Fanny Adams

Sometime between 7:00 and 8:00 pm, Fanny had still not returned home, prompting Harriet Adams and a group of neighbours to search for her missing child. As the evening was setting the group began the search in The Hollow, to no success. In the nearby hop garden, however, labourer Thomas Gates (a Crimean War veteran who partook in the famous Charge of the Light Brigade[10]) found the head of Fanny Adams stuck on two hop poles while he was tending to the crops. An ear had been severed from the head which had two large cuts, from mouth to ear across the temple.[9] Further investigation discovered the remains of the child; the head, arms and legs were separated from the trunk. There were three incisions on the left side of the chest, and a deep cut on the left arm, dividing her muscles. Fanny's forearm was cut off at the elbow joint, and her left leg nearly severed off at the hip joint with her left foot cut off at the ankle point. Her right leg was torn from the trunk, and the whole contents of her pelvis and chest completely removed. Five further incisions had been made on the liver, the heart cut out, and vagina missing. Both of her eyes were cut out and found in the nearby River Wey.[11]

Distressed, Harriet Adams rushed to her husband who was playing cricket at the time to tell him of the news, however she collapsed before she reached him and word was sent instead.[12][13] When George Adams was told the details he returned home to take his loaded shotgun and set out to look for the culprit, but neighbours stopped him and instead sat with him through the night. The next day hundreds of people visited the hop garden to collect Fanny's scattered remains. The police tried unsuccessfully to find the murder weapons, as they suspected that small knives were used to commit the crime. It is likely that the crowd of searching people had inadvertently trampled down any clues left on the ground. Members of the crowd did, however, recover all of her cut clothes scattered around the field, with the exception of her hat.[12]

Most of her body parts were collected on that day but an arm, foot, and intestines were not found until the next morning. One foot was still in a shoe and the breast bone was never found. The remains of Fanny were collected together by searchers and taken to a house named Leathern Bottle to be sewn together, only yards away from her home. From there the police took them to the local police station. A stone which still had flesh and hair sticking to it was handed in to the police as evidence, as they thought it may have been the actual murder weapon.[14]

The Leathern Bottle, where Fanny's remains were collected and reassembled.

That evening police superintendent William Cheyney hurried from the local police station to Flood Meadows, where he was met by several people who then led him to the Leathern Bottle. Upon arrival the proprietor of the house handed Cheyney a bundle labelled "portions of a child", and with the help of some of his officers, organised a search to trace the missing body parts.[15] Hearing that Frederick Baker had been seen with the children prior to Fanny's disappearance, Cheyney retraced his steps through the town and located his place of work. Arriving at the solicitor's office at 9 pm, he found Baker still at work although he usually left an hour before. Baker protested innocence despite being informed that he was the only suspect. After making further enquiries around town, Cheyney had no alternative but to arrest Baker on suspicion of murder. By this time a large and agitated crowd had gathered outside the solicitor's offices, forcing the police to smuggle Baker out of the back door for fears that people would kill him.[15]

When searched at the police station, Baker was found to be in the possession of two unstained small knives. Spots of blood were observed on both wristbands of his shirt, and his trousers had been soaked to conceal the bloodstains. After being questioned about his appearance, Baker responded: "Well, I don't see a scratch or cut on my hands to account for the blood".[15] Baker's conduct during his interrogation was described as cool and collected. Some time after the arrest, Cheyney backtracked to Baker's desk in the solicitor's office and discovered a diary among some legal papers. An entry had been made for Saturday 24 August 1867 which recorded: "Killed a young girl. It was fine and hot".[16] The Hampshire Chronicle reported that the hop garden had been cleared on 21 September, but nothing connected with the murder had been found. It also added that Baker remained completely unfazed with the murder and did not exhibit any symptoms of insanity. Further confusion was added when Baker retorted that he was intoxicated after seeing the children, but all evidence and witnesses reject his claim.[16] Baker was transferred to Winchester Prison on 19 October.[17]

British law at the time required that in the case of sudden death an immediate inquest must be held under the jurisdiction of a coroner. In the case of Fanny Adams' inquest, Deputy County Coroner Robert Harfield was in charge of the proceedings which were held at the Dukes Head Inn in Alton on 27 August 1867. Alton's divisional police superintendent William Cheyney was in attendance along with acting Chief Constable superintendent Everitt, who was representing Hampshire Constabulary.[22] Coincidentally, the pub where the initial trials were held was opposite the solicitor's offices where Baker worked and very close to the police station.[23]

The first to give evidence was Minnie Warner. She told the jury that Fredrick Baker gave her money to run down The Hollow with Fanny and into a nearby field while Baker picked blackberries for them. She was unable to identify Baker but correctly described what he was wearing when he murdered Fanny.[22] The next to testify was Fanny's mother, Harriet. She recalled that she met Baker at the gate to the hop garden, and that he was headed towards the road which led to Basingstoke. It was there Minnie identified Baker as the man who gave her the pennies. Baker contradicted Minnie at the time by saying "no, three halfpence". When asked by Harriet to give his name, Baker refused but told her where he could be found.[24]

Mrs Gardner, who had accompanied Harriet Adams to search for the missing girl, gave evidence next. She was able to identify Baker and told the jury that he appeared to be very relaxed at the time she saw him. After asking him if he had seen the missing child and enquiring why he had given her money, Mrs Gardner told Harriet that she should "give him in charge to the police", to which Baker calmly responded: "the reason why I speak so is that an old gentlemen has been giving halfpence to the children for no good purpose, and I thought you were of the same sort". After being asked again of Fanny's whereabouts, Baker said that he left her at the gate to play. The coroner asked Baker if he wanted to cross-question the witness, but he declined.[24]

At his trial on 5 December, the defence contested Minnie Warner's identification of Baker and claimed the knives found were too small for the crime anyway. They also argued insanity: Baker's father had been violent, a cousin had been in asylums, his sister had died of a brain fever and he himself had attempted suicide after a love affair. The defence also argued that the diary entry was typical of the "epileptic or formal way of entry" that the defendant used and that the absence of a comma after the word killed did not render the entry a confession.[25]

Justice Mellor invited the jury to consider a verdict of not responsible by reason of insanity, but they returned a guilty verdict after just fifteen minutes. On 24 December, Christmas Eve, Baker was hanged outside Winchester Gaol. The crime had become notorious and a crowd of 5,000 attended the execution. This was the last public execution held at that gaol.[26] Before his death, Baker wrote to the Adamses expressing his sorrow for what he had done "in an unguarded hour" and seeking their forgiveness.

Fanny was buried in Alton cemetery. The headstone, erected by voluntary subscription, reads:

Sacred to the memory of Fanny Adams aged 8 years and 4 months who was cruelly murdered on Saturday August 24th 1867. Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. Matthew 10 v 28.