The Willie Starchfield Murder Mystery

On a cold, grey January afternoon in 1914, a railway carriage travelling through north London shuttled along its route, carrying a grim secret. Beneath a third-class carriage seat lay the body of five-year-old Willie Starchfield, strangled and carefully concealed from view. Earlier that day, Willie had been sent out on an errand and never came home. The police launched a struggling investigation, hampered by a voracious press and conflicting witnesses, that eventually concluded with the arrest of Willie’s own father. Yet when the case finally reached court, the truth remained frustratingly out of reach.

SOURCES

The Star (1914) N.L.R. Train Murder. The Star, Fri 9 Jan 1914, p1. London, UK.

Bradford Daily Argus (1914) Revenge? Bradford Daily Argus, Fri 9 Jan 1914, p1. Bradford, UK.

The Star (1914) London Train Murder. The Star, Sat 10 Jan 1914, p1. London, UK.

The Star (1914) N.L.R. Train Murder. The Star, Fri 9 Jan 1914, p1. London, UK.

The Star (1914) Scotland Yard Dilemma. The Star, Mon 12 Jan 1914, p1. London, UK.

The Star (1914) Hunt For Train Murderer. The Star, Tues 13 Jan 1914, p1. London, UK.

The Star (1914) Tube “Clues” To N.L.R. Murder. The Star, Wed 14 Jan 1914, p5. London, UK.

The Star (1914) Train Murder Inquest. The Star, Thurs 15 Jan 1914, p1. London, UK.

Londonderry Standard (1914) The Body Under The Seat. Thurs 15 Jan 1914, p1. Londonderry, UK.

Lloyd’s Weekly News (1914) The Murder Of Willie Starchfield. Sun 1 March 1914. P1. London, UK.