🔪 Six Failed Attempts to Kill His Mother-in-Law | The Spitalfields Hatchet Attack of 1874
News of the Times | Episode 571| 1874
Notorious November

London, 1874. A quiet Spitalfields lodging. A knock at the door. And a furious son-in-law armed with a pistol, a hatchet, a knife, a shoemaker’s last, a bag of stones, and — why not — some gunpowder for flair.

What followed was one of the most bizarre and dogged murder attempts ever committed in Victorian England. George French tried six separate times to kill his mother-in-law — and failed every single one.

In this darkly absurd episode of News of the Times, we dive into a case that scandalised the papers and baffled the courts. From misfiring pistols to blunt-force absurdity, it’s a tale of revenge, resilience, and wildly incompetent villainy.

⚖️ Featuring:
Inspector Abberline (yes, that Abberline — of Ripper fame)
A pistol loaded with a stone
A heroic shoemaker named Orton
A mother-in-law who refused to die politely

🎩 Further Particulars Teaser:
And if you think your vegetables are simply salad ingredients, you may want to think again.

In Monmouth, 1833, a turnip mysteriously resembling a local murder suspect’s severed hand was discovered growing in a field.
Coincidence? Or the first known vegetable-based witness statement?

Either way — check your root cellar.

👤 Narrated by Robin Coles 

📅 New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday   

📚 Related cases from the archive: 
1874: FRANCE Murderous Mother Daughter Love Triangle |  EP377
https://youtu.be/22HllMIaXH4
1874: The Case of the Vengeful Grandmother |  EP489
https://youtu.be/DTRHrVKn1SE
1874: The Baffling Case of Margaret Ball - Found Hanging — But Did He Kill Her?  |  EP527
https://youtu.be/qFitIfeXqDI

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