This is related to Blog 14, The father of Thomas Atkins who Murdered Policeman Israel May at Snodland in 1875
This is the story of John Atkins (some records show his name as Adkins, His father is under Adkins, This could be due to illiteracy among people back then and shows how people's names changed over time. I will use Atkins for the blog, as most records have used this spelling)
John Atkins was one of eight children, born on 3rd September 1818 in Tudeley Kent to John Adkins an Agricultural Labourer of East Malling Kent and Mercy East of Tudeley and was Baptised on 27th September at the parish church
He became an Agricultural Labourer when he was old enough.
On 24 Nov 1839, at age 25, he married 21-year-old Elisabeth Walker from Brenchley Kent at her local parish All Saints Church.
She was the daughter of a respectable well known Wood Sawyer.
They settled in Hartlake Road in Tudeley and their first child Thomas Andrew (See Blog 14) arrived in January 1846, then John in 1850, and Mary Ann in January 1851.
By April 1861, John had moved jobs and had moved to St Leonards Street in West Malling, Kent, with Elisabeth, John age 11, and Mary Ann age 10. Thomas then age 15 had left the family for some reason and is untraceable.
On the afternoon of Friday 19th July 1861, The neighbourhood of West Mailing was thrown into a state of great shock, by the horrible murder of Elisabeth, at the hands of her husband John.
The scene of the tragedy was in one of three cottages in bye-lane in the hamlet of New Barnes, on the estate of James Graham, Esq., West Mailing.
They had been married for 22 years and had lived there for about three years, after wandering about from place to place, said to be due to the husband's jealousy of his wife.
There appears to have been no reason whatever, for Atkins harbouring unworthy suspicions of Elisabeth, as it was said she was not only an affectionate wife, but a kind, industrious mother, of three children.
Since their arrival at New Barnes, however, John's jealousy does not seem to have abated at all, he had continually been in the habit of beating his wife; and it was stated that some of his fellow workmen, instead of endeavouring to rid his mind of these false suspicious, had jeered and irritated him about the subject, when he has gone home and turned Elisabeth outdoors, having on one of these occasions, stripped off three dresses which she had put on, and after thrusting her into the road, had thrown some water on her and the poor woman, as usual, took refuge in a neighbour's house.
So brutal, had been the murderer’s conduct been that, from an uncompleted letter found in the house, it appears his wife had contemplated leaving him; and another letter, also in an unfinished slate, described the wretched condition in which she was living. The second letter was found in the room where Atkins commenced the attack on her and Is thought probable that she was writing it at that time.
Quarrelling was heard during the day by the neighbours, and a short time before the murder, John was talking to Elisabeth, in the presence of one of them, in a similar manner. In the course of the conversation, he alluded to his suspicions of his wife’s unfaithfulness, saying “You know you have—you’re a bad woman,” at the same time taking hold of her cheek but this was not said angrily, but rather in a joking manner. Soon afterwards, Elisabeth was seen rushing from the house, with blood streaming from a frightful gash in her throat, followed by her husband with an open knife in his hand. The poor woman at first tried to take refuge in one of the adjoining houses, but being dragged away from the door by her husband, she then ran down the lane and scrambled over a hurdle into an adjoining field, a distance of between 20 - 30 yards. John then left her, probably thinking he had accomplished his fearful intention, and returned to the house, looking himself in.
Elisabeth, however, appears to have staggered some distance after getting into the field, large quantities of clotted gore were found at distances of a few yards apart, and the spot where she finally sank was saturated with blood.
Blood was also to be traced down the lane, and the room where the murder was committed presented a sickening sight. The inside of the door was smeared with blood, no doubt, caused by the deceased in her struggles to escape the vengeance of her wretched husband, and there were traces of a large pool of blood where the injuries were inflicted on Elisabeth but which had been wiped up by John with the cap his wife had been wearing, after his return in-doors.
On the police being informed of the occurrence, they at once proceeded to the house, and took the prisoner into custody, conveying him to the Malling lock-up. His conduct on the way was anything but that of a sane person, he did not refer to what he had done.
He did not lie down during the night, but sat in the cell, in a peculiar posture, his feet being bent under his body.
