#Poisoning of baby Charlotte Langford

Early on a Monday morning in April 1869 George Coker, an apprentice chemist, collected the key to Albert Langford’s Chemist and Druggist’s shop in King's Lynn from Mrs Mary Ann Langford, in her kitchen.  But soon he realised that this was not a normal day.  He discovered that Albert Langford, who had suffered from declining health for over a year, was now experiencing convulsions and facial twitching.  Dr Lowe, who knew the family, was summoned and as he attended to Albert he realised that Mary Ann Langford was also unwell.  Becoming very excited she grabbed the doctor’s hand saying, “Dr Lowe I have poisoned myself.”  “With strychnine?” asked the doctor. “Yes, and I have poisoned them,” she replied before succumbing to a violent convulsion.  Immediately Dr Lowe sent for a stomach pump and requested Dr Archer to aid him.  He also went into the shop downstairs for an emetic to treat Mrs Langford.  Only then, did he spot baby Charlotte in the arms of her sister.  Just 4 months old, she was evidently suffering the same symptoms as her parents.  By the end of the day, Charlotte had died.

Local people were stunned by these events.  Albert, like his father and brother, was an established chemist and druggist and well respected in the community.  Mary Ann, who had,” been very pretty,” was now, at 38, a mother of 8 young children and occasionally helped out in the shop; more so since her husband’s ill health.  Worried that the business was declining, she had dispensed with both her servants, adding to her considerable workload.  Since the birth of her last child she had been severely depressed and despondent and experienced severe head pain.  Her guilt seemed inevitable when a packet of white powder found in her dress pocket proved to be strychnine.

Strychnine was used as a poison for rats or birds and was sold by a chemist and druggist, being kept in sealed bottles or, once opened, within a drawer.  It affected nerves in the spinal cord causing increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli and inducing convulsions.  Death usually occurs within two hours as a result of either suffocation by paralysis of breathing or by exhaustion.  Doubt was raised in this case, since Charlotte lived for 6 hours while her mother recovered completely.  Albert Langford was nursed for 10 days before finally dying, although his convulsions had ceased.

Although reluctant to arrest Mary Ann, George Ware, Superintendent of Police took possession of sealed jars containing the contents of Charlotte’s stomach to be delivered to Dr Letheby at the London hospital for analysis.

Mary Ann was remanded in custody at Wymondham Bridewell where she tried unsuccessfully to commit suicide.  The trial was held in Norwich where Mrs Langford appeared in deep mourning.  Dr Letheby told the court that he had been able to kill a frog with the contents of the baby’s stomach.  It was suggested that Charlotte might have ingested the poison via her mother’s milk but this was dismissed since Mary Ann would have died if she had consumed enough strychnine to pass on to her daughter.

Deep mourning

Character references were given of Mary Ann’s affection towards her children and exemplary manner to her husband, even when he suffered loss of power, numbness in his limbs and incoherent speech.  Dr Lowe told of an appointment he had with the family on March 30^th when Albert’s wife and mother implored him to admit Mr Langdon into an asylum but despite his weakness and loss of memory, Albert spoke rationally and, being no danger to himself or others, was not committed.

After evidence was heard from all those present on the day of Charlotte’s death, Mary Ann Langford was acquitted of murder since she had been,” of unsound mind,” when administering poison to her child.  Prosecution against her for murder of her husband was then abandoned.

Two years later Mary Ann Langford and her seven remaining children can be found on the 1871 census living just round the corner from their former home.  Mrs Langford is listed as an Annuitant which suggests some form of insurance or pension resulted from her husband’s death.  This must have been a relief since all of the children were still at school and the eldest, Edward had suffered from paralysis since birth.

The Murder in Half Moon Yard

In late July 1882, the peace of a warm afternoon in Kings Lynn, Norfolk was violently disturbed by screams of, “Murder.”  Just before 3 pm Harriet Fox, who had been living in a two room dwelling in Half Moon Yard with fisherman Park Twaits, threw open the window and called to Martha Backham in the yard below, “Oh Martha, I’m murdered.”  Seeing blood streaming from Harriet's head, Martha ran for help, while Mrs. Mary Ann Ward, who lived next door, ran into the house, and got to the foot of the stairs just as Miss Fox fell headlong to the bottom.  Taking her into her arms she carried Harriet into the yard, laying her down on the stones.  As she did so, the dying woman repeated the words, "I am murdered," and then became unconscious.  Meanwhile other neighbours crowded into the house, and, hearing groans in the room above, some of them also ran for the police.

