Prime Crime: Solved Murders - Thomas Briggs Pt. 1

Episode Date: May 4, 2022

On July 9th, 1864, a driver of a locomotive noticed the broken and bloodied body of banker Thomas Briggs. With the help of some key witnesses, authorities identified a suspect. But when they arrived at his home, Franz Müller was already aboard a ship to America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this murder case, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes dramatizations and discussions of murder and assault. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. In the mid-1800s, trains were still relatively new in England. Railways made long-distance travel easier than ever before, but they also created tension. Man and women, upper and lower classes, native Englishmen and Englishmen and immigrants, immigrants all piled into the same carriages. Some people thought this new technology could help bring some semblance of equality.

Others thought it was a recipe for disaster. On July 9, 1864, this simmering conflict came to a head. North of London City Center, two upper-class bank clerks, Harry Vernes and Sidney Jones, waited impatiently at Hackney Station. The 9.50 p.m. train was five minutes late, and after a long day, sitting in the dry heat was agonizing. When their ride finally showed up, Harry and Sidney each breathed a sigh of relief. They settled into one of the private cars in first class. Sydney noticed a black bag on his chosen seat, something a previous passenger had forgotten.

He tossed it off the chair and sat down across from Harry. But the cushion immediately felt wrong. It was warm and wet. Sidney's eyebrows knitted together, he looked down and saw that the seat was covered in blood. Welcome to Solved Murders, True Crime Mysteries, a Spotify original from Parcast. I'm your host, Carter Roy.

And I'm your host, Wendy McKenzie. Every Wednesday, we step into the world of true crime's most fascinating murder cases and tell the tale. of how real-life detectives close the case. You can find episodes of Solve Murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free exclusively on Spotify.

This is our first episode on the 1864 murder of Thomas Briggs. This week, detectives chase their lead suspect across the city and eventually the Atlantic Ocean. Next week, societal fears around class, immigration, and technology crashed together in a generation to finding court case.

We have all that and more coming up. Stay with us. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th, the powerful vocals of Demi Lovato on May 17th,

and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th. Tickets on sale now at yamovatheater.com. Only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. UN must be 21 to enter. At 10.10 p.m. on July 9th, 1864, shouts rang out across the platform

at North London's Hackney Station. Two bank clerks, Harry Vernes and Sidney Jones had just climbed into a train car and made a terrible discovery. Sydney's seat was drenched in blood. They immediately called for a guard, a man named Benjamin Ames. He approached the darkened carriage

with a mix of annoyance and apprehension. In here, bring the light. Oh, God, I'm going to be sick. Calm down, you two. Let's keep this quick. My word, what does that smell? As Ames shined his light into the carriage, the hideous reality became apparent.

It wasn't just the cushion that was so in blood, the armrest, window, walls, and floor were all streaked with red. Oh my! There's a bag someone left behind. It's got blood on it, too. And an ivory cane. I'm very sorry you two had to walk in on such an unfortunate situation. If you'd like to take another car, we'll get the train running again in a moment.

I'll just take care of things here. Badly shaken, the two clerks boarded another car. Ames stayed behind to look for further clues. In addition to the bag and cane, he also found a black hat. It was squashed and crumpled, stuffed under the seats. With these three items in hand, Ames locked the doors and signal to the conductor to press on. Ames ran alongside and called out to the station master, ordering him to telegram the railway superintendent. Then the guard hopped onto the train as it sped off into the night.

As the caboose disappeared into the distance, another piece of the mystery unfolded in its wake. Not far from Hackney Station, the driver of a different locomotive noticed something strange along the tracks. The area was dark and empty, isolated from the city center, but surrounded by a few in public houses. The train's carriages were empty, so the driver had time to stop and investigate. He thought perhaps an animal had wandered onto the tracks and been hit. He intended to do the next conductor a favor by moving it out of the way before another locomotive came through. The driver sent out his stoker and guard into the darkness, but as they approached the shape in the shadows, they realized it was no animal. It was a man. He was broken, bloodied, and eerily still.

He'd likely been pushed from a train on his way to Hackney Station. The guard, William Tim's, shouted for help and was heard by men in a crowded pub, just a stone's throw from the tracks. Several patrons and the taverns landlord raced to Tim's aid. The men then carried the body towards the pub. As they struggled in the dark, a patrolling police constable named Edward Dugan heard the commotion. He ran over to help and instructed the men to bring the body inside and lay him across a table. In the crowded bar, a panic broke out. My God, this man's still alive.

