The Torso in the Tank and Other Stories

This book is about murders, serial killers that took place in the Tyne and Wear area of the Uk, each chapter is about a different case that involves one or more people that were murdered.
Some of the cases are more well known due to the age of the convicted murderer of the circumstances of the murder(s). A lot of the cases remain unsolved.

Tom Nicholson at Bill Quay (1902): Thomas Nicholson was arrested for the rape and axphyxiation of a seven year old girl named Mary. Tom lied about his whereabouts when Mary was murdered.
The most didturbing aspects of the crime were the wounds inflicted upon the victim, Tom had beaten girl, stabbed her genitals then violently raped and asphyxiated Mary. Another child named Alice saw Mary walking with Tom before the crime was committed, his clothing was covered in the victims blood he was seen by a witness.
“Nicholson's execution was part of a double hanging” he was standing next to Samuel Walton “he killed his wife then attempted to cut his own throat but his life was saved so he would face the gallows” When Tom was arrested/convicted of rape and murder, he would be hanged, “his ankles were strapped together” A lot of the murderers mentioned in the book went to the gallows until capital punishment was abolished in the UK.

Lawman Lawless (1908): Robert Lawman was a drunk as well as his wife, any money they earned was wasted on alcohol instead of providing for his family. Robert's relstionship with his wife was tempestous, they regularly had verbal arguements the led to blows. Robert's son testified against him in court he told the jury of his difficult environment at home, he also recognised a watch that belonged to the victim Amelia wood. William's testimony helped to convict Robert of murder, he was swiftly executed for his crime. Robert even said “I'll swing for her” Before Amelia was murdered she had an argument with Robert, unfortunately he was drunk and strangled Amelia, she had knife wounds cuts on her body, both were found naked at the crime scene. After he murdered Amelia Robert attempted to cut his own throat but he was saved so he would convicted of muder and hanged instead.

Appeal Dismissed: Matthew Dodds (1908): Matthew Dodds was a cruel man that was physically abusive to his crippled wife Mary Jane, this led to her removing her husband from her will as the beneficiary instead he would receive £40. There was speculation about the circumstanes of Mary's death.
Mary had a habit of drinking alcohol, this was one of the reasons for the cause of her death because it is unknown. “Stays from Mrs Dodds corset were found” and “she was crammed into a space only a foot wide” Matthew Dodds was convicted of murder and sentenced to be hanged, he murdered his wife to gain the money for her will, because he wanted to be the sole beneficiary, it was very selfish and greedy. Mary removed him from her will but changed and rewrote her will again due to how her husband treated her Matthew Roberts strangulated his wife or pushed her into the fireplace, to get rid of her, just because he wanted her money, all he was paid was £40 so I hope it was worth it!

Abel Atherton- ‘Ye're hanging an innocent man' (1909): Abel Atherton was a man that was infatuated by a fifteen year girl that he believed was having an incestous relationship with her father, but it was just his imagination. His delusion led him to make accusations about incest, even though the father had a normal father-daughter relationship with his daughter. Abel went to the house of the man he believed was abusing in his daughter in an attempt to merely frightened the mother and daughter, but during a struggle he accidently pulled the trigger of the gun he brought with him and fired at the wife of the he accused of incest. He was jealous of the supposed incestous relationship the man didn't have with his daughter, Abel was delusional and couldn't tell the difference between a fantasy in his mind and reality. He used to say particular things such as “Hello, here comes Daddy's pet!” It's disgusting. He was found guilty and hanged.

Killing on the Alnmouth train (1910): A man was murdered while travelling on a train, he was carrying a significant amount of money, which would have made him an easy target for and opportunistic thief. All the evidence is circumstantial and wasn't thoroughly investigated, other possible explanations were not followed up and the money wasn't found. The victim was shot in the head five times, but with two different guns, there was blood on the murderer's clothing there wasn't a motive to kill the man, he was extremely poor. One or more men were responsible and fired seperate weapons the accomplice stole the money, this explains how there were bullets from different guns, but paper was also used to force the wrong type of bullets into the gun that was fired, the paper was from the train carriage. The judge that convicted John A. Dickman of murder “ formed the view that he was guilty of murder of the wife of a friend of his” so was being judged before he ever went to court, for the murder trail for the victim John Innes Nisbet. John Dickman did know John Nisbet, but it was never stated how well they knew eachother, no one will ever know who is responsible or if John Dickman worked alone because the paperwork was destroyed and forgotten about. John Dickman was convicted of the murder and hanged for his crime despite the evidence being mostly circumstantial and not fully investigated. I don't believe it was a 100% certainty that the right person was convicted, the murderer might of had an accomplice that stole the murder and partly got away with murder.

