Arthur Henry Bishop

Arthur Bishop was convicted of the murder of 26-year-old Francis Edward Rix. He attacked him in his bed at 24 Charles Street, Mayfair, London on 7 June 1925. He gave himself up the next day and said he had been drinking. He claimed he had no intention to kill, that he went to steal, and that he remembered striking him twice. It was said the motive was theft and that the injuries were consistent with a chopping blow. A woman later received money from him that he had taken. Arthur Bishop had been a hall boy. He was illegitimate and had left school at 14, having attained the seventh standard. During the next three years he had three situations, one of which was with a doctor whose magnifying glass he admitted stealing from the doctor's laboratory. In September 1924 he was engaged as a houseboy by Sir George Lloyd, MP at 24 Charles Street. He remained there for about six months, after which he was discharged for unsatisfactory work at the end of February 1925. It was noted that after he left, Francis Rix, the butler, missed a £1 note, whilst the footman missed 5/- and a cigarette case. It also appeared that Arthur Bishop stole two silver cigarette cases belonging to his employer. It was noted that Francis Rix gave Arthur Bishop references until he heard, as was the fact, that he had been bound over at Aldershot Police Court for stealing food from a dwelling house, a charge reduced from burglary. However, Arthur Bishop didn't seem to have had any serious grudge against Francis Rix as on 19 May 1925 he secured a position with the Right Hon HJ Tennant at 33 Bruton Street, and from that address wrote to Francis Rix thanking him for his good reference that had got him the place. However, he only remained at Bruton Street for a week after which he went with a family to Great Maytham Hall in Rolvenden, Kent for a week, after which he absconded on the night of 3 June 1925, stealing £23, a gold match box and a bicycle etc. He then came up to London and on the night of 4 June 1925 he met a prostitute in Jermyn Street, with whom he went to one of the accommodation hotels in Eastbourne Terrace, Paddington where he remained with her until mid-day on 5 June, giving her £5. He met the prostitute again the following night in Jermyn Street and took her to the same hotel again and the next day he gave her £5 and told her that he was going into Kent. However, he didn't go to Kent. Instead he went to 24 Charles Street at about 1am on Sunday morning, 7 June 1925, where he appeared to have got in by an open basement window. He then fetched a chopper from a cupboard under the staircase, entered Francis Rix's room, and struck him about ten blows with it upon the head and shoulder. Two of the blows appeared to have been with the blunt end and the remainder with the cutting edge. The back of Francis Rix's skull was completely splintered. Arthur Bishop then rummaged about the room and took away £4, a watch, a gold tiepin, and a signet ring, etc. He left behind him a pair of boots, and put on a pair of brown shoes belonging to Francis Rix, and then left the house by the area door, closing it, but not slamming it behind him, by which time it was about 1.30am. He then appeared to have gone down to Jermyn Street where he again by chance met the prostitute, who he told he had only got £4. He then took her to the same hotel, and in the morning gave her £3 and paid the hotel expenses. The prostitute said that she had seen Arthur Bishop put on the dressing table some of the things he had taken from Francis Rix's room and that he had been wearing the gold signet ring. She said that they parted about mid-day, having arranged to meet again that night, but never saw him again. On the morning of 8 June 1925, Arthur Bishop, who appeared to have been sleeping out, gave himself up at Shoreham Police Station. He had had a copy of the Daily Express in his hand at the time and said: xxxqxxx I confess to doing this. I have come to give myself up and get it over. xxxqxxx At his trial he said that he had a very imperfect recollection of the matter due to the fact that he had been drinking a great deal . For example, he said that he had, on the Friday, six large whiskies. The prostitute also stated that he had been drinking neat whisky all the time and that he had been very drunk all the time. Arthur Bishop also said that on the Saturday, after he left the prostitute about midday, that he ha five or six pints of ale. However, it was noted that his movements in and about 24 Charles Street, and the way in which he carried out the murder, negated any idea that he was drunk at the time or that he didn't know what he was about. Following his conviction, the police report to the Home Secretary stated that his case was very similar to that of Henry Jacoby in 1922. The report noted that Henry Jacoby, who had been 18 years and 10 months old, and had been a pantry boy at a private hotel, had taken a hammer up to a visitor's bedroom to steal, and had killed the guest with blows to the head with the hammer. It was added that he had been recommend to mercy on the ground of his youth, and his 'lack of intention to kill'. However, Arthur Bishop was not recommended to mercy. It was noted that he had been 18 years and 1 month when he committed the murder, which was described as a murder for robbery in circumstances of the greatest callousness and brutality, and that technically he was over the age at which youth alone could be recognised as sufficient ground for reprieve, and that there were certainly no other grounds for an interference of the sentence and the police report concluded that they thought it should be a case in which the law should be allowed to take its course. It was accepted that there would no doubt be a considerable agitation upon Arthur Bishop's behalf, as there was in the case of Henry Jacoby, but noted that in his case, a good deal of the agitation was founded upon the fact that Ronald True had been respited and sent to Broadmoor about the same time. Arthur Bishop was tried at the Old Bailey and sentenced to death and executed at Pentonville on 14 August 1925.