwards, and dropped
the pistol. Witness, running to the man, picked up the
pistol. Other gentlemen came up, one of them being the
previous witness, Bradley. The prisoner jumped up, anti
seizing witness by the collar, asked, "Where is the pistol? "
Witness told him that it was all right, Mr. Bradley having
In the meanwhile taken it out of witness's hand. Constables
came, and one of them teok the prisoner away. With the
assistancesof the other constable, witness raised the woman.
On unpinning her shawl, he saw her clothes were in flames,
which he extinguished. He also saw a bullet in her stays,
and a wound in her left breast. Witness remained with her
until after a medical gentleman came, and until the lady
was removed to tie hospital.

The prisoner was asked if he wished to put any questions
to the witness, but replied, "No, Sir."

During the examination of this witness, the prisoner, who
seemed hardly able to support himself, had been provided
with a chair in the dock, the medical gentleman in court,
keeping a watch upon his condition.
Police-constable George Lewis deposed that on the 22nd of
October he was called to the park, and saw one of the
keepers, who told him that,a woman had been shot. He ran
up, another constable being, however, there first: Witness
saw the woman lying on the grass, bleeding. She was alive
then, and breathing. Witness pointed out a doctor's house
close by, and while waiting a medical gentleman who had
come up offered assistance, and witness saw him examine
her. He ordered her to be removed to the hospital; witness
accompanied her, and. saw hef die on the way.
Henry James Messenger, 41, Edward-square, Caledonian-
road, a wood turnet, said that on the morning of the 23rd of
October he went to the Great Northern Hospital, where he
saw the dead body of a woman, which he identified as that of

his Wife, Jane Messenger.
The Magistrate asked the witness if he was shown any
wound on the body. _ _ _ . -

The witness replied, "No, sir; I could not look at it. I
was too much upset."
-- • -

The Magistrate: Do you know the prisoner 7—Yes, sir, he
Is the husband of my wife's'eldest sister. I knew him as of
Foot's Cray, Australia. His home is there. I had not known
of any quarrel.
Inspector M'Fadden said that the witness could state that
the deceased had been living with the prisoner, and that
she had left the prisoner only the night before.
The Magistrate said that in some circumstances it might
be important, but perhaps not in this case. He, however,
asked the witness if he cquld state anything of the relations
of the prisoner with his wife.
The witness replied that he knew that his wife, her
brother, and the prisoner left his house on the 24th of
August, if not together, within a quarter of an hour of each
other. On the night of the 21st of October she returned,
bringing back the things she had taken away.
By the Clerk : She left without witness's consent. She
retailed to live with him on the 21st. He saw her once
in the interval—on the Bth of OctoberTand the prisoner
once. on thfi 10th, wh6n he called for sonie hitters addressed
to witness's house for him from his wife in Australia.
- •• .

Mr. Arthur James Wharry, house surgeon of the Great
Northern Hospital, deposed that on the 22nd ult., about
half-past one o'clock he saw the deceased when she was
brought in. She was dead. He examined the body, and
found the dress on the right aide was burnt. On the iron of
the stays on the corresponding side he Pliw an indentation,
and a bruise on the breas . On the left side there was a
circular wound between the third and fourth ribs. There
were bullet marks through the dress, stays, and bodice.
Witness made a pot mortem examination, and found that a
bullet had passed through the chest, injuring the anterior
part of the lung, the left auricle of the heart, and the left
lung. It had buried itself in the sixth rib and had injured
the root of the left lung. Witness came to the conclusion
from the post mortem examination that death had resulted
from the bullet wound, which had injured the heart and
lungs.
Mr. Frederick James Gant, of Connaught-square, Hyde
Park, M.R.C.S., senior surgeon of the Royal Free Hospital,
deposed that at two o'cluck on the 22nd of October he saw
the prisoner in bed in the hospital and examined him. He
had a wound in the breast. The bullet had passed into the
chest, but without injuring the lungs or heart. Witness
had him under his care until he considered him fit to be
removed. While in the hospital the prisoner suffered
from inflammation of the lungs and pleurisy. He had
never said anything to witness as to the matter in Finsbury
Park, hitt had admitted that he shot himself.
Inspeetor ,M'Fadden, Y Division, said that the prisoner was
brought into the lifornsey-road station by Police-constable
Taylor, who stated, i his presence, that he had shot a
woman dead in Finsbury Park. Witness asked the persons
in the station if they knew who the woman was. The pri-
soner replied, "She is Mrs. Messenger, and lives at 41,
Edward-sqnare, Caledonian-road." Witness saw that the
prisoner was bleeding, and sent for a medical man, who
ordered him to be takes to time Royal Free Hooptil. The
charge was team and read to the gleam, Who mai "Very

well." When the prison& was taken to the station witness
found on him a pocket-book containing a photographed like-
ness of the deceased and a memorandum, among others,
"If anything happens to me, my address is Mrs. Pegler's, 91,
Portobello-road, Notting-hill." Witness had, however,
reason to believe that the memorandum had no relation to
this matter, but had been made weeks before, when the pri-
soner was in ill-health. •

Sarah Deboo, widow, living at 45, Stoney-street, Notting-
hill, said that she knew the prisoner, who on the Wednesday
before the bank holiday in August came to her for apart-
ments. Mrs. MeKunger, her brother, and the prisoner came.
Before then they were strangers to her. They entered into
possession on the bank holiday, August 2. A chair-bedstead
was put into the parlour for Mrs. Messenger to sleep there,
she going up to the other room in the morning. They stayed
seven or eight weeks, but the brother did not stop so long.
lie and the prisoner did not agree, and the brother left after
about three weeks. Witness understood that they had come
from Australia. Mrs. Messenger, whosa name she knew
through a Mrs. Pegler, who had brought the party to her, left
witness's house on the night before she was shot. The pri-
soner had left the house about a week before. She thought
they were on goad terms up to that time, but did not believe
that the prisoner knew she was going 'back to her husband.
Mrs. Messenger once told her that she had found a bottle of
laudanum in the prisoner's pocket and had thrown it away.
Police-constable Thomas Taylo deposed that he was called
to the scene, where he saw the deceased lying on the ground.
The prisoner was pointed out to him, and he told him he
should take him to the station for shooting the woman.
The prisoner replied, "1 sha'n't try to run away, as I've
shot myself, and am fast bleeding to death." On the way
to the station, through the park, the prisoner tried to get
the pistol from witness, saying, "Give it to me so that I
can finish the job." When being put into a cab at the
park gates, the prisoner took a knife from the left-hand
pocket of his coat and threw it out of the cab through
the opposite window. On the way to the station he also
took a small box from his pocket, and, handing it to wit-
ness, said, "I don't want to hide anything from you now."
Witness found the box contained cartridges. Witness
subsequently took the pritsoner to the hospital from the
station, and on the way he asked if the woman was dead.
Witness told him he did not know. Passing through the
Oaledoniau-road, the prisoner pointed out a house as the
pace where the woman's husband worked. Witness watched
the prisoner every day while in the hospital, and on the 23rd
the prisoner made a statement to a Mrs. Reed, a cousin, who
was visiting him. Witness took down the statement. The
prisoner said, "There was a certain object I had in view,
and I wanted to speak to her about it, and I took a tramcar
to Finsbury Park for that purpose, with the full intention of
doing what I have done if the interview with her was not
satisfactory to me. The reason of my doing so no one on
this living earth shall know." Witness had brought the
prisoner to this court from the hospital that (Saturday)
morning.

This- completed the case for the prosecution, and
the prisoner, who said nothing to the charge, was com-
mitted for trial at the Central Criminal Court.