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A Crime That Became One of the Most Shocking Cases of the Early 20th Century
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Please remember to subscribe and hit the bell icon as well as leave a like and a comment for more videos every week!
Brief Case is a True Crime Channel focusing on old or lost cases that have been forgotten to history. If you have any recommendations for future cases that you would like to bring to light, feel free to reach out to me to: briefcaseuk@gmail.com
Music by CO.AG Music - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwZB4l43iTw&t=105s
Music by Myuu -https://www.youtube.com/user/myuuji
Music by Kevin Macleod - https://incompetech.com
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NewsTranscript
00:07Today we are looking at a case, from the start of the 20th century.
00:12So sit back, as we go, to Wales.
00:18Nita Dorothy Lawrence, known to everyone simply as Dorothy,
00:22was born on the 11th of August 1889, in the small mining village of Abertriddu in South Wales.
00:28The village lay a few miles northwest of the town of Cofilly,
00:31and like many communities across the South Wales valleys during the late 19th century,
00:36revolved almost entirely around coal mining.
00:39The growth of the coal industry had transformed the region.
00:42Pits had rapidly expanded, railways pushed deeper into the valleys,
00:46and workers arrived from across Britain in search of employment.
00:49The completion of the railway through the Cofilly district in 1871,
00:54made the movement of coal easier, and encouraged further industrial development.
00:58With new collieries opening, and the population increasing,
01:02many local families sought ways to supplement their income, by renting rooms to lodgers.
01:07The Lawrence family were among those who did so.
01:10Dorothy lived with her parents, Mr William and Mrs Alma Lawrence.
01:14Her brother also called William, and her younger sister Beatrice, at number 5 Aberforth Terrace.
01:19Her father worked on ships sailing out of Cardiff docks, that carried goods overseas,
01:25and this meant that he spent long periods away from home.
01:28To bring in extra money, Mrs Lawrence rented rooms to young working men employed in the district.
01:34This arrangement helped the family financially, although the house itself was small and overcrowded.
01:39There were only two bedrooms.
01:42Mrs Lawrence shared one room with her daughters Dorothy and Beatrice,
01:45while young William slept in the other alongside the two lodgers.
01:49One named John Donovan, who worked as a porter at the railway station,
01:52and a young man named Noah Patrick Collins, who was known to everyone as Percy.
01:57When Mr William Lawrence was not at sea, he slept downstairs in the lounge.
02:04Noah Patrick Collins was born in 1883, in the village of Caddicton, near Barry in South Wales.
02:10His childhood had been difficult.
02:12Both his parents died while he was still very young, and at the age of eight,
02:16he was sent to Eli Industrial School, an institution for destitute children,
02:21that was connected with the workhouse.
02:23Life for young children in such establishments was strict and often lonely.
02:26He remained there for around ten years, receiving only a basic education,
02:31in a heavy disciplined environment, that was common to such institutions.
02:36During the time he was there, the Elementary Education Act raised the school leaving age to eleven,
02:42though for children like Percy, the standard of schooling often remained limited.
02:46Once he had finished his education, he followed the same path as many boys growing up in the industrial valleys
02:52of South Wales,
02:53and went to work in the coal mines.
02:55The work there was hard, miners laboured underground for long hours,
02:59in cramped, dusty conditions, where accidents were common,
03:03and although the wages could be better than in many other occupations,
03:07it was exhausting, dangerous and physically demanding.
03:10Percy disliked mining, and found work as soon as he was able.
03:14He joined the crew aboard a steamship and travelled overseas,
03:17managing to see far more of the world than just the valleys of South Wales.
03:21He also served during the Boer War in South Africa, in the early years of the 20th century,
03:26a conflict fought between the British Empire and the Boer Republics, over control of territory in South Africa.
03:34The war was harsh, with British soldiers enduring difficult conditions, and long campaigns across the South African countryside.
03:41When the war ended, Percy wore the medal he received for his service there with great pride.
03:47Following this, he travelled to India, where he spent time picking fruits,
03:51before travelling to North America, where he worked in Boston, and later he went on to Canada.
03:56For a young man, these experiences were unusual and exciting.
04:00Yet despite his travels, he eventually returned to South Wales.
04:04The valleys were familiar to him, and mining work was always available.
04:08His brother also lived there, giving him some sense of belonging.
04:14By now it was 1907, he was 24 years old, and compared with many of the local miners, he seemed
04:21worldly and experienced.
04:23He soon found lodgings in the house of Mrs. Lawrence, at 5 Aberfort Terrace.
04:28Despite the cramped living arrangements, Percy liked the house.
04:32He had grown up without a stable family life of his own, and he found a sense of warmth and
04:37belonging in the Lawrence home.
