A new book produced by local historians casts A Shadow of Doubt on the murder conviction 140 years ago of a 30-year-old woman

ON Monday, August 2, 1875, Lizzie Pearson was hanged at Durham Gaol for murdering her stepfather, James Watson. “After the rope and the cap had been adjusted, the bolt was withdrawn, the women dropped in the air, and died without a struggle,” said The Northern Echo the following day.

“Such was the end of the Gainford poisoner.”

The Northern Echo: MURDER SCENE: James Watson lived, and died, in Church Row, Gainford, seen here in the 1920s, allegedly by Lizzie Pearson who lived a couple of doors away from him in the same street. Today's brilliant front page picture, which has also been supplied by Mi
MURDER SCENE: James Watson lived, and died, in Church Row, Gainford, seen here in the 1920s, allegedly by Lizzie Pearson who lived a couple of doors away from him in the same street. Today's brilliant front page picture, which has also been supplied by Mike Stow, shows Church Row behind the maypole dancers. James' house was to the left of the sign beneath the window, Lizzie's was to the right

But 140 years later, Gainford Local History Group has produced a booklet entitled A Shadow of Doubt, which questions Lizzie’s guilt. “No one will ever know,” says the booklet’s author, Mike Stow, “but there is no doubt that if the case came to court today, she would not have hanged.”

Lizzie was born in Blackwell, Darlington, in 1845, but was given to her childless aunt, Jane, to raise. They came to settle in Gainford where, in 1860, Jane married a widower, James Watson, who effectively became Lizzie’s stepfather.

They lived happily together in Church Row – a property which still stands and which is apparently still haunted by unaccountable footsteps.

In 1867, Lizzie, 22, married 24-year-old railway platelayer, John Pearson, a Gainford lad. They set up home a couple of doors down Church Row.

When Jane, Lizzie’s effective mother, died in 1874, James struggled to pay his bills. He was 73 with failing health, and could only manage light labour at Gainford Hall. To help with the rent, he took a lodger, George Smith, who had been in the village for 15 years, and was well known as a mechanic, razor-grinder and fisherman.

The Northern Echo: GAINFORD HALL: James Watson worked as a groom here before he was murdered
GAINFORD HALL: James Watson worked as a groom here before he was murdered

Early in 1875, James caught pneumonia, but kindly Lizzie moved in with her one-year-old baby, Dora Jane, to nurse him. James declared that he had “never been better waited upon” in his life, and, on March 15 he was feeling so well that the local doctor, Dr Francis Homfray, said he could leave his bedroom. At Lizzie’s insistence, before the doctor left at 1pm, he wrote a prescription for a pick-me-up powder for James.

At 4pm, a lad picked up the powder – made from the roots of a Mexican climbing plant 5pm – from Dr Homfray’s surgery. At 5pm, James had a terrible trembling fit, and died 15 minutes later.

Villagers were saddened by the dramatic turn of events, but not entirely surprised – James was an ill, old man, after all. But at the inquest, held on March 19 in the Lord Nelson pub, Dr Homfray expressed his surprise and said he had discovered two tablespoons of a strange fluid in the dead man’s stomach. The inquest was adjourned so the doctor could send James’ stomach, intestine and liver in a stout glass jar for inspection by Thomas Scattergood of Leeds, an eminent medical man.

The Northern Echo: CHARGED: How The Northern Echo reported the sensational news on April 16, 1875, that Lizzie had been sent for trial on a charge of "wilful murder" (51785029)
CHARGED: How The Northern Echo reported the sensational news on April 16, 1875, that Lizzie had been sent for trial on a charge of "wilful murder"

Mr Scattergood found non-fatal traces of strychnine, flour and Prussian blue – a colourant – in the samples, and asked the Gainford bobby to buy rat poison from the local store for analysis. The bobby returned from John Corner’s shop on South Terrace – today a hairdresser’s – with a 3d sachet of Battle’s Vermin Killer. It contained flour, strychnine and Prussian blue.

Mr Corner told the bobby he’d sold three sachets recently: he couldn’t remember the first purchaser, but Lizzie’s mother-in-law, Jane Pearson, had bought the other two. The mother-in-law said she had purchased them for Lizzie, who had mice in her featherbed – but Lizzie had sworn her to secrecy because her husband wouldn’t allow poison in the house.

The inquest resumed in the Lord Nelson on April 15, and it heard from a new witness, Robert Watson of Barnard Castle, who was a son of the deceased by his first marriage. Robert said that shortly before James’ death, he had urged him to sell his surprisingly good furniture to pay off his debts and then move to Barney with him.

