Chapter 22

Walter Hosler

1892

It had been a pleasant enough night in the Bedford Arms public house in Bedford Gardens, Kensington. That was, if anything, to be expected, as it was Christmas Eve,

At some time between 6.00pm and 7.00pm, the landlord, William Thomas Tilbury, saw one of his regular customers, Walter Hosler, enter the public bar and order himself a pint of beer. Sometime after this, another regular, Dennis Finnessey, entered the same bar. Hosler, noticing Finnessey shouted, ‘Here is my old enemy’, to which Finnessey replied, ‘Yes, that is quite right.’

William Tilbury kept an eye on the two men, in case the discussion escalated and he might have to intervene in order to keep the peace. Fortunately, although there did seem to be a good deal of animosity between the two, the harsh words did not become a physical fight. However, after some time, Tilbury did hear the two men agree to meet on Boxing Day, so that they could fight. Soon afterwards, Hosler left the bar to be followed, within a minute, by Finnessey.

No more than ten minutes passed before a man rushed in and shouted that someone had been stabbed outside. Tilbury dashed into the street to find Finnessey standing in front of the pub window, bleeding profusely from a wound in his neck. There was no sign of Walter Hosler.

Rushed to St Mary’s Hospital, Dennis Finnessey was treated for a stab wound to his throat. It was all to no avail and he died later that same night. Hosler, who had been taken into custody on a charge of assault, was now charged with wilful murder.

Walter Hosler appeared at the Old Bailey on 15 January 1893, before Mr Justice Grantham. For the defence, Mr Drake admitted that his client was responsible for Finnessey’s death, but claimed that since he had acted in self-defence, the charge should be reduced to manslaughter. That, of course, was for the jury to decide.

Edward Kitt told the court that at some time between 9.30pm and 10.00pm on 24 December, he had been walking along the end of Bedford Gardens and was about to turn into Silver Street, when he saw one man outside the public house and a second standing just around the corner. The man, who he now knew to be Finnessey, was in Silver Street, whilst Hosler was in Bedford Gardens.

Kitt heard Hosler call for Finnessey by name and, as he turned, Hosler appeared to hit him in the neck. A brief struggle followed before Finnessey staggered back against the Bedford Arms, whilst Hosler dashed off up Silver Street. Kitt wasted no time in finding a constable.

David Bryan was inside the Bedford Arms and left a few minutes after Finnessey and Hosler. He found Finnessey outside, holding his hand to his neck and leaning against a window. As the blood spurted from between his fingers, Finnessey was able to say that Hosler had attacked him and gone off up Silver Street. Bryan looked down the street and saw Hosler, who was by now walking, in Silver Street and ran after him. Catching him up, Bryan had said, ‘Walter, you have stabbed a man; come back with me.’ A brief struggle followed, but Hosler was soon subdued and Bryan then escorted him back.

Jonathan Skipmore was another of the customers inside the public house and, after hearing the commotion outside, had gone to see what was happening. He too saw Finnessey, bleeding from a wound in the left side of his neck. By now he was very faint and hardly able to stand.

Constable Thomas Moriarty had been told, by Edward Kitt, that a man had been stabbed outside the Bedford Arms. He went to the scene with a brother officer, Constable George Taylor. They saw Finnessey, in a state of collapse, still bleeding badly and it was Taylor who escorted him to the hospital. At the time, Hosler was being held between David Bryan and the landlord, William Tilbury, who handed over a knife, which he had confiscated from Hosler. As the officer spoke to him, Hosler remarked, ‘It is my knife. I told him if he hit me again, I would stick him. This is the third time he has set on me.’

Dr Atwood Thorn was the doctor on duty at St Mary’s Hospital, when Finnessey was brought in at some time before 10.00pm. There was a very deep, penetrating wound on the left side of Finnessey’s neck. The wound was at least three inches deep and had severed some of the major veins in the neck. Despite treatment, Finnessey died eighty minutes later, from loss of blood.

Hosler had, by now, changed his story. It was true that there was bad blood between him and Finnessey and there had been for some time. It was also true that they had had harsh words inside the Bedford Arms and had agreed to a fist fight on 26 December. Now, however, despite his earlier statement and confession, Hosler claimed that he had not stabbed Finnessey at all. It must have been another man who then ran off and he had been seized for no other reason than he was in Silver Street, close by the scene of the attack.

The jury chose to believe the earlier confession and the testimony of the various witnesses. Hosler was found guilty and sentenced to death by the judge.

Walter Hosler never did keep his appointment with the hangman. The authorities decided that there had been a good deal of provocation from Finnessey and, as a result, the sentence was commuted to one of imprisonment.