On a bright sunny Sunday morning on May 22nd 1910 Mr. Ralph
Hutchinson left his home in Ailesbury Street Milfield at around 8am, a few
doors away he saw a man with his throat cut and covered in blood, trying to
help the man stop the flow of blood the man urged Mr Hutchinson to go inside
the house. Inside the house was a sight that Mr Hutchinson would never forget
the rest of his life.
The house was the home of William Jones 33 years old, his wife Susannah 28,
their son James 8 and their daughters Polly 7, Susannah 5 and Alice 1, they had
moved to this house 2 weeks earlier from Malvern Street in Southwick. In the
bedroom Mr. Hutchinson saw Susannah with her head smashed and covered in blood
beside her the baby Alice her throat cut, and on another bed nearby the other
two girls and James all with their throats cut. Mr. Hutchinson fled from the
house as fast as he could to get help, Dr Grey and a passing policeman got
William Jones to the Sunderland Infirmary in time to save his life but his wife
and 4 children were already dead.
Detectives who went to the house found the words Revenge is sweet. wrote across
the walls, and after questioning Mr Jones he broke down and told the detectives
what had happened. His wife had been very good looking and he was convinced
that she was being unfaithful to him, he became obsessed with the idea that he
started to beat his wife and shout at the children. Even after the neighbours
had said she was very loyal to her husband and for all she was very poor she
kept her home and children spotless.
Her husband had been unemployed for nearly two years so that she had to go
begging at the colliery for pennies just to feed the family, while Mr Jones was
often seen drunk and rambling. On the night his family died he had been arguing
with his wife as she had not made any money that day. Mrs. Jones sister was
visiting during this argument and told how her sister and one of the girls were
crying and Mr. Jones had shouted If you don't get these children stripped and
put to bed there's going to be a funeral here. The funeral was paid for by the
parish and held the following Wednesday. Mrs. Jones and her 2 youngest
daughters were buried in one grave and the other 2 children buried in another
grave next to them.
At Durham Assizes on 25th June 1910 to a packed public gallery Mr. Jones who
was below average height a dark complexion and a small moustache faced 5 counts
of murder. He pleaded Guilty but his barrister advised him to plead Not Guilty.
It took the jury just 20 minutes to reach a verdict of Guilty but Insane. Mr.
Jones escaped the hangman but was sent to a lunatic asylum to be detained at
his Majesty's Pleasure.
