Lydia Adler

Parties and identities

Lydia Adler (1704–?) was an English housewife and the late wife of John Adler. John Adler was murdered by Lydia Adler in 1744.

Timeline

• 11 May 1744 — Lydia Adler was seen to throw her husband on the ground and repeatedly kick him in the groin.
• 11 May 1744 — A few hours later John Adler arrived at a friend’s house holding a handkerchief to his bloodied head and shouting, "This eternal fiend will be the death of me!", meaning his wife.
• 14 May 1744 — Surgeon Thomas Godman attended John Adler and examined his complaint.
• 23 May 1744 — John Adler died after lingering in St Bartholomew’s Hospital from 11 May until 23 May.
• 23 May 1744 — Minutes before his death, John Adler inquired about a warrant, asking, "Do you have the warrant yet?"
• 23 May 1744 — After John Adler’s death, Lydia Adler was arrested.
• June 1744 — An Old Bailey trial took place; Lydia Adler was tried at the sessions held in June 1744, and a verdict of manslaughter was given.
• 1744 — Lydia Adler was burned in the hand.
• Last September Sessions — Lydia Adler was indicted by the name of Lydia Millin, otherwise Adler, for breaking and entering a dwelling house and stealing wearing apparel and a silver watch; she was acquitted.
• After the Old Bailey proceedings — She was again indicted on the coroner’s inquest for manslaughter.

Background

John and Lydia Adler continually quarrelled. The wife was described as a large, bad-tempered woman and usually got the better of her husband.

John Adler had four wives. Lydia Adler was one of his wives, and Joseph Steel later testified that John Adler had four wives and that they frequently fought together.

John Adler also had a hernia, described as rupture of the gut in the scrotum (hernia intestinalis). The surgeon evidence described it as a long-continuance complaint, though there was a contusion on the groin.

The offence

Lydia Adler was indicted for a felonious, traiterous, wilful assault committed on 11 May in the Parish of St. Sepulchres, in the Ward of Farringdon within. The indictment alleged that she cast and threw John Adler upon the ground and then kicked and stamped him in the groin, giving "one mortal bruise." The bruise allegedly caused John Adler to languish in St Bartholomew’s Hospital from 11 May until 23 May, when he died.

The indictment alleged that Lydia Adler killed and murdered John Adler.

The injury described in the trial proceedings included kicks and stamping on John Adler’s groin, and the resulting bruise was said to lead to mortification.

Investigation and witness evidence

Hannah Adler gave evidence against Lydia Adler. Hannah Adler swore that her father told her that his wife had given him the wounds that later occasioned his death. Hannah Adler described that on 11 May her father told her the prisoner had murdered him, and that he told her again on 13 May. Hannah Adler also said that her father died between twelve and one in the afternoon.

Benjamin Barton deposed that on 11 May the deceased came to his house with "a bloody handkerchief about his head" and asked for a spare bed, saying: "This eternal fiend [meaning his wife] will be the death of me, for she has stamped upon my private parts."

Barton refused to lodge him, knowing the woman to be of a very turbulent disposition. Barton then stated that he visited the deceased during his illness, and that the deceased repeatedly said: "I wish, Mr Barton, you would be so good as to get a warrent to secure this woman, for she will be the death of me"

Barton further said that two hours before John Adler died he inquired whether such a warrant had been procured, and desired that Barton see her brought to justice, with Barton promising to do so if it lay in his power.

Barton’s testimony included that the deceased died after a period of being with him much about 12 o’clock.

Benjamin Barton’s testimony also included that the deceased said: "This eternal fiend [meaning his wife] will be the death of me."

Hannah Adler’s testimony included her father’s statement: "I am a dead man, and this lady [the Prisoner] has killed me."

The statement was described as made about 10 minutes before he died.

Medical evidence

Thomas Godman, a surgeon, attended the deceased on 14 May and testified that the first word the deceased said to him was: "This wicked woman has murdered me."

Godman examined John Adler and found a rupture of the gut in the scrotum, with the gut fallen down into the scrotum ("hernia intestinalis"). Godman testified that the rupture was not recent and that the complaint had existed for some years. Godman also testified that there was a contusion upon the groin that caused stagnation of the contents of the gut in the scrotum, and that, despite efforts to relieve him, the deceased died. Godman stated that he believed John Adler died about 23 May.