Barkeep, close and lock the doors. We need privacy. You there, sit for a doctor now. I can see multiple head wounds, and he's deadly pain. And you, guard! Help me search his body! I need any clues as to who this man is or what happened! Careful of his injuries! There's a first-class train ticket in his pocket, and a letter for Robarts, Curtis & Company Bank in the city. We'll need someone to send for the owner, see if they can identify this man.

His watch is missing. You can tell by this broken chain, and his clothes are torn. I can tell you right now. Whatever happened, to this man was no accident. He was attacked. As the hours passed, four different doctors were summoned to examine the injured man in the pub, but his wounds were severe and they were unable to revive him. Parts of his skull had been crushed by a blunt instrument. His hands and arms were deeply bruised. One of his ears had nearly been ripped off. He floated in and out of consciousness, unable to give anyone his name or say what exactly happened to him. And so it only took Officer Dugan a few hours to identify the man.

He was 69-year-old Thomas Briggs, a chief clerk at the Robarts Curtis and Company Bank. An officer was sent to Briggs' home, where his terrified wife opened the door. Hearing that her husband was gravely injured, she sent their second oldest son, Thomas James, to the pub. He arrived at 2 o'clock in the morning on Sunday, July 10th. Where is my father? Up here, we moved him to the back room. He's still unconscious. Oh, God.

Father, what have they done to you? Those plastic trains? I'm sure it was a robber, some destitute ratbag prowling for an easy target. Pete him senseless for a watch and chain. When I find him, I'll... What's that? Father, can you hear me?

He's trying to say something. I know it. Father! Thomas Briggs's assault struck fear into the hearts of everyone in London. Because the British railway system was so new, nothing like this had ever happened before, and it was huge news. All eyes were on law enforcement, waiting for them to bring the attacker to justice. With pressure bearing down, the police got right to work. Inspectors and constables scoured the tracks, searching for any. anything that might have been overlooked. One of the inspectors examined the black bag, the ivory cane, and the hat discovered at the crime scene.

Each was presumed to belong to Thomas Briggs. But authorities needed to be absolutely sure. Police constable Louis Lambert collected the items and visited the distraught Briggs family at home. I apologize for intruding at a time like this. It's all right. You'll have to forgive my mother and sister. They're far too broken up to make a statement now. Of course.

I'll be quick. I have a few items of your father's here. Could you confirm these belong to him? Ah, yes. That's his briefcase you have there. And his cane. I'd recognize that ivory tip anywhere. And the hat?

You'll have to forgive the condition. It was found shoved under the seat. Hmm. Is this a beaver hat? No, no. My father wore a top hat, only the finest silk, from Daniel DeGants and company, I believe. This says it's from T.H. Walker, whatever that brand is,

I don't know who this hat belonged to, but it certainly isn't my father's. Now, if you'll excuse me, Detective, my mother needs me. The Briggs family visit got the detective's wheels turning. If that hat didn't belong to Thomas Briggs, then it likely belonged to the only other person in the carriage with him when he was attacked, his killer. And that meant it could be the key to unlocking this case. Coming up, the police identify a suspect. What could be more shocking than uncovering the deep, dark secrets behind history's biggest stories? Realizing that everything you thought was true was a lie.

Hi, it's Carter from the podcast series Conspiracy Theories. Every Monday and Wednesday, take a closer look at the blurred line between fact and fiction and discover that there may be more to the so-called truth than you think. From the government's link to Bigfoot and the otherworldly secrets of the Vatican, to the Grateful Dead's role in the spread of LSD, and more. On conspiracy theories, we leave no. No stone unturned and no skeptic unheard. Some may just be outlandish claims.

Others may make you rethink everything. Follow the Spotify Original from Parcast conspiracy theories. Listen free only on Spotify. And now, back to our story. Just before midnight on July 10th, 1864, 69-year-old Thomas Briggs died from his injuries. He'd never regained consciousness and therefore never named his attacker. But inspectors had uncovered an important piece of evidence.

A beaver hat that likely belonged to Briggs' killer. The discovery lit a fire under the investigation. The crime scene, carriage number 69, had been disconnected from the rest of the train. It was moved to a storage shed to be examined. At the time, train cars were set up very differently than they already. day. Each consisted of several private compartments with their own doors that opened directly onto the platform. Once these outside doors were locked and the train was in motion, the compartments were completely isolated. There was no way to communicate with other passengers or alert the conductor

if someone needed help. And if a person was in trouble, there was no exterior hallway they could escape to. Until now, this setup had seemed perfectly reasonable, but clearly the system had backfired. It created an ideal location for an attacker to corner Thomas Briggs and then disappear without a trace. The murder fed into fears Londoners already harbored about this new technology of railroad travel and what it meant for the city's stark-class divide. It's just dreadful what they did to That man, a highly regarded banker dying in a pub like that. A pub? This is what happens when you just let the classes mix.

