On a cold Autumn morning on Saturday October 31st 1891 a small group of men in Hetton sat in the ale house by the warm fire drinking their beer. It was only 11am as Billy Johnson sat alone drinking his sixth glass of beer glaring out of the window looking out onto Station Road, his mind tortured by drink and jealousy as he held his pistol concealed under his jacket.
Billy was a middle aged farm labourer who for 17 years had lodged with Margaret Addison, a widow in her fifties in her small terraced home at Four Lane Ends. Billy's love had grown for Margaret over the years and he had proposed many times, always to be rejected as she did not feel the same. For the last year local miner Andrew Simpson visited Margaret often and Billy saw him as a rival.
From his room Billy could hear the couple laughing together and from his window he could see the couple kissing as Andrew left the house. These were the images Billy could see in his mind as he now looked out the ale house window to see Margaret coming out of her house. Margaret was dressed for her wedding at Hetton village church, in her cream gown and headdress carrying a small bouquet of flowers, Margaret began walking down Station Road with her bridesmaids, family and friends.
At the same time Andrew left his home smartly dress with his relatives along Springwell Terrace hoping to follow his fiance to church. Billy calmly walked outside just as Margaret passed the ale house window, it wasn't until Billy ran up behind Margaret and shot her twice in the head that anyone notice him. Margaret fell to the floor with blood flowing through her wedding dress and onto the road. Andrew still in Springwell Terrace heard the shots and as he turned the corner saw the gathered crowd and ran over, but what he saw was to much for him and he collapsed to the ground in tears.
No one tried to stop Billy, who walked calmly to the police station to give himself up. Sergeant Cartwright was out only his wife was in the office and Billy amazed her by saying I have come to give myself up for the murder of my landlady! When she told Billy her husband would not be back for an hour he sat down to wait for the sergeant, outside Margaret's blood soaked body was being carried back to her house.
When the sergeant returned a small crowd had gathered outside the police station, and after hearing Billy's confession he was handcuffed and walked through the crowd to Houghton Police Station. On the way without regret Billy saidI am happier now than I would have been had she married him. I made up my mind to stop the wedding and if I could have got closer to Simpson, I would have shot him as well.
On Wednesday December 2nd 1891, at Durham Assizes Billy was brought before Mr Justice Wills. In front of a packed gallery Billy pleaded guilty refusing any defence offered to him. After putting the black death cap on his head the judge said You were driven by jealousy and were determined this woman you shot should not be married to another man. Under those circumstances I can hold no hope that the sentence of the law will not be carried out. I implore you to make use of your remaining time on earth and prepare for the great change that will come over your body. The sentence of the court is that you will be taken hence to a place from which you came and hence to a place of execution where you shall be hanged by the neck until you are dead and shall be buried within the precincts of the prison. Mat the Lord have mercy on your soul. The execution was set for 20 days later and Billy was taken to Durham Jail. On the 22nd December 1891 at 8am precisely, with a white hood over his head and the noose around his neck Billy Johnson was dropped to his death.