04:39Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence were both proud of their daughter Dorothy,
04:42and everyone who knew her considered her to be an attractive, polite and charming young lady,
04:46and Percy became increasingly drawn to her.
04:49At first, Dorothy paid him little attention.
04:52He was simply another lodger in her parents' house.
04:55But over time, they spoke more frequently, and Percy entertained her with stories about his travels overseas,
05:01describing the life in India, South Africa, America and Canada.
05:05Dorothy, who had spent her life in a small Welsh mining community,
05:09found these stories fascinating, and eventually she agreed to walk out with him.
05:14On these occasions, Dorothy wore her best dress, while Percy put on his finest suit.
05:19Their walks became well known within the village,
05:22and Dorothy informed her mother that she was spending time with the lodger.
05:26Mrs. Lawrence told her daughter that she did not object,
05:28as long as Mr. Collins conducted himself properly.
05:32At the beginning, the relationship appeared harmless enough.
05:35Dorothy was a young woman enjoying the company of a young man,
05:38who had seen more of the world than most people she knew.
05:41Percy, meanwhile, became deeply attached to her.
05:44Dorothy had a studio photograph taken of herself,
05:47which was fashionable among young women at the time.
05:50Such photographs were often exchanged as tokens of affection or friendship,
05:54and Percy repeatedly asked Dorothy to give him one.
05:57At first, she hesitated, perhaps teasing him by saying the pictures were too small,
06:03but eventually she agreed, and from that moment on,
06:06Percy treasured the photograph, and carried it with him constantly.
06:10Despite his growing feelings for Dorothy, Percy was still restless.
06:14He disliked life in the mines, and believed that his future opportunities lay overseas,
06:19rather than in South Wales.
06:21He started to consider returning to America.
06:24Dorothy knew he was thinking about leaving,
06:26and eventually asked him directly whether he intended to go.
06:29She admitted she would miss him if he left,
06:32and hinted that she would rather he remained in Wales.
06:35Percy somehow began to convince himself that these conversations amounted to a promise of marriage.
06:41Though no formal engagement existed between them,
06:44he told Dorothy that he would go to America, and once he had settled there,
06:48he would return for her.
06:49In November 1907, he travelled to Liverpool,
06:53intending to board a ship bound for New York.
06:56However, for reasons that remain unclear,
06:58he never actually sailed, and instead he returned to Abertriddu,
07:02and resumed living in the Lawrence house.
07:04However, following his return,
07:06the relationship he thought he had with Dorothy began to deteriorate.
07:09She would go out and socialise without him, something that Percy very much resented,
07:14and he became intensely jealous,
07:17when he learned that she had given another young man one of her photographs.
07:21He questioned her repeatedly about it, and they frequently argued.
07:25Percy started to become quite aggressive,
07:27and Dorothy's friends began to worry about her.
07:30They knew that he had a quick temper, and warned her to be careful.
07:34For a long time they had been telling her that Noah Patrick Collins
07:37was not someone with whom she should keep company,
07:39and said that in their opinion,
07:41she ought to look for a man with better prospects and a calmer character.
07:45Eventually, Dorothy started walking out with another young man,
07:49and when Percy heard about it, he became very angry,
07:52and told her that if he ever saw them together, he would shoot them both.
07:56His behaviour frightened her.
07:58She now talked to him as little as possible,
08:00and attempted to avoid him inside the house,
08:03though they still lived under the same roof.
08:05The friendship that had once existed between them had disappeared.
08:10The summer of 1908 was a lively period in Britain.
08:14London hosted the Olympic Games,
08:16after the planned games in Rome had been cancelled
08:18following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius two years earlier.
08:22Though the national economy remained relatively strong,
08:25industrial unrest was growing,
08:26as wages stagnated and inflation increased.
08:29In the mining districts, conversations about strikes and working conditions,
08:34filled homes and public houses alike.
08:37Within the Lawrence household, Dorothy's brother William and the two lodgers,
08:41often discussed labour disputes and the hardships facing miners.
08:46Dorothy herself paid little attention to such matters.
08:49Most of her time was spent helping her mother around the house,
08:52and preparing for social events and outings with her friends.
08:55She was excited about an upcoming holiday.
08:58She did not say exactly where she intended to go,
09:01though fashionable seaside resorts were popular destinations for young people at the time.
09:06She ordered a new dress especially for the occasion.
09:09When Percy heard about her plans,
09:11he was not at all happy.
09:13The thought of Dorothy enjoying herself,
09:15and going to a place where there would be other young men tormented him.
09:18Though he tried to dismiss her from his thoughts,
09:21it seemed that he was still quite obsessed with her.
