July 12, 2023 • 19 mins
Our very first episode! Meet Little Fanny Adams and the tragic story behind a classic phrase. Plus a brief history on the mason jar, Schuyler's interests, and terrible microphone quality. Originally broadcast June 30, 2018.
Written and narrated by Schuyler Fastenau-Jones. Additional voices by Shaina Hammer, Ryan Pigg, Alec Nielson, and Craig Seaver.
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Written and narrated by Schuyler Fastenau-Jones. Additional voices by Shaina Hammer, Ryan Pigg, Alec Nielson, and Craig Seaver.
Follow us on:
Check out our other shows:
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
My interests have usually been bizar.While most students in college went to house
parties and handed back tequila shots,my friends and I stayed in to play
with the Wuiji board, tequila shotsoptional. Of course, I don't believe
in ghosts religiously or anything like that, but the idea of the unknown has
(00:25):
always been exciting to me. Soit probably won't come as a surprise when
I tell you I love creepy unsolvedmysteries. What can I say? I'm
a sucker for stories with a twist. Sometimes when crimes go unsolved, they
get this sort of cult following whereaverage citizens make it their personal lot in
life to solve the unsolvable, creatingthe wildest conspiracy theories imaginable along the way.
(00:50):
And although these theories are usually utternonsense, they still get the gears
of my mind turning. Now,today's crime was solved, and as or
as I can tell, there areno conspiracy theories out there that argue against
the man's guilt. What makes thiscrime so bizarre, however, is how
simple minded the murderer was and thelegacy his victim left behind. So settle
(01:14):
in and joined me, Skyler Fastene, for your first ever deadtime story.
I don't know about you, butsome members of my family long to leave
behind a legacy. That's fine anddandy, But nobody listening to this will
(01:34):
have any idea who my family is. I mean, none of us have
discovered cures for rare diseases, norwe world famous performers, despite the fact
that I live in Los Angeles andpretend like I'm going to be successful in
entertainment just as soon as that oneagent discovers me. But the reality is
I'm a corn fed Ohio boy whogets road rage while sitting in traffic on
(01:56):
my way to a nine to sixjob. Not very exciting, right,
But other people make a more lastingimpact on us. Take John Landis Mason
for example. In the early eighteenhundreds, home canning was a messy,
tedious process, and if not doneright, could lead to deadly bacteria growing
inside the jar. Personally, I'mnot about that batulism life. When John
(02:17):
Mason invented a screw top lid,the art of at home food preservation became
a lot easier. Now, insteadof wax, all you had to do
was screw on a piece of tinwith a rubber ring and voila, you
had an air tight seal. Ifyou haven't figured it out yet, John
Landis Mason invented what we now callthe Mason jar. Of course, today
(02:38):
nobody I know uses these jars forpreventing bacteria. Instead, I find them
in overpriced cafes which serve drinks outof them because they want to be hipsters
or something. Unfortunately, John Masonwouldn't see much success from his jar.
After the pounded expired in eighteen seventynine, he wasn't able to make much
of a living and died in povertyin nineteen o two. His demise,
(02:59):
however, was much more peaceful thanlittle Fanny Adams. Less than ten years
after Mason introduced his jar, FannyAdams would make her own impact on the
world on a peaceful August Day ineighteen sixty seven. Alton was a quiet
town in Hampshire, England. Itwas one of those places where nothing bad
(03:20):
ever happened. Now, if you'rea fan of horror movies like I am,
then you know this is the perfectsetting for a brutal murder. Aside
from being a peaceful place to live, Alton was known for its abundance of
hops, a crucial ingredient in beer. This will be important later, trust
me. In the meantime, let'smeet the Adams family. That's Adams with
(03:42):
one D. By the way,I don't want anybody to think we'll be
visiting Gomez and Mortisia during this podcast. Instead, say hello to George and
Harriet. They live on Tanhouse Lanewith their seven children, Ellen, George,
Walter, Fanny, Lizzie, Lily, Ada, Anne, Minnie.
Next door lives Fanny's friend and MinnieWarner, not to be confused with Fanny's
youngest sister. I've never met amany in my life, but apparently that
(04:04):
was the hot name in the eighteenhundreds. Fanny was a mere eight years
old with the face of a cherubsurrounded by long dark locks. Local said
ship heared older and always had asunny disposition. It's the happiest ones that
meet the worst demises in these typesof stories. Being a hot August day,
Fanny, Lizzie and Minnie, thefriend not the sister, decided to
(04:26):
cool off outside. Mummy, Minnie, Lizzie and I walked to flood Meadow.
