Bringing Old Belfast To The New

6

HORRIFIC MURDER AT

THE BELFAST DOCKS

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Glenravel Local History Project

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These words were written by Richard Livingstone and appeared in a bookby Alfred Moore called Old Belfast over fifty years ago. Looking back itshard to imagine that they are as true today as they were way back then. Moreand more people are becoming interested in the history of Belfast and it wasout of this that the Glenravel Local History Project were born in May 1991.Many could be forgiven for assuming that this name derived from thefamous Glens in Co. Antrim and they would be right but in a roundaboutway. Glenravel Street was situated directly behind in the old Poorhouse onNorth Queen Street and contained quite a few beautiful and historicbuildings. One of these buildings was situated at its junction with CliftonStreet and although it was officially known as the Ulster Ear, Eye and ThroatHospital it was known to most people as the Benn Hospital. This was dueto the fact that it was built by Edward Benn (brother of the famousVictorian Belfast historian George). Mr Benn lived in the Glens of Antrimwhere Glenravel is situated. Although Glenravel Street contained all thishistory the street itself was totally obliterated to clear the way for themodern Westlink motorway system leaving us to question schemes such ashistorical areas of importance as well as buildings.The Glenravel Project was established by local historians Joe Baker andMichael Liggett and has now went on to become the main local historicalgroup in the whole of Belfast. Over three hundred publications have beenpublished by the group as well and several web sites, DVDs and countlessnewspaper and magazine articles. The Project also conducts severalwalking tours ranging from the Belfast Blitz right through to a walkingtour of the historic Cavehill area. One of these tours is also around thehistoric Clifton Street Burying Ground which is also situated behind theold Poorhouse and which was opened by them in the mid 1790s. Althoughour original aim was the historical promotion of this site we have now wenton to cover the whole of Belfast as well as assist numerous local historicalschemes far beyond our city’s boundaries. This magazine is now ourmain focus for the local and factual history of Belfast and we welcome allarticles of interest relating to the history of our city. And our aim:-

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IN THENEXT ISSUE

Life in Victorian Belfast

Grim Belfast Tragedy

The Belfast Gold Mine

Old Castle Place

The Old Poorhouse and Graveyard

From the Albertbridge to theRopeworks

Disease and Death in Old Belfast

AND MUCH MUCH MORE

On Sale from 10th September

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One of the most mysterious

murders ever to occur within

the city of Belfast is

undoubtedly that of Mr Samuel Stranix

which happened in June 1955. Mr

Stranix was a timekeeper at the

Harbour Estate and after one of the

biggest manhunts ever launched by the

R.U.C. the killer eluded detection. Mr

Stranix was very well known at the

harbour where he had been employed

for over 33 years. He took up duties

there following service with the Royal

Marines during World War 1 and with

the Black and Tans in Southern Ireland,

(he was also an Air Raid Warden during

the Second World War.) Mr Stranix

was a member of a number of societies;

he was a founding member of the Press

Orange Lodge, a member of the

Apprentice Boys and was also well

known in Masonic circles.

HORRIFIC DISCOVERY

On the morning of Tuesday, June 28th,

1955, Mr Stranix reported for work as

usual. It had been a cold wet day and

everything within the harbour was

normal. Later in the morning, at

around 11.40 a.m., Mr Samuel Dodds

went to the timekeepers office to check

out. When he reached the office he

discovered that the door was locked,

HORRIFIC MURDER AT

THE BELFAST DOCKSwhich was very unusual. Mr Dodds,

who had his own key, opened the door

and inside he discovered Mr Stranix

lying on the floor very seriously

injured. He ran to a nearby electrical

repair shop to seek assistance. An

ambulance was then called for but by

the time it had arrived Mr Stranix had

died.

Stranix had been a member of the notorious

Black and Tans during the Irish War of

independence

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MURDER INQUIRY

The police had also been sent for and

when they arrived they began a murder

inquiry instantly. When local reporters

began to arrive one of them was told

by a police officer that “the crime

appeared to have been committed by a

person who knew his way about the

Harbour Estate, and who went at the

slack time to the timekeepers office

with the weapon intending to attack Mr

Stranix. The very severe injuries

inflicted were mostly on the head and

face.” At the beginning of the inquiry

the police believed that robbery could

not have been a motive as there was

never any money kept in the office,

however, at eleven o’clock the same

evening the police had released the

following statement;

It has been established that two

wallets which the deceased had in his

possession are missing. No. 1 is a

black Morocco wallet of ordinary size

- approximately 6in. by 3in. - fold over

type. No. 2 is a pigskin wallet, also of

the fold over type, but slightly smaller

than No. 1. It is tan in colour and the

name ‘Domer Twist Drill Company’

appears on the inside flap. One of

these wallets contained possibly two

steamer berth tickets for the journey

from Belfast to Douglas, Isle of Man,

for a date unknown. Should any

person find a wallet answering the

description or have any information

regarding them they are requested to

communicate with the police at

telephone number 24242 or go to the

nearest R.U.C. Barrack.

Mr Stranix was an Air Raid Warden during

the Blitz on Belfast

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MANIACAL ATTACK

The police had also stated that they

were looking for the murder weapon

which they believed was ‘a steel bar

with a cloven end. (a crowbar) Dr J

Firth, Director of the Home Office

Forensic Science Laboratory at

Preston, who was assisting the R.U.C.,

stated that it was a bar such as this

which killed Mr Stranix after he had

held a post-mortem examination. He

also stated that; “The attack was of a

maniacal nature and that four major

blows were struck, the first of which

was sufficient to cause death. He was

hit as he sat at his desk and the

presumption is that the attack was by

someone who knew the dead man.” As

the police investigation continued there

were now four different theories which

the R.U.C. were considering as a

motive.

