Gruesome Tales & Discoveries

Hauntings, spectres and other supernatural tales
Post Reply
TenDaysaLoiner
Posts: 39
Joined: Tue 09 Dec, 2008 7:38 pm

Post by TenDaysaLoiner »

I grew up in Sherburn in Elmet, on the old A1, 14 miles from Leeds.Doing some family history, recently, I came across what must be the most gruesome story I have read in my life. Put it this way - in one 1888 newspaper, the very NEXT story to this, is an account of one of the Whitechapel Murders which were happenign the very same week - and this story, from Sherburn, is more gruesome and scary than the Ripper story beneath it!Looking at it, I wonder if it wasn't the Ripper's inspiration for that final murder, where he strewed the room with body parts of his final victim?I grew up in Sherburn in the 60s and 70s. The Traveller's rest pub is no longer there. I looked on the 1871 and 1881 censuses and it appears to be next door to the Old Boys' School - one newspaper article says it was next door to the Post Office.... for anyone that knows Sherburn, I'd be interested if you know where it was? I suspect it's possibly now the waiting room of Moorhouse the optician's? But equally it could be t'other side of the road - the P.O I knew in Sherburn was a 1950s one, also on that street but not sure if it was on the site of the original one?From an October 1888 newspaper (Accounts in The Leeds Mercury also national press):"A MOTHER KICKED TO PIECES.Bones and Blood Lying About the Floor - A Night of Horror.George Mountain, a short, thick-set man, of about 30 years of age, has been arrested on the charge of having murdered his mother at Sherburn-in-Elmet, in Yorkshire. Mrs. Catherine Mountain, was the landlady of the Travellers' Rest public-house, and was between 70 and 80 years of age. On Wednesday night, about ten o'clock, the only persons in the house were a boy, who was asleep in bed, the accused George Mountain, his mother, and Annie Hutchinson, the servant-girl. About half-past eleven the man began to knock his mother about, and, getting her on the floor, kicked her to death, the old woman dying, between one and two o'clock, in the presence of the maid, who was perfectly helpless, and who was threatened by the accused that he would "do her the same." His brutality did not stop with the death of his mother, for, having stripped off all her clothing, he continued kicking her up to about four o'clock in the morning. The features of the murdered woman were disfigured beyond recognition, and the body was frightfully injured.Another account says that after Mrs. Mountain had expired her son pulled off her clothing, and threw portions of her body into the fire. Part of the corpse was consumed, leaving nothing but the whitened bones.At the examination of the prisoner Superintendent Stott said the woman presented a frightful appearance. One leg and one arm were fractured. The face was completely unrecognisable; the teeth were strewn all over the floor. The roof of the mouth was also found on the floor, and fragments of bones in the fireplace. The walls up to the ceiling were bespattered with blood.The prisoner had the girl locked up in the room from eleven p.m. to half-past seven a.m., and a great part of the time held her down and threatened to do the same to her as he had done to the deceased. Mr. Stott produced in court the man's boots, which were completely saturated with his mother's blood, and had portions of flesh and hair adhering to them. The roof of the mouth and fragments of bone, teeth, and the jaw were also exhibited.Annie Hutchinson, servant, said: He commenced about half-past eleven, and kept on kicking, off and on, up to four o'clock in the morning. She died some time between one and two, but he continued to kick her up to four o'clock. The floor was covered with her blood and bones.I saw him throw some bones into the fireplace. He threatened to murder me, and kept me on my knees a good part of the night. I was confined with him in the room till half-past seven this morning. Before Mrs. Mountain was dead he pulled all her clothes off, and left her in a state of complete nudity. I screamed out during the night, and Mrs. Mountain screamed once. All the doors and windows were fastened.On the prisoner being asked if he had anything to say to the charge, he answered, "I thought it was some one come to rob us, and did not know it was my mother." The prisoner was remanded for a week. He looked rather wild."

Misc
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue 05 Aug, 2008 6:22 am

Post by Misc »

Though not originally from Sherburn I grew up there and have never heard about that before, it's certainly very gruesome!Could the Traveller's Rest be what became the draper's shop/Jeanette's perhaps?