The Lintz Green Case (1911): This case is a unsolved case. A stationmaster Joseph Wilson “who was generally admired” was shot and then the murderer disappeared. The police were looking for a man aged between 20 and 22, the description given for the murderer was vague. Joseph lived in a working-class “rough” area and it was believed that he was murdered by the “undesirables” of the area near his home. Wilson's daughter made a satement which is suspicious “they have shot at my father” instead of he shot my father which is odd. One motive may be due to Joseph taking home money from work in a bag, this was well known by a lot of people. He was shot close to his home, so the murderer might have known him or worked with him, because it seems like he was followed home, shot and robbed.
No one was ever convicted of murdering Joseph Wilson “The callous murder lies cold and unsolved” Samuel Atkinson twenty-five year part-time porter at the station was a suspect for awhile and questioned but he was acquitted. More than one assailant was responsible for the murder and the victim's daughter's use of ‘they' “may hint at previous warnings or threats”
“As with every case we like closure but the Lintz Green affair will not supply us with that”
Inconclusive evidence, no clear motive other than robbery and no known suspect was ever convicted of the crime.

A Jealous Man (1916): Joseph Deans was a jealous man, he was jealous of his wife's friendships and everything she had. His statement says a lot ‘ I came home with plenty of money. I lavished it all on this woman and then she started going with someone else so I killed her' Catherine's daughter said on an incident that was frightening ‘Deans had stormed in one day, accused her mother of infedelity and then drawn a a knife and threatened to kill her.' He said to Catherine ‘I haven't long to live but, before I die I ‘ll kill you' On anothet occassion he went toi a gumsmith and asked the clerk ‘will it kill a man?' then returner for ammonition. Somehow Catherine was able to walk to the hospital after Joseph attacked her with an axe, she had wounds on her neck and shoulder, and the vicious attack left part of her brain exposed but while she was in shock she managed to walk to a hospital to get medical assisstence. Sadly Catherine struggled but lived for six more days then died. Joseph somehow slept soundly in his prison cell and ate his last mreal heartily before he was hanged for the murder of his wife.

Graham and Shelton (1925): Henry Graham and Shelton were both murderers, Graham was a WW1 soldier in the trenches and he was affected by a bomb explosion he was suffering from shellshock which is known today as PTSD. He stabbed his wife to death for no apparent reason.
Shelton was also deviant and a ‘psychotic stalker' by today's modern standards. ‘He wanted to possess Ruth wholly' they were engaged and he made excuses for his bizarre behaviour. He was following and harassing Ruth, she met another named Walter Shiel, she preferred him to her husband because he wasn't a obssessive or possessive person, he was kind and caring to Ruth he wanted to help her out of her situation. He accused his wife of infedelity, and questioned people about their relaationship which called a lot of distress. ‘Both were found sane'

John Dunn (1928): John Dunn had been living a miserable existence as a poor, working-class man trying to provide for his family but struggling to make ends meet. He murdered his wife, but was remorseful for what he did. Two of his children testified in court against him. He had ten children, two had died in infancy, three of his children were living at home. There was marital conflict, John had conjured up a brutal plan to murder his wife, but when he killed her, he afterwards claimed that she killed herself. Ada was found at the bottom of the stairs after having supposedly hanging herself but the rope was too short in length. John was infeeble and due to ill health he had to retire, so his life must have been frustrating due to a lack of work or money.
Dunn was supposedly joking with people after murdering his wife as a witness stated. John Dunn strangled his wife to death, then hanged her to make it seem like she comitted suicide, but forensic evidence proved that she was dead before he hanged her and made it look like suicide. For a short period of time John suffered from psychosis and was in an asylum, he spent time in the Durham light infantry and was at the forefront of combat so he experienced it up close and personal.
John had tried to strangle Ada nine years previously. Ada went to stay in a work house, she didn't want to be intimate with her husband, this changed the nature of their relationship, but they had be estranged for some time, before this happened. He was friendly and jovial leading up to the day he was hanged.

