Murderous Manchester paperback

THIS book tells the story of every murder which took place in Manchester during the twentieth century and which ended in the execution of the person found guilty of the crime and who went on to pay the ultimate penalty of death by hanging at the end of a rope.

Some cases are well-known, such as those of George Rice, William Burtoft and Walter Graham Rowland – who was reprieved for a murder he did commit but was later hanged for one which he may not have committed – but any of the lesser known murders have equally absorbing stories of love, jealousy and lust. Readers will discover child killers such as John Horner, wife killers such as Frederick Ballington, and those who killed out of rage or for revenge, such as James Ryder. And then there was James Henry Corbitt, where the hangman was someone he had known as a friend.

All manner of motives are shown, all sorts of weapons are used, but in the final analysis each story represents a human tragedy in which at least two people lost their lives. Read these stories and then decide for yourselves whether or not every one was guilty as charged.

PAPERBACK