1. That he was killed by a harbour

employee in the heat of the moment

after a dispute about working hours.

2. That the murderer was someone

who held a personal grievance against

him.

3. That although no money was kept

at the office Stranix may have had

money with him in the missing wallets,

and that robbery could have been a

motive for the killing.

4. That the murderer was a

pathological killer who killed for the

sake of killing - and may strike again.

BLOODSTAINED CLOTHING

Detectives stated that the murderers

clothing must have been bloodstained,

and as the murder was committed

between 10.45 and 11.15 a.m. when

men were working nearby and walking

up and down the road, it would have

been difficult for the killer to pass out

of the office unnoticed. At this stage

the detectives had ruled out one major

fact. At the given time of the murder

there had been heavy showers and there

is no doubt that all those around outside

would have sought shelter inside

nearby huts. The police were now

concentrating on discovering the

murder weapon. They believed that it

may have been thrown into the

Abercorn Basin and a large

electromagnet was connected to a

dredger crane in order to recover any

metal objects at the bottom of the basin.Mr Samuel Stranix

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FINGERPRINTS

They had also uncovered a large

number of fingerprints inside the office

but all these were eventually linked to

the harbour workers.

The day after the murder the police

thought they had made a breakthrough

in the case when a constable discovered

a bar which fitted the description on

top of a scrap heap. Investigation

revealed that it was not the murder

weapon. The search of the basin had

uncovered over one hundred bars, none

of which, the police believed, was the

murder weapon.

“MAN IN GREY”

The police continued to interview

everyone who was employed in the

Harbour Estate and as they were doing

so a lorry driver came forward saying

that he had seen a man standing outside

the timekeeper’s office on the morning

previous to the murder. The police then

issued an appeal in the local

newspapers stating that they wished to

interview this person who was

described as “The man in grey.”

The lorry driver said that this man had

been wearing a grey suit under an open

raincoat. A man, who fitted this

description, came forward and was

ruled out of the investigation. At this

stage the police had no suspects and

no one had been identified as having a

motive.

CONFESSION

Exactly one week after the murder was

committed the police thought that the

case was solved when a man confessed

to the killing. Forty nine year old

William Henry Bailey went to

Willowfield Barracks and told a

Constable Kelly that he had murdered

Mr Stranix. Bailey made a voluntary

statement here and another at

Mountpottinger District Headquarters.

In one statement Bailey told the police

that he had met two men in a public

house one whose name seemed, from

the conversation, to be Tommy, who

told Bailey that he had been a

commando. The other man’s name was

Paddy. During the conversation money

matters came up and ‘Tommy’ said

that he knew where there was money

to be had. He then spoke about Stranix

and said, “it is only a matter of

knocking him and getting whatever he

had.” The statement went on - “he said

have you anything at home?” I said I

had an old Webley revolver without

any ammunition. He said to bring it -

“it is only a matter of giving him a

touch and getting the money.”

REMANDED

The men arranged to meet, the

statement said, and they walked past

the timekeeper’s office. ‘Tommy’ went

in and Bailey heard him ask Stranix for

money and being refused. Bailey then

walked into the office and ‘Tommy’

gave him a nod and he hit Stranix with

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the revolver. ‘Tommy’ had an iron bar

and Bailey said he thought ‘Tommy’

hit Stranix as he had went out of the

office. Later, the three went to a public

house and Bailey was handed £10.

‘Tommy’ said he had only got £25.

Bailey was then taken to the Belfast

Police Office where he was formally

charged with the murder of Samuel

Stranix and after a brief court

appearance he was remanded in

custody to the Crumlin Road jail.

MASSIVE MANHUNT

The R.U.C. then launched a massive

manhunt to find ‘Tommy the

commando’ and Paddy. This search

involved not only the local police but

also the police in the Irish Republic.

As the R.U.C. believed that two

steamer tickets were taken from the

murdered man’s wallet the police in

Britain were also asked to assist.

FALSE STATEMENT

When the manhunt involving the three

police forces failed to find the two men

the R.U.C. decided to interview Bailey

in prison to see if he could help the

police discover their whereabouts.

County Inspector Albert Kennedy went

to the jail on the 11th of July and when

he began the interview Bailey made

another remarkable confession.

The Belfast Harbour Estate at the time of Mr Stranix’s murder

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Inspector Kennedy told Bailey, “I have

called to see if you can give me any

further information which would assist

the police in tracking Tommy and

Paddy.” In reply Bailey said, “I want

to tell you that the statement I made to

you was entirely false. All I can say is

that I don’t know whether it was a

mood I was in or what actually caused

me to do what I did do, but the mood I

was in made me not care what

happened to me.” Inspector Kennedy

was shocked to discover that one of the

biggest manhunts in the British Isles

was as a result of a false statement.

Bailey was then told to make a new

statement and in this Bailey said, “I

would like to say that I am very sorry

for the trouble the police and other

persons have been put to. I realise now,

having had time to think about it, that

I did wrong. I also thought that if I

told the story to the police the real

murderer or murderers might come

forward.”

The police, because of another line of

inquiry, believed Bailey. He was

recharged with wasting police time and

was convicted for the offence the

following October.

The R.U.C. resumed their original

investigation and their attention was

again turned on the man who they had

previously suspected and who evaded

arrest due to the false confession of

Bailey.