With all the poor about, of course they're going to target the well off. I have to say, I think this whole trade business was a mistake. You might be right. It's not natural being able to move about the city so quickly, let alone the country. I don't trust it. And who knows what kind of riffraff it's bringing in? All these immigrants now. and they could just murder us right where we sit.

It'll be a long time before I set foot on a train again. I'll tell you that. The police had better do something about this and fast. We need to send a message to the lower classes. Just because they can sit next to us now doesn't mean they can simply get away with murder. The police knew they needed to work quickly before the case got out of hand.

So Commissioner Sir Richard Main put one of his best detectives on the case. Detective Inspector Richard Tanner. 31-year-old Tanner had been on the force for over a decade. He'd served on cases of theft and murder, had recently been promoted, and was known as a particularly shrewd investigator. A high-profile case like this could cement him

as one of the most prominent investigators in London. So Tanner got right to work. He printed 2,000 posters detailing the murder in Briggs' missing watch and chain. The flyers offered a reward to anyone with information. It was a substantial sum, about four or five times what a working-class man would earn in a year. These posters went up across England, police stations, transportation hubs, city centers, and newsstands. In his mind, Tanner likely thought this would prove the police were hard at work and helped them identify a suspect as quickly as possible.

But it also made the crime an even bigger headline. Tanner had also sent descriptions of Thomas Briggs's watch and chain directly to jewelers and pawn shops across the city. If the attacker had sold the items, it would provide Tanner with his first solid lead. And on Monday, July 11th, the detective's bet paid off. That morning, police received a note from a jeweler who just bought a chain matching the description. Inspector Walter Careseye went to follow up on the lead. Hello, officer.

Mr. D, is it? Yes, thank you for coming so quickly. I have the chain the man sold me right here. It's exactly like the one you sent word about. Hmm, you're right. Even missing the hook where the killer would have ripped it out of Mr. Briggs's waistcoat. Can you describe the gentleman who sold you this? Well, I didn't think much of him.

He was only here for ten minutes this morning. Sold me this chain and purchased another to replace it. seemed like a nice enough chap, though he was a little nervous. He looked about 30, fairly thin and pale, clean-shaven, dark clothes. When I think back on it, he did try a bit to obscure his appearance, stood away his back from the counter, turned his face to the shadows, but I still got a good look. Is there anything else? Well, yes. I hate to stereotype, but the man was a foreigner.

He had an accent. If I had to guess, I'd say he was German. The chain was soon identified by Briggs' family. That meant the murderer might have been in Deith's shop just hours before. And the revelation that Briggs' killer could have been a German immigrant kicked off a new wave of public anxiety. London was home to many Germans, all of whom were now scrutinized by friends, neighbors, and the press. Headlines screamed across front pages, speculating about Thomas Briggs's murder.

Press gangs crowded around Scotland Yard day and night, eager to be the first to report any new information in the case. And Detective Inspector Tanner assumed another break would happen quickly. He had a description of the suspect which he shared with police stations across London. If the culprit had a criminal record, an officer somewhere else might be able to figure out his name. But things didn't go as smoothly as Tanner hoped. His office was overwhelmed with tips. Some citizens believed they'd found hats similar to the one Briggs owned. Other spread rumors that fellow bank clerks had been out to get Briggs.

Even more stories pointed fingers at anyone who rich Londoners deemed suspicious, particularly Germans. However, none of these leads actually panned out. Tanner was faced with hoaxes, suspects, with airtight alibis and too much paperwork to sort through. The press, the public, Briggs's family, and Tanner's bosses all expected an answer, and the detective had nothing. Until July 18, 1864, nine days after the murder. Excuse me, I'm looking for Detective Tanner.

I can pass along a message. Let me guess. You've come to make a statement about the Thomas Briggs case. Yes, my name's Jonathan Matthews. I drive a handsome cab in the city, so... Your statement, please. That jewelry you talked to, Mr. Death? Not too long ago, my wife's sister was engaged to a German bloke,

and I think he was one of Mr. Deeth's customers. See, look at this jewelry box. The fellow brought it over to our house, said my daughter might like to play with it, and it's got Deith's name on it. When was this? On July 11th, and it makes me think, He might have been at Death's shop on the day Mr. Briggs's chain was sold.

