Murder of Martha Halliday

 The owner Rev. Samuel Benard Taylor and family went to stay with his father-in-law. 55-year-old Martha Halliday looked after the rectory in Kingsworth, England while they were gone. On the night of June 10, 1861, Martha slept alone at the Rectory. Her husband had left the place around 6 p.m.to go home as she slept there. She wasn't afraid to sleep alone there as she had done it before.

The next morning he went to go get her so she could do some household chores at their home. He was alarmed to see the shutters were not opened yet and the back door was still locked. This was not usual. He then rushed to the front of the home. He found the door was ajar.

He was worried about his wife. The first thing he did was rush to the kitchen but found nothing unusual there. He then rushed upstairs and went to the room he thought she was going to sleep in. This was when he found his poor wife.

Martha was found bound on the floor in her nightdress. Her dress seemed to have been lifted over her head as if from being dragged out of bed.  Her hands and legs were bound in a cord. A colored silk handkerchief was found around her mouth and tied to the top of her head. She was dead. She had suffocated from the gag.

It's believed that the murderers first tried to enter the house through the kitchen windows, but because the shutters were secured there was no way in through there. They then climbed on the small roof that was in front of Martha's window. They broke the window and climbed in. The murderer must have cut themselves doing this as blood was found at the scene.

A pocketbook not belonging to anyone in the Rectory was found at the scene. It was believed to have fallen out of their coat pocket as they helped with binding Martha. Things in the place were ransacked and stolen.

They then found suspect 25-year-old Johann Carl Franz from Saxony, Germany.  He initially gave his name as August Saltzman, but it was found to be false soon. The pocketbook that was found at the scene was found to be his. He claimed that his personal belongings were stolen at Leeds by a man named Adolphe Khorn another man from Germany. He said tha Krohn and his friend claimed to want to rob a priest.

They found a 25-year-old German suspect by the name of Johann Carl Franz. He initially gave his name as August Saltzman. He lied about his name, but it was found it was false. He then said that a man named Adolphe Khron stole his personal belongings at Leeds and said he was going to rob a priest.

They put Johann Carl Franz on trial. Everything was circumstantial though and the evidence was not strong. The Jurors came back with a not guilty for the crime.


SOURCES:
Unsolved Murders
Lloyds Weekly Newspaper
The Hull Packet East Riding Times
Rivals of The Ripper (Chapter 1)
The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post, Western Countries and South Wales Advertiser