William Henry Bailey was remanded in the Belfast Prison on the Crumlin Road for the

murder of Mr Stranix but events were to take a strange twist

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UNUSUAL DECISION

Detective Head Constable James

Simms accompanied by Sergeant

Rankin returned to the Harbour Estate

and went to the engineer’s hut. There

they approached Samuel Gilmore

Dodds, (who had discovered the body

of Stranix.) The detective told him, “I

am taking you to the Police Office

where I intend to charge you with the

murder of Samuel Stranix.” Dodds,

who was shocked, was then removed

and interviewed. The following day

Dodds appeared in court where

evidence against him was to be heard

over the next seven days. The court

then made an unusual decision. Under

a law dating back to the middle of the

previous century, no reports were to be

made by journalists. When the week’s

evidence was heard, Dodds, who

vigorously denied the charge, was

returned for trial in October.

COURT ACTION THREAT

Samuel Dodds stood for trial before

Lord Justice Black at the Belfast City

Commission in October 1955. Crowds

came to gain admittance to the public

gallery and a police man had to be

placed on duty in order to control them.

During the first court appearances

almost 60 witnesses had been

examined. When the court began,

Detective Head Constable Simms was

called to give evidence on why and

how Dodds committed this murder. He

stated that during a search of Dodds’s

house on July 16, he found a

communication from the legal

department of a store in a box on top

of a wardrobe in a back bedroom. The

communication, which was dated June

24, 1955, and addressed to Dodds,

said:-

Sir, Your name has been given to this

department for action. We have been

informed that repeated calls have been

made concerning the account. As

nothing has been done, it is apparent

that you have no intention of paying

the debt unless you are prosecuted and

brought before the court. Instructions

have been received that unless a

substantial amount is paid within four

days action will be taken without

further delay.

Head Constable Simms then described

timing the journey between the

Queen’s Road time office and the

junction of Victoria Road and Victoria

Wharf on Dodds’s bicycle. Riding at

a leisurely speed he completed the

journey to the junction in three minutes

45 seconds. Riding fast on the return

journey it took him two minutes 20

seconds.

“CHARGE ME”

On July 26, the head constable

continued, he saw Dodds in the

engineer’s yard at Sydenham Road and

told him that he was going to charge

him with the murder of Samuel Stranix.

He stated that before he had time to

caution him Dodds replied, “Charge

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me.” He then cautioned him and on

the way to the Police Office Dodds

asked, “Have you told them at home?”

In reply the policeman told him, “No,

but that he would do.” At the Police

Office the head constable preferred the

charge of murder against Dodds and

cautioned him again. Dodds replied: -

“I don’t want to say anything if that’s

the way I plead not guilty.”

BLOOD DEPTH

In cross-examination Head Constable

Simms told Mr E Jones, Q.C., senior

defence counsel, that in the course of

police inquiries into the murder, over

400 statements were taken and

thorough searches made of Dodds’s

home at Downshire Park Central.

When Mr Jones stated that the police

were looking for someone covered in

blood the head constable disagreed.

“How deep was the blood in the time

office?” Mr Jones asked, “Did you

measure it?” Head Constable Simms

replied that measurement was not

made, but the blood was of appreciable

depth.

CLOTHING

Detective Sergeant Rankin was then

called to give evidence. He told the

court that on July 16th he took

possession of a green tweed overcoat

in the crane office on the harbour

estate. Later that day he searched

Dodds’s house and took away articles

of clothing, documents, and account

books. He said that the total amount

due weekly on the account books was

£5. 13s. 10d. Among the documents

was a final notice issued by the

Corporation Electricity Department on

June 29th, for £2. 10s, and three notices

including a final demand, dated July

15th, from the Belfast Water

Commissioners, for £2. 6s. 8d. On July

16th he saw Dodds at Mountpottinger

police barracks and showed him the

clothes he had taken earlier that day.

Dodds disputed the ownership of some

of the articles to which the sergeant

said: - “At any rate we have got all the

clothing you were wearing on the day

of the murder.” Dodds replied that all

he was wearing that day was the jacket,

the brown corduroy trousers and the

green overcoat.

DROPPED BAR

Robert Mawhinney, welder, was then

called to the witness box. He stated

that on June 28 he was welding a tank

on the stern of a ship in the Victoria

Yard. At approximately 10.30 a.m. he

left the tank for a breath of fresh air,

and wandered around the vessel. He

said that he was standing about 47 feet

above the footbridge. “As I stood there

I saw a man dressed in a loose fitting

overcoat and cap come on to the bridge

wheeling a bicycle from the Victoria

Wharf end. He paused a little way

along the bridge, leaned the bicycle

against his hip, passed his right hand

across his body and underneath his

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overcoat. He withdrew a bar - or

whatever it was - and dropped it into

the water.”

Mawhinney went on to say that there

were two men, one sitting, one

standing, on a pontoon below the

footbridge, and the man on the

footbridge appeared to speak to them.

They turned around as if answering

him. Mawhinney said in cross-

examination that he was not sure if it

was an iron bar that was dropped into

the water.

BRAINS KNOCKED IN

Next in the dock was boilermaker

Louis Duke. He said that from about

8.30 a.m. on June 28th he was working

with three other men on the Victoria

Wharf ferry pontoon. Between 10.30

a.m. and 11.00 a.m. Dodds spoke to

him from the footbridge about one of

the other men’s time board number.

Dodds had a dirty and wet coat on him

but Duke could not see whether it was

long or short. He could not say whether

Dodds was wearing a cap or had a

bicycle, as he was only visible from the

waist upwards. Dodds usually

travelled by bicycle.