What if he was the one who sold it? I'm sure plenty of people came through the store that day. But it's not just the box. Your poster said something about a hat, right? Yes. We're hoping someone has seen the murder victim's missing top hat. No, not that one. The Beaver one.

I had a hat made just like that for that same gentleman. He liked the one I'd been wearing and asked for one just the same, from T.H. Walker. Mr. Matthews. Who exactly is this gentleman? His name's Franz Mullah. In a single witness statement, nearly every piece of the puzzle fell into place. T.H. Walker was the brand name on the beaver hat they'd recovered from the crime scene. The one police knew belonged to their elusive suspect.

However, Matthews couldn't actually prove he'd purchased the unique item for Mula or that he had one it was modeled after. He claimed he traded it for a new one only a month ago. Plus, it seems strange that Matthews hadn't come forward earlier. He said he didn't see anything about the murder until recently, but that was hard to believe when Thomas Briggs' death was the literal talk of the town. Perhaps Matthews, a working-class handsome cab driver, might have made up the story to collect the reward money.

Even still, Matthews gave Officer Steer, Franz Mullah's photograph and address. and he quickly relayed the information to the rest of Scotland Yard. Though it was around midnight when Detective Inspector Tanner heard about Matthew's statement, he took the picture of Muleh directly to John Death, who recognized him as the gentleman who sold him Thomas Briggs's watch chain. Tanner had finally identified his suspect. Next, the detective journeyed to the address Matthews had provided, arriving around 1 a.m.

He decided it would be rude to wait. up the landlady at such an hour, so he waited outside the house until dawn. When he finally knocked, the landlady, Mrs. Ellen Blythe, answered the door, surprised to see police. Pardon the mess. With seven kids, the cleaning never stops. It doesn't bother me, ma'am. So long as you can answer some questions about one of your tenants, Franz Mullah? The young German lad, sure. To tell you the truth, he was always a quiet, inoffensive, well-behaved young man. But I have to admit, he stayed out all night the evening of July 9th, the night of the murder, yes? That's right. Did he behave in any strange way you might remember the next day?

No, sir, just his usual self. We had breakfast together. He showed me his new watch chain, though I can't say I took particular notice. seemed a bit silly spending money on that, but he did like having nice things, even if it meant pawning them off when the bills came due. But even with this breakthrough, there was no time for Tanner to celebrate. Mrs. Blythe also told him that Franz Mullah was no longer there.

Five days earlier, he'd boarded a ship bound for America. Tanner's suspect was on the run. Up next, detectives chase Franz Mule's. Mula across the Atlantic Ocean. Now, back to the story. On July 19th, 1864, 31-year-old detective inspector Richard Tanner had a major breakthrough in the Briggs' murder case. He believed he'd identified his suspect, 24-year-old Franz Mula. Unfortunately, Mula had a five-day head start on a trip to America, but Tanner wasn't going to let him escape so easily. Mullah had set across the Atlantic

and a sailing ship called the Victoria. It would be several weeks before he docked in New York. If Tanner took the more technologically advanced steamship, he could arrive first and arrest Mula as soon as he stepped onto American soil. The chief magistrate also assigned another officer, Sergeant George Clark, to board the steamship alongside Tanner. Mr. Death and Jonathan Matthews also joined to serve as witnesses.

The men took off on Wednesday, July 20th, 1864, heading for America. The journey would take about two weeks. In the meantime, Franz Mullah's identification ratcheted up media attention once again. Headlines about the German man flooded newspapers. With so many eyes on the case, Scotland Yard couldn't rest. Even though their lead detective was heading abroad, they continued investigating on the home front. Early the following week, another inspector, Thomas Steer,

headed up an operation at Mula's last known residence. All right, lads, Mullah stripped this room bare before setting sail. But it's up to us to collect some concrete evidence. The words of a handsome cab driver and a pawnbroker may not hold up in court. But, sir, there's nothing here, not even a bed sheet. We don't have anything to go off of. We just need to dig. Let's see.

Ah, that fireplace. In the corner could have been used to burn some evidence, don't you think? Stier reached into the fireplace and found a singed piece of fabric. It looked like the sleeve of a coat, and it was stained with what appeared to be blood. It was a promising find, so investigators kept digging. At some point, an officer went to another lodger's room in the building. In it, they discovered another walking cane made of whalebone. Up until this point, police suspected that Thomas Briggs's own cane had been the murder weapon,

but it had been relatively clean when it was found. Given the amount of force required to crush someone's skull, it seemed likely the murder weapon would be covered in blood. But perhaps Mullah had borrowed the fellow lodgers cane and used that to commit the crime. He would have had time to clean it before. returning it to its owner. Steer sent the two items to a doctor for analysis. With that, the case was at a pause.

