The Dublin Railway Murder

This is an analysis of a true historic crime of 1856: the time, place, politics and press reporting and the key characters who were seemingly involved. Morris has used both the extensive press reports of the time and the official documents of the investigation as this increasingly toxic Irish political situation could not be easily resolved. His ability to meld both facts and awareness of the people themselves make this a riveting read, with the added dimension of raising awareness of the complexities of a police investigation in Dublin where the powers that be were deeply distrusted by much of the Catholic and working class community, remembering that Ireland itself was “governed” by a largely absentee English MP with his own political agenda.
The murder took place at the Broadstone Railway terminus Dublin. This, with it it’s adjoining canal and rail workshops, was a hub of hundreds of employees and even more travellers. There was already a strong culture of pilfering stores and equipment here at Broadstone. But these new railways were becoming the centre of increasing press scrutiny in response to a number of international financial speculations and scams, so the murder of George Little, the Company’s recently appointed chief cashier, in the “locked room” of his office led to a major furore as first the scale of the theft that accompanied this death became clear and then the police seemed unable to catch the criminal involved.
Morris details the investigation that started belatedly when first the body was finally discovered nearly 24 hours after his killing and then it was realised his cut throat was not the first suggested suicide but a brutal murder. In the days before controlled crime scenes, modern investigative techniques, or proper forensic support and with Company and political intrusion, this was never going to be an easy case to solve, but Morris takes the reader through the process then and the difficulties. Various people are suspected, interviewed and cleared until months later the possible murderer is reported by his wife. However at that time a wife was not allowed give evidence against her spouse in court so a trial – demanded by the press and the situation - was always going to be difficult.
The trial is fully reported here and the defendant was found not guilty. Another bizarre tale then starts to unroll as he tries “to raise the passage money to emigrate” – first by public performances in Dublin and then later in England. In the latter place he meets a notorious phrenologist – who convinced of his guilt – is interested in models of his skull to support his hypothesis of a distinct and measureable “murderer’s” skull. But through this one can see a man who is descending into serious psychosis before finally “disappearing” from the historic record.
This is a deeply detailed book – and it is one of the important suites of crime reports that show so much more about the crime itself but also the social and economic backgrounds of all the people and places involved. Because the political and policing issues are so complex it can be a read that requires deep concentration at times – not least because so many people are involved in the place of the crime and a not inconsiderable number are lying to the police to hide vagaries of their own behaviours. But it turns out to be a real eye-opener around so many aspects of life in Dublin in the 1850s. But at the heart of it are people trying to live their normal lives (not always easy) who can be seen to emerge in increasing clarity, so it is well worth the read.

The Dublin Railway Murder by Thomas Morris is a gripping and well-researched book. Although based entirely on a true event, it had the verve and pace of the best sort of crime novel. I really liked the way Mr. Whicher popped up in the narrative but was defeated by the mystery surrounding the brutal crime. I loved it.

The Dublin Railway Murder by Thomas Morris is extremely well-written – no, it’s better than that. In November 1856, George Little, a clerk in a Dublin railway station, was brutally murdered at his desk in his locked office. The Irish police struggled to find the perpetrator. Scotland Yard sent out Detective Inspector Jack Whicher, but he had no success either. The police held and then released various people but only one suspect was tried in court. Although this was a true-life crime, Morris writes as well as any crime novelist and, to respect that, I shall give no spoilers.

The book is based upon the collection of government documents held in the National Archives of Ireland and newspaper reports. Morris points out differences between Irish law in the 1860s and British law of the 2020s. A husband and wife were deemed to be a single legal person (because a married woman has no separate legal existence during her marriage) and so a woman couldn’t give evidence against her husband, any more than she could sue herself. Because the government documents include interview transcripts and because reporters would scribble down dialogue in court to include in their newspaper reports, Morris is able to give us the actual words used by the players in this tragedy. It’s gripping, it really is.

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