User:Hpressler/Julia Martha Thomas

Julia Martha Thomas is a British woman murdered in 1879 and subject of the "Barnes Mystery." Until the recent discovery of her head in Sir David Attenborough's garden, her death remained a mystery. . Kate Webster, Irish immigrant and servant to Thomas, was convicted of her murder and put to death July 29th, 1879.

Death
Sunday, March 2nd 1879 Thomas left church early to return home. According to one of the confessions by Webster and a neighbor, they got into an argument and Webster threw Thomas down the stairs then strangled her. Evidence at the house suggested that Webster actually used an axe to knock Thomas down the stairs. Webster then dismembered the body, burning or boiling all parts. Later she tried to sell them in a box as drippings to children. Webster eventually disposed of the remains in the river. However, the head and a foot would not fit in the box so they were buried in the garden. The body parts dumped into the river were discovered the next day, but without a head identification was not possible. Webster began posing as Thomas and aroused suspicion when she tried to sell items from the house. The police arrested Webster March 28, 1879 in Ireland where she fled to avoid capture.

Trial
Evidence presented against Webster at trial included; a hat maker's claim that 6 days before the murder Webster said she was to receive an inheritance from a rich aunt, that the body parts came from the same person, and witness testimony that she dumped contents of a box into a river. However, at the time, the physical evidence was very limited and no head was discovered. She was convicted by a jury in less than an hour. Before death, Webster confessed to the crime, but there were inconsistencies in her stories. Webster was the first and only woman hanged at Wadsworth prison.