Marie Ellen Bailes

Marie Ellen Bailes was found dead in a parcel in a lavatory in St Georges Road, Elephant and Castle.

She was covered in sand as though she had been buried. The parcel was seen to have been left by a nervous man in a cloth cap who had put it on the floor and run off. However, a doctor said that he did not think that the person that had left the parcel had been the murderer.

Her mother was able to identify the white linen that she had been wrapped up in but not the blanket which was the only clue that the police had. It was described as being neatly folded and darned but worn, indicating that it had come from an orderly home where thrift was practiced and it was suggested that there was more than one person who knew how Maria Bailes had died.

She had left school the previous day from St. John's Roman Catholic School in Duncan Terrace, Islington, with a friend but after some distance they had separated after which she was never seen alive again.

She was said to have been outraged and her body mutilated.

It was thought that she had been killed at some house in Islington and then buried in the garden after which she was dug up and conveyed by tube to Elephant and Castle.

The underground lavatory had been at Elephant and Castle, just at the corner with St George's Road.

The lavatory attendant said that he saw a man descend the steps of the lavatory bearing under his arm what seemed to be a rather heavy brown paper parcel. However, he said that there was nothing extraordinary in that and a moment later his back was turned.

It was said then that during the short interval, 2 or 3 minutes, the man unloaded himself of his parcel, placing it noiselessly down behind one of the lavatory doors, and walked off unchallenged.

After the man had gone, the lavatory attendant noticed the parcel and curiously pulled aside the paper and top his horror a thin arm protruded from a blood stained covering. He then rushed up the steps of the lavatory and frantically beckoned for the police.

When a police constable came, he opened the parcel and found the naked body of Marie Bailes, trussed up like a fowl.

She was described as having had rich golden hair, however, it was stated that the murderer had made terrible work of her fair features, with two of her front teeth in each jaw having been smashed out, and her head barely held by the vertebrae at the back, so fierce was the slash of her murderer's knife. Her body itself had been cut about, with long downward cuts disfiguring the trunk.

It was said that so complete had been the dreadful work that it would have almost needed a parent to identify the little corpse, which had the distinguishing mark of a large mole on its right hand side.

It was noted that the skin of the girl's body was discoloured with mould, quite fresh and new, indicating that the murderer had hurriedly tried to hide his guilt in the earth before later exhuming her.

It was also noted that the murderer had also apparently made efforts to staunch the flow of blood, evidenced by a rag of flannel tightly drawn round the child's gory neck, the only piece of clothing he had left her with.

The lavatory attendant later provided a description of the man he saw with the parcel, describing him as:

• Medium height.
• Fair complexion.
• Light brown hair and moustache.
• Slight build.
• Wearing a dark suit with a black tweed cap and grey trousers. He had also been wearing a double collar and a sailor-knot tie.

Despite the description, it was said that the police had made up their minds to look for a maniac, , stating that it could hardly be the work of any other.

Marie Bailes had lived with her parents at 66 Prebend Street, Essex Road, Islington.

Marie Bailes father, who worked at the gutta-percha factory in London said that in the lunch hour on the Friday that he and his wife kissed their two little children, Marie Bailes and a little boy and sent them off to St John's Roman Catholic Schools in the Duncan Terrace. He said that he gave Marie Bailes a penny and told them to 'Look sharp home'.

However, only the little boy returned.

Her father said that when he found that she was missing he hurried off to Highbury Fields and other places where she might have possibly been staying at play, but failed to see her anywhere. He said that eventually he went to the police.

20,000 people attended her funeral with police called out to keep the crowd in order which stood 9-10 people deep along the procession route. People from all over London brought wreaths and her parents’ house which was described as humble was hardly big enough to accommodate them all.