James Joseph Bergin

James Joseph Bergin was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Margaret Morrison 24 and sentenced to death. He shot her on Saturday 27 October 1900 at Bankhall Street, Liverpool. She later died on Monday, 29 October 1900. They had been engaged for 2½ years but the marriage was postponed twice and then their engagement was finally broken off in March 1900. Margaret Morrison broke off their engagement after James Bergin became irregular in his habits which he resented and he once tried to shoot her. They also had religious differences. After seeing Margaret Morrison home from the theatre on the Saturday night, 27 October 1900, he pulled out a revolver and shot her twice in the head. Shortly before he killed her he had shouted at her mother, 'No other man will walk out with her. I will take her life'. James Bergin had been a grocer's assistant. He had lodged with his brother at 20 Crete Street whilst Margaret Morrison had lived with her parents at 21 Brasenose Road. The police report to the home secretary described the case as follows, 'It is the same sad story that has so often been before the Home Office, devoted lovers, a quarrel, engagement broken off, vindictive and unreasonable jealousy, 'If I can't have you no one else shall', followed by three attempts on deceased's life, the last one proving fatal'. James Bergin and Margaret Morrison were to have been married at Christmas 1898 and again at Christmas 1899, but on both occasions the marriage had to be put off owing to James Bergin being out of work and without money. James Bergin and Margaret Morrison though deeply attached had many points of difference. Margaret Morrison was a teetotaller, whilst he gave way to drink under the depression of the broken engagement. He was a Roman Catholic whilst she was a Protestant and it was said that he had been dismissed from his place as a grocer's assistant because he was going to marry a Protestant. However, the quarrel that terminated the engagement was not on religious grounds, but because she had failed to meet him, an event that occurred on 17 March 1900. Shortly afterwards Margaret Morrison returned the wedding ring he had given her, and money she was keeping for him. On 24 March 1900 Margaret Morrison met James Bergin, who was drunk, and he asked her to be his wife, but she refused and he drew a revolver from his pocket and fired at her without any injury, after which she escaped by running into a house. The following day, 25 March 1900, James Bergin called, probably for the purpose of finding out whether he had injured her. Her mother wouldn't let him in but when he promised that if he could see her that he would never see her again, he was allowed in and Margaret Morrison got the revolver from him. James Bergin subsequently went to Ireland, but returned in July 1900. After his return from Ireland he again visited Margaret Morrison at her house but was not allowed in by her mother to whom he said, 'I will take her life, no other man shall have her'. However, he remained for tea and there was later a quarrel after which Margaret Morrison ran to her mother with a razor in her hand that she had got from James Bergin. In the struggle they had had, a bottle in his pocket that had contained carbolic acid had broken and the acid had burnt the leg of his trousers such that the leg fell off and his leg was also burnt. Margaret Morrison's mother said that she believed that he had brought the razor, which belonged to his brother, for the purpose of cutting Margaret Morrison's throat, and had then intended to commit suicide by taking the carbolic acid. From July to 20 October 1900 they met occasionally. On 20 October 1900 James Bergin came to the house drunk and Margaret Morrison's mother refused to let him in again and he again uttered threats, saying, 'Remember she shall never walk out with any other man, I will take her life'. On 27 October 1900, the night of the murder, Margaret Morrison and her mother were out walking when they met James Bergin and afterwards Margaret Morrison's father. Margaret Morrison's parents then went home, leaving Margaret Morrison and James Bergin to go off to a music hall, at which time James Bergin had been sober. Margaret Morrison's mother heard nothing more until she was fetched to find Margaret Morrison dying in the street from two bullet wounds to her head, inflicted by James Bergin. Witnesses that had seen them walking along together mostly said that they had been walking arm-in-arm, walking quietly along together, and it was only a policeman who knew them both and who had bade them 'good-night', who said that he thought that they had seemed excited as though they had been quarrelling. Whilst they were walking along a flash was seen and a report heard and Margaret Morrison fell after which James Bergin fired a second bullet at her whilst she was on the ground. Following his conviction the police report to the Home Secretary stated that the only question was that of James Bergin's sanity, noting that witnesses had agreed that he was quite sober at the time of the murder, with one person stating that he 'seemed to have had a little drink' and later at the trial saying, 'he had plainly had drink' but adding that he was calm and collected. As to insanity, various witnesses spoke of James Bergin having suffered from pains in the head and being depressed, but it was noted that any man that had taken to drink to the extent that he had, his mother describing him as more often drunk than sober, would naturally have had pains in his head and be depressed. It was heard that both James Bergin's grandmother and aunt had been insane, however, his grandmother had only been insane at the end of her life. The doctor that examined James Bergin in prison said that James Bergin's symptoms were consistent with melancholia, but admitted on cross-examination that they were also consistent with ordinary illness. Another doctor at Liverpool Prison that had seen James Bergin every day since 31 October 1900 said that James Bergin was a quiet subdued man, but not more than he would expect from the realisation of his surroundings and that he saw no signs that James Bergin was not responsible, adding that he might be of a neurotic temperament but thought the symptoms were those of nervous depression and not melancholia. On cross-examination, the doctor said that James Bergin might possibly have been insane on 27 October 1900, but in answer to the judge he said, 'If a man had determined to kill a girl whom he loved I should expect him to be brooding, depressed and sad'. The jury took an hour to deliberate over their sentence and returned a guilty verdict but with a recommendation to mercy, but didn't state their reasons. When the judge passed sentence he expressed the opinion that all of James Bergin's actions were consistent with perfect saneness and extreme malice towards Margaret Morrison, but offered no observations in regard to the recommendation to mercy. As such, the police report to the Home Secretary stated that they hardly thought that there were sufficient medical grounds to justify further statutory enquiry. A petition was prepared by James Bergin's solicitor, however, the sentence was not interfered with and James Bergin was executed at Liverpool on 27 December 1900 by James Billington. His death was said to have been instantaneous from the usual strangulation.