Well, there is a lot ofwhat to do around the house,
but I suppose it is a rathernice day, code for I have a
lot to do and needs you kidsout of my hair. Flood Meadow was
just up the lane. I soI suspect there sha'n't be much chance for
trouble. That was around one o'clockin the afternoon. The girls hadn't gone
(04:53):
very far when they bumped into FrederickBaker. Now, I'll be honest,
this guy was a real piece ofwork. He worked a the solicitor's clerk,
a glorified accounting in turn, ifyou will, and it had only
been living in town for a fewmonths. Frederick was twenty nine years old,
clean shaven, and on this particularday, was dressed respectfully in a
frock coat and top hat. Personally, I think it'd be way too hot
(05:15):
to wear any sort of coat,but Frederick probably didn't care given his current
state of mind. Now, asyou might recall, Alton had an abundance
of hops, which meant the townnaturally had several pubs and breweries. Frederick
had paid at least one of thesea visit and was totally drunk when he
ran into the girls. What followedwas nick exchange all too familiar to the
police in today's day and age.Hello, young ladies, here, what
(05:39):
to say? I'll give you twogirls three appends to run along and play
elsewhere. You can buy some sweetsif you like. And you, young
little girl, I'll give you anappense to come with me. Minnie and
Lizzie happily obliged and ran off.Maybe it was because nothing bad happened in
town, or or maybe they hadseen Frederick at church and assumed they could
(06:01):
trust the man. Either way,when a child is offered money to buy
sweets, who could possibly refuse that. Fanny, however, was a bit
wiser. Thank you sir. Shetook the money and ran where are you
going? As hard as it isto believe, the eight year old could
not outrun the twenty nine year old, Frederick scooped her up and went off
(06:25):
to a nearby hop field. LiziaMinnie returned home from an afternoon of playing
when a neighbor, Missus Gardener,noticed them. Hello, girls, Oh,
where's your friend? Wasn't there thirdthis morning? She went off with
the man who gave us money.Missus Gardner was obviously very anxious about this
(06:46):
and went next door to get HarryAdams. As the two women headed in
the direction of the hot field.They came across Frederick alone and perhaps a
little less drunk. Now you therewhere it's little Fanny. He's been gone
for hours. What did you doto her? Nothing? Two little girls
said, you gave them two halfpencethreepence three halfpence to run along while their
(07:11):
friend was left alone with you.I didn't do that, mum. Sure
I've seen them girls, and Igave them money too. Well, that
money was for sweets. What businesshave I got bribing gaels to follow me?
I have half a mind to callthe police on you. You can
do what you'll like. That lastbit was reportedly a direct quote from Frederick.
The guy really wasn't worried, andit seemed he had no reason to
(07:34):
be. The two women just lethim walk off. He did have an
air of respectability about him, andhe was a solicitor's clerk after all.
Surely he was telling the truth.But by the time seven o'clock rolled around,
(07:55):
Harriet was getting worried. Nobody hadseen Fanny since she left to play
six hours to go. A searchparty was formed, but none of them
were prepared for what they found.A word to the wise, This next
bit is going to get extremely graphic. Those with weak stomachs may want to
skip ahead, but remember this isa true crime podcast, and true crime
(08:16):
is rarely filled with rainbows and happiness. The search party made their way to
the hot garden, Frederick was reportedlyheaded. Towards here they found Fanny,
well part of her at least,Oh my god. Thomas Gates was the
first to discover bloody shreds of Fanny'sdress, and a little further away was
(08:37):
her head, covered with dirt andstuck on two hot poles. Her face
had been hideously cut from mouth toear in a fashion later seen in the
Black Dahlia case. One of herears had been slashed off and both her
eyes plucked out. Around the poleslay pieces and parts of her body.
And it wasn't just torn off limbs, no, whoever. The murderer was
(09:00):
cut out Fanny's organs and scattered themeverywhere. After Frederick, oh wait sorry,
Frederick said he gave Fanny money forcandy, then left. After the
murderer had cut apart her body,they took it upon themselves to cut open
her chest and empty the contents aroundthe field. Her heart liver and other
internal organs had been sliced open aswell. Fanny's body was so mutilated that
(09:22):
it took the town days to findand collect every piece scattered in the field.