Bookmaker on the scaffold (1929): James Johnson of which there are two people that share that name, one attempted to cut the throat of a woman and the other succeeded in bloody fashion. A stright razor was used. His wife Mary possibly had an affair with Billy Ridleu who was known to be violkent and carry around with a straight razor. James murdered his wife and attempted to kill himself and his children in a murder-suicide plot. This occured due to James suspecting but never confirming his wife's infedelity, he also attempted to murder his wife and children, several times previously via the same method. He was sentenced to death.

Otterburn Murder Unsolved (1931): Evelyn Foster was killed, put in her car and then it was set on fire, Frederick Morton was shot. A man asked Evelyn for a lift to the train station, but on the way he became violent, he attacked her then assaulted her. He set the car on fire, but somehow she managed to escape. Cecil Johnson, helped Evelyn get home and explained to her mother what happened, but unfortunately she died of her injuries. The crime may have been murder, an insurance scam but it will never be known. The crime scene was contaminated, the leads were not investigated so this will never be solved sadly.

A Mercy Killing (1933): A clerk of Mr. J.G. Nixon, John Hoodhe murdered his wife with an axe, his wife was cut, sliced and the attack on her was so vicious tat her head was almost decapitated. John Hood's wife was not discovered for a week, body parts were strewn about due to the murder weapon that was used. Hood's wife was epilectic, but also suffering from a wasting dises that steadily make her go insane. After the murder John returned library books, he ended her suffering, but te way he killed her was brutal. He was given a reprieve instead of a death sentence.

The murder of Jane Parker (1938): William Parker was married to Jane Parker and they had two children, however this didn't seem to either be what William wanted or it was enough to satisfy him, which is why he tried to portray the life of a bachelor. He would frequently wander to the golf course and collect golf balls for money, so he had extra money he could have provided for his family but chose not too, almost as if he is punishing them in some way. William fabricated lies about his wife threatening to kill his children by strangling them and chasing him around the house weith a poker, but it is all lies. William murdered his family, he bloodgeoned his wife to death with a hammer and strangled her and strangled his children, the first night of their deaths he slept soundly in the house. The next two days he spent wandering ir at his parent's home, thenhe decided to report the crime to the police but it wasn't until three days after he had murdered his family and lied about what happened to them. Seven judges decided his fate, which was death.

The Hoolhouse case (1938): Robert Hoolhouse who may have been innocent of the murder of a farmer's wife's murder, was “convicted, hanged, on suspicion, on inference from the facts, which may have been wrong inferences from misunderstood facts, which is what “circumstantial evidence means”
He may have been innocent. Margaret Dobson was on her way to the villages shop, but unfortunately she never made it there, she was attacked in a “blitz attack” this means she was suddenly hit and then attacked by the killer who first hit her in the face hard to subdue her, then he raped and murdered her by stabbing her in her neck and chest. All the evidence was circumstantial, the whereabouts of Margaret's husband could not be determined fully with 100% certainty.
Robert and his family worked on the farmland that his wife's father owned, but due to an arguement they were told to leave a never return. While working on the farmland, they also lived there, but due to the arguement they were evicted and homeless, the arguement was one prime motive that was a cause of concern for the court/jury at the time. Robert Hoolhouse had a girlfriend at the time, who he went to see on the day the farmer's wife was murdered!
Robert Hoolhouse made certain comments which didn't make him look good morally, he refused to a blood test Robert also owned the knife that was the murder weapon, there was blood on his shirt which may have been caused by falling of his bike. There was an appeal but it was denied and Robert Hollhouse was hanged. He was wrongfully convicted, based on flimsy/circumstantial evidence which is a miscarriage of justice, the killer will never be caught/convicted.

