THE BLOODY BATTERSEA BRIDGE MURDER
The Victorians had a thirst for scandal and this was apparent when Augustus Dalmas admitted murdering his lover Sarah MacFarlane after a torrid affair, which began shortly after the death of his wife.
MacFarlane was rumoured to be a prostitute with several lovers but Dalmas could not resist her. However he felt so guilty about the dalliance that he bombarded the woman with hate mail, blaming her for their active sex life.
Then in April 1844, Dalmas sliced MacFarlane’s throat during a walk on London’s Battersea Bridge. But instead of being hanged for murder, he was shipped off to Australia where he lived for many years.
THE BATTERED BODY BENEATH THE FLAGSTONES
Maria Manning thought she had it all: a husband, a lover and her lover’s cash. But she soon realised that she loved the money more than the man so, together with her husband Frederick, she plotted to rid herself of lover Patrick O’Connor and keep his fortune.
After inviting him to dinner in August 1849, one or both of the Mannings shot O’Connor and buried him under the kitchen flagstones. Maria stole all his money but when Frederick laid claim to his half, she double-crossed him and ran away to Scotland.
When O’Connor’s body was found and the couple arrested, they each blamed the other. They were hanged in November 1849, in front of a crowd that included novelist Charles Dickens.
MABEL LOVE, THE PUBLICITY EXPERT
Still in her teens, actress Mabel Love failed to turn up at The Gaiety Theatre in March 1889 and a frantic search followed. For days newspapers were full of theories and Mabel was “spotted” all over the UK.
In truth she had fled to Dublin where she tried to find work. When she returned to London, she was fired from her job at The Gaiety and only reinstated when her parents pleaded with the manager.
Then in July 1889 Mabel was rescued after throwing herself into the Thames. Her workload at The Gaiety was blamed but some wondered if her disappearance and suicide attempt were merely clever publicity stunts. Certainly the scandal was enough to keep her name in the headlines for many years to come.
THE STRANGE CONFESSION OF PRISCILLA GUPPY
In November 1857 Priscilla Guppy was living out her last days in Weymouth, Dorset. What no one knew was that 65 years earlier she had worked in a brothel.
When the 90-year-old confessed, her family were shocked. But then a sensational tale followed. A fight had broken out in the brothel between two men and Guppy hit one over the head, killing him.
With help from two customers, she dumped the body under a bridge. Although they were arrested, lack of evidence meant all three walked free. “I beat him in the head with an iron! May God have mercy on my soul.” Guppy died shortly afterwards, once again escaping justice for her grisly crime.
THE SAD TALE OF BERTHA DENNIS
In late 1884, young cook Bertha Dennis was raped and became pregnant. In March 1885 she decided to seek advice from her aunt but was stopped at the station by a mysterious woman.
“Mrs X” encouraged Bertha to go to her house, which was actually a brothel, and in the following weeks Bertha was subjected to vile abuse. When she gave birth her son was taken away and she never discovered what happened to him.
Eventually, Bertha managed to escape the house of horrors but no charges were ever brought against “Mrs X”, due to the victim’s reluctance to give precise details of where the brothel was located.
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