A violent assault and suicide, Pendlebury 1899.
James Berry returned to his house in Thomas Street for breakfast at 8 o’clock after finishing a night shift at the Wheatsheaf Colliery in Pendlebury . While having breakfast with his wife and daughters he accused his wife Mary Jane of adding poison to his cup of tea. He obsessively looked at his tongue at the beginning of every meal. Mary told him he was being ridiculous to even think such a thing and pointed out to him that everyone sat around the table was drinking tea from the same teapot. Berry left the table and went into the kitchen, no one guessed his intention to do harm. He soon returned to the room holding a hatchet , devoid of warning he clobbered his wife viciously above her right eye. The girls went to help their mother, and Berry moved fast out of the house and absconded. One of the girls probably Ellen the eldest dashed outside to the front of the house sobbing that her father had killed her mother. A man named Toolan who was also in the street near the house, noticed Berry running away , immediately afterwards Mary Jane stumbled unsteadily into the street he quickly went to her help her instead of chasing her husband . A doctor was immediately called for, Mary Jane had suffered a fractured skull and was taken to Salford Royal hospital.
After performing the violent assault on his wife Berry as I mentioned previously accomplished an escape, for some time he eluded capture, his hiding place not found. The police were called upon to search in numerous places, relatives of the family also joined in the search. Berry had taken himself to a field close to Clifton Colliery Wharf. His lifeless body was discovered around half past 11 by his brother in law, Elijah Willett of Dawson Street. When found the dead man was sitting on the ground having strangled himself with his scarf, one end he had secured to a railing the other end tied around his neck. The man’s body was taken to the mortuary which at the time was located inside Pendlebury Town Hall. Word spread quickly and a large crowd had congregated to watch the body passing through the streets in a car, outraged that the man had attempted to murder his wife.
James Berry was 42 years old and fairly quiet though at times his behavior was somewhat peculiar. He was in good employment for many years as a Coal Merchant and Carter with his elder brother who had sadly died in Prestwich Asylum in 1896, he had lost his business around 18 months ago when his final two horses and carts were appropriated to pay outstanding debts.
It was reported the man became delusional and had behaving oddly for the past year. He was a patient in Hope Hospital for a time, but he left the establishment a several weeks ago. A local man Dr. Herbert had certified that he ought to be under control (securely in hospital), and was surprised when he knew he was no longer in hospital. One can only assume he had been incarcerated in a psychiatric ward, had he and his elder brother suffered from the same illness?
Ellen berry aged 15 years, eldest daughter of the deceased said;
”I and sisters were having breakfast this morning with father and mother. Father came home soon after eight o’clock from Knowles Wheat Sheaf Colliery, where he worked on the surface. He suspected mother the day before and on previous occasions of trying to poison him, so mother said this morning let him pour out his own tea. He did so and had supped of it once or twice, when he stuck out his tongue and he said to mother look here my tongue is quite brown you’ve put some poison in this tea. Of course mother had not done anything of the kind and said father’s tongue was brown with chewing tobacco. Father however, got up from the table and walked into the scullery. None of us knew what for, he returned and struck mother a severe blow with the hatchet quite unawares he must have had the handle up his sleeve, as non of us had noticed it at all. The head of the hatchet is an axe at one end and a hammer of the other. I could not say which side my mother was struck with. The blow knocked her off her chair, and she dropped on the floor. I screamed out father, what have you done that for, and he ran out of the house without saying a word. He left the hatchet on the table”.
Ellen further stated that her father thumped her mother the preceding evening in the mouth with his fist, and made a similar claim of poisoning. He had suspected he was being poisoned many times.
By the time of the coroners report it seems Mary Jane’s injuries and condition were improving in hospital. We can only hope she made a full recovery.
Mary remarried at St Peters church Swinton in 1900 to William Griffiths.
Mary Jane Griffiths had married James Berry in 1880 somewhere in Salford. Originally from Shropshire she had moved with her parents Morris and Esther Griffiths sometime in the 1860's, her father was employed in the collieries hence the move to Pendlebury.
Mary Jane and James Berry had at least four children James born around 1880, Ellen, Jane and Edith.
Elijah Willetts mentioned in the above text and named as brother in law was married to Sarah Griffiths, sister to Mary Jane.
Images from the Illustrated Police Newspaper. Research from various newspapers.
© Susan Tydd 2020
Please do not reproduce without permission
1900 marriage of Mary Jane Berry to William Griffiths.
1881 census a year into the marriage of James and Mary Jane with their first born child James.
Above the 1891 census return for the Berry family who at the time were living on George Street, Pendlebury.
1911 census return, head of the household Edwin Griffiths a brother of Mary Jane's. James and Edith Berry two of Mary Jane's children are living with their uncle Edwin.