The murder of Thomas Briggs by the young German, Franz Muller has been well documented. Briggs was sixty-nine years old and held a senior position with a firm of London city bankers.
On Saturday 9th July 1864 he caught the 9.45pm train from Fenchurch Street to Hackney, travelling in a 1st class carriage. But when the train arrived about 10pm, his compartment was found to be covered in blood. Twenty minutes later the driver of an engine travelling in the opposite direction found the severely injured man lying between the lines. Briggs was examined by two surgeons who agreed he had received about six fierce blows to the head. With no hope of recovery, Briggs was taken to his home where he died the same evening.
After a Trans-Atlantic chase Frans Muller was captured. With assistance from the railway police, Muller was taken to Bow Street Police Station and charged with the murder of Thomas Briggs.
The trial opened at The Central Criminal Court on the 24th of October 1864 when Muller pleaded not guilty. The presiding judges and the prosecution barristers were all very distinguished and made a formidable team. All of the witnesses gave evidence, and it was clear that the judge was impressed by the weight of the evidence against Muller. So too must the jury have been, they took just fifteen minutes to bring in a guilty verdict. Muller was taken to Newgate prison to await execution. The story was front page news in every paper.
As the executioner placed the noose around his neck, a minister asked again, “Are you innocent or guilty?” Moments before the lever was pulled Muller reportedly said in German “Yes, I did it.”
Over 50,000 people gathered to watch the execution. Appalling scenes of drunkenness, fighting and robbery were widespread.
Later in 1864 Muller lights (small windows between railway compartments) were introduced because of this murder to protect the public. These were named after the 1864 murderer Fredrick Muller.