Superintendent George Ware of the Lynn Police force, my great grandfather, was nearby at the Dock Police station so he responded immediately to Martha’s request for help.  Closely followed by PC Laws he ran to Half Moon Yard where he found Harriet Fox.  At the inquest he reported, “She was alive, but insensible, I noticed that she had a wound on the left side of the head near the ear and another on the left breast near the region of the heart.”  In the bedroom, the two policemen found evidence of a dreadful struggle.  According to the Illustrated Police News, “The bed was saturated with blood and the wall and floor were bespattered with it.”  Superintendent Ware found Park Twaits unconscious on the floor and in his hand was a large spring-backed knife, with the blade opened, and there was blood on it.  The knife, which was 10 inches long with a blade of 5 ½ inches, bore the name of “J. Irwin" on the handle.  Twaits had a large wound just above the region of the heart and he died about five minutes afterwards.  Mr Barrington, a surgeon arrived shortly, but despite his efforts, Harriet died within ten minutes.

Half Moon Yard was in the heart of the North End of Kings Lynn, a close-knit fishing community of poor, hard-working families, but this particular yard was considered one of the lowest localities in the town.  Twaits' house, which was a wretched hovel at the bottom of the yard, contained two rooms, the furniture in the lower one consisting chiefly of two old chairs and a table, whilst in the bedroom there was a dilapidated French bedstead, a chair, a woman's dress or two, and some seafaring clothing.

Park Twaits was from a very old fishing family in Lynn and he was the owner-skipper of the Wave, used for mussel fishing. He had married and had two sons but had abandoned his family. Despite owning his own boat he was well known to the police, having been taken to court on 16 occasions. At the age of 48, he was about 5 foot 10 inches in height, powerfully built, and weighed about 15 stone. He wore whiskers around the chin and face, and had plenty of thick brown hair. Over a period of 10 years he appeared before the Lynn magistrates for being drunk and disorderly, for using abusive language, for several cases of assault and for neglecting to maintain his wife.

Twaits was a jealous man who had become passionately in love with Harriet.  They lived together for almost 12 years but there were frequent quarrels between them and these led to blows and other acts of violence on his part.  Neighbours stated that disputes between the two were so constant that they looked upon them as "a matter of custom.”  Journalists discovered that on one occasion the woman was seen covered with blood as a result of an attack by Twaits, who was a man of ungovernable temper, and had, for some time past, been the terror of the neighbourhood. “He had often been heard to utter his intention to "do for" Fox, and, in the course of their quarrels, he repeated these threats to her.”

Their relationship worsened when Harriet took a job as servant at the Horse and Groom public-house, with board and lodging and became acquainted with another man, John Altham. She still was friendly with Twaits, continuing to sleep regularly with him. His jealousy, however, was aroused by her familiarity with Altham, especially when he heard she was about to marry his rival.  Caroline Kirby, wife of the landlord of the Horse and Groom, stated at the inquest, which was held in the Dock Tavern, that, “I knew that Harriet Fox was going to marry a young man named John Altham, who has left the town. He left because he said his life was in danger. He now lives in Suffolk, where he is working on the line.  I have heard quarrels between Harriet and Twaits about her having left him and gone with Altham, and I have heard him threaten her, and he told me he would buy a revolver and shoot her rather than she should marry. The last time I heard him threaten her was a month last Sunday.”

Harriet had been so worried that she had called on Superintendent Ware in his own home to ask for his protection, but as the policeman was not there, Twaits “wheedled" her round again.  Twaits had recently borrowed the knife, with which the deadly wounds were inflicted, from John Irwin, ostler, telling him that wanted it to cut a piece out of a sail. 

The post mortem examination conducted by Mr Barrington and Dr John Lowe established that Park Waite’s wounds were self-inflicted.  The jury were convinced that Harriet Fox was a victim of wilful murder by Park Twaits.  They were directed by the Coroner to consider whether Twaits could have been of sound mind to commit such a foul dead and their decision was that he took his own life while suffering from temporary insanity.

Mrs. Kirby, opened a subscription list, which enabled her to, “give the dead woman a decent burial,” and Twaits was buried at the expense of a brother and sister.  The funeral took place two days after the inquest. The coffin containing the corpse of the woman was borne to the grave on a bier carried shoulder high by fishermen. It was covered with a pall, on which were laid wreaths of bright flowers. A small train of her friends followed, and then came the hearse containing the coffin of Park Twaits.  Several hundred people watched the procession, and a large crowd followed it into the Cemetery.  Anticipating this, Superintendent Ware had posted policemen to prevent crushing at the cemetery chapel. The plates on the lids of the coffins bore the text—"The spirit shall return unto God who gave it," and the words "Park T. Twaits, died 20th July, 1882, aged 46 years, Harriet Fox, died 20th July, 1882, aged 41 years."