Leeman the silent killer (1949): Leeman who was previously convicted of “the attempted murder of a teenager” was to be hanged but was aquitted at the last minute. He slent six years in jail previous for the attempted murder. “Leeman found himself living on the edge of a community, rxidting in bars spending time with drinking buddies and continuing his introspective and purposeless life” He was a “quiet and dangerous man in the habit kf drinking with Stuart Dowson” until it resulted in a fight and there was a witness. Leeman had a knife i his hand during the fight with Dowson, who he then stabbed in the heart then twisted the blade to cause further injury. Two women saw all of the altercation, he aruged with one of them and threatened them after Dowson was murdere in cold blood.
The second witness statement, left no doubt that Leeman was “an unhinged man of violence”
Somehow Leeman did eventually get married and had children but he was abusive to them.
He was sent to prison and killed his cellmate, because he refused to hide tabbaco during a routine cell search for contrband. Leeman stabbed bis cel!mate with a sharpened utensil for not helping him.
John Leeman was destine tl be sent to Broadmoor ( a hospital for mentally ill people, some may have been murderers), but was sent to Cherry Knowles mental Asylum instead in Sunderland. While in prison, it was discovered that John Leeman had throat cancer, not even he knew, maybe that's why he was known as the ‘silent man'

Patrick Turnage ‘I want to hang!' (1950): Patrick Turnage was a seaman aboard the SS Absalom, docked at the River Tees. He was at Billingham Reach, he decided to go and have a few drinks. While at the bar there was a woman who was already tipsy, they struck up a conversation and he invited her to have a drink. Julia Beesley was a seventy-eight year old prostitute, “she was in the habit of drinking too much and tended to press herself on men around the pubs and clubs” in the local area.”She was a very sociable person and had always enjoyed earning some cash around the docks with the casual lkabour of tbe area.
Patrick and Julia had a long and heated arguement that was fuelled by a large quantity of alcohol, Patrick pushed Julia and she fell into a ditch, he supposedly attempted to lift her up but was unable to do so. Julia had been strangled, but had no visible signs, or obvious marks on her body after she was murdered, her death could have been accidental, but jt was never proven if she died due to being murdered or accident. Patrick Turnage cheerfully walked to the gallows and his death, he was buried in an unmarked grave in the prison grounds.

No Motive, No clue (1952): This case is very sad, “in a very lonely and isolated way” which I can relate to.
May Thompson, was a devout catholic who was a bit of a loner and kept to herself, there is no motive/reason for anyone to break into her house and stab her death, sadly this case remains unsolved.

The Widow of Windy Nook (1957): Mary Wilson was the victorian killer.
Phosphorus was used, but arsenic or antimony were also commly used to poison the intended victim. She died in prison at the age of seventy.

Manuel comes south (1957): Peter Manuel (Scotland's first serial killer, there is a book and series about him, he just wanted to kill) His crimes consisted of rapes, assaults, murder, burgularies and thefts.

Diminished responsibility (1957):
Selina Mewes was bludgeoned to death by Ronald Dunbar for her money, the motive was robbery.

The one-armed bandit murder (1967): Angus Sibbet was murdered bya mafia hitman possibly.

Mary Bell (1968): Mary and Norma abused two boys who they murdererd.
Mary was 11 and the boys were 3 & 4.

The Torso in the tank (1979): A young woman murdered and dismembered, then dumped into a tank, it remains unsolved.

The Surgeon's tale (1979): Dr. Paul Vickers gave his wife the wrong medication. He killed his wife to better himself/be with his mistress.

Wearside Jack and perigo Unsolved case (1978-86): Peter Sutcliffe (the Yorkshire Ripper) may have had an accomplice named “Wearside Jack”

Homer & Standen (1982): Armed robbers with a political agenda, murdered an innocent police officer.

Gunned down in wallsend (1993): Viv Graham was murdered, it hasn't been solved.

The Sunderland Strangler (1993-96): Steven Grieveson, a sexual deviant, a rapist and murderer of teenagers.

A case of secondary murder? (1993): Two drunk, glue sniffing teenagers were vandalising a building, which then led to them fighting the police and an innocent police officer murdered by a teenager, while witnesses stood and watched it all happen but didn't intervene.

DNA Wins Again (2000): This is about how forensic fingerprints were discovered, and a murderer/rapist was caught.