In the morning he prayed fervently for forgiveness for his dreadful crime.
The supposition that he was not in a perfectly sound state of mind when committed the act was strengthened by the fact that for three days prior, he had been suffering from congestion of the brain, for which he had been attended by Mr Pope, a medical practitioner of Mailing, who had told his wife not to leave him alone, saying it would be dangerous.
On the morning of Saturday 20th July, John Atkins was taken before Mr J. Savage, Esq., at the gentleman's private residence, and remanded till Wednesday 24th
In the afternoon of the same day, the inquest on the body of the deceased was opened at the Bear Inn in the High Street West Malling. (now known as the Farmhouse) before Mr J. N. Dudlow, Esq., and the Jury of which Mr W. Assiter was Foreman.
The jury having been sworn, proceeded to view the body, which was lying in the house where the murder was perpetrated.
On their return, the following evidence was discussed:
Mary Ann Atkins, 11 years of age, daughter —
''The deceased was my mother, and yesterday, between one and two o’clock, I left her with my father in the kitchen, while I went upstairs to put on my boots. mother was sitting at the table, but could not say whether she was about to write a letter or not. When I had got one of my boots on, I heard my mother scream and immediately ran downstairs. father had then got hold of mother’s hand, and had a knife open. I went to call a neighbour, Mrs, Ridley, but she was upstairs and could not come down. I then went back and saw my mother lying with a knife in her neck, which my father still had bold of. I then went to another neighbour, named Mrs Willett, and got her son to go for his father.
While I was staying there I heard my mother call out, ''Polly.” I went out to her, but she was so poorly, that she could not come. I don’t know what mother was doing all this time. Mrs Woodger was so frightened that she locked me and herself in her house, so I did not see anything more that took place.
Before all this happened my father and mother quarrelled but my mother never struck my father.
The knife which father had, belonged to me, but he had been carrying it with him.
The knife, which had been smeared with blood, was an ordinary pocket knife, was produced.
Next was Ann Smith, widow, 70 years of age, -
''l live next door but one to Atkins. Yesterday, between one and two o’clock, I heard some screams and violent scuttling, and I ran downstairs, but I was so frightened that I could not then open the door. afterwards, I went out and saw the deceased running from her cottage with blood streaming from a frightful gash in her neck. Her husband was pursuing her, and when he saw me, he turned around and looked at me very wildly and held the knife up to me in a threatening manner. I was very much frightened and ran away. I did not see him do anything. Before I came downstairs Mrs Atkins came to my door and took hold of the handle, but her husband tore her away when she ran down the road with him after her. (The witness identified the knife). I have never heard any quarrelling between them''.
Samuel Willet was next to give evidence. He lived in the adjoining house to that occupied by Adkins—
''Yesterday, at about half-past one o’clock, my little girl called me, and when I got to Mrs Smith’s house I saw a pool of blood. Before I got to Atkins's house, I saw him thrust his head out at the door, but quickly drew it back, and shut the door. I followed the blood marks into the adjoining, field, where I found the deceased in a sitting posture. She waved her hand for me to go to her, but before I could do so she sank to the ground. I asked her what was the matter, and she replied ''Oh dear me.” I then said ''Why, good gracious, your throat’s cut” I then went straight for the doctor, first calling my mate, Robert Perch, to make sure Atkins did not return to his wife. I have heard them quarrel several times''
He replied to a question by the jury— ''I did not hear them quarrel yesterday, nor have I at any time heard any threats The quarrels seemed to me to be about a jealousy suit''.
Robert Perch, labourer, stood next—
''The last witness called on me yesterday, between one and two o'clock, in the lane, while he went for the doctor. I found the deceased with her throat frightfully cut and bleeding very much. She looked up Into my face and said ''Who is it'' and then turned round on her side. She died very shortly after that''.
''I went from the field into the lane and sent Mrs Smith to the deceased with water. While I was in the lane, Atkins came to his door several times, and the first time asked me how she (the deceased) was. I asked him what he had been at, and he replied ''It served her right for using me, as she has.” He did not say he had done it''.
''I found the knife that was produced in the lane and gave it to the police. had never spoken to Atkins''.