Duke said that he was not spoken to

by any other person from the

footbridge that morning. At about 3.30

p.m. that day he again saw Dodds on

Victoria Wharf. Dodds approached

him with his bicycle and someone

asked him if he knew anything about

the murder. He said he did, that he was

the first man to discover the body, and

he described what he saw.

Dodds told them that Stranix’s “brains

were knocked in and there was blood

on the floor and the walls.” Dodds,

Duke said, was very excited and all of

a sudden he said: “Ah to hell. I’ll have

to go and see if anybody wants a pass

out.” Dodds then jumped on his

bicycle and ‘rode like mad’ over the

footbridge.

Duke added that he had known Dodds

for six and a half years and he had never

seen him behave in that way before.

LOAN

William Rice, building contractor,

Downshire Park Central, told the court

that towards the end of May, 1955,

Dodds told him that his wife was in

hospital and required an operation

which would cost £15. He said he had

to pay half the cost but had only £2.

10s. Rice said he loaned Dodds £5

and Dodds left, saying he was going to

the hospital to pay. The money had

been repaid by Mrs Dodds only

recently.

“NO CHANGES”

Henry McManus, telephone attendant

in the Thompson and Alexandra

Pumping Station gave evidence that at

10.45 a.m. on June 28th in the pumping

station. Dodds asked him, “Any

changes Harry?” Witness replied “No

changes Sammy.” Two or three days

later Dodds complained to him about

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Police guard the timekeepers office where Mr Stranix was murdered

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the grinding he was getting from the

police, and said that he had lost over a

stone in weight.

ADDITIONAL WITNESSES

A number of other witnesses were

called to give evidence on the financial

matters concerning Dodds. After these

the next to give evidence was Thomas

William Collins, chief timekeeper at

the Harbour Estate. He said that he had

talked to Dodds and David Hall -

another travelling timekeeper - about

half-an-hour after Stranix was found

dead. Hall said that he had seen Stranix

at 10.45 a.m., and Dodds said that he

had found him at 11.40 a.m. Collins

stated that the returns made by Dodds

for the day of the murder showed that

Joseph Charles was at work at

Tillyburn and that William Black was

working at the Thompson and

Alexranda Pumping Station. He

agreed with Mr Jones in cross-

examination that Dodds’s work had

always been satisfactory and that his

records on June 28th were correct up

to the point of his seeing four men on

a pontoon at Victoria Wharf.

Joseph Charles, craneman, and William

Black, who work in the Thompson and

Alexandra Pumping Station, swore that

they were not at work on June 28.

Alexander Hamilton, foreman

boilerman, gave evidence that at 8.00

a.m. on June 28th he detailed four men

to work on the ferry pontoon at Victoria

Wharf. He said that no timekeeper

would have known where the men

were going to work, before he gave

them their instructions. Hamilton

agreed that Dodds’s returns were

correct as far as the four men were

concerned.

OBJECTION

Next in the witness box was a labourer

named William McClelland. Before he

was allowed to give evidence Mr Jones

made a formal objection on the grounds

that part of his evidence would not be

relevant. Lord Justice Black asked the

Attorney-General, Mr J Warnock, if the

evidence was crucial, remarking: “We

are not trying anyone else.”

Mr Warnock said that during cross-

examination Mr Jones had put another

person’s movements in issue, and he

submitted that the evidence would be

completely admissible.

McClelland said that on June 28th

David Hall - who gave evidence earlier

in the hearing - came into the engineers

yard at Sydenham Road about 10.15

a.m. and remained there until about

11.50 a.m. Dodds came into the yard

about 11.35 a.m. and gave witness the

time-board of Vincent Murray who was

working at Tillysburn. During cross-

examination McClelland agreed with

the defence that it was fortunate for

Hall that he could verify his

movements for the morning of June

28th.

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Mr Jones - There were a lot of inquiries

going on down there, and it was nice

for anyone who could say he was in a

certain place at a certain time.

McClelland - Yes.

Mr Jones - I note Charles, Black,

Hamilton, and McClelland were the

witnesses whose evidence the

Attorney General intimated on

Wednesday that he would put in as

additional evidence.

MADE A MISTAKE

Edward Coulter, paver, who had a

squad of men working at Victoria

Wharf of June 28th, said that as he left

for the toilet at about 10.35 a.m. he met

Dodds cycling about 100 to 150 yards

up Victoria Road from the Wharf.

Dodds had on an overcoat, but was

without a cap, “if my memory serves

me right.” During their conversation

Coulter said he asked Dodds to sign

the timesheet for the men working at

the wharf. He loaned Dodds a pencil,

and when the men’s numbers were

written down Coulter initialled the

sheet. Examining initials on a

timesheet produced in court, Coulter

said that the ‘C’ resembled his, but the

‘E’ did not.

In cross-examination, Coulter was

asked by Mr Jones if the distance of

100 to 150 yards he had mentioned had

grown a little. Coulter admitted that at

the preliminary hearing he had given

the distance as approximately 100

yards. He further admitted that he had

made a mistake in saying at the

preliminary hearing that Dodds had

been wearing a cap when he met him

at Victoria Wharf. He denied

suggesting that he had met Dodds at

10.20 a.m. The morning of June 28th

was very wet, he said, but it was not

wet at 10.30 a.m.

DELIVER TIMEBOARDS

Next called was Patrick McKeown,

sweeper. He told the court that he saw

Dodds while working on the main

Queen’s Road, near Harland Road, at

about 10.45 a.m. on June 28th. Dodds

told him that he was going to the bank

to deliver some timeboards. McKeown

said that he thought that the bank

meant, ‘somewhere about the airport.’

