Charles Smith

Charles Smith was convicted of the murder of his 30-year-old wife Mary Ann Smith and sentenced to death. He killed her on the night of 27 and 28 December 1897, beating her to death with a brush handle and a billet of wood whilst drunk. It was noted that when out of drink that he had been kind to his wife, but when he was drunk he was transformed, presumably all of a sudden, into a furious savage. They had been married for about twelve years and had lived at 22 Pipewellgate, Gateshead. Charles Smith had been a plasterer. xxx3xxx The room they had lived in was about 8ft high and reached by eight stone steps. A woman lived next door, but their houses were separated by a passage 4ft wide that led down to the river and the other adjoining buildings were mostly warehouses. As such, their room was mostly isolated, with the only neighbour being separated by a 5ft wide passage. It was noted that Charles Smith had had a great deal to drink during the course of 27 December 1897 and that when he got home at about 10pm he was described as having been staggering drunk and having fallen up against the chimney-piece and having grazed his ear, after which it was said that he seemed to get better. He was said to have been on very good terms with Mary Smith earlier in the evening and to have treated her well, kissing her twice, and when two people that had been at the house left about 11.30pm, they said that they had been on good terms. However, it was not known what happened after the friends left, and 1.30am, with it further being noted that the meagre evidence of the 11-year-old boy that had been in the house not being wholly reliable, it being thought that he was mostly screening his father. However, it was thought certain that for some reason he attacked her with the brush handle and a billet of wood and that he and the boy then took her out to the WC where they removed the greater part of her clothing and then brought her back upstairs again. xxx2xxx After that, at about 1.30am, Charles Smith went to see his friends that had been there earlier and said to them, words to the effect that his: xxxqxxx Bonnie wife had been murdered. xxxqxxx And that he had found her naked in the water closet. He then brought the couple back with him and asked the woman to go up first as Mary Smith was naked. As such, it was noted that Mary Smith had been alive at 11.30pm when they had left and by 1.30am, she was dead and naked on the bed. Both her eyes were blackened and her right eye was out and there was blood oozing for her nose. Her lips were bruised and both swollen and there were other indications of violence and it was obvious that terrible injuries had been inflicted upon her. However, the furniture in the room was found to have been all upset and there was blood on the side of the fireplace and splashes of blood on the wall paper, picture’s and ceiling and there was blood and water on the floor. Mary Smith's body had been washed and Charles Smith was found in his shirt-sleeves and with blood on his trousers, vest and shirt, and also on his face. There was also a broken long handled broom in the room that earlier in the night had not been broken. Most of the broken parts of the broom were found to have blood on them and some had hair that resembled that of Mary Smith. Blood was also found on the floor of the water closet and Mary Smith's clothes were found there. When Charles Smith was charged at the police station, he said: xxxqxxx I did not do it, I want it investigated. xxxqxxx When he was later charged, he said: xxxqxxx I never did anything to her. xxxqxxx It was noted that Mary Smith had been either sober, or at the least, not drunk, and there was little evidence of provocation other than the boys suggestion that they had had words on the Sunday in consequence of Mary Smith having pawned his things. However, he noted that nothing was said about that on the Monday. The police report noted that the unsworn evidence of the 5-year-old boy was probably nearest the truth, he stating: xxxqxxx My father hit my mother with the brush for speaking, and for stealing the money. She was getting some tea then. He hit her on the head with the brush and she fell down. He carried her downstairs. She had her clothes on. My father and brother brought my mother back again. They put her to bed. Father washed the blood up with a clout. xxxqxxx It was noted that the money that the boy alluded to having been stolen was related to a shilling that a woman had borrowed from Mary Smith that she said she would give back when her husband went out. It was noted that Mary Smith had had something in a box that she had not wanted Charles Smith to see. Although it was noted that Charles Smith had been drunk when he murdered Mary Smith, it was noted that he had not been too drunk to not know what he was doing, as he had been able to carry her out to the WC and then back again and put her to bed and then ask a woman to wash his shirt sleeve which was blood stained. He was tried at the Durham Assizes and found guilty, but with a strong recommendation to mercy. However, he was executed at Durham on 22 February 1898. Most of the property along Pipewellgate has since been demolished.