Some bits, like her eyes,were later found in the nearby river.
Whenever these parts were found, theywere sent to the coroner's office and
placed in a package labeled parts ofa child and hopes they could somehow sew
her back together. Now, HarrietAdams, being a part of the search
party, had to see her daughterlike this. And as for her husband,
(09:43):
George Adams, well, he wasreportedly out playing cricket with some of
his friends. It's Fanny, sowhat is late Fanny? The cricket game
was cut short as George ran hometo grab his shotgun and kill fred Sorry,
(10:03):
there I go again, kill themurderer somewhere along the way. However,
George was talked out of bringing aweapon along. During all of this,
the police Superintendent William Cheney was notifiedof the murder and hearing Frederick Baker
was the last scene with the childrenhunted down. The man Frederick was found,
(10:24):
of all places, working late atthe office. I'll say this much
for him. At least he stayedto make up for the unscheduled time he
took off. All you, FrederickBaker, Yes that I am. I
need you to come with me.Say, what's this all about the murder
of Funny Adams. I'll know nothingabout it. Despite his protests, Frederick
(10:45):
was dragged through town to the AltonPolice station. Where travels fast in small
towns, so I can only imaginethe mob that had formed by this point.
Some sources say William snuck Frederick outthe back door to avoid a second
murder. Others say he was draggedthrough the angry mob. Whichever story is
true, all sources agree that Frederickconstantly protested his innocence along the way,
(11:07):
but there was some pretty damning evidenceon him. Yeah, I told you,
I don't know nothing about the girl'smurder. Yes, yes, I
heard you, But there was somethingthat I couldn't help. But notice,
mister Baker, what's that the coaston your trousers? Why are they wet?
I have an abbot of stepping inwater when out walking. That won't
(11:28):
ang me, will it. Yes? Frederick's alibi was that he liked to
jump in puddles, and I canlet that slide. I suppose having wet
clothes doesn't mean you murdered anybody.And I personally liked the thought of a
smartly dressed adult man hopping through puddleslike a child. And it seems William
could look past this odd behavior too. The part that really screwed Frederick,
though, is that blood on yourshortcuffs? That part why? So it
(11:54):
is how'd that get there? Frederickwasn't going to be able to talk his
way out of this one, andthese knives cared to explain them. William
sat before Frederick two small knives thathad been found on him earlier. One
was clean and the other stained withblood. Is that blood strange? I
(12:15):
don't have any cuts on my hands? How'd that get on there? Frederick
was floundering by this point, andit will come as no surprise to anyone
that he was locked away until furtherevidence could be obtained and a trial could
get underway. Remember this is theeighteen hundreds, so DNA evidence wasn't exactly
a thing. The only way toprove Frederick was guilty was through eyewitness testimony,
(12:35):
and nobody had actually seen the actcommitted. The closest they ever got
was through a young boy who saidhe witnessed Frederick washing blood from both his
pants and a knife in the river. With eyewitness testimony mostly out, William
had to retrace Frederick's steps. Thiswas how he wound up back at the
clerk's office. Another solicitor's clerk namedMaurice Biddle offered some disturbing news. Sure
(12:58):
I know Frederick, though I can'tsay whether he was gone during the time
of the Muda. I was outto lunch myself, but he had come
back to the office around six andmentioned he had been with the children.
He said that if the little girlhappened to be killed, it would certainly
put him in an awkward situation.I mean, that's the first thing I
think about whenever I get my morningcoffee. Gee, if I'm the last
(13:22):
person this Burris has served before they'rekilled, that would be awkward for me.
But believe it or not, thebest was yet to come. From
Maurice's story, Frederick and I wentout to a pub, the Swan.
I think he was so shaken heneeded a drink. He mentioned he wanted
to leave town, and when Itold him it'd be hard to find a
new job, he mentioned he couldalways become a butcher strange in it.
(13:46):
William had heard everything he needed andsearched the office for any potential evidence.
Despite literally everything pointing towards him,Frederick still retained that he was innocent.
Some even argued that such small knivescouldn't possibly kill anyone, not even a
small child. It wasn't until apainter named William Walker found a large stone
in the hot field that they realizedthere is still more to this story.
