The 1840 Attempted Murder Case of William Miller Mackreth and Josiah Mister’s Execution

On Thursday, 20 August 1840, following a bustling market day in Ludlow, William Miller Mackreth, a Bristol-based trader, withdrew to his chamber at the crowded Angel Inn. He secured his door, extinguished his candle, and lay down to sleep. Time elapsed until 04:00, when a sudden, forceful impact disturbed the inn’s occupants and its proprietor, who was roused by terrifying screams emanating from an upper floor. Upon hurrying to investigate the commotion, they encountered Mr. Mackreth on the staircase, dressed in his nightwear, his hands covered in blood and clutching his throat. He bore a wound extending from one ear to the other. He was escorted back to the bedroom and seated. Incapable of speech, the injured man indicated the bed. A cautious inspection beneath revealed the distinct outline of a person in the dust. A blood trail extending from Mackreth’s room to another guest’s chamber guided law enforcement to the alleged perpetrator, Josiah Mister, a 25-year-old indigent man originating from Birmingham. He was apprehended and subsequently tried for attempted murder, entering a plea of not guilty. Doubts arose regarding the fairness of his trial, as circumstances appeared unfavorable from the beginning. A journalist for the Worcestershire Chronicle depicted the accused during his initial court appearance in the dock: “He has a large and full mouth, with what the artists term a well-chiselled upper lip, expressive of strong, very strong, animal passions, and steady determination; his eye is peculiar and (though rather dimmed on the morning in question) was bright, glittering, and wild as that of a newly-caged rat, the day previous, when first in custody.” Significant evidence was presented against Mister, comprising the blood trail that extended from the victim’s room along the passageway to Josiah’s door, and remnants of blood found on the curtains and his shirt. Demonstrating an early form of forensic examination, a surgeon who was present at the inn inspected the suspect’s room. He observed a bowl containing water, immersed his finger, and detected the taste of alum, a kind of soap employed in shaving that could cleanse blood from garments and staunch nicks. The inference drawn was unambiguous: Josiah had attempted to rinse away any blood. A razor blade was located on the courtyard ground, merely a few yards from Josiah’s window. Furthermore, a match of the identical brand he had been observed with the preceding day was discovered beneath the bed. The defense attorney contended that these were all mere coincidences. He asserted that the matches were widely available, there was no conclusive evidence linking the razor to his client, and the blood trail could have resulted from other individuals traversing the corridor post-attack to retrieve bandages. The jury deliberated for a mere 35 minutes before rendering a guilty verdict, and Josiah received a death sentence. Appearing visibly distressed and speaking in a hushed tone, he responded, ‘I am not guilty of it.’ A petition was drafted, and his victim, Mackreth, even supported appeals for the sentence to be reduced to transportation; however, this request was denied. Josiah Mister was executed by hanging at Shrewsbury prison before a large assembly and interred at St Mary’s church. Fred Hillberg, the great-great-grandson of William Miller Mackreth, has recently released his book detailing the assault. He states that William had become engaged prior to the event, and upon his return to Bristol, his fiancée proceeded with their marriage notwithstanding “this huge scar right down the side of his face through his mouth to the other.” Fred is confident that the correct individual was apprehended. He stated, “I do, no doubt, and William also thought he did it. The fact he survived [meant] he was prepared to forgive him. William was a kind religious man anyway and he would have been quite happy for the man not to have been hung but to be deported.” The legislation concerning capital punishment was altered in 1861, establishing Josiah Mister as the final individual in England to be executed for attempted murder – an offense he maintained his innocence of until his death. For updates, follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.