On Saturday the 15th of August, 1846, the Lord Mayor was presiding over a session at the Mansion House Court, when a police inspector arrived to tell him that a woman by the name of Susan Tolleday, had been murdered in nearby Gresham Street.
The Freeman’s Journal took up the story in its edition of Tuesday the 18th of August,1846:-
A FRIGHTFUL MURDER IN LONDON
On Saturday, while the Lord Mayor was engaged in the routine business of the Mansion House, Inspector Woodruffe of the city police, informed his lordship that a cook at the Guildhall Coffee-house had just cut the throat of the kitchen-maid, and that she weas dead.
Soon afterwards, John Smith, the person accused of the murder, was brought into the justice-room and placed at the bar.
He is about thirty years of age, and he seemed to be in a state of excessive mental agony.
Witnesses were then called.
WILLIAM CARR’S TESTIMONY
William Carr stated:-
I am boots at the Guildhall Coffee-house. The prisoner was cook in the same service, and the deceased, whom we called Susan, was acting as kitchen-maid.
About half-past twelve this day I was cleaning one of the windows of the folding doors of the front entrance of the coffee-house, in Gresham-street, when I saw the kitchen maid come screaming from the kitchen up to the corner of the stairs, with the blood running from her throat.
I ran a towards her, and she fell before I got to her.
She had a knife in her hand. She said nothing, and died almost instantly.
HE SAID HE HAD DONE IT
There is a back entrance to the kitchen, as well as the one from whence she came.
I had not been in the kitchen for an hour before.
At that time the prisoner was in the kitchen, dressed in a brown jacket and apron (his cook’s dress), and the deceased and two other persons, namely, the scullery maid and a little girl who assists in the e kitchen.
Immediately upon the deceased falling, I went a into the kitchen, leaving her upon the ground, and there I saw the prisoner alone. He walked from the table (upon a which I observed the cook’s dress, and also a knife covered with blood, lying) to meet me, and I said, “Dear me, what is the matter?”
He said to me, “I have done it, and I wish you to give me in charge.”
He looked very pale and ghastly.
THEY HAD QUARRELLED
I heard that there was quarrelling between them last night. I have heard them quarrelling together. Sometimes they were on good terms together, and sometimes the reverse.
The prisoner is a married man, and I am not aware of any intimacy between the prisoner and the deceased.
The prisoner has been in his situation for several years, and had served his apprenticeship to Mr. Walters, the proprietor of the Guildhall Coffee-house.
HE WAS “DROVE” TO IT
The deceased was in Mr. Walters’s service about twelve months.
When I saw her come along, I called out as loud as I could for Mr, Walters, our master, and some of the servants came down.
Before the prisoner came up to where the deceased was lying ha said, “I was drove to it.”
A policeman came in immediately afterwards, and the prisoner gave himself into custody in the passage, near the spot on which the deceased was lying.
The prisoner said to the policeman, “I have done it-I have done it,” and he was then taken into custody.
The Lord Mayor asked:- “Prisoner, do you wish to ask the witness any question?”
The prisoner heaved a deep sigh, and said, “no.”
CONSTABLE DILLON’S EVIDENCE
John Dillon:-
“I am a city of London constable. About twenty minutes past twelve this day I was called into the Guildhall Coffee-house, and I saw the deceased lying at the bottom of the staircase in the passage.
Prisoner, who was standing close by, said, “I have done it, and I give myself in charge.”
I then took him to Bow Lane station house.
In going to the station-house I asked him the question, how he came to do it?
He said, “I was drove to do it. She had been calling me all the rogues she could think of all the morning. I have a wife and four children and was afraid I should lose my place at night from what she had said.”
When I got him in the station-house I heard him address the inspector; he said, “You know me, Mr. Woodruffe; I have done it.”
Here Carr (the boots) stated that when he saw the prisoner before the deceased was killed, he did not appear to be excited.
THE TESTIMONY OF THOMAS PHILLIPS
Thomas Phillips, waiter at the Guildhall Coffee-house, said:-
“I was in the kitchen about five minutes before the catastrophe occurred. I was there but about a minute, and I did not hear anything unpleasant between the prisoner and the deceased.”
The Lord Mayor:- “Did you hear of the cause of any dispute or quarrel between them?”
Witness:- “The deceased told me before the prisoner came this morning that she had bought a pound of tea for her mother, and she believed that John (meaning the prisoner) had taken it the night before.
She told me that she would tax him with it when he came.
The prisoner, who seemed during the examination, which was very long, to know no remission of mental suffering, was then conveyed to the Compter.
THE CORONER’S INQUEST
An inquest was held on the body of the deceased in he Guildhall Coffee-house, before Mr. Payne, the city coroner.
One of the witnesses, a young girl, had not been examined at the Mansion House.
Her evidence, as will be seen, was very important.
FANNY WETTENAL’S EVIDENCE
Fanny Wettenal, a girl of twelve years of age, examined, resides in Half Moon-Alley, Whitecross-street.
She came here today to help deceased.
She was in the kitchen about five minutes before, and saw the deceased with her throat out. She was cutting beans. The prisoner was trussing ducks.
They were quarrelling at the time.
There was no one in the kitchen but the witness.
QUARRELING OVER MRS. RILEY
They were quarreling about half an hour before this happened about a Mrs. Riley, who had been there some time before.
The prisoner said to Mrs. Riley that she had not paid him the amount of some things she had bought from him, and that he would take them away.
She said that she had paid for the things.
The deceased told the cook that was not acting like a man in talking to the poor woman in that manner, and he would find it out, perhaps, before many months were over his head.
He said, “She would, perhaps, before many days were over her head.”
The prisoner told the witness to go out for some milk and eggs.
RUNNING AND BLEEDING
She had been gone a few minutes, and, on her return, she saw the deceased running from the kitchen, bleeding very much from the throat, and she fell at the foot of the stairs.
WILLIAM ROZIN’S EVIDENCE
William Rozin, who lives at Mrs, Allmore’s, 15, King-street, Cheapside, and is 21 years of age, said that he Knew the deceased; she was his cousin.
He thinks she was about 22 years of age.
Her father is a mason, and lives at Cambridge.
The deceased was single; the prisoner had married the deceased’s aunt.
THE VERDICT
The jury at once returned a verdict of wilful murder against John Smith.
SENTENCED TO DEATH
John Vincent Smith was found guilty of the murder of Susan Tolliday at his subsequent Old Bailey Trial.
However, the sentence was commuted to one of Transportation for life by the Home Secretary.