(14:07):
The stone you see had blood,hair, and flesh stuck to it,
Fanny had died from a brutal blowto the head, and the knives,
well, those were more for theafter party. An initial trial was held
just a few days after the incidentoccurred. The jury was handed all of
the evidence against Frederick, including testimoniesfrom Lizzie, Harriet, Missus Gardner,
(14:28):
and Minnie the Friend not the Sisterthat will Never get Old. When asked
if he had anything to say ahandcuff, Frederick replied, no, sir,
only that I'm innocent. The juryquickly came back with a verdict of
guilty and Frederick was sent away toWinchester Prison until he could have a formal
hearing. This next trial wouldn't beheld until December, a long three and
(14:50):
a half months after the murder.For Frederick's sake, this agonizingly long time
would give him the chance to comeup with a better defense than nah man,
I didn't do it. In December, Minnie was carried into the courtroom
to provide her testimony that Frederick wasin fact the man she ran into that
fateful day in August. The defensenaturally challenged the memory of a child and
(15:11):
still insisted the knives were too smallto cut a human so thoroughly. At
this trial, however, they madesure to mention something critical nobody had yet
to discuss. Insanity. According tothe defense, mental illness ran in the
Baker family. Frederick's cousin had beensent to asylums four different times, his
sister died from a brain fever,and Frederick himself had attempted suicide after a
(15:33):
love affair ended on a bad note. Oh and there was one more thing.
Frederick's father was abusive to the pointthat he could have killed his own
children, thus indicating Frederick either wantedto return what was dealt to him or
that his father had passed along hisown mental illness. Despite this new evidence,
the jury deliberated for a mere fifteenminutes before returning with the not so
(15:54):
surprising verdict of guilty. At eightin the morning on Christmas Eve eighteen sixty
seven, a crowd of more thanfive thousand people gathered to watch the hanging
of Frederick Baker. Contrary to hisverbal please of innocence throughout the whole affair,
(16:25):
Frederick knew he was guilty between histrial and execution. He wrote a
letter to the Adam's family. I'lldeeply regret what I did in an unguarded
hour, and I beg for yourforgiveness. I may have been enraged by
a crying but it was done withoutany pain or struggle. I want you
to know that not once did Iever sexually violate that child, nor did
(16:47):
I make any attempt to him.I guess killing a child is fine,
but killing and raping one, well, that would be absolutely heinous. Frederick
left his mark on history by beingthe last person hanged in public at Winchester,
and as for Fanny, well aspromise so. The bizarre part of
(17:11):
this crime came into play two yearsafter the murder, all thanks to British
sailors with a wicked sense of humor. I suppose, when you're out at
sea, your rations may not bethe most appealing meal in the world.
These sailors were given mutton preserved intin, not mason jars, and the
meat was so disgusting to them thatthey agreed it could be nothing other than
the remains of Sweet Fanny Adams.Pretty appetizing right. Over time, the
(17:33):
term evolved to refer to anything thatwas worthless, which I suppose is a
little less and sincere to Fanny Adams. Sometimes the term was shortened to Fanny's
initials sweet fa, which some peoplesay was the cheeky way to say fuck
all in the eighteen hundreds. Timemay not have been too kind to Fanny
(17:57):
Adams, but the town of Alton. Her headstone still remains on display at
Alton Cemetery and was even recently renovatedto keep her memory alive. The headstone,
erected completely by volunteers, includes anice description for Frederick. Fear not
them, which killed the body,but are not able to kill the soul,
but rather fear him, which isable to destroy both body and soul
(18:19):
in hell. Matthew Chapter ten,verse twenty eight. If this crime isn't
bizarre enough for you, then I'llleave you with this. In the end,
it wasn't DNA evidence that sank Frederick, nor was it the numerous testimonies.
Frederick's demise was his own doing.You see, when William Cheney searched
the solicitor's office after speaking to Maurice, he found in the drawer of Frederick's
(18:42):
work desk at journal and inside thisjournal was an entry from the day Fanny
died on August twenty fourth, eighteensixty seven. Frederick wrote two simple sentences,
killed the young girl. It wasfine and hot. This episode was
written and edited by me Skyler fastenOw, Shane A. Hammer voiced Minnie
(19:04):
Warner, Fanny and Harriet Adams.Ryan Pig voiced Frederick Baker, Alec Nielsen
voiced Missus Gardiner, and Craig severvoiced George Adams, William Cheney and Maurice
Biddle. I want to extend ahuge thank you to you the listener.
