THE LIVERPOOL TRAGEDY

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume IX, Issue 457, 17 February 1914, Page 7

THE LIVERPOOL TRAGEDY

STORY OF THE TRAGEDY,

A FIENDISH, CRIME.

Murder most foul, under conditions which add horror to its already fiendish nature, was committed m a business establishment m the heart of the commercial centre of Liverj>ool. The victim was Miss Catherine Christine Bradfield (40), of Old Chester road, Tranmere, manageress of Messrs J. C. Bradfield and Company's tarpaulin ■works, Oldhall street, Liverpool. She was beaten' and battered to death at the tarpaulin works, and her body, shockingly maltreated and bound m a 'coarse brown sack^ weighted with iron, was found 24 hours later jammed m the lock gates m the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, near Lightbody street, about 10 minutes' walk from the Town Hall. The body had -been conveyed to the canal, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile from the 6cene of the murder, on a hand cart. The gruesome burden was wheeled through busy streets, across .unfrequented waste land, used m the daytime as a playing ground by loungers and street urchins, and thence to the towing path. Then, m the silence of the night, the body was dropped into the darkness of the waters. Two young men aro implicated m the crime — Samuei Angeles Eltoft (18) and George Sumner alias Ball (22). Both were m the employ of Messrs Bradfield. Eltoft worked m the "building as a porter ahd packer^ and Sumner was engaged m the office, and at times helped Miss Bradfield to lock up and close the premises. Both were at work as usual on .he day after the murder. Sumner wa . last seen 'm Breck Toad, Liverpool, at 8.30 that night. When the body -was lecovered from the canal and taken to the mortuary the police already knew of the disappearance of Miss Bradfield, but for some time they had no idea that the body was that of the absent lady until they, found m the sack a broken carae-handled umbrella bearing upon one of its < silver mounts the initials of the victim, " C.C.8." There was also around Miss Bradfield's neck a strange silver^ medallion charm of Japanese origin bearing a- representation of " Three wise monkeys." — Discovery of the Crime. — ■ How the battered remains of the victim were found jammed m the lock gates of the Leeds and Liverpool canal was told by Francis Robinson,, a bargeman. Whentrying, with the assistance of his eon, to open the gates he found that something was obstructing them under the water. Thinking it was a " fender " that was the cause of the trbublo he got a boathook, and commenced to gr»pe with it. " I was unable to see anything," Robirisori explained m an interview, "but after a while the hcok struck something soft, and I pulled. Immediately I 6aw a bulky sack come up dripping: with water. To my horror two human Tegs protruded. Well, it was a great shock to. us, but putting feelings or. cne side, I and my son hauled the sack and its contents to the bank, and discovered the body. It was clear that there had been fouiJplay. The sack seemed to be quite new, 'and round the neck was a piece of strong, tightlj-drawn cord. There was a similar fastening round the waist, and to add to the mystery it seemed as if the sack was sewn up loth, sides. The legs were tied with what looked like a portion ot «. clothes line, about a yard m length. The police came quickly, and the body was Temoved to the mortuary." Had the swirl cf the waters carried it another yard before tha gates were closed, the •body would certainly have been swept into the'Stanlcy Dock, anil thence its passage into the wide waters of the Mersey would have hidden the crime probably for all time, as was doubtless hoped and anticipated. —A Tight For Life..— Inside the mortuary the first step was 'taken towards unravelling the grim mystery. With considerable difficulty, owingto the fact that the hempen fastenings of the sack had beoom© taut ia the water, the TOto&irifi • wero" -uncovered. It was then found that the body had been doubled up, and that the head was enshrouded m a piece of coarse sacking, which was secured with a piece of rope round the neck. When this was removed a dreadful spectacle was S resented. The body was that of a wellressed woman, obviously m good circumstances, amd was fully clothed, as if the victim was ready for* a journey. On the head "was a knitted brown hat, matching a knitted coif ' jacket ;• round the neck was ai'fur, adi of -which, with the silk blouse and neat- blue skirt of the business woman, were sadly bediraggled by the water. But ere these, details'. of dress had been noticed, the attention 1 of those present- was^ fixedupon the poor battered face of the victim. Oni the left temple was ai wound from which blood had trickled and congealed, the eyes were blackened, and there were other bruises' and injuries. ■ The hands, to©;- were badly bruised, which seems to indicate 'that Miss BriwJfield, when attacked, made a brave fight for her life.Seardring the sack, the police foi^d two B_ea.vy bar 6of iron and a broken canehaudled umbrella, with a silver band and _ia_tdle bearing, afl already stated, Miss Bradfield's initials. This was the clue which, led to the. speedy identification or •the victim. Round Her neck Miss. Bradfield was wearing a. silver medallion' charm •about the eiize of a threepenny piece, on 'one side of which was a representation of monkeySj wHJi their clenched claws iteld up. to then* eyes, ears, and mopth reapectivjely. The medal also bore the following.inscription : — " Three wise monkeys, with their eyes shut to evil, . eaTs that hear only the right^lips that are dumb to scandal. They "sit m their silent might." On .tte reverse side was engraved : " Speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil."

