William Wright

William Wright was convicted of the murder of his 34-year-old girlfriend Annie Coulbeck and sentenced to death.

He strangled her at Pigeon Spring, Horse Market, Caistor on 28 October 1919.

William Wright had been a tailor. He had previously served in the army from about 1898 but from 1907 to 1914 he received 32 convictions, mostly for vagrancy and drunkenness. He re-enlisted in December 1914 and served about three years in France, and was later demobilised in January 1919.

In 1916 he was sentenced to death for striking his superior officer, but the sentence was commuted to one of five years penal servitude and then to two years hard labour although the latter sentence itself was afterwards suspended and finally remitted on his demobilisation.

Shortly after his discharge from the army William Wright seemed to have become intimate with Annie Coulbeck, who was a single woman and described as being simple minded.

At the time of the murder she had been six or seven months pregnant by him.

Annie Coulbeck had lived by herself in Caistor whilst William Wright had lived with his father, also in Caistor.

On the night of 28 October 1919 William Wright went into the tap room of the Talbot Hotel in Caistor where he was seen by a chimney sweep who said that he repeated several times, the words, 'Sweep, three weeks, black cap rope, hanged by the neck and finished’. He said that William Wright repeated the words about six times and then asked him if he wanted a pint of beer but said that he declined and went out.

He said that William Wright was certainly under the influence of drink, but not drunk.

He added that he had heard William Wright use the same words in the Red Lion about three weeks earlier and that in neither occasion did he mention any names.

A woman that had lived in Nettleton Row in Caister said that she had also seen William Wright in the Talbot Hotel and had heard him say to the chimney sweep, 'I shall have a black cap over my head and have a rope round my neck in three weeks'. She noted that she didn't remember whether he had repeated that two or three times.

She said that she left the Talbot Hotel at about 9.35pm and that William Wright caught up with her afterwards as she was going home along Plough Hill. She said that they then walked together and that William Wright told her that he was going to see Annie Coulbeck.

She said that as they walked together that William Wrightsaid, 'I am going to see her out of her trouble'.

She noted that she had heard from Annie Coulbeck that she had been in the family way.

She said that when they got to Annie Coulbeck's house that William Wright went in first and that she then went just inside as Annie Coulbeck had wanted to speak to her about a sewing machine. She said that Annie Coulbeck had been sat in a chair and had been quite pleased to see William Wright and told her what she wanted to say about the sewing machine, noting that she had been in her usual health. She noted that William Wright was stood on the hearth rug and appeared to her to be under the influence of drink, but not excited.

She said that when she left Annie Coulbeck's house that Annie Coulbeck and William Wright had been together in the kitchen and that there had been no one else present.

William Wright was next seen the following morning, Wednesday 29 October 1919 by a timber feller at about 6.40am coming out of Annie Coulbeck's house. The timber feller said that they didn't speak and that he saw William Wright simply pull the door behind him and head off towards South Dale where his father lived.

Annie Coulbeck was found dead a short while later at 8.20am by a little girl that had gone each day to call her up. She was found on her kitchen hearth rug, having been strangled, apparently by a hand grip on her throat.

The little girl’s mother, who had lived in Horse Market Place, said that when her daughter came back she said to her, 'Mother, Annie is laid on the hearth rug and I can't get her to speak'. The mother said, 'I ran over to see what was the matter and saw Annie Coulbeck laid on the floor. I did not go into the kitchen as I was so shocked'. She said that she then fetched some help and that a doctor was then called for.

A police inspector at Caistor police station said that he received a report at about 8.50am on Wednesday 29 October 1919 about Annie Coulbeck having been found dead in her house.

He said that when he went to her house he found her lying dead on the hearth rug in the kitchen, fully dressed and lying on her back with her head a little to the left side and her left arm extended at a right angle to her body. He noted that there didn't appear to be any signs of a struggle, but noted that her fingers were slightly bent and there was froth at her mouth. He noted that he didn't inspect her neck at that time.

He said that he then made enquiries and sent a constable to fetch William Wright. He said that when William Wright arrived at the police station he asked him some questions:

Inspector: 'Wright, have you heard the news about Miss Coulbeck being found dead in a house this morning?'.

William Wright: 'No'. 

Inspector: 'You keep company with her, did you see her last night?'.

William Wright: 'Yes, I went down and saw her about ten o'clock'.

Inspector: 'Did she complain to you about being ill?'.

William Wright: 'No'.

Inspector: 'Was she alive when you left her?'.

William Wright: 'No, we had a few words about a brooch, I strangled her with my hands. I put out the light and left her and went home. I had a lot of drink'.

Inspector: 'That is rather serious'.

William Wright: 'Yes'.

When William Wright was arrested, he made a statement that read:

'Last night a little after 10 o'clock I left the Talbot Public House. I had a lot of drink and went down to Annie Coulbeck's house. I asked her where she had got that brooch from which she was wearing. (He then put the brooch down on the guard room table). She said it was her mother's. I told her I did not think it was. I told her that I thought it was one of her fancy men's. She said I am sure it is not Bill. I told her I would finish her if she did not tell me whose it was. I strangled her with my hands and left her dead. I put the lamp out and went home'.

The police report said that there was no reason to doubt his statement.

At his trial his defence was one of insanity, based mainly on the fact that his 69-year-old mother had been in an asylum from March to June 1919.

However, he was convicted at the Lincolnshire Assizes on Monday 2 February 1920. He appealed but his appeal was rejected and he was executed at Lincoln Prison on 10 March 1920.