Mariticide

TRIALS OF JOHN WILLIAM HOLLOWAY AND ANN KENNETT, FOR MURDER. - John William Holloway, and Ann Kennett, were tried for the murder of Celia Holloway, lawful wife of the first-named prisoner.

The prisoner had separated from his wife, and was living in adultery with Ann Kennett, when he induced his wife, on the 24th of July, under promise of again cohabiting with her, to leave her residence, and accompany him to a house in Donkey-row, Brighton, where she had no sooner entered, than he barbarously murdered her. He subsequently conveyed the body to Preston Copse, one mile from Brighton, where he deposited it in a hole, leaving a part of her gown protruding, which led to a discovery of the deed of blood.

After the evidence had been gone through, the Judge summed up the evidence as it affected the female prisoner, and stated, that, if they agreed with him, they would think that the evidence was not sufficient to convict her on this charge, whatever might be done afterwards.

The Jury, after a short deliberation, were of the same opinion as his lordship, and the female prisoner was directed to be removed from the bar.

The Clerk of the Arraigns then read the following confession, signed by Holloway: “Ann Kennett knew nothing of this circumstance going to happen, until I had got the whole of Celia‘s clothes in that house. I went home and had her down to the house, and then I acquainted her what I was going to do; she said I had better not do it, for fear of being discovered; I told her I would trust to that if she would assist me; she said yes, she would, and then, as I had got the clothes, we knew not at first hardly how to dispose of them. I said we would pledge some, and burn what would not pledge, and we immediately lotted out what would pledge, and Kennett took them and I believe pledged them, and I then went and fetched Celia. Celia came with me to the south end of North Steine-row. I left Celia there, and told her to wait till I came for her, or called her. I went into the house in North Steine-row; I told Ann she was just by there, and it was agreed that Ann should conceal herself in the cupboard; she did conceal herself in the cupboard. I then went and called Celia; when she was in the house I shut the door; told her I wanted her to wait a little while, because my partner lived up stairs, and he was in bed, and must wait until he got up, and, with that pretence, I kept her in conversation for some time, and at last I asked her to sit down on the stairs, and then, on a pretence of kissing her, I passed the line round her neck, and strangled her. As soon as I passed the line round her neck, I found it was rather more than I could manage, and I called Ann, and God knows she assisted me by taking hold of each end of the rope with me, and she held the rope with me until the poor girl dropped, and then I held the cord for a time myself, and Ann made use of this expression, ‘Do not let your heart fail you.’

When I thought she was dead, or nearly dead, I dragged her into a cupboard or coal-hole under the stairs, and under the stairs there are some nails. I did not remove the cord, but took an over-handed knot, and I made the ends fast to the nails, so that she was then hanging by the neck; I proposed then cutting her; Ann Kennett told me to wait until the blood was settled; then, I believe, the next thing we did was to burn the things, the bonnets particularly; the people who went into the house after we left must have seen the wire in the grate, which I took notice of being there; either that or the next night, I cannot call to mind which, we proceeded to cut the body, and I emptied the chaff out of the bed, to have the tick to carry part of the body away in, and then I cut off the head first, and I think the arms I carried with the head. Ann Kennett was present; I never went to the house to do any thing with the body, but what I took Ann Kennett with me; and the day that I brought the head and the other part away, she was to walk behind me, to see if any blood came through: the first attempt we made would not answer, because the blood came through the ticken; Ann told me of it, and we went back and put it into a little box, and then into the ticken; that night, after dark, Ann came down with me, and we brought a small tub with us; I went and got a light, and then some water in the tub, and, after we had placed the body in the box, Ann washed the kitchen to clear it of the blood, and the next day I borrowed a wheel-barrow, and took it down to the house, and then I borrowed a pick and shovel, and that night Ann and I went down to the house, and we took the box the body was in (I did) on the wheel-barrow. I wheeled the barrow, and Ann Kennett was to follow me with the pick and shovel. She did not know where I was going to. She kept at a small distance from me, until we got near the Hare and Hounds.

We turned up the hill and then down the footpath, that leads down to where the body was found. I made an attempt to dig a hole that night, but found it too dark: we just put the box under some bushes near the spot, and also the pick-axe and shovel; Ann Kennett was with me all the time.

We then took the wheel-barrow home. We went down again in the morning as soon as it was light, and I dug a hole, with an intent to bury box and all, but I found that would take up too much of my time, because of the roots of the trees. I took the body out, and threw it into the hole. I heaved the body up, and then broke the box up, and hid away the pick and shovel, and Ann Kennett and I went and fetched them away the same night; I had been round once since the body had been buried, to see if every thing was right, and I sent Ann Kennett twice, and she told me she went.

I think the people where we lodged must well remember that she went away with me when I went away with the wheel-barrow. She did not go the same road as I did, she went one road and I went another, and I think the people must remember Ann went out early; the next morning we both went out early, but returned early, before the people, Leavers, were up. A man of the name of Watts, in North Steyne-row, must remember Ann Kennett being there several times with me, and one time in particular, when we were going away, and Ann had then got a bundle of some kind to take away from the house, and a woman that was talking either to Master Watts, or his wife, abused me very much, told me that was not my wife that I was with, and said that she had got a bundle then to pawn (meaning the bundle she had got with her). I forget the person’s name that I spoke of, but her husband is a bricklayer.

I declare that I do not disclose this out of any envy or malice, and I have done the best I could, ever since I have been confined to conceal it, but I find it impossible; I simply do it to convince the world at large, who are the guilty and who are the innocent. I likewise declare, before God and you, gentlemen, that I feel, if it was my own father, it is out of my power to conceal it."

The Jury found Holloway Guilty.