Edmund Hugh Tonbridge

Edmund Hugh Tunbridge was convicted of the murder of his 24-year-old girlfriend Margaret Evans and sentenced to death.

He poisoned her with prussic acid on the towpath of the River Lea, Spring Hill, Clapton, London on 14 January 1922.

He was executed at Pentonville on the 18 April 1922.

Edmund Tunbridge was a warehouseman.

He had known Margaret Evans for about 2½ years and in November 1920 she had a child by him, however, the child was placed with a woman and Edmund Tunbridge paid 14/- a week for him until 31 October 1921 when in consideration of a lump sum of £40 paid by Edmund Tunbridge the woman formally adopted the child. It was noted that in connection with the adoption that within a few months of the formal adoption that the child developed pneumonia and died.

At the beginning of 1922 Margaret Evans was in service in Clapton and found herself again pregnant by Edmund Tunbridge. In the first week of January Edmund Tunbridge and Margaret Evans visited Edmund Tunbridge's doctor and asked him to give Margaret Evans some stuff to get her out of her trouble. However, the doctor rated Edmund Tunbridge , whom he had been treating for syphilis at the time, for having brought Margaret Evans to him on such an errand.

A few days later Edmund Tunbridge obtained from a friend of his who was employed at a wholesale chemist's, half an ounce of cyanide of potassium in the form of crystals, saying that he wanted it for intensifying photographs.

It was noted that the friend had no right to furnish the cyanide in that way, and that it was obviously a good method of obtaining the poison in such a way as to avoid any record of the transaction.

However, a day or two later Edmund Tunbridge told the friend that he had had an accident with the cyanide and had thrown the contents of the bottle down the lavatory. However, it was noted that that was not true as he had in fact dissolved a quantity of the crystals and put the poisonous liquid into another small bottle.

At about 6.40pm on Saturday 14 January 1922 Margaret Evans visited a friend. The friend said that Margaret Evans had been in her usual spirits and had accepted her invitation to tea on the following day. Margaret Evans left about 6.50pm, saying that she had to meet 'her boy', ie Edmund Tunbridge, at Clapton Station.

However, Edmund Tunbridge said that he met Margaret Evans quite by accident that evening.

Later, about 8pm, a police sergeant had been standing on duty in the shadow of the footbridge over the River Lea. He had been expecting his relief  and had been looking along the towpath towards the boathouse by the river when he saw two people come into sight round the bend by the trees. When they were about 80 yards from him, beyond the telegraph post, they stopped and seemed to catch hold of each other. He said they then swayed on the towpath and there was then a scuffle of feet and he heard something fall into the water.

He said that he then quickly walked forward and Edmund Tunbridge passed him alone on the towpath near the iron post. The sergeant then saw something in the water and turned round.

Edmund Tunbridge, who had just lighted a cigarette, also turned back and the sergeant caught hold of him and asked:

And Edmund Tunbridge replied:

However, the sergeant took him and fetched a boatman from the boathouse who got a drag and drew Margaret Evans's body out of the shallow water near the bank.

Edmund Tunbridge then said:

As he said that he pulled her handbag out of his overcoat pocket. He also took something else from his pocket and threw it across the ditch on the other side of the towpath. On subsequent search it was found to have been a small glass bottle, uncorked, but still containing a small quantity of cyanide of potassium.

The following day a sealed letter was found on the towpath near the bridge. It was addressed to Edmund Tunbridge and purported to be written by another man. In the letter the man informed Edmund Tunbridge that he was to blame for Margaret Evans's present condition, and also for her first baby, adding:

However, Edmund Tunbridge admitted that he wrote the letter, but he couldn't explain with what object he had done so, although it was thought that there was no doubt that he had written it to exonerate himself if inquiry was made of him.

Following the post mortem and analysis of her organs, more than 2 grains of prussic acid, which would amount to nearly 5 grains of cyanide of potassium, was found. It was noted that 1 grain of prussic acid and about 5 grains of cyanide of potassium was a possible fatal dose for an adult.

It was noted that poison in either form worked very rapidly, producing unconsciousness in a few minutes or seconds and death from 10 to 15 minutes later, but sometimes in 5 minutes.

There was no water in her air passages, and the pathologist said that she had died instantly from shock of immersion, coupled with the effect of poisoning by cyanide of potassium.

It was noted that there were three small bruises on her left eye and on the left side of her nose and underneath her chin which were stated to have been almost certainly inflicted during life, and in one of Edmund Tunbridge's statements he admitted that in the course of a quarrel on the towpath he struck her.

Margaret Evans had been two months pregnant, although there was no trace of syphilis or any venereal disease.

Edmund Tunbridge didn't give evidence at the trial and his story had to be gathered from the various and sometimes contradictory statements that he made to the police. He said that he met Margaret Evans that evening and went for a walk down Craven Walk to the river. He said that he refused to marry her, saying that he was not the cause of her trouble. He added that he had been carrying her handbag for her in his overcoat and as he stopped to light a cigarette she snatched the handbag out of his pocket, took a bottle from it, and drank some of the contents, adding:

He said that he then walked away and then saw the sergeant coming towards him.

He added that after Margaret Evans drank from the bottle that she put it back into his pocket.

It was noted that it was difficult to say for certain how Edmund Tunbridge administered the poison to Margaret Evans, and the pathologist said that he found no indication of him having forced it into her mouth.

The judge suggested in his summing up, that he thought that Edmund Tunbridge probably offered Margaret Evans the bottle, pretending that it was some abortifacient that would relieve her of her trouble, and that she had swallowed the stuff willingly. However, it was noted that if that were true that it would be difficult to reconcile the blows that Edmund Tunbridge apparently struck her on the face, however, it was thought possible that she had possibly refused to drink it at first and had pleaded for marriage, and that on his striking her, that she had in desperation drunk from the bottle.

However, it was noted that it was perfectly clear from Edmund Tunbridge's conduct in callously walking away after Margaret Evans had fallen or been thrown into the river, that his story was untrue.

It was noted that it had been a very lonely spot and that it had only been by chance that the police sergeant had happened to be in such a position that he could not be seen by Edmund Tunbridge, until hearing the splash in the water, when he walked forward to meet him.

At his trial his counsel suggested that Edmund Tunbridge had contemplated using the cyanide to commit suicide, but it was noted that it was clear that, having got Margaret Evans to take it and having thrown or allowed her to fall into the river, that he had made no effort to carry out his intention of suicide.

There was no defence of insanity put forward and the medical officer said he was perfectly same. However, it was found that his father had been confined to Brentwood Asylum, as a result of the air-raids. Edmund Tunbridge however, complained to the police of lapses of memory etc, especially when he was trying to explain why he had written the letter to himself.

Edmund Tunbridge was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.

He appealed, but his appeal was dismissed.

The chief justice said that it was indeed an ingenious and diabolical murder.

He was executed at Pentonville Prison on 18 April 1922.