A Man Named Goodson

POPLAR MURDER MYSTERY.

DETECTIVES HARD AT WORK.
STATEMENT OF A "DEPUTY."

Detective-Inspector Swanson, one of Scotland-yard's experienced officers, together with Detective-Inspector Wildey and other detectives, are today pursuing their investigations with respect to the tragedy at Clarke's-yard, High-street, Poplar. The deceased has been known amongst her acquaintances by so many names, that the police have had some little difficulty in getting at her real identity. To most of her companions she was simply "Fair Clara" or "Drunken Liz," while her surname has been variously considered to be "Downe," "Downey," and "Davis." Yesterday, the police secured the attendance at the Poplar Mortuary of Elizabeth Usher, the head nurse at the Bromley Sick Asylum, where the deceased woman was formerly an inmate. Miss Usher immediately recognised the woman, whose name was entered on the books at Milett. It is thought that the name under which Miss Usher recognised her is her real name, for the books of the institution were referred to, and it was discovered that she last entered the asylum on Jan. 20, 1888, and discharged herself on March 14.

WHERE THE DECEASED LODGED.

The deceased has informed most of her acquaintances that she had a mother living in Baker's-row or Old-Montague-street, Spitalfields. The police have, however, failed to discover any relatives in this neighourhood, but have found that the deceased resided in a common lodging-house in George-street, a thoroughfare in Spitalfields, made notorious by the recent attempt to murder a woman in a similar establishment.
Mary Smith, the "deputy" at the George-street lodging-house where Milett lived, states that the woman had lodged with her for about three months, and had until within the last fortnight a male companion in a man named Goodson, but this man, she stated, had not seen the deceased for the past two weeks. The last time Mary Smith saw her alive was on the previous Wednesday night, when between six and seven o'clock Rose Milett left for Poplar, Mrs. Smith giving her twopence to pay her tram fare to the district where she met her death. She had always known the deceased by the name of Davis, and no other. She believed that her mother lived in Baker's-row, but she had never seen her, only having heard the deceased say that her mother lived there.

Source: The Echo, Wednesday December 26, 1888, Page 3

I have been looking into this Mr. Goodson, the man who lived with Rose Mylett and have come up with the following:

A BRIXTON TRAGEDY.
YOUNG WOMAN SHOT DEAD.

PROCEEDINGS IN COURT.
THE HUSBAND'S EVIDENCE.

Both Goodson and Chivers appeared at the Lambeth Police-court this morning, but in different capacities. Goodson, who is a youth of about 18 years of age, was placed in the dock, charged with causing the death of Caroline Chivers. George Herbert Chivers occupied the witness-box. He described himself as a commercial traveller, and stated that he had known Goodson as a friend for about eighteen months. On Saturday morning Goodson came to witness's house, and asked him for a night's shelter. Witness agreed to give him shelter for that night. Witness saw him again in the evening, when Goodson showed him two revolvers. They afterwards went home together. It was arranged that Goodson should sleep on the hearthrug, while witness and his wife slept in the bed. There was

NO QUARREL OF ANY KIND.

Witness got out of bed at about half-past ten the next morning to get his wife some water. Goodson dressed himself, and lighted the fire. He afterwards produced the two revolvers. He took the drum out of one of the weapons, and handed it to Mrs. Chivers. She pointed the revolver at witness in a playful manner, and said she would shoot him. She next pointed the revolver at Goodson, and he pointed the other weapon at her. They were joking together, and they each pulled the trigger two or three times. Goodson then came alone to the bedside, and again pulled the trigger, this time with a fatal result. The chamber was loaded, and the bullet entered the unfortunate woman's right eye and pierced the brain. The prisoner then exclaimed, "I did not know it was loaded, George, upon my word." Witness then related how a doctor was sent for, and how both he and Goodson were arrested when the police came. Goodson admitted at the station that he shot the woman.

PRISONER EXPLAINS.

Goodson made a statement correcting Chivers, and said he had not asked for a night's shelter. He was invited to stay to supper, and did so. He added that Chivers showed him a letter which his wife had left for him, stating that she had left him for ever, as he was always hitting her. Mrs. Chivers, however, came home that night, and it was finally arranged that he should remain for the night. Chivers adhered to his first statement, and denied that he had ever quarrelled with his wife, though they had occasional "tiffs."
Police evidence was next given as to the arrests and the finding of the cartridges. The revolvers were also produced.
Mr. Biron remanded the prisoner, remarking that he thought it an accident, resulting from the foolish action of persons playing with revolvers.

GOODSON MAKES AN EXPLANATION.