09:24On Saturday the 15th of August 1908,
09:27Percy travelled to Cardiff,
09:29feeling increasingly desperate.
09:31Convinced that he could not bear to see Dorothy with another man,
09:34he decided to buy a revolver.
09:36When he discovered that he lacked sufficient money,
09:39he instead purchased two knives.
09:41Over the following two days,
09:43he brooded constantly over his life,
09:45and his relationship with Dorothy.
09:47He still believed that she had promised to marry him,
09:50and her refusal to continue the relationship
09:52filled him with both jealousy and humiliation.
09:55On the evening of Sunday the 16th of August,
09:58the Lawrence family gathered together in the sitting room.
10:01It had been a warm summer day,
10:03and everyone appeared cheerful.
10:05Dorothy had spent time out with friends,
10:07and happily described her activities.
10:09During her conversation,
10:11she repeatedly mentioned the name of the young man
10:13who she had recently met.
10:15Percy listened silently,
10:17growing more distressed as the evening wore on.
10:20By the time he went upstairs to bed,
10:22he was convinced that he had lost any chance of winning Dorothy back.
10:26The following morning,
10:27Monday the 17th of August 1908,
10:30Percy did not go to work at the mine.
10:32He remained in bed later than usual,
10:34and eventually came downstairs after the others had begun their day.
10:38Dorothy was in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
10:40Her brother William,
10:42and the other lodger John Donovan,
10:44had already left for work,
10:45while Mrs. Lawrence was upstairs.
10:48After eating breakfast,
10:49Percy asked Dorothy for a kiss.
10:52She refused.
10:53He asked again,
10:54and once more she said no,
10:56and laughed nervously,
10:57before saying that Mr. Donovan might return at any moment.
11:01This did not deter Percy.
11:02He persisted,
11:04and demanded she kiss him,
11:05but Dorothy continued to refuse.
11:07Percy then calmly walked to the kitchen door and locked it.
11:11Dorothy immediately became worried.
11:13She told him to open the door,
11:15and warned that if he did not,
11:16she would call for her mother.
11:18She then attempted to escape by moving around the kitchen table,
11:21but Percy forced her into a corner,
11:23took out one of the knives from his pockets,
11:26and tried to intimidate her,
11:27demanding that she submit to his advances.
11:30Dorothy strongly objected.
11:32She was now crying,
11:33and shielding her face with her hands.
11:35She started to scream,
11:37and Percy,
11:38knowing that Mrs. Lawrence was upstairs,
11:40panicked,
11:41and in a desperate attempt to silence Dorothy's screams,
11:44he stabbed her.
11:45She gave a low cry,
11:47and clapped towards the floor.
11:49For some reason,
11:50Percy stabbed her again.
11:51He then got out the other knife,
11:53and stabbed her again and again,
11:55until one of the handles snapped off.
11:57Upstairs,
11:58Mrs. Lawrence heard her daughter scream.
12:01She rushed down to the kitchen,
12:02and found the door locked.
12:03She tried desperately to open it,
12:06and eventually managed to break the lock,
12:08and force her way inside.
12:09The sight that confronted her was horrific.
12:12Dorothy lay bleeding on the floor,
12:14while Percy stood nearby.
12:16Mrs. Lawrence cried out in horror,
12:18and called for the assistance of Mr. Trowbridge,
12:20her next door neighbor.
12:21But before he arrived,
12:23Percy had fled the house.
12:24He escaped through the streets,
12:26and climbed over a fence,
12:28before making his way along the railway line.
12:30A signalman named Lewis Greenway saw him,
12:33and noticed that he had blood on his hand.
12:35Percy looked up,
12:37and calmly said,
12:38fetch the police when you like.
12:40I mean to give myself up.
12:42It did not take long for police officers to arrive.
12:45They arrested Percy,
12:46and took him to the police station.
12:48Percy did not hide what he had done.
12:50He gave a detailed statement describing the murder.
12:53He admitted locking the door,
12:54threatening Dorothy with knives,
12:56and stabbing her after she refused his advances.
12:59During the questioning,
13:01he was informed that the young lady,
13:02Anita Dorothy Lawrence,
13:04had died from her injuries.
13:06The murder shocked the small village of Abertriddu.
13:09Dorothy was widely regarded as a respectable,
13:11and well-liked young woman,
13:12and the brutality of the crime horrified the local community.
13:16Newspapers across Wales carried reports
13:18of the killing and the confession.
13:20Many focused on Dorothy's desperate resistance,
13:22and on Percy's jealousy and obsession.
13:28The trial of Noah Patrick Collins,
13:30opened on Friday the 11th of December 1908.
13:34At the Glamorgan Assizes in Swansea,
13:36he stood charged with willful murder.