Foul Attack by Fowl Robber

Thanks to the Illustrated Police Times I have discovered one of the dangerous escapades endured by a policeman in Victorian Kings Lynn.

In December 1889 there were a series of thefts of chickens around the town of Kings Lynn.  Chief-Constable Ware decided something should be done.  A number of his constables dressed in plain clothes and were stationed near the places where the fowls were accustomed to roost.

PC Rayner secreted himself in one of these premises and later that evening Robert Pitcher, a carpenter entered and struck a light in front of the policeman.  He admitted his purpose was to steal a fowl and he was arrested.  However on the way to the police station, he drew a hatchet from his pocket and struck the officer, “some fearful blows upon the face.”  Bleeding profusely PC Rayner struggled with the thief and managed to blow his whistle.  Aid soon arrived and the, “brutal fellow,” was taken into custody.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/

Merry-Go-Rounds and Velocipedes

I have always been fascinated by fairground horses ever since I inherited my grandfather's rocking horse which was made by Savage's in King's Lynn, who usually only made fairground horses.

Savage Carousel at the Thursford Collection in Norfolk

Frederick Savage, a renowned manufacturer of Carousels and Agricultural Machinery in the second half of the 19^th Century might have made his equipment in Australia rather than in England, if only his mother had agreed to join her husband in Tasmania.

His father William Savage was a hand-loom weaver in Hevingham, Norfolk, who owned a small farm and six cottages, but with the introduction of power looms and decline in demand after the end of the Napoleonic War, William was forced to sell his property and take to poaching for survival.  As a result of the threats he made to a local gamekeeper one night, he was sentenced to 14 years penal servitude.  Young Frederick was only 18 months old and had a new born brother, when his father was transported to Tasmania in December 1829.

After 7 years William Savage was released and he asked his wife Susan to join him but she declined and remained in Norfolk.  Within a year she had given birth to a son, followed by two more children within the next 6 years, all out of wedlock.  William lived his remaining years alone in Australia.

Despite growing up in poverty, Frederick Savage worked hard for several employers in Norwich and King's Lynn, learning how to make agricultural implements, to work iron and as a wheelwright.  This basis in engineering enabled him, at the age of 25, to obtain premises to set up a forge. Starting with forks, he moved on to producing threshing machines.  In the 1870s he purchased several acres of land in Kings Lynn to build St Nicholas’ Ironworks.  There he produced a patent cultivating system, powered by a 10 horse traction engine.

In the early 1880s Savage turned to fairground rides.  These included a circular velocipede of 24 linked bicycles, “Sea on Land” and the “Galloping Horses” which are familiar to any Merry-Go-Round rider.  It was his use of steam power which made more sophisticated fairground rides, such as the Razzle-Dazzle and Steam Yachts, possible.

Statue of Frederick Savage in Kings Lynn

In 1883 Frederick Savage became a local councillor and he held his seat in Lynn for 10 years before being elected an alderman.  He was chosen as Mayor in 1889 and as a consequence of his prodigious fund raising for the local hospital, a statue of Frederick was erected in the town.

For more information and photographs of Savage's fairground rides
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/nfca/researchandarticles/fairgroundridesindex

Sources

Glimpses of Fiddaman's Lynn by Rosemary & Stan Rodliffe

"Frederick Savage, I presume" by Brian Morgan in "Merry-G-Roundup" Summer 2014 official publication of the National Carousel Association 

A Policeman's Lot

One spring day in 1976 my parents took me to the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned in Main Street, Gibraltar.  There we were ushered into the vestry where a large old book lay open.  On its pages we read of the baptism of Jorge Weir, son of Juan Weir and his wife Rosa Smith in 1841.  This was the baptism of my great grandfather George Ware, the son of an army corporal, whose Irish wife insisted that their son was baptised in a Catholic church rather than by the Anglican chaplain in the garrison.  George already had an older sister and two years later another sister was baptised at the Cathedral.  Perhaps because of the crowded conditions in which army families lived in Gibraltar, this little girl did not live long. 

