George Nunn – “The Wortham Murder”.On the evening of Saturday the 8th of July 1899, 33 year old Eliza Dixon had gone to the village pub, the Dolphin Inn, on the other side of Wortham village green in Suffolk, to buy some beer for her and her husband to drink with dinner.

Eliza, who was the mother of six children, was described as being “of prepossessing appearance” in the press, or in modern language pretty. Once inside the inn, 18 year old George Nunn accosted her and tried to buy her a drink and talk to her. She rebuffed his advances but he gave the inn keeper the money for a glass of stout, which she apparently drank. She left the inn and started to walk home across the village green.

Nunn followed her and stabbed her in the throat and neck with a clasp knife. Her husband, James, became alarmed when Eliza had not returned home by 11 p.m. and went to the Dolphin Inn to enquire about her. He was told by the owner that she had left around 10 p.m. James then went to Nunn’s father’s house and there questioned George Nunn as to what had happened to Eliza. It is unclear why he immediately suspected Nunn of being involved.

James and several neighbours began a search for her which revealed her body at around 2.30 a.m. lying in a field adjoining the green where she had been dragged after death. It was clear from blood stains at the scene that Eliza had been attacked on the green itself.

On the Sunday morning Police Superintendent Page from Eye arrived and interviewed Nunn and some other youths. He searched Nunn’s home and found some newly washed clothes and the clasp knife which had blood residue on it, later confirmed to be human by the Home Office pathologist.

Nunn was arrested and transferred to Eye where he made a confession to Inspector Taylor, in which he implicated another lad, Frederick Churchard. This was a fabrication on the part of Nunn which he later retracted.

Nunn came to trial at Bury St. Edmunds on the 1st of November 1899 before Mr. Justice Wills. He was found guilty but with a recommendation to mercy, presumably on account of his age. The judge made clear that he did not agree with this and told Nunn “not to put much reliance on this”. He was taken to Ipswich Gaol to await execution and was hanged there at 8.00 a.m. on Tuesday the 21st of November 1899 by James and William Billington.

The press was excluded. Several hundred people had gathered in Bond Street to watch the black flag flown at 8.04 a.m.