If you liked what you heard today, feel free to subscribe wherever you download
your podcasts. You could also sendme a tweet at Schuler's Underscore day off
(19:26):
until next time go and enjoy.Some can meet and write about it in
your journal, right next to theentry about your latest victim. It might
sound strange, but dead time storiesusually are
My interests have usually been bizar.While most students in college went to house
parties and handed back tequila shots,my friends and I stayed in to play
with the Wuiji board, tequila shotsoptional. Of course, I don't believe
in ghosts religiously or anything like that, but the idea of the unknown has
(00:25):
always been exciting to me. Soit probably won't come as a surprise when
I tell you I love creepy unsolvedmysteries. What can I say? I'm
a sucker for stories with a twist. Sometimes when crimes go unsolved, they
get this sort of cult following whereaverage citizens make it their personal lot in
life to solve the unsolvable, creatingthe wildest conspiracy theories imaginable along the way.
(00:50):
And although these theories are usually utternonsense, they still get the gears
of my mind turning. Now,today's crime was solved, and as or
as I can tell, there areno conspiracy theories out there that argue against
the man's guilt. What makes thiscrime so bizarre, however, is how
simple minded the murderer was and thelegacy his victim left behind. So settle
(01:14):
in and joined me, Skyler Fastene, for your first ever deadtime story.
I don't know about you, butsome members of my family long to leave
behind a legacy. That's fine anddandy, But nobody listening to this will
(01:34):
have any idea who my family is. I mean, none of us have
discovered cures for rare diseases, norwe world famous performers, despite the fact
that I live in Los Angeles andpretend like I'm going to be successful in
entertainment just as soon as that oneagent discovers me. But the reality is
I'm a corn fed Ohio boy whogets road rage while sitting in traffic on
(01:56):
my way to a nine to sixjob. Not very exciting, right,
But other people make a more lastingimpact on us. Take John Landis Mason
for example. In the early eighteenhundreds, home canning was a messy,
tedious process, and if not doneright, could lead to deadly bacteria growing
inside the jar. Personally, I'mnot about that batulism life. When John
(02:17):
Mason invented a screw top lid,the art of at home food preservation became
a lot easier. Now, insteadof wax, all you had to do
was screw on a piece of tinwith a rubber ring and voila, you
had an air tight seal. Ifyou haven't figured it out yet, John
Landis Mason invented what we now callthe Mason jar. Of course, today
(02:38):
nobody I know uses these jars forpreventing bacteria. Instead, I find them
in overpriced cafes which serve drinks outof them because they want to be hipsters
or something. Unfortunately, John Masonwouldn't see much success from his jar.
After the pounded expired in eighteen seventynine, he wasn't able to make much
of a living and died in povertyin nineteen o two. His demise,
(02:59):
however, was much more peaceful thanlittle Fanny Adams. Less than ten years
after Mason introduced his jar, FannyAdams would make her own impact on the
world on a peaceful August Day ineighteen sixty seven. Alton was a quiet
town in Hampshire, England. Itwas one of those places where nothing bad
(03:20):
ever happened. Now, if you'rea fan of horror movies like I am,
then you know this is the perfectsetting for a brutal murder. Aside
from being a peaceful place to live, Alton was known for its abundance of
hops, a crucial ingredient in beer. This will be important later, trust
me. In the meantime, let'smeet the Adams family. That's Adams with
(03:42):
one D. By the way,I don't want anybody to think we'll be
visiting Gomez and Mortisia during this podcast. Instead, say hello to George and
Harriet. They live on Tanhouse Lanewith their seven children, Ellen, George,
Walter, Fanny, Lizzie, Lily, Ada, Anne, Minnie.
Next door lives Fanny's friend and MinnieWarner, not to be confused with Fanny's
youngest sister. I've never met amany in my life, but apparently that
(04:04):
was the hot name in the eighteenhundreds. Fanny was a mere eight years
old with the face of a cherubsurrounded by long dark locks. Local said
ship heared older and always had asunny disposition. It's the happiest ones that
meet the worst demises in these typesof stories. Being a hot August day,
Fanny, Lizzie and Minnie, thefriend not the sister, decided to
(04:26):
cool off outside. Mummy, Minnie, Lizzie and I walked to flood Meadow.
