Escape from Strangeways: The Hammer Murder of Warder Webb (1888)
News of the Times | Episode 535 | 1876 

🔨 A daring prison break, a brutal murder… and the most notorious escape in Strangeways history.

In January 1919, the walls of Manchester’s Strangeways Prison could not hold William Horwood, a career criminal with nothing left to lose. Armed with a hammer stolen from the prison workshop, Horwood made a desperate bid for freedom — and in the process, bludgeoned Warder James Owen to death.

What followed shocked Britain: a citywide manhunt, a terrified public, and sensational headlines chronicling every twist. But was this simply the act of a desperate man, or part of a calculated plan to outwit the law?

From the grim corridors of Strangeways to the narrow streets of industrial Manchester, this is the true story of violence, escape, and justice in post-war Britain.

📜 Featuring: rare contemporary newspaper reports, eyewitness accounts, the escape route in detail, and the dramatic conclusion that brought the case to an end.

Further Particulars:
Those inventive Victorians never did anything by halves—ballooning included. What began as a scientific flight across France ended with one man crash-landing in Belgium… completely nude.

Was it for aerodynamic reasons?
A sudden philosophical awakening?
Or simply a very French solution to a very Victorian problem?

👤 Narrated by Robin Coles 

📅 New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday 

📚 Related cases from the archive: 
1888: Bradford’s Jack the Ripper: The Mutilation of John Gill |  EP507
https://youtu.be/4GK27M1s-U4
1888: The Man Who Vanished: Whitechapel’s Other Killer |  EP510
https://youtu.be/l8XGVZO9t_4
1888: The Regent’s Park Murder of 1888 |  EP511
https://youtu.be/wZ_F-ZIEmu0

❤️ Support Independent History  
If you enjoy our ad-free, archive-based storytelling, help us keep the lantern lit:  

👉 **Patreon** – Full archive, early access, bonus compilations (and it keeps us independent):  
https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime  

☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you? We tip our top hats:  
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

🕯 About the Channel  
We’re an independent team of historical researchers and narrators specialising in 18th to early 20th century

 Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

 Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs. 

Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

 Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes. 

https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Support the show

Thanks for listening! You can also connect with us on
Our YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimes
Our Facebook Page: | https://www.facebook.com/News-of-the-Times-101108282697405
Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at [email protected]
If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd