2 Attachment(s)
Liverpool flypaper murders preceeding the Maybrick case
Two pics of the Trinity Vaults, one from 1912, the other my own from 1990.
Listed as 211 Athol street and 101 Latimer street. In the 1860s,the premises had the unusual name of the Chanticleer. Some of the locals are congregated on the corner whilst on the left in Athol street, there appears to be a party of school children with their teacher. Three brass balls, indicating a pawn shop faces the pub. This pub has now been converted into flats,the shops and houses either side have gone with neat new houses now surrounding the pub, belying a rather gruesome history.
In 1883,just two doors away from the pub at 105 Latimer Street, seen on the old photograph,lived Catherine Flanagan,a lodging-house keeper. She and her sister, Margaret Higgins, became known as 'the Borgias of the slums', after Lucretia Borgia,a member of an old Italian noble family of Spanish origin, who became notorious as a poisoner.
Whilst living in Skirving Street, they conspired to poison four people, three of them relatives, by using arsenic from flypaper which were sticky strips that were suspended from the ceiling to attract and kill flies, used in most houses up to the 1950s.After collecting the insurance on the deceased,they moved to Latimer street, with their crimes apparently undetected.
However, they were soon on the move again,to the nearby Ascot street. Here, their murderous ways were to continue. Their victim this time, Thomas Higgins, suddenly took ill and, after writhing in excrutiating agony all night, died the next day. His death was certified as being from excessive drinking, but his brother's suspicions were aroused when he discovered that the deceased had life insurance with no less than six companies.
The police were informed and subsequently a post-mortem ordered. This led to the other three bodies being exhumed, to find traces of arsenic in each of them. The two sisters were tried for murder.
It was not until 1889 that another murder trial became internationally famous, that of American born Florence Maybrick, known as the flypaper poisoner. Although contraversial and well documented,the method she allegedly employed had already been used some years earlier by the sisters in question. Although never gaining the publicity of the Maybrick case, the murder trial of the two sisters was avidly followed locally. Eventually they were jointly charged with one murder and were hanged at Kirkdale Gaol during a snow storm in March 1884.
Source: Freddy O'Connor's - A pub on every corner.
'Not Long To The Trial Now!'
Hi Everyone,
Nice to post here again, it's been a long time I know. To be honest I've not been in the brightest of moods lately and so inspiration and enthusiasm have been a bit low. Still, I will be seeing some of you next week at the Trial I hope. Really looking forward to meeting you Chris and my old sparring partner Jericho if he's attending. I am going to be getting the train up from Hastings to Aigburth station on Thursday so will be in town from Thursday night. I will be staying at the Innkeepers lodge, Liverpool South if anyone wants to look me up. I would like to know how far from Aigburth station that is? If anyone knows and could post here before Thursday It would be much appreciated. If it's not far then I'll walk it otherwise I'll have to find out about getting a taxi. I hope the weather is going to be much kinder to us all in Liverpool than it is down here! Look forward to meeting you all and discussing the diary soon!
'Thanks For All Your Help'
Hi Chris, Hi Jericho,
Thanks so much for all your help once again. It sounds as if the lodge is easily walkable from Aigburth station. I thought it shouldn't be far because James used to talk about using the station to get to work. Chris, it would be lovely to meet up with you and your wife before the trial starts. I will be getting the 9.47 train from Hastings tomorrow so should be at the lodge by around 5pm ish. If you'd like to meet me for a drink later that evening or maybe the following day sometime I'd like that very much. Sadly, I don't have a mobile phone so I don't know how were going to get in touch with each other? Maybe you could leave a message for me at the lodge? I will make a point of asking if I have any messages when I arrive. I have also reserved a ticket for the jeremy Beadle quiz night so i hope you are going to that as well. Talked with Chris jones on the phone and it sounds as if the quiz will be fun. I think I will be a little 'out of my depth' talking to some 'real experts' on the case but I hope I will 'hold my own' at least when discussing James!
Look forward to seeing you soon,
Tony.
'What A Fantastic Three Day's'
Hi Everyone,
For me, the recent 'Trial Of James Maybrick' and subsequent 5 day holiday in Liverpool was I must say the holiday from HEAVEN!
Chris Jones of Liverpool cricket club was amazing and put on a great event. Jeremy Beadle was also great. Not only was he fun, he was knowledgeable and approachable too. He didn't ebven hit me when I suggested that a lot of the ripperologists on the casebook of jack the ripper were sure to say that Maybrick had been framed if he were to be found guilty with him as the judge! Nice man Jeremy.
In fact it was nice to meet SO MANY nice people AND have something in common with all of them too! I really enjoyed meeting you Hargy, you really gave me a start when you looked at me and said 'Your Tony May aren't you?' HA HA HA Fame at last!!! I look forward to the photo soon! Chris - my 'main man' it was great to meet you also. I only wish we'd had more time to get together for a 'proper chat'. Things seemed to move along at the trial at such a pace that we never really got the chance to have a drink together, sit down, 'swap notes' and get to know each other did we? Never mind, I'm sure you will have plenty to say on here at some point about it all... not least the GUILTY verdict! HA HA HA HA (I'll expect some flak for that cheeky remark!!!) I hope you have a great time on the Isle Of wight and if you find out anything on Michael Maybrick please post it here!!!
Jericho, you are a star!!! I followed your instructions to the letter on how to use the public transport to get to my hotel. Along with the fact that the place you told me to book was within SPITTING DISTANCE of where I wanted to be I reckon I owe you a few beers if ever I'm in town again!! Thanks a lot!!
As far as Maybrick is concerned, I am now totally convinced that he DID write the diary and that further corrobarative evidence will eventually come to light to this fact. The Jack The Ripper thing however will still run and run even if it is eventually accepted that he did write the diary. Why? because even if it could be CONCLUSIVELY PROVEN that James Maybrick wrote the diary of Jack The Ripper, I don't think we will ever be able to PROVE that he actually killed any of them. But then isn't this just what makes the whole ripper tale so facinating?