The police and the public had to wait for two ships to cross the Atlantic and for the items from Mullah's room to be analyzed. It was a painful period in the investigation. Answers felt so close, yet so far away. As the public sat with this discomfort, they started to doubt if law enforcement could really solve the case. Letters poured in from concerned citizens, questioning the police's methodology. Tanner had only shown John Death a single photo of Mula in order to identify him,

but better practices would have required the jeweler to identify Mula from a lineup. Other notes brought up new witness accounts and possible suspects. Even with Mula identified, civilians were still looking for potential connections to the Briggs case. But some people didn't have such good intentions. intentions. Men who were arrested for other crimes confessed to the Briggs murder, only to be proven as liars. Each hoax got people's hopes up and drew their attention further away from Franz Mulla. Plus, there was still the issue of Tanner's Star Witness, Jonathan Matthews, the handsome cab driver. Many continued to question the working-class man's account, convinced he was only after the reward.

As Inspector Steer and his men waited through these uncertainties, even more arose. Police had been able to locate Thomas Briggs's missing watch chain, and the one Mula had exchanged for it. It turned out that Mula had pawned the new chain to help pay for his ticket to America. But through it all, there had been no sign of Briggs's watch itself. It was possible Mula still had it, but it seemed odd to have one item and not the other. Unfortunately, even forensic analysis couldn't put these doubts to rest. A doctor confirmed that there was blood on the torn sleeve found in Mullah's fireplace, but he couldn't say whether or not it belonged to Thomas Briggs,

and the analysis of the cane came back inconclusive. Frustratingly, Steer and the team in England couldn't communicate any of this to the detectives traveling across the Atlantic. And when Richard Tanner and George Clark arrived in New York on, August 5th, they set to work obtaining a warrant for Mullah's arrest. Mullah's ship was nearing American soil, and the fervor in England had already leapt across the pond to U.S. newspapers. By the time the sailing ship Victoria approached the New York Harbor on Wednesday, August 24th,

Americans knew exactly who Franz Mula was. The crowd amassed at the shore, eager for a look at the now-famous suspect, a great group of bystanders chanted, how are you, Mullah the murderer? With these voices as an underscore, Sergeant Clark, along with a New York police officer and a doctor, boarded the ship.

They were about to confront the most wanted man in England. That's him, lads. Hold his arms, please. What is the matter? Are you friends, Mula, from London? Yes, that's me, officer. What's going on?

On. Fainting innocence, are you? Yeah, no matter. Franz Mula, you are under arrest for the murder of Thomas Briggs on July 9th while riding the North London Railway toward Hackney's station. Forgive me, officers, but I can assure you, I was never on that line. But when the investigators turned to Mr. John Death, he identified Mula as the man who sold him Thomas Briggs's watch chain. and things only got worse for Mullah when Sergeant Clark inspected his luggage. This black silk top hat. Is it yours? How long have you had it? Uh, yes, officer. It's mine. I've had it for 12 months or so. And what's this? A pocket watch. Where'd you get this? I bought it from someone at the London Docks two years ago.

It has nothing to do with this. Maker's Mark says Archer of Hackney, same brand as Thomas Briggs's watch. How do you explain that? It's got to be a coincidence. Put him in chains, lads. He's our man. Finally, Scotland Yard had their suspect cornered,

but the turmoil was far from over. While tracking down Thomas Briggs' murderer had been difficult, it was nothing compared to actually bringing him to justice. Thanks again for tuning into solved murders. We'll be back next Wednesday with part two of Thomas Briggs's story. We'll see how Franz Mulla became a scapegoat for public fears around class divides and immigration, and how his trial changed the English railway system forever. For more information on the murder of Thomas Briggs,

amongst the many sources we used, we found murder in the first-class carriage, the first Victorian railway killing by, Kate Cahoon, extremely helpful to our research. You can find all episodes of Solved Murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. If we live till next time. Solve Murders True Crime Mysteries is a Spotify original from Parcast.

It is executive produced by Max Cutler. Sound design by Michael Langsner, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, Carly Madden, and Freddie Beckley. This episode of Solve Murders was written by Kayla Westergard-Dobson, with writing assistance by Karris Allen and Giles Hofsef, fact-checking by Claire Cronin, and research by Mickey Taylor. The amazing cast of voice actors includes Tom Bauer, Tiana Camacho, Joe Hernandez, Brian Kim McCormick, and Cameron Nicod.

Solve Murders stars Wendy McKenzie and Carter Roy.