British Executions

John Williams

Age: 29

Sex: male

Crime: murder

Date Of Execution: 29 Jan 1913

Crime Location: 6 South Cliff Avenue, Eastbourne

Execution Place: Lewes

Method: hanging

Executioner: John Ellis

Source: http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/

John Williams was convicted of the murder of Arthur Walls and sentenced to death.

He shot him at 6 South Cliff Avenue, Eastbourne on 9 October 1912.

6 South Cliff Avenue was a terraced house with about nine or ten rooms. A Countess lived there with a friend and had two servants. The Countess was known to be rich and commonly thought to have kept expensive jewels at her home.

John Williams was a burglar and had been hiding about the property at 6 South Cliff Avenue. It was said that he had earlier been seen walking about the street and that he had been casing the house to burgle it later. He was seen hiding in the shadows on the balcony above the door by a coachman who was picking up a woman that lived at the house and her friend. When they left, the coachman told the woman about what they had seen, and they went back to 6 South Cliff Avenue where the woman went in and called the police. Her friend then went into the house with her and the coachman waited outside.

see National Archives MEPO 3/226, HO 144/1232/229015-26to80, HO 144/1231/229015-1to24

see Old Police Cell Museum

see Aberdeen Journal - Friday 13 December 1912

see Wikipedia

see Homicide 1913