[This device of the "Three Wise Mon- 1 keys" comes from the East, where the Japanese model jthem sitting Jnairoy, one monKey > with his hands cbverihg-his virtuous eyes, another with his hands stopping his ears to evil speaking, and a third with his hands at his moiith checking idle words. In most -Japanese temples a.re to be found 6imilar monkey statues. They are usually called the " Three Mystic Apes," and their names a^e Mizaru (who. covers his eyes), Kikazaru (with ea_s- covered), and Swazaru '(with mouth" covered). Stone slabs with theso three- monkeys m relief are amongst the mosty usual objects of devotion met' with on'the roadside m the rural districts of Japattvf f • -.' *_»I?he Crime Reconstructed. — / \lt seeipsitfiggr,' ;in light of the facts now ■ known, that Miss Bradfield. was murdered ab^tv 6'. o'cl^k m the evening. She left home "m • the; morniiig shortly before 8 o'clotefc- on -her -return to business, having been ill .with' influenza.. Before going out She informed/Miss Holden, a confectioner, with whom she had been associated for some s eightt years, that she would be tetuxning pome eariy. She was then quite cheerful," and seemed to have recovered 3ver health. Between half-past 5 and 6 o'clock Miss Hold.n rang up her companion •oh the telephone, arid, to her surprise, *eceived no atuiwer. At the time the -attack waa made upon her Miss Bradfield . had donned her outdoor garments, m Tidiness to go to her lodgings at Tranmere ; It is established beyond question that after ;.she had fastened her furs and Twit, -oin -Tier gloves- she was attacked m the most fiendish jnanner by someone armed

with a bludgeon. The works of Messrs Bradfield are m the busiest quarter of the city, and while the tragedy was happening m the deserted building thousands of people were hurrying to and fro on the pavements outside only a few yards away. But not a cry was heard. It is not qufte clear whether Miss Bradfield had left her own office or was m the adjoining works, so cleanly were all the traces of the tra gedy cleared up, but the crime was committed inside Messrs Bradfield's premises, probably m a small store room where the stocks of tarpaulin and sacking forming part of the stock wpuld effectually deaden the sound of screams. That the lady had made a gallant fight for her life was evident from the fact that her clothing was disarranged, her hands badly bruised, and her eyes discolored, and that she had wounds on the head and face. One of her fingers was found, at the post-mortem, to have been almost split open. She had apparently raised her hand to cover or protect her l^ead from the blows raining down upon her. The police have taken possession of a thick bludgeon-like weapon witli which the injuries on the victim's | head, hand, and face may have been inflicted. Her body Avas then placed m a sack, as already described, and then wheeled on one of the firm's handcarts and dropped into the canal. In the soft clay land over which, after leaving the road, the body would have to be taken, deep cartwheel ruts leading almost to the lock gates were found by the police. The wheels of a handcart found afc the tarpaulin works, it is stated, fitted into these ruts and had much clay adhering to them. In addition there ijas been found a green tarpaulin smeared with Blood. This was no doubt used to cover up the body. — Two Youthful Criminals. — Eltoft, one of the suspects, lived with his parents m Windermere street, and had worked at the Oldhall street depot of Messrs Bradfield and Co. for about 12 months. His father and mother are respectable working people. Both at home and amongst his friends and associate? 'he enjoyed an excellent character. At the establishment of Messrs Bradfield he had won the complete confidence and esteem of all with whom he came into co.-. .Act — both employers and workfellows. itis duties, for the most part, Consisted of the usual services rendered by shopboys. He was on good terms with Sumner m their relations with the firm, although there is no evidence to show that the two had much, if anything, m the way of interests m common outside the hours of business. Sumner spent some of the early years of his life m a boys' home, formerly exiling m St. Anne street. He seemed a sober and industrious young man. He was of powerful build, with sloping shoulders and a rather pronounced stoop, while he walked with a peculiar swinging gait. He had been employed by Messrs Bradfield for about five years as a packer. Miss Bradfield appears to have taken an interest m him, and exercised a wholesome influence upon him. Sumner was readily susceptible to the kindly monitions of his benefactress, and, ontwardly, at any rate, testified to the change m .his outlook upon life. He developed a warm regard for Miss Bradfield. Ifc is even stated that ohone occasion he saved up his earnings and presented the lady with a set of furs, as ■ an expression of his gratitude for the goodness of heart she had displayed towards him. Under her tutelage he became qualified to do more responsible work) m the shop than thafc customarily performed by men of his class. H<_, was trusted m all such matters as came within the scope of his duties, and, being industrious and obedient, was looked upon as a very desirable employee. Physically he is of attractive personality. — Eltoft's Confession.— Eltoft, shortly after arrest, made a confession, m which he threw the onus of the crime on to Sumner. He said that they were working together on December 10. At 6 p.m. Miss Bradford told him that he could go. He went, and Sumner, following him outside, told him he must not go away, but wait m the vicinity of the ! building for him. He waited -a considerI able time, and when Sumner at length came out he told him he had some- " thing m a sack which he wanted taken on a hand cart to 'the canal and thrown into the water. He carried out Sumner's instructions, but declares that he was ignorant as to what was m the sack. He wheeled the sack to the canal alone, and after throwing it into the water he returned with the hand cart to the premises, and later met Sumner m Breck road. He was the last known person to see Sumner, who went away after a brief interview, apparently cognisant of the fact that a hue and cry would be raised. Eltoft's statement that he was ignorant of what the sack contained is regarded by the police with sceptism, as it is pointed out that the legs and* feet of the deceased were protruding from the sack, and could easily be observed.