McKeown said that Dodds was

wearing an overcoat and cap.

TERRIBLE MORNING

James Lewis, labourer, who said he

had an office in a hut near the airport,

stated that Dodds called with him at

11.13 a.m. on June 28th, and stayed

until 11.20 a.m. making entries on his

timesheet. Dodds was wearing an

overcoat and remarked that it was a

terrible morning.

ASKING FOR LOANS

The next witness called was a

travelling timekeeper named James

Caddell. He told the court that on one

occasion in the Queen’s Road time

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office, Stranix produced an envelope

which he claimed contained £200. This

was about six weeks before the murder,

and Dodds was present at the time.

Another travelling timekeeper named

William Kindness, stated that Stranix

was in the habit of carrying large sums

of money in his pockets and of

producing the money in the office and

asking if anyone wanted a loan.

SON OF CROWN WITNESS

At the next hearing the first witness

called was Thomas Coulter who was

the son of a Crown witness. He told

the Court that he had been employed

by the Harbour authorities and worked

in the main office at Corporation

Square. In the course of his office

duties he was relief telephone operator

to Miss Robinson.

The desk at which Mr Stranix was murdered

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NO FAULTS ON LINE

On June 28th, some time between

10.40 a.m. and 10.50 a.m., he had

taken over from Miss Robinson and his

spell on duty continued until 11.10 a.m.

During that period - he could not be

exact about the time - he had received

two incoming calls on the extension

from Stranix’s office. He inserted the

answering key and asked “number

please” but on both occasions there was

no reply. In cross-examination Coulter

stated that there had been no faults in

the line that day and was most definite

that he had received no call at that time

from another extension.

NEVER BEEN IN TROUBLE

Samuel Dodds was then called to the

witness stand. He told the court that

he was married and had nine children

whose ages ranged from 17 years to

three months. He had served with the

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers during the

war, and had never been in trouble

before. He had worked as a travelling

timekeeper on the Harbour Estate for

three and a half years. Describing his

movements on June 28th, Dodds said

that he had arrived at the time-office

about 7.35 a.m. and left the hut, from

which he gave out his timeboards, at

7.50 a.m. His hut that morning was at

the Thompson Pumping Station. It was

a wet morning, and when he had

performed his duties he had returned

to the time-office, at approximately

8.15 a.m.

Between 9.30 a.m. and 9.50 a.m. he

went to the nearby crane department

to obtain cotton wool and plaster so that

Stranix might dress his boils, as he had

done before. With the necessary

material he returned to the time-office,

where Stranix and Hall, another

travelling timekeeper, were drinking

tea. Stranix said to him:- “there is a

drop of tea for you.” While he was

having the tea, Mr Ardis, assistant

superintendent of cranes, entered - it

was about 9.35a.m.- and borrowed

Stranix’s shaving soap and went into

the toilet at the back to shave. After

they had finished their tea, Dodds took

off his coat, pullover and shirt and

Stranix dressed his boils. The boil on

his ear was practically better and only

required a little plaster, but the other

one under his arm, was “well up to a

head” and Stranix lanced it and opened

it up.

BOILS DRESSED

While this was being done, Hall left.

The time then was almost 9.45 a.m.

Ardis left shortly afterwards, and, when

his boils had been dressed, Dodds put

on his clothes. That day he was

wearing a grey jacket, pullover, shirt,

and brown corduroy trousers. He went

out into the Queen’s Road to try and

see Hall, whom he wished to deliver a

time-board to the engineers yard,

which was on Hall’s run. The time-

board was for a man named Murray,

who was working at Tillysburn.

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2424242424

BET ON A FRIDAY

Dodds said that he did not see Hall, but

met a fitter called Albert Woods, who

was going across Queens Road from

the Abercorn Basin for his lunch in the

crane department. Dodds asked Woods

if he had seen Hall and Woods replied

that he had. The time then was roughly

9.55a.m. He left Woods at the door of

the crane department and returned to

the time-office where he found Stranix

alone. Dodds then put on his coat and

cap and began talking to Stranix, who

was not working then, but as he left he

saw Stranix ‘toting up a column.’

Asked about the conversation with

Stranix during this time, Dodds said

that earlier a remark had been passed

by Ardis about his boils, and Stranix

said that that remark must have

sickened Hall because he had gone

away. Dodds said that he had asked

Stranix if he thought his son, who was

working at Monlough, would have a

tax rebate the following week, and

continued to talk to him about holiday

payments. When he left Stranix it had

been around 10.00a.m. and 10.15 a.m.

In reply to Mr Jones, Dodds said that

he had his overcoat and cap on then

but did not have his bicycle with him.

He went round to the crane department

to see Roy Norwood, an apprentice

fitter, with whom he backed horses and

studied ‘the form.’ He said that he

could not afford to back horses a lot,

but he usually had a bet of 5s on a

Friday.

Going to the fitting shop door he asked

if Roy was in and someone replied that

he was up on the crane. Dodds asked

which crane and Woods said number

16, while McIlory said it was the

second one along from the Abercorn

Basin.

DENIED STOPPING

Only a minute or two was spent in the

crane department and from there he

went to the time-check-office for his

bicycle. It had a puncture in the back

wheel and he pumped it up. He then

went down the Queens Road to its

junction with Victoria Road. Going

down Victoria Road to Victoria Wharf

he met Edward Coulter, foreman paver,

about 100 yards from where his men

were working at the junction of

Victoria Road and the wharf. He

cycled along the wharf and spoke to

Larry Duke and the men working on a

pontoon and took their numbers. He

then cycled across the footbridge.