The painful affair at 60, Saltoun-road, generally a very quiet part of Brixton, has created no small amount of excitement in that quarter, and this morning, when our reporter visited the spot, little knots of persons, more or less morbidly-disposed, were assembled in the thoroughfare, discussing what is now regarded as a rather mysterious death. Inspector Ellis and other police-officers have been busy since yesterday afternoon in gleaning information as to the antecedents of Goodson, who is believed to have been a commercial traveller.

THE LANDLADY'S STATEMENT.

Mrs. Cutler, the landlady at the house, made the following statement to an Echo reporter this morning: - "It was some time after eleven o'clock yesterday morning that my daughter Emily and myself were in the front room, just underneath the bedroom occupied by Mr. Chivers and his wife, when we heard what sounded like an explosion overhead. I said to my daughter, "You go and see what it is," but instead I went myself. Upon entering the bedroom there was a shocking sight. "Little Mrs. Chivers," as we called her, was lying in the bed, with her hair dishevelled, and her husband trying to revive her by putting water on her face. His agony was terrible to witness. "Speak to me, Carrie! Do speak to me!" he kept saying, but his wife did not utter a word. Almost as soon as I entered, the young fellow Goodson rushed out of the door, and said he was going for a doctor. I did not see any revolver about then, and, for what reason I don't know, I thought at first that Mrs. Chivers had been injured by an explosion of chemicals. I was utterly astounded to see Goodson in the room, as it was occupied, as we thought, only by Mr. and Mrs. Chivers, who have been married eight months, and whose residence here has been for a fortnight, when they brought their furniture with them. Well, after waiting some time for a medical man to arrive, Dr. Burn came, followed by Dr. Knight.

GOODSON'S EXPLANATION.

"Then Goodson appeared, and his statement at first was: - "Mrs. Chivers and myself were each holding a revolver, pointed at each other, in play, when one of the weapons went off. I did not know it was loaded." "The police tell me," continued Mrs. Cutler, "that it is an extraordinary thing that a married man should allow another man to have slept in the bedroom. Well, so it is; but no one here knew, except Mr. and Mrs. Chivers, that Goodson slept here on Saturday night. He must have made himself quite free, for when I went into the room first he had evidently just lighted the fire in the grate, and was about getting some breakfast ready. Mrs. Chivers was always very quiet but playful - a very nice tenant. On Saturday evening, when I was out shopping, I saw Mr. Chivers and his friend Goodson walking up and down the pavement. Goodson, though out of work, had these two revolvers, as the police tell me, though I had never seen them before. Goodson had occasionally called to see Mr. Chivers; but he knew Mrs. Chivers - whose maiden name was Flowers - before she was married. When searching the room," added Mrs. Cutler, "the police found a case containing forty-nine cartridges."

Source: The Echo, Monday June 3, 1889, Page 3

Here is another possibility for the man named Goodson:

Edward Goodson, 188 Brick-lane, Spitalfields, carman.

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Source: Commercial Gazette, Thursday March 08, 1883, Page 15

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Source: Commercial Gazette, Thursday March 08, 1883, Page 2

John Goodson, 23, a carman:

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Source: Lloyd's Weekly London Newspaper, May 11, 1890, Page 5

N.B. I presume that he could not be located in the 1891 Census due to the fact that he was incarcerated.

After having received a private message from a reader questioning whether the man whom Rose Mylett cohabited, Goodson, was really the name of the person who was charged in the Brixton affair. Well, I did a little further research and discovered this in "The Echo."

THE BRIXTON TRAGEDY.
INQUEST ON THE VICTIM.

The inquest on the body of Caroline Chivers, wife of a commercial traveller, who was killed under remarkable circumstances at 60, Saltoun-road, Brixton, on Sunday morning, was held yesterday, by Mr. G.P. Wyatt. The husband met a friend, Joseph John Goodsall, on Saturday night, and took him home. The deceased and her husband occupied a bed in the same room as Goodsall, who slept on the hearth-rug. Next morning, Chivers deposed, his wife and Goodsall were playing with two revolvers, when the one Goodsall had went off, killing Mrs. Chivers almost instantly. Chivers added that Goodsall had told him that he and a friend intended breaking into a jeweller's shop, and that deceased's father had given him the revolvers the day before. The father of the deceased, upon this point, said he took charge of the revolvers for Goodsall, and bought some cartridges for him, as he said he was going to the goldfields in South Africa. - Further evidence went to show that deceased lived unhappily with her husband, and complained of the bad company he kept. - The Jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death."

Source: The Echo, Thursday June 6, 1889, Page 3

N.B. So it seems that Goodsall and Goodson were not one and the same person, and that Goodson, who lived with Rose Mylett was not involved in the Brixton affair.