NatW
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu 26 Feb, 2009 12:27 pm

Post by NatW »

Hi,I’m a researcher for ITV, where we have just started production on a six-part series on unsolved murder mysteries. One of the cases we are interested in exploring further is the murder of Mary Judge in Leeds in the late 1960s. I saw there had already been a couple of postings by Phill D and Ian Smith about this case earlier in the thread, and I would be interested in getting in touch with anyone who remembers the murder, has worked on the case or done any research into it. I'd be really grateful if I could have a quick chat with you - my number is 0207 157 4852 or you can email me at [email protected] forward to hearing from you!Thanks,Natalie

Phill_dvsn
Posts: 4423
Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 5:47 am

Post by Phill_dvsn »

NatW wrote: Hi,I’m a researcher for ITV, where we have just started production on a six-part series on unsolved murder mysteries. One of the cases we are interested in exploring further is the murder of Mary Judge in Leeds in the late 1960s. I saw there had already been a couple of postings by Phill D and Ian Smith about this case earlier in the thread, and I would be interested in getting in touch with anyone who remembers the murder, has worked on the case or done any research into it. I'd be really grateful if I could have a quick chat with you - my number is 0207 157 4852 or you can email me at [email protected] forward to hearing from you!Thanks,Natalie Good luck with your research Nat.I'm most interested to find out what happened all those years ago.I hope someone else has anymore information also.
My flickr pictures are herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/Because lunacy was the influence for an album. It goes without saying that an album about lunacy will breed a lunatics obsessions with an album - The Dark side of the moon!

Phill_dvsn
Posts: 4423
Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 5:47 am

Post by Phill_dvsn »

These 2 pages are the only thing i've ever been able to find on the internet about that murder.http://www.execulink.com/~kbrannen/othe ... therv.htmI guess as history shows the death of a prostitute is treated with scant regard.    
My flickr pictures are herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/Because lunacy was the influence for an album. It goes without saying that an album about lunacy will breed a lunatics obsessions with an album - The Dark side of the moon!

NatW
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu 26 Feb, 2009 12:27 pm

Post by NatW »

Thanks Phill - that's all I could find on the internet too. Hope someone else who reads this may know of other sources!

weeman
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu 07 Feb, 2008 7:51 pm

Post by weeman »

electricaldave wrote: In the meantime the Hells Angels murders on the brickfields came to light and various individuals were sent down for them. has anybody got any information on the hells angels killings? i ask this because i saw a group of about ten bikers in hells angels vests driving through colton ( near garforth) last saturday and found it strange because iv never heard of hells angels in leeds before. Thanks

Brandy
Posts: 1550
Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 8:03 am

Post by Brandy »

weeman wrote: electricaldave wrote: In the meantime the Hells Angels murders on the brickfields came to light and various individuals were sent down for them. has anybody got any information on the hells angels killings? i ask this because i saw a group of about ten bikers in hells angels vests driving through colton ( near garforth) last saturday and found it strange because iv never heard of hells angels in leeds before. Thanks see http://www.blueangelsleeds.co.uk/ there's hundreds of them lolall good lads too.
There are only 10 types of people in the world -those who understand binary, and those that don't.

User avatar
chameleon
Site Admin
Posts: 5462
Joined: Thu 29 Mar, 2007 6:16 pm

Post by chameleon »

weeman wrote: electricaldave wrote: In the meantime the Hells Angels murders on the brickfields came to light and various individuals were sent down for them. has anybody got any information on the hells angels killings? i ask this because i saw a group of about ten bikers in hells angels vests driving through colton ( near garforth) last saturday and found it strange because iv never heard of hells angels in leeds before. Thanks Probably on their way to Sherburn.

weeman
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu 07 Feb, 2008 7:51 pm

Post by weeman »

Brandy wrote: weeman wrote: electricaldave wrote: In the meantime the Hells Angels murders on the brickfields came to light and various individuals were sent down for them. has anybody got any information on the hells angels killings? i ask this because i saw a group of about ten bikers in hells angels vests driving through colton ( near garforth) last saturday and found it strange because iv never heard of hells angels in leeds before. Thanks see http://www.blueangelsleeds.co.uk/ there's hundreds of them lolall good lads too. iv heard of blue angels but it wasnt them, they had full patches that said hells angels on their backs. tar anyway

Post Reply