Dodds denied stopping at all on the

footbridge and denied dropping an iron

bar into the water. He said that he did

not have an iron bar with him. Having

crossed the footbridge, he went to the

Alexander Dock and then to the

Thompson Dock Pumping Station

where he saw Harry McManus. From

there he went to Queen’s Road and

‘next to the city side’ spoke to Paddy

McKeown. While they were together,

a man came along Queen’s Road and,

in reply to McKeown’s query about the

2525252525

Dr. G. B. Manning, Dr. J. B. Firth and Mr. A. J. Howard leaving the murder scene

2626262626

time, said it was 10.45a.m. or

10.50a.m. Dodds then stated that he

went to the Musgrave Road, the

Musgrave Channel, Hamilton Road

and on to the Airport Road, where on

the Connsbank he met the ‘nipper’ of

Rickerby’s squad, who told him that

“the squad was the same as yesterday.”

After he had visited the airport he went

on to Lewis’s hut and entered the part

that was used as an office. Here he

wrote up the numbers of the

timeboards. He had been very wet,

and he rewrote a complete page which

had been destroyed by the rain.

Leaving the hut at 11.20a.m. he started

back to the time office, first calling at

the engineers yard, Sydenham Road,

where he saw Hall and delivered a

time-board for Vincent Murray. He

explained that the yard was not on his

run, and he had wanted to give the

board earlier to Hall.

SAW BLOOD OOZING

When he got to the time office he

opened the outer door with his key and

immediately saw blood oozing into the

office. After seeing what had happened

in the inner office, he summoned help.

He met Collins and Hall after the

discovery and Collins asked who had

seen Stranix last. “As I have heard

Collins say, Hall said he saw him at

10.45 a.m., but I think he said five past

eleven.”

Mr Jones - Did you at any time assault

Stranix in any way?

Dodds - No sir.

Mr Jones - Did you hit him at all?

Dodds - No sir.

Mr Jones - Did you murder him?

Dodds - No sir.

Dodds denied that at the time of the

murder he owned a pair of grey flannel

trousers. He had bought a pair, he

thought, in June 1954 but they had been

worn out at the knees and the last time

he remembered wearing them was in

September or October. They had been

given to his son, who had worn them

to his work under his dungarees. He

did not wear grey flannels on the

morning of the murder.

Dodds said that he could not explain

why it had been sworn that there was

blood on the lining of his overcoat. It

might have come from his boils or from

any of his eight small children. He

denied that it had come from an iron

bar under his coat.

UNAWARE OF LETTER

Explaining the financial position of the

family, he said that he earned £6. 15s,

the eldest boy had £3. 6s of which £2.

10s was handed into the house, the

eldest girl gave in £1. 16s. 8d and one

of the younger boys earned 22s. 6d

delivering papers. Added to all that

there was £2 family allowance.

At the time of the murder he was in no

greater money difficulties than usual,

and on June 28th he was not aware of

the letter from the legal department of

a Belfast store

2727272727

Dodds said, during cross-examination

by the Attorney General Mr Warnock,

that Stranix was not his boss and would

not have had any authority to tell him -

“it is time you were away on your

round or duties.” He admitted that on

the morning of June 28th he was

‘skimping’ his round of duty. He said

he did not go to Tillyburn to deliver a

timeboard to Vincent Murray because

Murray had called in the engineers yard

earlier that morning and “it is the

practice of the timekeepers to take the

boards to where they were ordered

from and Murray’s was ordered from

the engineers yard.”

Mr Warnock - Why were you hanging

around the time-office when you

should have been out on your rounds?

Dodds - I went back to the time office

and had a conversation with Stranix.

Referring to the dressing of Dodds’s

boils by Stranix Mr Warnock said - I

put it to you that your boil was not

lanced at all.

Dodds - My boil was lanced that

morning.

Mr Warnock - I put it to you that you

invented it to create blood.

Dodds - I had no need to create blood.

Dodds told the court that he did not

know Stranix’s head had been battered

in when he found him, although other

people had said he had come out stating

that. He agreed that the only man who

could have known Stranix’s head had

been battered in at that time was the

man who had done it.

NEVER DESPERATE FOR MONEY

Questioned about his conversation

from the footbridge with the man on

the pontoon at Victoria Wharf, Dodds

said that from the corner of the wharf

the bridge of the pontoon could be seen.

He denied that he was ‘well on’ the

bridge before he saw the man.

Dodds said that he was never desperate

for money, but was never well off. He

did lie to Rice to obtain money from

him.

Dodds denied being an untruthful man

but admitted that he had told lies. He

said that he had seen Stranix with sums

of money amounting to £60 or £70, but

refuted the suggestion that he was

present at a time when Stranix

produced £200.

Dodds agreed that it would be

dangerous for a man to carry large

sums of money about, and that it would

be particularly dangerous if a large

number of people knew of his practice.

He had never heard any talk about it

being dangerous for Stranix to be

carrying the money.

Mr Warnock - Do you remember being in

a boilerhouse and picking up an iron bar?

Dodds - I didn’t.

Mr Warnock - Have you ever heard

any talk, even a jest, about relieving

Stranix of his money?

Dodds - Never, never.

Mr Warnock - Did you ever say to

McNerlan that “That would be a good

thing to hit Sammy with?”

Dodds - No sir, never.

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2929292929

Dodds said it was definitely not him

who dropped the bar over the

footbridge. He had no explanation to

offer for bloodstains on his jacket and

the lining of his overcoat. “I cannot

explain why the blood is there. I know

it isn’t Stranix’s,” he stated. Neither

could he explain the rust marks on the

coat, and said he did not know there

was a hole in the coat pocket.

