It wasn’t just the streets of the East End of London that were dangerous places to be in the latter half of the 19th century.
Indeed, some of the institutions where you might expect some semblance of safety to hold sway could be deadly places, as is evidence by the following case, which appeared in The Eastern Post on Saturday the 3rd of July 1880:-
MURDER IN THE CITY OF LONDON UNION, BOW ROAD
At between 7 and 8 o’clock on Tuesday evening a shocking murder was perpetrated in the infirmary which is attached to the City of London Union, situated in the Mile End Road.
On Monday a constable of the City Police force found a man lying insensible in or near Aldersgate Street, and conveyed him to the Moor Lane Station, where the inspector on duty had him examined by the divisional surgeon, who advised his removal to the workhouse. He was at once put into a cab and conveyed to the City of London Union, where he was seen by the medical officer, who ordered him to be taken to the infirmary.
He was accordingly carried there, still insensible, and placed in a room by himself, away from the rest of the patients, with an attendant to look after him.
HIS NAME FOUND
His pockets were examined, and in them wore discovered a passport and other papers which showed the bearer to be David Saleneskam, a native of the village of Paruts, in the province of Kalvrarany, Russia, the passport being dated February, 1880, to extend to February, 1881, the holder having permission to travel in any part of Russia and Poland during that time.
HE RECOVERED CONSCIOUSNESS
A few hours after his reception at the infirmary, Saleneskam recovered consciousness, sat up in bed, and evinced a desire to enter into conversation with those about him, being unable to speak more than a few words of English.
A man named Harris, who had been an inmate of the infirmary since the beginning of March, was sent for to talk with him.
Saleneskam seemed very pleased to find he could speak the Russian tongue, and readily entered into conversation with him, Saleneskam seeming very quiet and calm, though somewhat strange in his manner.
HE BECAME VIOLENT
On Tuesday evening, about 7 o’clock, Harris was sitting at a table reading, another patient, named Kollingsworth, being in the room also, when on a sudden Saleneskam jumped out of bed, caught hold of a chair, and rushing at the latter, made a terrific blow at him, which, however, he managed to avoid, receiving little or no injury.
Saleneakam then darted at Harris, and inflicted blow after blow upon his head, smashing the chair into pieces and knocking out the poor fellow’s brains, which were scattered over the table and floor.
“MURDER!” “HELP!”
Hollingsworth shouted “Murder!” and “Help!” as loudly as he could, and a bricklayer named Hughes, who was at work on the premises close by, came running into the room, followed by other persons, who managed to overpower Saleneskam and strap him to a bed.
The police were called in, and Arthur Reynolds, 254, and Inspector Back were soon in attendance.
On their arrival they found the murderer foaming and shrieking in a way which at once showed him to be in a state of raving madness.
He was accordingly detained at the infirmary, and the body of his victim was removed to the mortuary, to await on inquest.
THE INQUEST HELD
On Thursday Mr. George Collier opened an inquiry at the board-room of the City of London Infirmary, Bow Road, relative to the death of Alfred Harris, aged 28, who was murdered in that institution.
Inspector Back, of the K Division, appeared on behalf of the police authorities.
The murderer is still confined in the infirmary under close supervision.
Before receiving the evidence P.C. J. Rabinowitz, K 141, at the request of Dr. Bancombe, the medical officer, stated that Salesneskam, the murderer, was a native of Skuwalk, in Russia, a labourer, and in religion a Roman Catholic.
Mr. Solomons, an insurance agent, of New Road, Whitechapel, identified the deceased, who, he stated, was a Polish Jew, and by trade a tailor.
CONSTABLE VICKS’S TESTIMONY
William Vicks, City police-constable 968, said that he was on duty in Old Broad Street about seven in the evening of the 28th ult., when he was called by a messenger from the Russian Consulate in Great Winchester Street to the prisoner, whom he found in a kneeling position.
He was not violent, and the witness removed him to Moor Lane Station.
Not being able to stand, he was removed there on a stretcher.
He was afterwards taken to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital by the inspector’s orders, and witness saw no more of him.
OLIVER HUNT’S EVIDENCE
Oliver Hunt, City policeman, 181, deposed to removing the prisoner from the station to the hospital, where he was seen by a doctor, after which he was taken back to the station.
The doctor said that he was suffering from an epileptic fit, and if looked after, might recover.
He was afterwards removed to the infirmary, as there was no charge against him.
By the Jury: A doctor saw him at the station and advised his removal to the infirmary.
THE DOCTOR’S TESTIMONY
George Edgar Miles, assistant medical officer to the City Infirmary, said that the prisoner was admitted about eleven o’clock on Monday night last.
He was free from violence, but kept crossing himself and praying, exclaiming that he was sent from Heaven.
He was placed in an imbecile ward in which there were about six other patients, and witness upon visiting him next morning found him in the same condition and free from violence.
Witness was called about two o’clock on the afternoon of the same day, up to which time he had been tranquil, and found him brandishing a chair in his hand.
Deceased was near the doorway, lying on his face, quite dead.
There was no one else in the ward.
Witness made an examination, and found death to be due to fracture of the skull, the brain being scattered about.
When witness entered the door he saw one blow struck by prisoner.
DAVID WILLIAMS’S EVIDENCE
David Williams, imbecile and general attendant, said that the prisoner came under his charge at twenty minutes to twelve on Monday night last.
Witness left the ward in which he was placed at one o’clock on Tuesday.
The deceased, the prisoner, and one and two others were then in the ward.
Witness was sent for about a quarter to two, and saw deceased lying within the door on his face.
The prisoner was on the bed, struggling with Dr. Miles, and on some straps being procured he was secured.
The prisoner had been very quiet, with the exception that he would get out of bed and dress himself and make the mark of a cross on the door. If there had been any apprehension that he would commit mischief he would not have been left.
INQUEST ADJOURNED
The Coroner said that he proposed at this stage to adjourn the inquiry, which accordingly was postponed for a week.
TUE MURDER BY A MADMAN
The Leytonstone Express and Independent provided an update on the case in its edition of Saturday the 10th of July 1880:-
David Saleneskam, 24, a native of Russia, has been charged at the Thames police court, London, with wilfully murdering Alfred Harris, by striking him on the head with a chair at the City of London Union infirmary.
BOUND HAND AND FOOT
The inspector who has charge of the case said that the prisoner was in the courtyard in a cab, he was quite mad, and was bound hand and foot.
He had been charged in consequence of a communication received from the union authorities that he was in a fit state to be brought before the magistrate.
He had pulled out nearly the whole of his front teeth by biting at the padlock by which the straps which confined him were fastened.
BROUGHT INTO COURT
It being decided that the case should be gone into, the prisoner was carried into court by some constables and placed in a seat by the side of the dock.
He is a slight-built, spare looking man of peculiarly marked features; from the time he was brought in until the conclusion of the case he never ceased to utter a series of loud cries, at the same time making most horrible grimaces, some of which were almost fiend-like in their malignity.
Every now and then he kept rising from his seat, throwing himself about, and striving, as it seemed, to burst the bonds by which he was confined.
AN EVENTFUL HEARING
Evidence similar to that already published was given, one of the witnesses, an inmate of the imbecile ward at the union, going into a fit as he left the box, thus adding to the confusion that was reigning.
The magistrate ultimately directed the prisoner to be taken to Newgate until an order could be obtained from the Secretary of State for his removal to a criminal lunatic asylum, and he was then carried out of court still shrieking.