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The murder of George Harry Storrs occurred on 1 November 1909 in Stalybridge, Cheshire, England. Despite two trials, nobody was convicted of the crime. ==History== George was the third son of William Storrs, a very successful builder in Stalybridge, Cheshire. George inherited control of William's business. George lived at Gorse Hall in Stalybridge, with his wife, Maggie (''née'' Middleton). They had married late, he at 30 and she at 35. The marriage was both loveless and childless, unlike that of George's older brother James, and it is possible that this was a cause of friction between the two brothers who remained. Another brother William Henry had died in 1903. Cornelius Howard, a cousin of George Harry Storrs, was originally a petty thief but joined the Army and rose to the rank of Bombardier. Cornelius was not liked by George. When Cornelius approached George for a position in the company, George refused. George's friend, local solicitor Robert Innes, employed a governess for his children and George began a relationship with the young woman, Maria Hohl. Maria suddenly decided to leave Stalybridge, purportedly to attend Oxford University. She then returned, equally as suddenly, some eight months later but did not see George again. Goodman〔Jonathan Goodman, The Stabbing of George Harry Storrs, Allison & Busby, London 1983〕 wrote that Maria gave birth to a child during her absence from Stalybridge. After her return to Stalybridge, Maria Hohl committed suicide by drowning herself in a canal. Robert Innes was a distant relation to George Harry Storrs through marriage. Robert Innes' first wife was Eliza Storrs and they had a daughter Eliza Storrs Innes. Eliza's father, John Storrs was involved in the management of Taylor, Lang & Co the major textile engineering company in the town. He and his cousin William, George Harry's father, lived next door to each other in Mottram Road, Stalybridge.〔1881 England and Wales Census〕 After Maria's death, George started receiving anonymous threatening letters. Due to her death he felt he had a debt to pay and felt that he would be killed. This meant he could only really confide in his faithful servant, James Worrell. Shortly afterwards, Gorse Hall was attacked twice. The first, Goodman held, was staged (Goodman called it a burlesque), so that the police would take the threats seriously. A gun barrel was thrust through a window. This was probably done by Worrell. The attack made the police start patrols of the ground and a bell was installed to summon help in times of danger. George tested the bell, causing a lot of goodwill for George to evaporate. The second attack on the evening of 1 November 1909, was the fatal one. After "testing" the bell, George was not told by the police that they were protecting election buildings - this meant that help only arrived as he was dying. Maggie Storrs rang the bell for the second attack, and refused to attend her husband's side as he lay dying, possibly to avoid hearing a confession of infidelity from her dying husband and thereby protecting her own reputation. There were two trials: the first for George Harry's cousin, Cornelius Howard, who was acquitted and the second for another local man, Mark Wilde. Wilde was brought to the attention of investigators after he had attacked a young courting couple. Both Howard and Wilde were defended by barrister Edward Theophilus Nelson, a British Guianan who had graduated from St John's College, Oxford, in 1902.〔Jeffrey P. Green, ''Black Edwardians: Black people in Britain, 1901-1914'', Taylor & Francis, 1998, ISBN 0-7146-4426-9, p.199〕 James Worrall committed suicide, by hanging himself, shortly after the burial of his employer. Perhaps he committed suicide because he blamed himself for George's death. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Murder of George Harry Storrs」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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