Re-examined by Mr Jones, at the end

of Mr Warnock’s cross-examination,

Dodds said that the reason he did not

deliver a timeboard to Murray was that

it was a very wet day.

WORNOUT TROUSERS

Mrs Sarah Kathleen Dodds, wife of the

accused, was then called to the witness

stand. She told the court that they had

been married for 18 years and that they

had nine children, the youngest of

whom was born the previous

November. She could not hope for a

better husband, or father for her

children. She said she managed the

money matters in the house.

Mrs Dodds explained that her husband’s

grey flannel trousers had become worn

out and had been passed on to their eldest

son. The trousers were given to a rag

man early in 1955, and brown corduroy

trousers were bought to take their place.

In cross-examination Mrs Dodds said

that at the time of the investigation there

were no grey trousers in the house. The

police had searched in vain, and had

even dug in the garden.

CIRCUMSTANTIAL

The Crown case concluded at 12. 26

p.m. and Mr J. Brown, junior defence

counsel, in his opening address to the

jury, said that the trial had entered its

fifth day with 59 witnesses having been

called to give evidence.

There was no one, he said, who could

state - “I saw Dodds do this deed.” The

evidence was circumstantial, and

although it had been said that

circumstantial evidence could be very

strong, he felt the members of the jury

would say that the evidence against

Dodds was, to put it no more violently,

weak.

There was no sinister reason, he said,

for the accused’s bread account being

overdrawn, and the fact that the final

notices from the Corporation electricity

department and the Belfast Water

Commissioners were not received until

after the murder, did not throw light

on the mind of Dodds on June 28th.

“You will find,” he added, “that these

facts massively arrayed against Dodds,

are relatively trivial matters when it

comes to suggesting a motive for

murder.”

Mr Brown suggested that the jury

would be satisfied that it was not Dodds

who had thrown the bar over the

footbridge.

Referring to the fact that Dodds’s

overcoat, which was bloodstained, had

been left hanging openly in the time-

office for two days after the murder,

3030303030

he asked:- “Can you believe that if this

man had done the deed, and had known

there was any risk of incriminating

blood being found on his overcoat, he

would have left it for two days in the

place where the murder was

committed?”

No attempt had been made, he said, to

group the blood on the overcoat, and

no sample and been asked for or taken

from Dodds.

DISCREPANCIES

Mr Brown went on to say that the

Crown had made a great deal of alleged

discrepancies in times, but if the

evidence of one of the witnesses, who

had telephone conversations with

Stranix, was correct, and if Stranix had

made entries in his ledger for four

minutes, then the murder could not

have been committed more than a

minute before 10.30 a.m. Just after that

time Dodds, on the Crown’s own case,

was 1,000 yards or more away, talking

to the ganger of the paving squad.

RAN SHOUTING FOR HELP

The first of the three remaining Crown

witnesses called was Joseph Glass, a

former head-constable in the R.U.C.

He read the notes of a statement in

which he said he and District Inspector

Walker had taken from Dodds on the

afternoon of June 28th. In this Dodds

had said he had left the time-office at

9.50 a.m. to go on his rounds. Stranix

was then alone. The statement

described how Dodds went along

Queen’s Road to Victoria Wharf, then

to the Thompson and Alexandra Dock

Pumping Station, back to Queen’s

Road and up the Musgrave Channel to

the airport. He said he left the hut at

the airport about 11.20 a.m. and that

he had done his rounds on a bicycle.

Dodds related how on going into the

outer portion of the time-office he

found the inner door locked, which was

unusual. He saw blood coming

through the door from Stranix’s office.

He opened the door with his key, and

saw Stranix lying on the floor. He then

ran out shouting for help.

FULLER ACCOUNT

District Inspector Walker told the court

that on July 4 Dodds agreed to give him

a fuller account of his movements on

June 28th. He made a statement saying

he had left the office at 10.05a.m. or

10.10 a.m. and again described his

round of the estate. He said he was

wearing a green cloth overcoat.

Inspector Walker said that when he was

taking the second statement, Dodds had

told him he had left the time-office at

9.50 a.m., as in the original statement.

The inspector said he then informed

Dodds that a man called Crawford had

seen him leaving the office at 10.09

a.m. Dodds thought for a moment, then

said he had put on his clothes after

having his boils dressed by Stranix, and

that it might have been 10.05a.m. or

10.10 a.m. when he left.

3131313131

Dodds said that he did not remember

meeting Crawford when he left the

office, but that he did see him turning

his van at the entrance to the crane

office.

County Inspector Kennedy was then

called to give evidence. He told the

court that he had taken two statements

at two different dates. One was given

the day after the murder at the crane

office when a woman constable was

present.

FRIENDLY TERMS

Dodds gave an account of his

movements in which he said that on

the morning of the murder the

travelling timekeepers had chatted

about the tennis at Wimbledon with

Stranix.

Dodds said he left the time-office about

9.50 a.m. and in the course of his

rounds was at Lewis’s hut about 11.00

a.m., leaving at 11.20 a.m. when he

went to the engineers yard.

Dodds said he had known Stranix since

working at the harbour about four years

previously. He was on friendly terms

with him. Many of the employees at

the harbour were members of the

television club run by Stranix, and it

was well known that on many

occasions he had money in his

possession. He did not know whether

Stranix carried the money on a

particular day of the week to pay for

the television set drawn on the previous

Saturday

WARNED TO BE CAREFUL

County Inspector Kennedy then read a

statement said to have been made by

Dodds on July 16 at Mountpottinger

Police Barrack at 8.45 p.m. Before this

statement was made he told Dodds he

wished to ask him questions about the

previous statements and warned him to

be careful of his answers as the

questions were about the murder of

Samuel Stranix.