Supt. Hulse. K.C.C then gave his testimonial —
''Atkins was given my custody yesterday. This morning I visited the prisoner in his cell, at the lock-up, about five o’clock, when he said to me, ''Good morning, is the woman dead? I thought he was going to make a statement when I told him he was in custody on a very serious charge, and that if he said anything it would probably be given as evidence against him. The prisoner replied ''I’m much obliged to you.” He then said ''I did it, I saw Barton looking in the window and had he come through it I would have prevented this being done. Barton is always visiting my wife, and I have found them in bed together. very sorry for what I have done now, it is too late''.
There appears to be no foundation for the accusation regarding the man named Thomas Barton, a shoemaker aged 25, lodging in Swan Street, West Malling, who claimed he had only spoken to her in a neighbourly manner.
Mr. Peter Montague Pope, surgeon, residing at Town Mailing, stood up next and said—
''Yesterday, about quarter to 2 o’clock, the witness Willett met me, and told me that John Atkins had cut his wife's throat. l, at once drove up to the house, and having given the prisoner, who had fastened himself In, Into the charge of Willett and Perch, I went to the field, and found Mrs Atkins lying there on her side, with her throat cut, dead''
''I have since made a post-mortem examination, and have found two incised wounds running one into the other, and extending from the angle of the jaw in an oblique direction to the near edge of the thyroid cartilage. These wounds were comparatively superficial, but where they met, at the inner edge of the sternomastoid muscle, there was a puncture wound about an inch and a half in depth, penetrating the internal jugular vein, the haemorrhage from which was the immediate cause of death. This wound, which might have been caused by the knife produced, was a stab wound''.
''I have been attending Atkins for the past three days. It appears from his wife’s statement that he returned home from Peckham on Saturday last, thoroughly wet through, and had kept to his bed, up the time of me seeing him from the effects of severe cold and that his mind wandered very much at times. I found that he was suffering from congestion of the brain''.
''He improved until yesterday morning. When I saw him at half-past eleven o’clock I noticed a peculiarity in his manner, an excitement—that induced me to caution his wife not to leave him alone''.
This concluded the evidence, and the Coroner, in addressing the jury, said that the only question they had to inquire into was whether the evidence was sufficient to satisfy them that the man in custody was the person by whom his wife met her death. If they were satisfied that it was the result of a wilful and deliberate act on his part, then their verdict would be Wilful Murder.'* As to the sane or insane state of the mind of his mind when he committed the deed, that was not a question from them to enquire into but would be a matter for future enquiry.
The room was then cleared, and after a brief consultation, the jury returned a verdict of Wilful Murder” against Atkins and shortly afterwards, he was conveyed to Maidstone gaol.
The portions of letters found in the house of Atkins, and referred to in the commencement of this report, were both without date. The first, which was found in a bible, and which is supposed to have been written about three weeks before the murder, after the deceased’s husband had ill-treated her, was as follows :
Dear Sister and Brother,—l am sat down to inform you of my unhappiness, and to inform you that I must leave my house and children, which are as dear to me as life, but they are but few. But the next thing is, will you make me home for a short time, till I get work, you said there was plenty of work down there, and thank God I can do anything, needlework or anything that there is to do; but the next thing is, I don’t know ow to get there, unless your husband.. [The letter was then laid aside, unfinished].
The second letter, which, I have already stated, was found in the room where the murder was committed, was in the following terms :
Dear Sister and Brother,—l write these few lines to you and hope they will find you quite well, as it leaves me very poorly. But this is not to be wondered at, for I nearly muddled to death, for my husband is nearly crazy, and I know not what to do. He runs so much ahead night and day, and he says he has no sisters nor brothers to speak to, nor to tell his troubles to, I should like any one of you to come and see him, for you cannot tell what it is to bear to be with him, nor it is of no use for me to try to tell you, for I might fill a newspaper to tell you half. I cannot write, so you must not think how bad it is done, but think how bad it was to do. I don’t know whether your brother, Thomas's wife has been telling you anything about him or not, but I thought she would; but then thought she had not, or some of you would have been here before this. But if you did not know you are not blame. He ran away on Saturday before last and went to his brother’s, and did not come home till last Saturday night, and no I —
[Here the letter stops)
Since the prisoner’s confinement in the county gaol, there has been nothing very noticeable in his demeanour. He closely watched night and day, the warder being constantly in charge.
