Temporary gallows at the Old Bailey.
(B. 1860 CAWTHORNE, YORKS) – EXECUTED
Emily Hinchcliffe was born the daughter of a miner in Cawthorne near Barnsley in 1860. She married glassblower William Swann in Silkstone, York, when she was 21, and they moved into a house in Ardsley, near Barnsley. They had a large family, with children born in 1883, 1885, 1886, 1891, 1894, 1897, 1899 and 1901. They may have had another child in 1892, Emily Swann, possibly named after her mother, but the records are not good enough to be conclusive. That child died aged six months following a vaccination. The Coroner at Stainfoot, near Ardsley, stated that the child had not died from the vaccination, but from poison being put into the child sometime afterwards, with no explanation or evidence as to how that poison had been administered. No one was ever charged in connection with the death of this child.
In 1901, Emily, her husband and their lodger, John Gallagher, were living in Wombwell, a small village near Barnsley. The 1903 ‘Wombwell Murders’ were reported in The Times and Daily Mail, but most of the information on the case comes from the local newspapers. They described Emily as a stumpy little, round-faced woman, 4 foot 10 inches tall and 122lbs in weight and from a ‘respectable’ background’. When Emily was 42, the 30-year-old Gallagher was stated to be a sympathetic friend. The newspapers described a tumultuous household, with William beating Emily on several occasions, although no cases for domestic violence were ever pursued in the courts. Whether John was the cause of the problems or not, and it seems likely that Emily and John enjoyed a close relationship, he had resolved to leave Wombwell for Barnsley in June 1903. However, events overtook him.
Temporary gallows at the Old Bailey.
On 6 June Emily arrived at her neighbour’s house with a shawl over her head, two black-eyes, and bruises on her face. On seeing the injuries caused by Emily’s husband, John Gallagher said, ‘I’ll go and give him something for himself for that.’ The neighbours witnessed him going to confront William Swann, closely followed by Emily. John was reported to have shouted, ‘I’ll coffin him before morning.’ There was a prolonged fight in the Swann’s house, at the end of which John emerged stating, ‘I’ve busted four of his ribs and I’ll bust four more’. Resting for a few minutes, he then told his neighbours, ‘I’ll finish him out before I go to Bradford. I’ll murder the pig before morning. If he can’t kick a man he shan’t kick a woman.’ He re-entered the Swanns’ house and accompanied by a shout of ‘Give it to him, Johnny’ from Emily, another fight ensued. When John and Emily came out of the house again, holding hands and reportedly looking affectionately at each other, William was lying fatally injured with head wounds on the floor. Indeed, Emily calmly informed her neighbours that her husband was now dead.
The police arrived and Emily was arrested immediately. John went on the run for two months, living rough and staying with relatives in Middlesbrough before he was apprehended. John and Emily were tried at Leeds Assizes in October 1903. Their defence advocate wove a narrative which suggested they were guilty of manslaughter if anything. However, in directing the jury, the judge in the case gave his opinion that John’s remark, ‘I’ll finish him out before I go to Bradford’ showed that there was intent to commit murder. ‘As for the woman’ he continued, ‘it is my duty to tell you that one does not commit murder only with one’s hands. If one person instigates another to commit murder, and that other person does it, the instigator is also guilty of murder.’ After one hour’s deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of ‘guilty’ on both parties.
When the damning verdict was announced, Emily stated, ‘I am innocent. I am not afraid of immediate death, because I am innocent and will go to God.’ The judge then pronounced a capital sentence, and Emily smiled and blew a kiss to someone in the gallery as she was led down from the dock.
Emily and John were taken from the court to Armley Prison, Leeds, where they were placed in separate condemned cells. The only time Emily and John saw each other between sentence and execution was at the prison chapel service on Christmas morning where they were kept separate and not allowed to speak. They reportedly both ate a substantial Christmas dinner, but there is no real evidence of that, and it was likely just press speculation and gossip. In an article entitled ‘Awaiting Their Doom’, the Daily Mail reported that Emily was suffering with depression and insomnia. She repeatedly told her female warders that she was concerned about the disgrace she was bringing on her family. Emily’s family did make one last appeal for clemency, but the Home Secretary declined to interfere.
A few minutes before 8 o’clock on the morning of Tuesday, 29 December 1903, Emily had a glass of brandy in her cell, was escorted to the place of execution where she said, ‘Good morning’ to John Gallagher, who was already covered with a hood. He replied, ‘Good morning love.’ The noose was then placed around her neck, and her last words were, ‘Good-bye. God bless you.’ The autopsy found that death was instantaneous for both Emily and John.