In the Victorian era, families were suffering hardship through lack of money, unreasonable living conditions, etc, in fact, they couldn’t even afford to clothe their children, never mind feed them.
In the Manchester area, especially Stretford, crime was at its peak, murder was frequently occurring.
One such incident happened on September 21, 1893. A man about 25, named John Ralph, who lived in Stretford, depressed through having no work, took a pistol from the kitchen drawer and fired at his wife.
Luckily for her, the bullet missed and glanced off a brass ornament and lodge in the man’s eye, killing him instantly.
One notorious burglar and murderer was Charles Peace (1832 and 1879). His breeding ground for crime included Sheffield, Manchester and London, besides Sale and Chorlton, no-one was safe while he was on the prowl.
Eventually he was caught and hanged on February 25 1879 at Armley Goal Leeds, for shooting a policeman.
Between 1933 and 1955 Albert Pierrepoint hanged 608 people. He hung Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged.
He said: “Capital Punishment, in my view, achieved nothing except revenge.”
Harry Wild,
Urmston
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