 In 1844 the 7^th Royal Fusiliers, with whom John Ware was serving, embarked for Barbados.  There, Rose Ware gave birth to another daughter, Margaret and both she and George thrived in the warm climate.  Their mother, however, was seriously ill with Scarlet Fever during the voyage home, but thankfully she recovered and in 1848 the family set sail for Halifax, Nova Scotia, where a year later James Ware was born.  After just over two years the Wares returned to England, first to Winchester where another son, William, was born in 1850 and after a short time in Portsmouth to Devonport where the last sibling Louisa appeared in 1853.

John Ware had been born in York but on his discharge in 1854 he chose to live in Hull where he had found employment with the Coastguard.  Sadly Rose died within a year and 14 year old George found himself work on a whaling ship.  At the age of 16, George married 17 year old Elizabeth and they had a young son John George.  Seeking a better life for his family George set out for London to join the Metropolitan Police force.  Working in Limehouse, he was known for his toughness.

 George only stayed in London for 2 years but this valuable experience was put to good use when he moved to the police force in Leeds.  There, according to the writer of his obituary, “His intelligence and smartness were quickly recognised, and he was entrusted with much detective work, in which he particularly distinguished himself.”  He quickly gained his sergeant’s stripes, and it was not long before he was promoted to be an inspector, and further to be Deputy Chief Constable- and all this within the space of 5 years.

At this point George Ware heard of an opening in Kings Lynn, Norfolk.  Lieut. Cornelius Reeve was retiring as Superintendent of Police.  George applied for the position and despite being only 25 he was selected from a large number of candidates.  As a young man of the lower classes and an experienced policeman he was an unusual choice.  It was normal to choose a retired army officer of greater age, but the Lynn Watch committee had asked Lieut. Reeves to resign for being drunk on duty and they were impressed with George Ware’s record in Leeds.  His family was given rent free accommodation adjoining the Guildhall, next door to the Police Station in the Saturday Market and Mrs Ware was appointed Hall Keeper at £15 per year.

But all was not plain sailing for Superintendent Ware.  Six months after taking command George prepared his men for an inspection by Major-General Cartwright.  On 24^th June 1867 the Watch Committee looked on proudly as Supt. Ware drilled his men.  The Major-General congratulated him on the efficiency of the establishment and was impressed by the arrangements for interim custody of prisoners.  He was, however, less satisfied with their relief to vagrants and directed that, “strict attention should be given to the searching of all suspected applicants, so as to distinguish as far as practicable the destitute wayfarer from the professional beggar and vagabond.”  Supt. Ware was personal charged with relief of casual paupers which he found most distasteful.

Two weeks later, the Mayor of Kings Lynn instructed Supt. Ware that his men should use every means at their disposal to prevent public begging in the streets.  But George resisted; he knew the hardships which people would suffer to keep their families out of the Workhouse and he feared the bad reputation his officers would receive if they constantly chased ragged urchins around the streets.  An angry interchange, between the brash young police Superintendent and the middle aged solicitor who was Mayor, meant that the Watch Committee had to deal with the fall out.  At a meeting of the committee next day the Mayor complained about Supt. Ware’s improper and insulting behaviour and George was told to move out with his family by Michaelmas.  Thankfully at the Town Council meeting 5 days later, the call for George’s resignation was considered to be out of all proportion to the offence.  The Mayor agreed to ask the Watch Committee to rescind their decision since Supt Ware had offered him a full and satisfactory apology.

On the personal front, George also suffered during his early years in Kings Lynn.  Within a month of their arrival, his daughter Elizabeth died and daughter Lillie born the following year died at 12 months.  Soon his wife, Elizabeth was also dead, leaving him to bring up his two sons John and Leon.  Things improved when he met and married Rebecca Linferd in 1870.  She was a farmer’s daughter from the nearby village of Walpole St Peter and as the years went by, she and George had six children.

Although George’s job was unchanged, the Watch Committee thought it appropriate to change his job title in 1889 when he became Chief Constable of the Borough Force.  Throughout his tenure George Ware was a, “hands on,” policeman who solved many crimes of national proportions.  Living close to Sandringham, he frequently had to arrange Royal protection and accompany parades.  Coming from a musical family he had established a police band which became very popular.

In 1898, suffering from chronic gout and attacks of bronchitis George Ware tendered his resignation after 40 years in the police force.  He was presented with a gold watch, a testimonial signed by 142 subscribers and a cheque for £133.  He retired to Bournemouth where he died in 1911 nursed by his third wife, Jane.

Sources

"A Movable Rambling Police" An official History of Policing in Norfolk by Brian David Butcher

"Glimpses of Fiddaman's Lynn" by Rosemary & Stan Rodliffe

Lynn Advertiser 28 April 1911

You can read about one of Superintendent Ware's investigations here