Well, there is a lot ofwhat to do around the house,
but I suppose it is a rathernice day, code for I have a
lot to do and needs you kidsout of my hair. Flood Meadow was
just up the lane. I soI suspect there sha'n't be much chance for
trouble. That was around one o'clockin the afternoon. The girls hadn't gone
(04:53):
very far when they bumped into FrederickBaker. Now, I'll be honest,
this guy was a real piece ofwork. He worked a the solicitor's clerk,
a glorified accounting in turn, ifyou will, and it had only
been living in town for a fewmonths. Frederick was twenty nine years old,
clean shaven, and on this particularday, was dressed respectfully in a
frock coat and top hat. Personally, I think it'd be way too hot
(05:15):
to wear any sort of coat,but Frederick probably didn't care given his current
state of mind. Now, asyou might recall, Alton had an abundance
of hops, which meant the townnaturally had several pubs and breweries. Frederick
had paid at least one of thesea visit and was totally drunk when he
ran into the girls. What followedwas nick exchange all too familiar to the
police in today's day and age.Hello, young ladies, here, what
(05:39):
to say? I'll give you twogirls three appends to run along and play
elsewhere. You can buy some sweetsif you like. And you, young
little girl, I'll give you anappense to come with me. Minnie and
Lizzie happily obliged and ran off.Maybe it was because nothing bad happened in
town, or or maybe they hadseen Frederick at church and assumed they could
(06:01):
trust the man. Either way,when a child is offered money to buy
sweets, who could possibly refuse that. Fanny, however, was a bit
wiser. Thank you sir. Shetook the money and ran where are you
going? As hard as it isto believe, the eight year old could
not outrun the twenty nine year old, Frederick scooped her up and went off
(06:25):
to a nearby hop field. LiziaMinnie returned home from an afternoon of playing
when a neighbor, Missus Gardener,noticed them. Hello, girls, Oh,
where's your friend? Wasn't there thirdthis morning? She went off with
the man who gave us money.Missus Gardner was obviously very anxious about this
(06:46):
and went next door to get HarryAdams. As the two women headed in
the direction of the hot field.They came across Frederick alone and perhaps a
little less drunk. Now you therewhere it's little Fanny. He's been gone
for hours. What did you doto her? Nothing? Two little girls
said, you gave them two halfpencethreepence three halfpence to run along while their
(07:11):
friend was left alone with you.I didn't do that, mum. Sure
I've seen them girls, and Igave them money too. Well, that
money was for sweets. What businesshave I got bribing gaels to follow me?
I have half a mind to callthe police on you. You can
do what you'll like. That lastbit was reportedly a direct quote from Frederick.
The guy really wasn't worried, andit seemed he had no reason to
(07:34):
be. The two women just lethim walk off. He did have an
air of respectability about him, andhe was a solicitor's clerk after all.
Surely he was telling the truth.But by the time seven o'clock rolled around,
(07:55):
Harriet was getting worried. Nobody hadseen Fanny since she left to play
six hours to go. A searchparty was formed, but none of them
were prepared for what they found.A word to the wise, This next
bit is going to get extremely graphic. Those with weak stomachs may want to
skip ahead, but remember this isa true crime podcast, and true crime
(08:16):
is rarely filled with rainbows and happiness. The search party made their way to
the hot garden, Frederick was reportedlyheaded. Towards here they found Fanny,
well part of her at least,Oh my god. Thomas Gates was the
first to discover bloody shreds of Fanny'sdress, and a little further away was
(08:37):
her head, covered with dirt andstuck on two hot poles. Her face
had been hideously cut from mouth toear in a fashion later seen in the
Black Dahlia case. One of herears had been slashed off and both her
eyes plucked out. Around the poleslay pieces and parts of her body.
And it wasn't just torn off limbs, no, whoever. The murderer was
(09:00):
cut out Fanny's organs and scattered themeverywhere. After Frederick, oh wait sorry,
Frederick said he gave Fanny money forcandy, then left. After the
murderer had cut apart her body,they took it upon themselves to cut open
her chest and empty the contents aroundthe field. Her heart liver and other
internal organs had been sliced open aswell. Fanny's body was so mutilated that
(09:22):
it took the town days to findand collect every piece scattered in the field.
Some bits, like her eyes,were later found in the nearby river.
