a public house on 3 April, and his younger brother Albert was arrested in Stepney on the following day. Both were taken to Tower Bridge police station and fingerprinted. The print on the cash box clearly matched that of the right thumb of Alfred Stratton and it was enough for both to be charged with murder.
Fingerprint evidence at the trial was to prove crucial. One member of the jury was even fingerprinted to demonstrate how effective the system was. The results were enough to satisfy the jury of the brothers’ guilt, although there was other evidence linking them to the murder scene.
Possibly as a result of gaining no engagements as chief executioner in the previous year, Harry wrote to both the Under-Sheriff of London and the Governor of Wandsworth offering his services for the position of executioner. He soon received word back from the sheriff’s office that John Billington had been appointed but that he would like Harry to act as assistant. This was contrary to the way things normally worked – it was usually the under-sheriff who engaged the hangman, whilst the governor of the prison was responsible for selecting the assistant.
Harry received a letter from the prison a day or so later stating that they had selected John Ellis as the assistant on this job. This left Harry in a tricky situation, so he wrote to the governor explaining that he had already been engaged by the under-sheriff to act as assistant. The governor replied that he would respect that decision but that he would still be employing Ellis as a second assistant.
Arriving at the gaol, the hangmen were furnished with the usual particulars of the two men and went to observe them in their cells. Albert, at 20, was three years younger than hisbrother, and had obviously been led astray by his influence. There was a certain amount of sympathy for him but little in the way of effort to secure a reprieve. Albert occupied the large condemned cell in the centre of the prison. He had just finished writing a last letter to friends when the hangman spied on him and they were able to get a good view of him as he walked nervously backwards and forwards across the cell. There was no bravado about him, rather just a calm, sorrowful look on his face.
Alfred Stratton occupied a cell directly above his brother. The hangmen climbed the cast-iron staircase and peered into his cell; Alfred didn’t awaken any of the same emotions they had felt for the younger brother. With their calculations they went down to the scaffold and prepared the ropes. Albert, a stocky 172 pounds, was given a drop of 7 feet 6 inches; Alfred, some 25 pounds lighter, was given a drop of 1 foot less. With the sandbags loaded ready for the practice drop, Harry knelt down on the large oak doors and in chalk scribbled ‘Albert’ and ‘Alfred’ under the appropriate nooses.
On the following morning the prison was silent; even the warders walked across the landings as if on tiptoes. On a signal from the governor they entered Albert’s cell and led him into the corridor. Harry noted he was placid and tractable and in seconds they led him into the corridor, leaving him for a moment in the care of the prison escort. Alfred, who had been removed to an adjacent cell after breakfast, had a surly look on his face but put up no resistance. Not a word had been spoken as the procession was formed and headed for the scaffold, only the quiet voice of the priest reciting the burial service breaking the heavy silence.
The hangmen followed a pace behind the brothers, both with necks bared for the rope, with an officer either side, as they walked steadily down the staircase and along the paththat headed to the execution shed. As the procession came into view the doors were flung open. Albert was escorted across to the rope nearest the lever, while Albert stood to his right. As the hangmen busied themselves, Albert broke the silence: ‘Alfred,’ he said in a loud voice, his pale face half-turning to where his
Fingerprint evidence at the trial was to prove crucial. One member of the jury was even fingerprinted to demonstrate how effective the system was. The results were enough to satisfy the jury of the brothers’ guilt, although there was other evidence linking them to the murder scene.
Possibly as a result of gaining no engagements as chief executioner in the previous year, Harry wrote to both the Under-Sheriff of London and the Governor of Wandsworth offering his services for the position of executioner. He soon received word back from the sheriff’s office that John Billington had been appointed but that he would like Harry to act as assistant. This was contrary to the way things normally worked – it was usually the under-sheriff who engaged the hangman, whilst the governor of the prison was responsible for selecting the assistant.
Harry received a letter from the prison a day or so later stating that they had selected John Ellis as the assistant on this job. This left Harry in a tricky situation, so he wrote to the governor explaining that he had already been engaged by the under-sheriff to act as assistant. The governor replied that he would respect that decision but that he would still be employing Ellis as a second assistant.
Arriving at the gaol, the hangmen were furnished with the usual particulars of the two men and went to observe them in their cells. Albert, at 20, was three years younger than hisbrother, and had obviously been led astray by his influence. There was a certain amount of sympathy for him but little in the way of effort to secure a reprieve. Albert occupied the large condemned cell in the centre of the prison. He had just finished writing a last letter to friends when the hangman spied on him and they were able to get a good view of him as he walked nervously backwards and forwards across the cell. There was no bravado about him, rather just a calm, sorrowful look on his face.
Alfred Stratton occupied a cell directly above his brother. The hangmen climbed the cast-iron staircase and peered into his cell; Alfred didn’t awaken any of the same emotions they had felt for the younger brother. With their calculations they went down to the scaffold and prepared the ropes. Albert, a stocky 172 pounds, was given a drop of 7 feet 6 inches; Alfred, some 25 pounds lighter, was given a drop of 1 foot less. With the sandbags loaded ready for the practice drop, Harry knelt down on the large oak doors and in chalk scribbled ‘Albert’ and ‘Alfred’ under the appropriate nooses.
On the following morning the prison was silent; even the warders walked across the landings as if on tiptoes. On a signal from the governor they entered Albert’s cell and led him into the corridor. Harry noted he was placid and tractable and in seconds they led him into the corridor, leaving him for a moment in the care of the prison escort. Alfred, who had been removed to an adjacent cell after breakfast, had a surly look on his face but put up no resistance. Not a word had been spoken as the procession was formed and headed for the scaffold, only the quiet voice of the priest reciting the burial service breaking the heavy silence.
The hangmen followed a pace behind the brothers, both with necks bared for the rope, with an officer either side, as they walked steadily down the staircase and along the paththat headed to the execution shed. As the procession came into view the doors were flung open. Albert was escorted across to the rope nearest the lever, while Albert stood to his right. As the hangmen busied themselves, Albert broke the silence: ‘Alfred,’ he said in a loud voice, his pale face half-turning to where his
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