William James Irwin

William James Irwin was convicted of the murder of his wife Catherine Amelia Irwin 32 and sentenced to death.

He stabbed her on Friday 22 June 1900 in Great Titchfield Street, London. The weapon was a small table knife that had been filed or ground so as to make it pointed.

They had been married in 1888 and had four children but in May 1899 they separated. However, It was said that William Irwin became jealous of her association with another man and accosted her one morning on the way to work, but that when she refused to talk to him he stabbed her in the chest. However, it was also claimed that he had stabbed her because she wouldn’t give him any money.

Catherine Irwin was taken to hospital but died later that day.

Before she died she made a statement saying that William Irwin asked to speak to her but that she had told him that she was on her way to work and that he then said, 'Take that, then', and stabbed her in the chest.

They had made the acquaintance of the other man in April 1897 and he became a mutual friend but he later admitted that he used to go and see Catherine Irwin while William Irwin was away at work.

Catherine Irwin left William Irwin and their children in April 1899 and got work first at one place and then afterwards at 18 Great Titchfield Street.

It was thought that she had seen William Irwin once or twice  between April 1899 and February 1900 but had seen the other man habitually.

However, it was heard that in February 1900 Catherine Irwin wrote to William Irwin asking him to meet her, but stating, 'I don't know whether you will care to meet me as I am going to have a child', however, he did meet her.

When they met Catherine Irwin told William Irwin a story of having gone with a party to the Welch Harp and of having been drugged and asked him to take her back. However, at that time William Irwin had no home. However, he said that he resumed marital relations with her again once at a coffee shop sometime in March 1900.

In April 1900 Catherine Irwin was confined at the York Road Hospital where both William Irwin and the other man that she had been seeing visited her.

William Irwin said that whilst Catherine Irwin was confined that she had meant to return to him when she came out and a letter written to her by the other man seemed to contemplate such a return. William Irwin continued to meet Catherine Irwin and said that he saw her on several occasions with the other man.

The police report stated that on 20 June 1900 that a most curious circumstance in the menage a trois occurred, when William Irwin and Catherine Irwin went for a walk and they saw the man coming at which point Catherine Irwin left William Irwin and went to the man and then subsequently went out shopping with him. They were said to have all shaken hands together, but William Irwin seemed to have waited for them and met them on their return at about 11.30pm when he asked to see Catherine Irwin the next night before going off and leaving Catherine Irwin with the other man.

The following night, the night before the murder, William Irwin and Catherine Irwin met up but they had a quarrel about money. It was heard that when William Irwin had asked for some money and Catherine Irwin had told him that she had none to give him that William Irwin had said, 'You have driven the last nail in your coffin'.

The following morning, 22 June 1900, William Irwin met Catherine Irwin as she was going to work at 18 Great Titchfield Street and accosted her and asked her to speak to him, however, she refused and William Irwin put his hand in his pocket and took out the knife that he had recently sharpened, he said a week before, and stabbed Catherine Irwin in the breast. It was heard that William Irwin had gone up to Catherine Irwin and said, 'I want to speak to you', but that she had replied, 'I have no time, I am going to work' to which William Irwin had then said, 'I must speak to you' and then caught her arm and stabbed her in the chest.

After Catherine Irwin sank to the ground some bystanders caught hold of William Irwin and when someone called him a scoundrel he replied, 'You do not know'.

Before Catherine Irwin died she made a dying deposition in which she said that they had had words the night before about money but that she had told him that she could not give him any. She added that he had previously threatened and assaulted her and that he had been in the habit of waylaying her for money, and that as he had not been in work she had given him some.

It was heard that both Catherine Irwin and the other man had denied that there had been anything more than friendship in their acquaintance, but it was said that it was difficult after reading the man's letter to Catherine Irwin not to feel sure that he was the father of the child.

William Irwin was convicted of murder but with a recommendation to mercy by the judge and the jury and sentenced to death.

The police report to the Home Secretary stated the question was whether the murder was committed under such provocation from jealousy as to justify a reprieve. However, the police report stated that whilst there probably was jealousy, that it appeared that it was also a great deal to do with money and that it was not impossible to think that William Irwin had gone out that morning with a recently sharpened knife with the intention to wound or kill her unless she did what he wanted, it being noted that Catherine Irwin said that William Irwin had often threatened her before.

It was further noted that William Irwin had been out of work for four months and it was thought probable that the jury had believed that he had been driven to despair by his poverty and distress as a husband, as he had said that he had been wandering about and had not slept in a bed for ten nights before 22 June 1900.

However, William Irwin's sentence was not interfered with and he was executed at Newgate by James Billington on 14 August 1900.