Editing Kate Webster
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Webster, born Kate Lawler, was born in 1849 in Killanne, Ireland. She regularly stole things and eventually moved to Liverpool after buying a ticket there using stolen money, then later moved again to London. She was unable to find a job and turned to pickpocketing and prostitution to make ends meet, leading to a series of short prison sentences. Webster eventually had a son named John due to her job as a prostitute and often had to leave him with a friend when she was imprisoned for theft. | Webster, born Kate Lawler, was born in 1849 in Killanne, Ireland. She regularly stole things and eventually moved to Liverpool after buying a ticket there using stolen money, then later moved again to London. She was unable to find a job and turned to pickpocketing and prostitution to make ends meet, leading to a series of short prison sentences. Webster eventually had a son named John due to her job as a prostitute and often had to leave him with a friend when she was imprisoned for theft. | ||
In January 1879 Webster found employment as housekeeper for 52-year-old Julia Thomas in Richmond, on the outskirts of London. The two of them resented each other and would often argue about Webster's lack of cleaning skills and tendency to spend too much time at the local pub the Hole in the Wall. Thomas eventually sacked Webster on 28 April 1879, but agreed to let her stay on until 2 March so she could help her prepare for church service. On that day, Webster failed to help Thomas because she was drinking at the Hole in the Wall, resulting in an argument that ended in Webster throwing Thomas down the stairs. Realizing what she had done, she strangled Thomas to prevent her from screaming and getting her into trouble. She then cut Thomas's body up with a carving knife and meat cleaver and boiled her remains to prevent identification. Afterwards she burned her finger bones in the hearth and packed her remains into a box and a Gladstone bag. Thomas's head and one of her feet did not fit, so she threw the foot onto a rubbish heap and buried the head near the | In January 1879 Webster found employment as housekeeper for 52-year-old Julia Thomas in Richmond, on the outskirts of London. The two of them resented each other and would often argue about Webster's lack of cleaning skills and tendency to spend too much time at the local pub the Hole in the Wall. Thomas eventually sacked Webster on 28 April 1879, but agreed to let her stay on until 2 March so she could help her prepare for church service. On that day, Webster failed to help Thomas because she was drinking at the Hole in the Wall, resulting in an argument that ended in Webster throwing Thomas down the stairs. Realizing what she had done, she strangled Thomas to prevent her from screaming and getting her into trouble. She then cut Thomas's body up with a carving knife and meat cleaver and boiled her remains to prevent identification. Afterwards she burned her finger bones in the hearth and packed her remains into a box and a Gladstone bag. Thomas's head and one of her feet did not fit, so she threw the foot onto a rubbish heap and buried the head near the Hoe in the Wall, where it was found by workmen 131 years later in 2010. | ||
Webster continued to clean the house and pretend nothing was wrong for two days, then on 4 March she travelled to Hammersmith to meet her old neighbours Robert and Henry Porter, taking the bag and box containing Thomas's remains with her. She claimed that a non-existent husband had died and left the house to her, and that she was in town to find a broker for the furniture. She also invited the Porters to drink with her at the Oxford and Cambridge Arms pub, taking the opportunity to throw the bag in the River Thames while the Porters were inside drinking. Afterwards she asked Robert Porter to help her carry the box, allegedly containing the furniture, across Richmond Bridge, where she claimed another friend would meet her. As Robert Porter left afterwards, he heard a faint splash as Webster dropped the box in the river. | Webster continued to clean the house and pretend nothing was wrong for two days, then on 4 March she travelled to Hammersmith to meet her old neighbours Robert and Henry Porter, taking the bag and box containing Thomas's remains with her. She claimed that a non-existent husband had died and left the house to her, and that she was in town to find a broker for the furniture. She also invited the Porters to drink with her at the Oxford and Cambridge Arms pub, taking the opportunity to throw the bag in the River Thames while the Porters were inside drinking. Afterwards she asked Robert Porter to help her carry the box, allegedly containing the furniture, across Richmond Bridge, where she claimed another friend would meet her. As Robert Porter left afterwards, he heard a faint splash as Webster dropped the box in the river. | ||