Robert said that much of that good furniture had originally belonged to Lizzie’s effective mother, Jane.

And he said that following his father’s sudden demise, he had rushed to Gainford only to find his father’s house already “stripped and naked”. All that was left in it was the body “laid on the bedstead bars, no bedding left, but only a pillow laid under his head”. He discovered that Lizzie had already moved all the furniture down Church Row to her house.

So now there was a motive: Lizzie, despite nursing James so admirably, had allegedly poisoned him to get the nice furniture that was rightfully hers.

The inquest decided that James had died of strychnine poisoning and that Lizzie should answer a charge of murder at Durham Assizes.

It was a sensational outcome, followed immediately by the disappearance of lodger George Smith. No trace of him was ever found – a sinister development, or just a red herring?

The trial opened on July 8. Swearing in the Grand Jury, judge Mr Justice Archibald suggested that the evidence was a bit flimsy – “the depositions do not disclose anything in the shape of motive”, he said airily – but he casually added that “he thought they (the jury) would find enough here to return a true bill”.

So before a witness had been called, the judge was suggesting that despite a lack of evidence, Lizzie was probably guilty. Then he discovered that Lizzie had no one to defend her, so a Mr Ridley was rustled up at a moment’s notice to save her skin.

The trial lasted six hours. It heard that Lizzie already owned the furniture so the alleged motive didn’t hold water. It heard that there was no proof that James had died of strychnine poisoning. It heard Mr Scattergood’s jar had become contaminated. And if James had been poisoned, there was no proof that Lizzie had administered it – it could have taken it by himself, mistaking it for the pick-me-up. Or the missing lodger could have played a role but he, of course, was not around to give evidence.

After deliberating for just an hour, the Grand Jury found Lizzie guilty. Mr Justice Archibald donned his black cap and passed the death sentence. Despite a large petition signed by many leading people in Teesdale, Lizzie was hanged three weeks later – “justice” was extremely swift in those days.

Of the 33 executions at Durham Gaol during the 19th Century, only two were female – Lizzie and, in 1873, the West Auckland mass murderess Mary Ann Cotton.

Cotton, of course, is about to be remembered in an ITV series, Dark Angel, starring Joanne Froggatt from Downton Abbey, and now Lizzie has a booklet dedicated to her case.

It has been compiled with the help of Lizzie’s descendants who still live in Darlington – her daughter, Dora, was only 18 months old when she was hanged – and contains many more fascinating details than included here.

At the end, author Mike Stow, who has been researching the story for 30 years, says: “A good defence lawyer would have asked all the questions and more, and might well have saved Lizzie’s life.

“So was she guilty? You’ve read the evidence: the verdict is yours.”

The Northern Echo: A Shadow of Doubt by Mike Stow of Gainford Local History Group (51785032)

A Shadow of Doubt by Mike Stow costs £3.50 (or £4, if posted). It is available from Angel Hair Design, picture below, on High Green, Gainford – which was the shop that sold the poison – or by calling 01325-730337 or emailing Michael.mstow8@btinternet.com

The Northern Echo: CORNER'S SHOP: The hairdresser today on High Green, Gainford

EXACTLY 150 years ago, there was high drama on the railway line out of Durham City.

The Darlington & Stockton Times of January 6, 1866, reported how the frightening incident began when Engine No 392, at the head of a ballast train, was standing in Durham station with only the fireman aboard, was run into by another engine.

The crash catapulted the fireman out of the cab, detached the engine from the wagons of ballast train, opened the regulator and caused 392 to take off, gaining speed as it headed north.

“The passengers on the platform at Leamside station were startled by the guideless engine running past, and the wildest conjectures were indulged in as to the strange occurrence,” said the report.

The runaway engine dashed over the River Wear by the Victoria Bridge – completed in 1838 on the day of Queen Victoria’s coronation – into Washington station, where driver Ralph Gilchrist was at the controls of another engine. Seeing the runaway coming hurtling through without any sign of human life at the controls, he immediately set off after it.

“It was a long and exciting race,” said the D&S Times, “the runaway going at a rate of speed estimated at 60 miles an hour.”

At Washhouse Lane, about half-a-mile outside Gateshead, Mr Gilchrist caught up with the runaway.

“The fireman, John Baty, in the most courageous manner, and at the risk of his life, jumped from his own engine onto No 392 and succeeded in bringing it up, fortunately without any damage having been done,” said the report.

“The prompt action of Gilchrist and Baty was most commendable and they are certainly entitled to the thanks of the directors.”