The Maidstone assizes commenced on Wednesday, the 24th of July. The commission was opened by Lord Justice Colin Blackburn. The business of the Crown Court was commenced at ten o’clock.
John Atkins was arraigned for his wife's murder.
Mr Barrow, addressing his Lordship, said he had been instructed to defend the prisoner, and, considering the very recent date of the occurrence, and the impossibility of preparing his defence in so short a time, Mr. Barrow wished to apply for the postponement of the trial until the next assizes. He felt sure that an enquiry into the state of the prisoner’s mind was necessary, and postponement was the only satisfactory way which it could done.
His learned friend, Mr. Russell, who would prosecute, he believed, had no objection to the postponement.
Mr Russell said he thought the application was very reasonable, and that he should offer no opposition to it.
His Lordship also expressed his opinion that the application was a reasonable one, considering the short period that had elapsed since the occurrence. The recognizance of the witness would therefore be enlarged until the Winter assizes.
On Thursday 5th December, John Atkins was indicted, for the wilful murder of his wife, Elisabeth Atkins.
The prisoner, who was said to be a rather good-looking man, and whose countenance did not exhibit the slightest indication of any ferocity of disposition.
According to the evidence, he had led an unhappy life with his wife. and was jealous of her, alleging that she had been free with a man named Barton, who lived in the Town, but for which there appeared to be no foundation. After quarrelling with her he cut her throat with a knife, and the poor woman staggered from the house and died in an adjacent field.
There was no doubt about the prisoner committing the act with which he was charged. A statement made by the prisoner before the magistrate was then read. It was in the following terms: -
"It's no good my saying anything more; the woman is dead, let her rest in peace."
Several witnesses, mostly relatives of the prisoner, were then called on his behalf, and their evidence went to show that he had on many occasions conducted himself in a very extraordinary manner.
A surgeon who had been examined for the prosecution said he attended the prisoner for congestion of the brain, the result of a severe cold, and he also said that from the symptoms he observed in the prisoner, previous to the act and if he had been aware that he was suffering under delusions, he would at once have ordered him to be removed to the lunatic asylum. This witness added that, in his opinion, the prisoner was not capable of distinguishing between right and wrong at the time the offence was committed.
The learned judge having summed up the whole case, the jury, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict of " Not guilty" on the ground of insanity, and the prisoner was ordered to be detained during her Majesty's pleasure.
John Atkins, who, during the trial, was said to have been sat with his head leaning upon the front of the dock, apparently, nearly unconscious of what was going on but the moment the verdict was pronounced, he jumped up and walked rapidly out of the dock, evidently highly pleased with the result.
Makes you wonder if he faked his insanity to get out of the death sentence, possibly not knowing what was ahead of him at the asylum.
Life After
John was transferred to Royal Hospital Bromley Park Kent (Famously known as Bedlam)
On 12 Mar 1864, he was then transferred to Asylum for Criminal Lunatics, Broadmoor, Sandhurst, Berkshire.
According to records he had General Paralysis and was of unsound mind and there he remained until his death on 10 Jan 1897. He was age 78
Children
We know what happened to Thomas Andrew, which is told in one of my previous blogs, if you haven't read it click here
John went to live with his father's Brother, Thomas in Brenchley Kent and became an agricultural labourer but after the 1871 census, there is no clear picture of what happened to him.
Mary Ann Married William Collins a Master Bricklayer from Capel Kent in 1872 and they lived in Pembury Kent, raising three boys and three girls. She died aged 54 on 21st June 1905 at Amhurst Bank cottage in Capel from Chronic Interstitial Nephritis, also known as Tubulointerstitial Nephritis. Her husband was present at her death.
Sources
(1861, August 8). The murder at town Malling. Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper, pg12.
(1861, June 27). Dreadful murder of wife at West Malling. Canterbury Journal, Kentish Times and Farmers' Gazette, pg1.
(1861, August 3). The Malling Murder. Maidstone Telegraph, pg2.
(1861, August 3). The wife murder at West Malling. Thanet Advertiser, pg3.
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