Whenever these parts were found, theywere sent to the coroner's office and
placed in a package labeled parts ofa child and hopes they could somehow sew
her back together. Now, HarrietAdams, being a part of the search
party, had to see her daughterlike this. And as for her husband,
(09:43):
George Adams, well, he wasreportedly out playing cricket with some of
his friends. It's Fanny, sowhat is late Fanny? The cricket game
was cut short as George ran hometo grab his shotgun and kill fred Sorry,
(10:03):
there I go again, kill themurderer somewhere along the way. However,
George was talked out of bringing aweapon along. During all of this,
the police Superintendent William Cheney was notifiedof the murder and hearing Frederick Baker
was the last scene with the childrenhunted down. The man Frederick was found,
(10:24):
of all places, working late atthe office. I'll say this much
for him. At least he stayedto make up for the unscheduled time he
took off. All you, FrederickBaker, Yes that I am. I
need you to come with me.Say, what's this all about the murder
of Funny Adams. I'll know nothingabout it. Despite his protests, Frederick
(10:45):
was dragged through town to the AltonPolice station. Where travels fast in small
towns, so I can only imaginethe mob that had formed by this point.
Some sources say William snuck Frederick outthe back door to avoid a second
murder. Others say he was draggedthrough the angry mob. Whichever story is
true, all sources agree that Frederickconstantly protested his innocence along the way,
(11:07):
but there was some pretty damning evidenceon him. Yeah, I told you,
I don't know nothing about the girl'smurder. Yes, yes, I
heard you, But there was somethingthat I couldn't help. But notice,
mister Baker, what's that the coaston your trousers? Why are they wet?
I have an abbot of stepping inwater when out walking. That won't
(11:28):
ang me, will it. Yes? Frederick's alibi was that he liked to
jump in puddles, and I canlet that slide. I suppose having wet
clothes doesn't mean you murdered anybody.And I personally liked the thought of a
smartly dressed adult man hopping through puddleslike a child. And it seems William
could look past this odd behavior too. The part that really screwed Frederick,
though, is that blood on yourshortcuffs? That part why? So it
(11:54):
is how'd that get there? Frederickwasn't going to be able to talk his
way out of this one, andthese knives cared to explain them. William
sat before Frederick two small knives thathad been found on him earlier. One
was clean and the other stained withblood. Is that blood strange? I
(12:15):
don't have any cuts on my hands? How'd that get on there? Frederick
was floundering by this point, andit will come as no surprise to anyone
that he was locked away until furtherevidence could be obtained and a trial could
get underway. Remember this is theeighteen hundreds, so DNA evidence wasn't exactly
a thing. The only way toprove Frederick was guilty was through eyewitness testimony,
(12:35):
and nobody had actually seen the actcommitted. The closest they ever got
was through a young boy who saidhe witnessed Frederick washing blood from both his
pants and a knife in the river. With eyewitness testimony mostly out, William
had to retrace Frederick's steps. Thiswas how he wound up back at the
clerk's office. Another solicitor's clerk namedMaurice Biddle offered some disturbing news. Sure
(12:58):
I know Frederick, though I can'tsay whether he was gone during the time
of the Muda. I was outto lunch myself, but he had come
back to the office around six andmentioned he had been with the children.
He said that if the little girlhappened to be killed, it would certainly
put him in an awkward situation.I mean, that's the first thing I
think about whenever I get my morningcoffee. Gee, if I'm the last
(13:22):
person this Burris has served before they'rekilled, that would be awkward for me.
But believe it or not, thebest was yet to come. From
Maurice's story, Frederick and I wentout to a pub, the Swan.
I think he was so shaken heneeded a drink. He mentioned he wanted
to leave town, and when Itold him it'd be hard to find a
new job, he mentioned he couldalways become a butcher strange in it.
(13:46):
William had heard everything he needed andsearched the office for any potential evidence.
Despite literally everything pointing towards him,Frederick still retained that he was innocent.
Some even argued that such small knivescouldn't possibly kill anyone, not even a
small child. It wasn't until apainter named William Walker found a large stone
in the hot field that they realizedthere is still more to this story.