Godman testified that after opening him after the Coroner had taken his inquest, he found the gut mortified, which was the occasion of death. Godman stated that he took it to be by the bruise upon the part of the gut that comes down into the scrotum.

Godman also testified that the deceased died of mortification occasioned by a blow, while acknowledging the rupture and contusion.

Godman stated: "It would not have hurt him, for some labour 20 years under this complaint"

Godman further testified: "It was sufficient to occassion a stagnation of the contents, which occasioned the complaint"

When questioned about who the deceased meant in the statement about the wicked woman having killed him, Godman testified that the deceased never mentioned any name.

Defence case

In her defence, Lydia Adler denied lifting "hand or foot" against her husband. She testified that he had two wives besides her and described a quarrel happening between her and one of the wives. She stated that the husband endeavoured to part them, and that he fell down while trying to part them. She stated that the other woman fell upon him. She stated that she herself never lifted hand or foot against him.

Lydia Adler testified about the hospital advice and an interaction involving Hannah Adler. She said she was advised to carry her husband to the hospital, but that Hannah Adler knocked her down with a hair broom and took him to her house.

Lydia Adler described the history of her husband’s condition and testified that he had not had an hour’s health since she had him, describing it as "4 years and an half." She also stated that her husband loved women and had got two wives besides her, that one of them struck her, and that she described another woman striking her and tearing her cap from her head. Lydia Adler also described events in which she said the husband tried to pull the other woman off her, fell backward, and the other woman fell upon him.

Lydia Adler stated: "If he lays any thing against me I will suffer the law."

Character and additional testimony

Joseph Steele deposed that he had known Lydia Adler about nine or ten years. Steele testified that John Adler was acquainted with another woman in Golden-lane and had two children by her. Steele said John Adler was loving to his wives at first but later beat them severely. Steele said he had seen the prisoner and her husband frequently fight together.

Steele testified that John Adler had four wives, that he had another wife between her and the prisoner, and that the wives fought like dog and cat. Steele said John Adler had a housekeeper who beat him and that when he put her off, he took to it; Steele described the housekeeper and testified that money thinness led to wanting her to work and allowing little for it.

Steele testified: "I believe they trumped up stories against her"

Steele stated that he carried Lydia Adler twice to New Prison and that on the last warrant the Justice did not believe she was guilty, and discharged her.

Steele further testified that when John Adler struck Lydia Adler, Steele believed Lydia Adler struck him again, and that Steele had seen them fight up and down. When asked about whether he had seen her strike, Steele answered, "Yes, I have; upon my oath I have; I have seen them fight up and down."

When asked whether Lydia Adler knew John Adler had taken her up for a robbery, Steele responded that he could not say anything about that, but testified that he knew John Adler tried his first wife, and that this was the 4th wife and that they were all served in the same kind.

Trial

Lydia Adler was tried at the Old Bailey at the sessions held in June 1744. She was indicted for the wilful murder of her husband, John Adler, by throwing him on the ground, kicking and stamping on his groin, and giving him a mortal bruise.

Hannah Adler testified against Lydia Adler.

A Dr Goodman (Thomas Godman) testified about John Adler’s hernia and stated that the kicks to the groin would not have killed a healthy man, and that the husband died of a mortification occasioned by a blow.

In her defence, Lydia Adler said her husband had fallen down while trying to part a quarrel between her and one of his other wives, and that the other woman fell on him.

The jury returned a verdict of manslaughter.

Sentencing

After the guilty verdict for manslaughter, Lydia Adler was sentenced to be burned in the hand. She was then set free.

A quotation from Lydia Adler during the branding process appeared in the case narrative: "Hurry up - I have my linen to do."

Appeals

No appeals were described in the provided material.

Other indictments and coroner’s inquest

She was indicted last September Sessions under the name Lydia Millin, otherwise Adler, for breaking and entering the dwelling house of John Adler the younger and stealing wearing apparel, which was the property of Priscilla Adler, and a silver watch, which was the property of John Adler the elder (the deceased), and she was acquitted.

She was again indicted on the coroner’s inquest for manslaughter, and the coroner’s proceedings were referenced in the medical testimony after which the surgeon opened the body.