The Murders of Oliver Tradwell, Richard Loon, Alfred Hawkins. Elizabeth Hawkins, Charlotte Cream, Henry Cream & six unnamed children: When Charlotte Williams and Henry Cream got married on 5th August 1802, no one would have guessed that by the end of the celebratory festivities that four men, two women and six children would be dead. Charlotte and Henry had been together for some time, so none were surprised when they decided to get married. They both came from wealthy families with a healthy outlook on village and community life. Not only did their joint families own most of the properties in the area, they also employed most of the villagers. The wedding was a private affair for family and close friends but the reception afterward was for all of the villagers, employees and anyone else who wanted to come for a night of free food, free drink and a lot of dancing. Around 10.30pm, 23 year-old farm labourer Oliver Tradwell fell to the floor writhing in agony, shortly after, the local constable Richard Loon cried out in pain and followed Oliver in fits of agonising pain. As panic ensued, they called for the surgeon but he was nowhere to be found, so they sent a young boy to go and find him. The boy returned moments later, saying that the surgeon, 43 year-old Alfred Hawkins, was lying on the grass next to his wife Elizabeth. They were both dead. As a messenger was being prepared to be sent to another village for help, Henry screamed a guttural cry: “My Charlotte”. Charlotte lay motionless on the floor. The guests quickly went to aid of the young bride but all was in vain as she was dead, by the contorted look on her face she had died in great pain. Henry was helped to his feet when he too became ill and started to fit. His body first became rigid and then he would thrash around, until after a few minutes he fell silent, he was dead. As people started to run from the barn complex and the once happy party, a woman could be heard screaming out loud: “the children, the children, my Lord the children” as Henry’s father approached the woman he could clearly see the lifeless bodies of six children, and by their bodies a clue, an empty bottle of wine. It would seem that some of the bottles had been poisoned and the children had stolen one to try their first drink. The morning after saw a hoard of constables in the area questioning and, just like the rest of the community, trying to fathom out who would do such a thing. The task seemed almost impossible and all but lost until one woman Victoria Landow, a 23 year-old maid, contradicted her were-a-bouts on the night. First she told the police that she was in the main house and did not venture anywhere near the party, but after another maid told police that Victoria was seen in the barns serving drinks, she stated that she had been in the barn but not in the house. She was questioned further and she confessed saying that she had made a cocktail of arsenic and rat poison, put it into a bottle of wine that was meant to kill the bride and the groom as she was in love with Henry and if she couldn’t have him no one else could. She added that she forgot where she had put the poisoned wine and so contaminated two more bottles. It would seem that the first bottle was the one stolen by the poor unfortunate children. She was arrested, tried found guilty and sentenced to death. Victoria Landow was publicly hanged on this day 24th September 1802, where she too suffered an agonising death, that of slow strangulation while being jeered buy a large unruly crowd.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 05:01:42 +0000