13:38But although he had already signed a confession,
13:41Percy pleaded not guilty on the grounds of insanity.
13:44The prosecution opened by setting out the events
13:47of the 17th of August,
13:48and submitting Mr. Collins' written confession to the court,
13:52which was read aloud in full,
13:54medical experts were called to testify,
13:56all of whom stated that they believed
13:58that Mr. Collins understood the nature
14:00and the consequences of his actions,
14:02and at the time of the offence he was legally sane.
14:05The prosecution outlined Percy's own behaviour and character,
14:08describing him as brooding,
14:10egotistical, obstinate, and anti-social.
14:13The defence challenged this medical evidence,
14:15and asked Dr. Goodall to define insanity.
14:18The doctor replied that he could not define it,
14:21even if he was given a week to attempt to do so.
14:24This comment drew much laughter in the courtroom.
14:26The defence was led by Mr. Ivor Bowen,
14:29and he argued that his client had been driven by jealousy,
14:32emotional disturbance, and inherited mental instability.
14:36To support his defence, he called local witnesses from Calixton.
14:41Ellen Cronin, a woman who was 77 years old,
14:44told the court that she had known Mr. Collins' grandmother,
14:47and described her as strange,
14:49saying that her behaviour was not normal,
14:51and that she remembered her throwing away good potatoes while peeling them.
14:55She also said that Mr. Collins' father was not altogether there.
14:58Another witness named Mary Ann Matthews gave similar evidence,
15:02stating that while both the grandmother and the father were harmless,
15:06they were known locally to be insane.
15:08The defence stated that Mr. Collins' actions
15:11could be explained by a combination of emotional disturbance,
15:15and hereditary mental weakness,
15:17rather than deliberate intent.
15:19Once the prosecution and defence had delivered their final arguments,
15:22the judge summed up the case,
15:24and the jury then retired to consider their verdict.
15:26However, their retirement was brief,
15:29and only lasted seven minutes,
15:31before they returned with a verdict of guilty.
15:34Before sentence was passed,
15:36Mr. Noah Patrick Collins was invited to speak.
15:40Strangely, he made no expression of remorse.
15:42Instead, he stated that a girl should not break a promise to marry a man,
15:46because of her mother's influence,
15:48and claimed that the relationship had ended,
15:50due to Mrs. Alma Lawrence's dislike of him.
15:53The judge stated that Mr. Collins had been found guilty
15:56of one of the most atrocious murders ever tried in his court,
16:00and added that the prisoner had received a fair trial,
16:03and that everything that could have been said on his behalf had been presented.
16:07He then sentenced Noah Patrick Collins to death.
16:10When Percy had first been arrested,
16:13the police had discovered Dorothy's photograph among his possessions.
16:16The image remained deeply important to him,
16:19and after sentencing,
16:21the judge ordered that the photograph should be returned.
16:23While he awaited his execution,
16:26an appeal for mercy was submitted to the Home Secretary,
16:29Herbert Gladstone,
16:30but after considering the case,
16:32he refused to commute the sentence.
16:34During his final days in prison,
16:36Percy wrote a lengthy confession,
16:38and tried to justify his actions.
16:40In his writing,
16:42he alternated between remorse,
16:44self-pity,
16:45and attempts to excuse the murder.
16:47He spent his last night at Cardiff prison,
16:50restless,
16:50and unable to sleep properly.
16:52Early the following morning,
16:54he was visited by a priest,
16:55who administered the sacrament.
16:57Reports described the scene as solemn,
16:59yet very calm.
17:00As the town hall clock struck eight on Wednesday 30th December 1908,
17:05Percy stepped onto the trap door.
17:08The white hood was drawn over his head,
17:10the noose around his neck,
17:12and within seconds,
17:13the execution had been carried out.
17:16Public interest in the hanging was surprisingly limited.
17:19Fewer than 50 people had reportedly gathered outside the prison walls,
17:23to hear the news that Percy had been hanged.
17:25Afterwards,
17:26he was buried in an unmarked grave within the prison grounds.
17:30When at the gallows,
17:31Percy was wearing the South African medal he had earned during the Boer War,
17:35and also carried a locket containing Dorothy Lawrence's photograph.
17:38The same photograph she had reluctantly agreed to give him,
17:42during the happier days of their acquaintance.
17:44Whether the photograph was buried with him,
17:47has never been established.
17:50Hello everyone,
17:51and thank you so much for listening.
17:54As usual,
17:55please leave any comments or feedback you may have,
17:58and I hope to see you all again,
17:59in the next,
18:01brief,
18:02case.
18:03The world is a large majority of the designs.
18:03Of course,
18:03The.