45 year old Frederick Foreman had been living with his girlfriend, 43 year old Elizabeth Eley for some time in a disused railway carriage in a field at East Hall Farm at Church Lane, Wennington near Grays in Essex, the farm where they both worked.
On Whit Monday, the 16th of May 1910, the two went out drinking at the Three Crowns pub in Rainham Ferry and were heard quarrelling. It is thought that Foreman suspected Elizabeth of being unfaithful to him. They got back to the field and here Foreman began to attack her. He reported finding her body to the police the next morning.
The crime scene investigation revealed that the attack had been prolonged and had taken place in at least three locations with Elizabeth being dragged between them. She had severe lacerations to her head, caused by being hit with a heavy stick. She also had a broken leg and numerous bruises from being kicked. An examination of the railway carriage revealed Foreman’s blood stained clothing.
Foreman was tried at Chelmsford on the 15th of June 1910, before Mr. Justice Phillimore and condemned to hang. Foreman’s appeal before Mr. Justice Darling was dismissed on 27th of June.
The execution was scheduled for Thursday the 14th of July at Springfield Prison in Chelmsford. Henry Pierrepoint had been selected by the Under Sheriff to carry out the hanging and was to be assisted by John Ellis. The governor informed Foreman that there would be no reprieve and that he would be hanged on Thursday. Foreman told the governor that “he supposed that he was guilty but he knew nothing about it.”
As required, Pierrepoint arrived at the prison before 4 p.m. but was noted to be “considerably the worse for drink". He got into an altercation with Ellis, calling him an “Irish bastard” and taking his jacket off to fight him. This altercation was broken up by a warder. The incident was reported to the Home Office and was also noted on the LPC4 form.
The following morning at 8.00 a.m. Foreman was hanged. Pierrepoint gave him a drop of 6’ 8” for his body weight of 210 lbs. The LPC4 form records both fracture/dislocation and asphyxia as the causes of death. However it was still reported that “the execution was very satisfactorily carried out & most expeditiously.”
Winston Churchill was the Home Secretary of the day and had no hesitation in confirming the decision of the Prison Commissioners to remove Pierrepoint from the list of executioners, writing on the file: "Make certain this fellow is never employed again." A confidential circular was sent to all county sheriffs telling them that Pierrepoint's name had been removed from the official list.
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