Barbaric Murders - Child victims, lady-killers and bodies in boxes (Infamous Murderers) by Rodney Castleden
Authors: Rodney Castleden
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have a confidential conversation with a caller she was expecting? Or was she asked to make herself scarce by the murderer himself? Either way, it seems likely that Helen Lambie may have known more about the situation than she ever revealed.
The murderer was also able to let himself in with his own doorkey, or was let in by Miss Gilchrist; either way, he must have been well known to the old lady, probably a regular dealer, a friend, or a relative who hoped to inherit. Maybe the theft of the brooch was meant to put the police off the scent and make them think the motive was robbery, when the real motive was something else, such as inheritance. And that brings us back to William Park’s intriguing theory about the unnamed nephew.
PART THREE: BODIES IN BOXES
Kate Webster
‘and the Barnes Mystery’
Kate Webster was born in 1849 in County Wexford in Ireland. She was born as Catherine Lawler and started her life of crime very early on. Most of her crimes were small-scale: theft, deception and dishonesty. She claimed that she married a sea captain called Webster, by whom she had four children, but it is not certain that any of that is true. She stole the money for the ferry across the Irish Sea and sailed to Liverpool, where she went on stealing. At the age of eighteen she was sentenced to four years in prison for theft.
Released from prison she moved to London to make a sort of fresh start. She became a domestic servant, a cleaner. She would clean conventionally, though fairly incompetently, for a while, before cleaning out her employer’s valuables and then moving on to a new job.
In 1873 she was living in Rose Gardens, Hammersmith. She got on well with her neighbours, Henry and Ann Porter, who were to reappear later in her story and become implicated in the most bizarre way imaginable. Then she moved to Notting Hill, where she became cook and housekeeper to Captain Woolbest. While she was there she met a man called Strong, by whom she became pregnant. After the baby boy was born in April 1874, Strong disappeared. Kate Webster fell back on stealing and this in turn led to her being sent to prison again.
Coming out of Wandsworth Prison in 1877, Kate looked once again for domestic work. She worked for a while for the Mitchell family in Teddington, but complained that the Mitchells did not have anything worth stealing. She shifted from job to job, sometimes using the name Webster, sometimes Lawler. She became friendly with another domestic called Sarah Crease, and it was Sarah who looked after Kate’s son while Kate was in prison.
A photograph of Kate Webster exists. She stares blankly into the camera. The face is plain, severe, determined, with a cruel and aggressive mouth and deep-set staring eyes. Looking like that, every inch a murderess, it is surprising that anyone employed her at all.
In January 1879 Kate Webster took a job as a domestic servant with Mrs Julia Thomas at No 2 Vine Cottages, Park Road, Richmond. It went well at first. Kate was happy working for Mrs Thomas who was a rather eccentric woman in her fifties, and fairly well off. Problems began to develop when it became apparent to Mrs Thomas that Kate’s work was poor. Mrs Thomas was also irritated by Kate’s frequent visits to local pubs. A series of reprimands followed, and then Mrs Thomas gave Kate Webster notice. This period of notice was fatal. Mrs Thomas seems to have realised it, too, as she started asking friends and relatives to come and stay with her. She did not like being alone in the house with Kate Webster.
The day of Kate’s dismissal arrived, 28 February, and she still had no new job to go to, so she pleaded with Mrs Thomas to let her stay over the weekend. Mrs Thomas reluctantly agreed.
On the Sunday, 2 March, 1879, Mrs Thomas went to church in the morning as usual. This Sunday afternoon, Kate was to visit her son, who was being looked after by Sarah Crease. She called in at a pub on her way back to Vine
The murderer was also able to let himself in with his own doorkey, or was let in by Miss Gilchrist; either way, he must have been well known to the old lady, probably a regular dealer, a friend, or a relative who hoped to inherit. Maybe the theft of the brooch was meant to put the police off the scent and make them think the motive was robbery, when the real motive was something else, such as inheritance. And that brings us back to William Park’s intriguing theory about the unnamed nephew.
PART THREE: BODIES IN BOXES
Kate Webster
‘and the Barnes Mystery’
Kate Webster was born in 1849 in County Wexford in Ireland. She was born as Catherine Lawler and started her life of crime very early on. Most of her crimes were small-scale: theft, deception and dishonesty. She claimed that she married a sea captain called Webster, by whom she had four children, but it is not certain that any of that is true. She stole the money for the ferry across the Irish Sea and sailed to Liverpool, where she went on stealing. At the age of eighteen she was sentenced to four years in prison for theft.
Released from prison she moved to London to make a sort of fresh start. She became a domestic servant, a cleaner. She would clean conventionally, though fairly incompetently, for a while, before cleaning out her employer’s valuables and then moving on to a new job.
In 1873 she was living in Rose Gardens, Hammersmith. She got on well with her neighbours, Henry and Ann Porter, who were to reappear later in her story and become implicated in the most bizarre way imaginable. Then she moved to Notting Hill, where she became cook and housekeeper to Captain Woolbest. While she was there she met a man called Strong, by whom she became pregnant. After the baby boy was born in April 1874, Strong disappeared. Kate Webster fell back on stealing and this in turn led to her being sent to prison again.
Coming out of Wandsworth Prison in 1877, Kate looked once again for domestic work. She worked for a while for the Mitchell family in Teddington, but complained that the Mitchells did not have anything worth stealing. She shifted from job to job, sometimes using the name Webster, sometimes Lawler. She became friendly with another domestic called Sarah Crease, and it was Sarah who looked after Kate’s son while Kate was in prison.
A photograph of Kate Webster exists. She stares blankly into the camera. The face is plain, severe, determined, with a cruel and aggressive mouth and deep-set staring eyes. Looking like that, every inch a murderess, it is surprising that anyone employed her at all.
In January 1879 Kate Webster took a job as a domestic servant with Mrs Julia Thomas at No 2 Vine Cottages, Park Road, Richmond. It went well at first. Kate was happy working for Mrs Thomas who was a rather eccentric woman in her fifties, and fairly well off. Problems began to develop when it became apparent to Mrs Thomas that Kate’s work was poor. Mrs Thomas was also irritated by Kate’s frequent visits to local pubs. A series of reprimands followed, and then Mrs Thomas gave Kate Webster notice. This period of notice was fatal. Mrs Thomas seems to have realised it, too, as she started asking friends and relatives to come and stay with her. She did not like being alone in the house with Kate Webster.
The day of Kate’s dismissal arrived, 28 February, and she still had no new job to go to, so she pleaded with Mrs Thomas to let her stay over the weekend. Mrs Thomas reluctantly agreed.
On the Sunday, 2 March, 1879, Mrs Thomas went to church in the morning as usual. This Sunday afternoon, Kate was to visit her son, who was being looked after by Sarah Crease. She called in at a pub on her way back to Vine
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