Gussage St Michael is a quiet North Dorset village with a
population of few more than a couple of hundred. Yet for several months in
1913, it made headlines across the world as far away as Australia and New
Zealand.
William Walter Burton, a rabbit catcher, was found guilty of
murdering his lover, 24 year-old Winifred Mitchell and had buried her in a
lonely wood. Winifred Mary Mitchell was 5ft 5 ins tall, dark haired and was
employed as a cook. She was known as ‘Winnie’
and ‘cookie’. Winnie wore false teeth
that had been given to her by a former employer.
On the 9th August 1913, South Australia’s Adelaide
Advertiser reported.
‘In the annals of
crime, there have been few murders so carefully planned and so ingeniously
carried out and it will be remembered that the judge in passing sentence of
death intimated that Burton was beyond human forgiveness.’
William Burton walked alone to the scaffold and was hanged at Dorchester Prison on the morning of Tuesday 24th June 1913. He had pleaded not guilty but it took the jury just 19 minutes to come to their decision. Thomas Pierrepoint was the hangman.
Both William and Winnie worked at Gussage St Michael Manor
and became friendly or as the Adelaide Advertiser reported ‘too friendly’. Burton was a married man
and his wife, Lilian was both a school teacher and post mistress. On Sunday 30th
March, Burton had dug a grave and afterwards had taken the girl there and shot
her. After his sentence, Burton made a confession of his crime. He claimed that
Winifred had threatened to expose their relationship unless he took her to
Canada. He had no money to pay the fare so he decided to get rid of her. A
plate of Winnie’s false teeth was found by a man and his wife when sheltering
from the rain. This led to the grave being discovered. Prior to his arrest,
Burton had been seen sitting nearby, where his victim lay, calmly smoking his
pipe.
It seems that Winifred had got tired of Burton’s promise to
leave his wife so she gave him an ultimatum. He then tried to break the
relationship but Winifred would have none of it and had threatened to tell his
wife.
(Illustrations: Winnie Marshall {above} and William Burton arriving at Wimborne Police Court - Western Gazette 23rd May 1913.)
This is my Great Aunty... the story in Dorset Murders by Roger Guttridge by the Police News 8.5.1913 is quite different!
ReplyDeleteHello. I have read, and re read the Dorset Murders Book by Roger. It fasinacted me years ago, and I still re read it. How amazing to read of this. I grew up in Wimborne, my Sister now lives in Gussage St Michael. Charlotte.
DeleteI can remember my late mother telling me about this,she was born and her parents lived at Amen Corner for 30 ish years
ReplyDelete