UNIDENTIFIED: November 15, 1880 Springfield, Missouri John Doe

On November 15, 1880, an unknown man would "drop dead" in or close to Springfield, Missouri. He would be buried at the Hazelwood Cemetery in Springfield, Missouri.

SOURCES:
Find a Grave

UNIDENTIFIED: September 11, 1880 Springfield, Missouri John Doe

 On September 11, 1880, an Unknown Man died of heart disease in or close to Springfield, Missouri. There is little information in this case. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

INFANTICIDE: January 12, 1880 Hull, England Baby Girl Doe

 On January 12, 1880 body of a newborn baby girl was found in a box in the lady's lavatory in Paragon Station in Hull, England. It's not stated if she was born alive or not. 

SOURCES:

Unsolved Murders UK

INFANTICIDE: October 31, 1880 Floyd County, Indiana Baby Doe

 On October 31, 1880 the body of a very young infant (less than a year-old) was found floating in the Ohio River opposite of the hickory Mill in Floyd County, Indiana. The infant's head showed evidence that they  had died a violent death . The Infant would be buried the next day in New Albany's Fairview Cemetery. 

Since the infant was described as very young and not newborn it could be assumed that it was not. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

INFANTICIDE: August 24, 1880 Worcester, Massachusetts Baby Doe

 On August 24, 1880, a baby girl was found dead in the jail yard on Vine St. in Worcester, Massachusetts. She was about a month old and had died from exposure. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Murder of Eliza Wilkinson

 On April 26, 1880, 9-year-old Eliza Wilkinson and her sister 16-year-old Elizabeth went around Derby, England selling comb boxes that their father, James, made. They left their home on 67 Bridge St. with 14 comb boxes they were selling for half a penny each. They would sell 12 of the 14 boxes and decided to take a box each.  About 11 a.m. they would make it to Green St. and Elizabeth gave her a comb box to sell on her own. Eliza would speak to a number of people and would be unsuccessful in selling the box. This was when Eliza went missing.

Elizabeth didn't know what happened to her young sister and would return home around 11 a.m.and asked her father if Eliza returned home. The girl did not. Elizabeth explained to her father that she was trying to sell hers on one side and Eliza on the other. Her father would send her and her younger brother, James, to look for Eliza again.

When they returned to look for her they asked residents if they had seen her. One woman would tell the two young children of their sister's fate. "A man has killed your sister." The children shocked made their way to Tan Yard and in the house of 28-year-old John Wakefield that he shared with his mother and brother was the police. Inside Eliza had been murdered. 

James would return home and tell him that a man has Eliza in his house. The two would head to where Eliza was. The father would see his daughter lying near the stairs inside in a puddle of blood.

John had Eliza come into the home and had slit her throat cutting it twice. Her death wouldn't have been sudden, she would have died between 5 to 10 minutes. Eliza had bruises on her knees it was unknown if this happened before the murder or during. One knee had fresh scratches though. She was not sexually assaulted.

After he had murdered her he turned himself into the police. It's believed that it was a homicidal impulse that he had killed the girl. He would state that he was "tired of his life" was the reason he killed the girl. He was quiet about why he killed the girl though.

John was a quiet homebody. There is little information on his criminal past, but according to the book Deadly Derbyshire" Tales of Murder & Manslaughter c.1700–1900, in 1871 John was convicted of assaulting a young child.

John would be convicted and set to be executed. He was hanged on August 16, 1880.

SOURCES:

Murder Research

The Derby Mercury May 5, 1880

Birmingham Daily Post August 17, 1880

Deadly Derbyshire: Tales of Murder & Manslaughter c.1700–1900 by Scott Lomax Chapter 38

The Lancet, Volume 2; Volume 119 pg. 269

The Black Donnellys

James and Johannah Donnelly decided to move from their homeland, Ireland, and settle in Canada. The couple settled on contested land near London, Ontario. The Donnelly's were a troubling family and seemed to have been in a feud with the community. In 1857 James Sr. killed Patrick Farrell a man who had a dispute with the family because they were squatting on his land.

Even though he spent time at the Kingston Penitentiary his 7 sons didn't learn from his mistakes. They had a bad reputation and they were known as troublemakers. Their reputation went from basic mayhem to grand larceny and arson. They were willing to fight, and because of their reputation, they were blamed for everything.

On Feb. 3, 1880, James Donnelly complained to the local magistrate that they were blamed for everything and the next day the farm burned to the ground. A mob had come to the home and James, Johannah, son Tom, and their niece Bridget was killed in the fire. There was a 13-year-old farmhand,  Johnny O'Conner, there that night. 

According to Johnny shortly after 1 a.m. was when the mob arrived at the home. He awoke to James getting dressed. Johnny joined him going out to the kitchen and seeing James Caroll the "Peace Society". Tom was outside handcuffed with around 20 men. Tom demanded to see a warrant, but there was none to be seen. The mob outside quickly came in and began to attack the family. 

James, Johanna, and Tom were all three beaten badly. Bridget was upstairs and the men barged up there and killed 21-year-old Bridget. Johhny hid underneath a bed. He witnessed that Tom was able to escape, but was dragged back inside and beaten some more. The members of the mob brought coal oil in and burned the house. He was able to escape the burning home. 

The mob then traveled to the second oldest William Donnelly's house and arrived there around 2:30 a.m. The mob screamed fire hoping to get someone to come out. John came to the window and was shot in the chest and pelvis. Thinking that it was William they killed the mob left. 

 The community knew who was apart of it, but no one was ever found guilty for the crimes. There were two trials for it, but all of the people prosecuted were either not guilty, or a hung jury.

SOURCES:

Canadian Mysteries 
Wikipedia