(14:07):
The stone you see had blood,hair, and flesh stuck to it,
Fanny had died from a brutal blowto the head, and the knives,
well, those were more for theafter party. An initial trial was held
just a few days after the incidentoccurred. The jury was handed all of
the evidence against Frederick, including testimoniesfrom Lizzie, Harriet, Missus Gardner,
(14:28):
and Minnie the Friend not the Sisterthat will Never get Old. When asked
if he had anything to say ahandcuff, Frederick replied, no, sir,
only that I'm innocent. The juryquickly came back with a verdict of
guilty and Frederick was sent away toWinchester Prison until he could have a formal
hearing. This next trial wouldn't beheld until December, a long three and
(14:50):
a half months after the murder.For Frederick's sake, this agonizingly long time
would give him the chance to comeup with a better defense than nah man,
I didn't do it. In December, Minnie was carried into the courtroom
to provide her testimony that Frederick wasin fact the man she ran into that
fateful day in August. The defensenaturally challenged the memory of a child and
(15:11):
still insisted the knives were too smallto cut a human so thoroughly. At
this trial, however, they madesure to mention something critical nobody had yet
to discuss. Insanity. According tothe defense, mental illness ran in the
Baker family. Frederick's cousin had beensent to asylums four different times, his
sister died from a brain fever,and Frederick himself had attempted suicide after a
(15:33):
love affair ended on a bad note. Oh and there was one more thing.
Frederick's father was abusive to the pointthat he could have killed his own
children, thus indicating Frederick either wantedto return what was dealt to him or
that his father had passed along hisown mental illness. Despite this new evidence,
the jury deliberated for a mere fifteenminutes before returning with the not so
(15:54):
surprising verdict of guilty. At eightin the morning on Christmas Eve eighteen sixty
seven, a crowd of more thanfive thousand people gathered to watch the hanging
of Frederick Baker. Contrary to hisverbal please of innocence throughout the whole affair,
(16:25):
Frederick knew he was guilty between histrial and execution. He wrote a
letter to the Adam's family. I'lldeeply regret what I did in an unguarded
hour, and I beg for yourforgiveness. I may have been enraged by
a crying but it was done withoutany pain or struggle. I want you
to know that not once did Iever sexually violate that child, nor did
(16:47):
I make any attempt to him.I guess killing a child is fine,
but killing and raping one, well, that would be absolutely heinous. Frederick
left his mark on history by beingthe last person hanged in public at Winchester,
and as for Fanny, well aspromise so. The bizarre part of
(17:11):
this crime came into play two yearsafter the murder, all thanks to British
sailors with a wicked sense of humor. I suppose, when you're out at
sea, your rations may not bethe most appealing meal in the world.
These sailors were given mutton preserved intin, not mason jars, and the
meat was so disgusting to them thatthey agreed it could be nothing other than
the remains of Sweet Fanny Adams.Pretty appetizing right. Over time, the
(17:33):
term evolved to refer to anything thatwas worthless, which I suppose is a
little less and sincere to Fanny Adams. Sometimes the term was shortened to Fanny's
initials sweet fa, which some peoplesay was the cheeky way to say fuck
all in the eighteen hundreds. Timemay not have been too kind to Fanny
(17:57):
Adams, but the town of Alton. Her headstone still remains on display at
Alton Cemetery and was even recently renovatedto keep her memory alive. The headstone,
erected completely by volunteers, includes anice description for Frederick. Fear not
them, which killed the body,but are not able to kill the soul,
but rather fear him, which isable to destroy both body and soul
(18:19):
in hell. Matthew Chapter ten,verse twenty eight. If this crime isn't
bizarre enough for you, then I'llleave you with this. In the end,
it wasn't DNA evidence that sank Frederick, nor was it the numerous testimonies.
Frederick's demise was his own doing.You see, when William Cheney searched
the solicitor's office after speaking to Maurice, he found in the drawer of Frederick's
(18:42):
work desk at journal and inside thisjournal was an entry from the day Fanny
died on August twenty fourth, eighteensixty seven. Frederick wrote two simple sentences,
killed the young girl. It wasfine and hot. This episode was
written and edited by me Skyler fastenOw, Shane A. Hammer voiced Minnie
(19:04):
Warner, Fanny and Harriet Adams.Ryan Pig voiced Frederick Baker, Alec Nielsen
voiced Missus Gardiner, and Craig severvoiced George Adams, William Cheney and Maurice
Biddle. I want to extend ahuge thank you to you the listener.
If you liked what you heard today, feel free to subscribe wherever you download
your podcasts. You could also sendme a tweet at Schuler's Underscore day off
(19:26):
until next time go and enjoy.Some can meet and write about it in
your journal, right next to theentry about your latest victim. It might
sound strange, but dead time storiesusually are
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