Henry Julius Jacoby - murder in the furtherance of theft.
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Jacoby worked as pantry boy at the Spencer Hotel in Portman Street, London. Amongst the guests on the night of Monday the 13th of March 1922 was 66 year old Lady Alice White. Her body was discovered the next morning by a chamber maid, who, unable to get an answer from room 14, let herself in with the master key.
The poor girl was confronted by a horrible sight, Lady Alice had been severely battered around the head although she was still alive and survived for further two days. The police naturally interviewed all the hotel’s staff and suspicion quickly fell on Jacoby who told police that he had intended to steal from the hotel’s guests and had taken a hammer with him to “use if necessary”.
He had found the door to Lady Alice’s room unlocked and had entered. She had woken up and let out a shriek so he hit her with the hammer. When searched two bloodstained handkerchiefs were found in Jacoby’s pockets.
He later withdrew this confession and instead claimed that he saw an intruder strike the blows.
The jury at his Old Bailey trial on the 28th of April 1922 were not impressed with this version and convicted him with a recommendation to mercy, as they were not convinced that the lad had intended to kill but rather that he did so in panic when Lady White woke to find him in her bedroom and screamed.
Shortly after the jury retired to consider their verdict, they returned with a question for the judge. They were all agreed, their foreman said, that Jacoby had not gone to Lady White’s room with intent to murder, but only with intent to rob.
So, could they bring in a verdict of manslaughter? Mr. Justice McCardie told them “You must ask yourselves this question, “Did he strike Lady White intending either to kill or to inflict grievous bodily harm? Even if he struck intending only to inflict grievous bodily harm, yet inasmuch as the victim died from the blow, he would be guilty of murder.”
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Clearly the judge, Mr. Justice McCardie and the Home Office didn’t share the jury’s misgivings and Jacoby was not reprieved.
Ellis recalled in his biography “Diary of a Hangman” that Jacoby seemed completely unconcerned about his impending fate and was playing a makeshift game of cricket with one of the warders in the exercise yard on the afternoon before, when he (Ellis) went to have a look at him.
He had been confirmed in the condemned cell earlier on that Tuesday and had written a letter to the governor thanking him and his staff for their kindness to him.
At a minute to 9.00 a.m. on Wednesday the 7th of June 1922, the governor told Ellis “Get it over”. Ellis entered the condemned cell and after he pinioned his wrists, told Jacoby “Look straight at me when you get there, laddie, and it will soon be over”.
As he was led into the corridor he stopped and made a point of acknowledging the justice of his sentence. He was described by Ellis as the calmest person in the execution shed that Wednesday morning.
10 seconds later and it was all over, according to the Governor, Major Blake. Jacoby who weighed just 123 lbs. had been given a drop of eight feet and death was reportedly instantaneous, according to the Medical Officer Dr. Percy Manders. Some 300-400 people had gathered outside the prison to see the notices of execution posted.
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