Death by Hedge Clippers

From Old Bailey Online today comes one nasty piece of work in the shape of Joseph Still alias Cutterel, who killed a servant with a hedging-bill (hedge clippers) after attempting to break into a house. It goes into some pretty gruesome description of the wound, as well as the events of the robbery and fatal wounding, which the defendant claimed was in self-defense.

The victim, John Green, was "the best Servant (Mr. Carpenter) ever had, or feared ever should" while Joseph Still was " a long Practitioner in such Deeds of Darkness" and when he claimed he carried the shears "to defend himself from Rogues", "it seems he need not have been under much Apprehension of meeting any greater than himself, either in Person or Impiety." Not exactly an unbiased opinion -- and no doubt already being burned in the hand for theft was literally a mark against him. Not only that, but "several Person's came many Miles to do him and themselves Justice, in ridding themselves of so troublesome and dangerous a Neighbour."

The verdict? "The Evidence being as plain as the Fact was barbarous, the Jury found him Guilty" and he was sentenced to death.

So ol' Joe was apparently one bad egg and his neighbors were glad to be rid of him -- meaning, I take it, that he was a local fellow with a bad reputation. I note that no occupation is given for Joe, which strikes me as unusual for the court records, and would seem to bolster the neighbors' reasons for distrusting him, let alone the previous conviction for theft.

How would I use a character like this in a book? Well, on the surface, he seems irredeemably bad. I mean, look at his choice of weapon! But why has he taken up this life of crime? What alternatives did he have? Once he was branded for theft, how possible would it have been for him to get a job? Did he have any other choice but to continue stealing?

What if the victim wasn't the swell fellow his employer claimed he was? What if Joe was innocent of the first theft and John Green was somehow involved in casting the blame on him? Or to make things really complicated, it could be that while John Green is no saint, he truly believed Joe was guilty.

Joe also claimed he was on his way to visit his sister. What must she be like? How would it be being the sister of somebody held in such loathing by the neighbors? How does Joe treat her? What happens to her after Joe's convicted?

What if she had a thing for John Green? What if James Howland, the other servant who witnessed the attack, has a thing for her? What if his employer, Mr. Carpenter, does? How would this murder affect those relationships?

As you can see, I'm veering away from using Joe as a hero. To me, using hedge clippers to kill somebody, even if it was self-defense, pushes him out of hero territory for me. It might not for you. But the sister, mentioned only briefly, has definite heroine potential. Add to that the employer, the other servant and the neighbors, and you've got some interesting story ingredients.