The Murders of Elsie Matthews, Angeline Faithfull and Robert Payne: Three murders, three murderers, one hanging. 32 year-old Philip Matthews, was a coachman employed by Teignmouth Council. He had been married twice and had a child from his first marriage that the second Mrs. Matthews took on as her own in 1892. Matthews wandering eye later settled upon Charlotte Mahoney, whom he led to believe, that he was a wealthy, single man. He carried on their affair in relative secrecy but he became so obsessed with her, he eventually asked her to marry him, she said yes. The only problem was the second Mrs. Matthews. After he told her she threw him out and refused to look after his six year-old daughter, Elsie, any more, and seeing her as an inconvenience to his future happiness with Charlotte, Matthews took Elsie for a train ride, callously strangled her, and left dead child’s body in a field near Copnor level-crossing, where she was found on 7th April 1896. Matthews was soon arrested, charged, tried and subsequently found guilty for the wilful murder of his own defenceless daughter. Charlotte Mahoney fainted and had to be carried from the court as the death sentence was handed down at Hampshire Assizes. … Angeline Faithfull walked out on her husband in 1893 and moved in with her lover, Frederick Burden a 24 year-old Southampton dock labourer in Brooklyn Road, Portswood. Their relationship was a fairly tempestuous one by all accounts as their arguments were often heard by neighbours. On the night of 18th February 1896 they had another, only this one seemed fiercer than the others and he was overheard threatening to kill her. The next morning Angeline was found dead, lying on her bed with her throat cut and a bloody razor in her hand. Although it looked like suicide the police quickly dismissed it and went looking for Burden who had left his workplace and fled to Salisbury. When he was arrested he proclaimed his innocence by saying: “I was on the bridge at Winchester near the barracks at nine o’clock on Thursday morning when this happened.” But his clothing was found to have bloodstains and he was brought to trial. At his trial in front of Mr. Justice Day at Winchester Assizes, the jury failed to agree on a verdict, it would seem there was evidence that other men visited Angeline, from time to time, any of who could have killed her. However, they were dismissed and another brought in, who found him guilty and he was sentenced to death. … 18 year-old Private Samuel Smith, was stationed with the 4th King’s Royal Rifles at Aldershot, and was convinced that Corporal Robert Payne was picking on him. He told a friend: “Payne has always had it in for me, and I will have my own back.” Corporal Robert Payne had reported Private Smith and this was the last straw. While Smith was peeling potatoes he saw Payne and with vengeance on his mind, picked up his loaded rifle and shot the corporal dead. He was arrested, tried, found guilty and sentenced to death. .. Philip Matthews, Frederick Burden And Samuel Smith went quietly to the scaffold on this day 21st July 1896, where they were pinioned, hooded and noosed by James Billington and his assistant William Warbrick. The executioner’s assistant placed them over the three sets of trap doors and James Billington pulled the lever. Smith and Matthews died immediately, but Burden’s body jerked convulsively for a moment or so. Warbrick said later that this didn’t mean that Smith suffered, “for he was probably unconscious almost before his body reached the end of the drop.” It was a Tuesday. This was the last triple execution carried out in Britain, they were thought to be cruel as condemned prisoners often fainted on the drop because of the time they were kept waiting with the ropes around their necks. It’s a shame the acts of cruelty that sent them to the gallows in the first place weren’t taken into account.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 09:56:52 +0000