In this statement Dodds said that

although he had previously said he had

left the time-office at 9.50a.m. he now

said: “I did not leave until 10.10a.m.,

when I went round to the fitters shop

and asked for Roy Norwood.”

Afterwards he went to collect his

bicycle in the passage-way outside the

time-office, and, seeing Stranix inside,

went in and stood talking to him.

During the twenty minutes they were

there Stranix did no work. They talked

about ‘big wages’ which were due, and

he left the time-office at 10.15. a.m.

Dodds said that it would be untrue if

anyone said that he had seen Stranix

at 10.20 a.m., or if anyone said they

had seen him leaving the time-office

at 10.30 a.m.

Dodds denied dropping anything into

the water from the footbridge. He said

he was wearing his coat and cap when

he spoke to the two men on the

pontoon. He was on the bridge for

about four minutes, and then cycled to

the Alexandra Pumping Station. The

time was about 10.40 a.m., and he

3232323232

remained at the pumping station for

about ten minutes.

Mr Kennedy told Mr Jones in cross-

examination that Dodds was

interviewed for a total of 10 hours by

the police. He denied that Dodds was

being ‘probed’ all that time. ‘Probed’

was the wrong word he said: he would

describe the examination as ‘

discussions.’ He added that Dodds had

not been put on an identification parade.

MAJOR LINKS

Mr Jones, senior counsel for Dodds,

said that the Crown had sought to

fasten the charge on Dodds by a chain

of circumstantial evidence. He

suggested that there were four major

links and four minor links in the chain.

The major links were (1) the time factor

in relation to the time Dodds had left

the time-office and the time Stranix

was known to be alive: (2) the blood:

(3) the episode on the footbridge

concerning the bar: (4) the alleged

incident in the pumping station when

a witness claimed that Dodds picked

up an iron bar and made an observation

about hitting “Sammy with it.”

The minor links were (1) Dodds’s

failure to do his work perfectly on the

morning of June 28: (2) his change of

times in his statements: (3) the

allegedly missing trousers: (4) his

financial situation.

After referring to the evidence

concerning the links, Mr Jones

submitted that a case had not been

proved against Dodds, and said the jury

might feel that the evidence had proved

he was not guilty.

Addressing the jury on behalf of the

Crown Mr Nicholson said that the

Crown maintained that the jury must

be convinced, awful though the

decision might be, that Dodds was the

man who committed the murder.

ROBBERY MOTIVE

There were certain things about the

case which he felt were beyond

question. Seventeen blows had been

inflicted on Stranix, with one reason

only - to make quite certain that he was

dead and would tell no tale. It was also

clear that the murderer knew Stranix

and that Stranix knew the murderer.

Mr Nicholson said it was a reasonable

inference that Stranix had recognised

his murderer before he died. He

suggested that the jury could have no

doubt that the motive for the crime was

robbery. It was not a crime of passion.

He added that the fact the murder had

been committed in broad daylight

showed that the murderer was ‘resolute

and ruthless.’

FIENDISH AND BRUTAL

Lord Justice Black said in his

summing-up that all the evidence in the

case was circumstantial. It was

sometimes said that circumstantial

evidence could not lie, while direct

evidence could be mistaken or

untruthful about what they saw.

3333333333

His Lordship, remarking that time was

of vital importance in the case, said the

jury would have to be very careful that

the times given were accurately

assesses. “In this case accuracy in a

few minutes may make a vital

difference.”

The judge stated that the Crown case

was that Dodds loitered for about half-

an-hour after he should have started his

round of the harbour estate so that he

might have the opportunity of

attacking Stranix.

The murder, his Lordship said, was

“most fiendish and brutal,” committed

by a man with no feelings, who was

playing for high stakes.

Lord Justice Black referred to the

coincidence of two witnesses having

described both the bar thrown into the

water from the footbridge and the one

said to have been picked up by Dodds

in the pumping station as being seven-

eighths of an inch in diameter. There

might be nothing sinister in the

explanation, but he thought it was a

“funny coincidence.”

NOT GUILTY

From the evidence, many people

believed that Dodds was going to be

found guilty and subsequently hanged.

After a retirement of exactly one hour

the jury of nine men and three women

found Samuel Dodds not guilty of the

brutal murder of Samuel Stranix.

Immediately after the verdict was

announced, the judge ordered Dodds

to be released, and the 38 year old man,

who had been in prison for six months

awaiting trial, hastily left the courtroom

to return home.

POLICE ESCORT

Dodds was given a police escort by the

request of his solicitor. He was joined

by his wife, whose ninth child, a

daughter, born while he was in custody,

he still had to see. It was because of

the indisposition of his wife, a defence

witness, that Dodds’s trial had been

postponed from the previous City

Commission.

The court was crowded throughout the

final day’s sitting in the six day trial,

people having queued for over three

hours before the sitting started. All day

there was an overflow queue outside

the courtroom and during the jury’s

retirement from 4.03 p.m. to 5.03 p.m.

people gathered on the street outside

the building to await the verdict.

JURY DISCHARGE

The members of the jury who were in

strict confinement during the case,

were told by Lord Justice Black, after

Dodds’s discharge, that they would be

excluded from service for 15 years.

NOT ENOUGH!

So who killed Samuel Stranix? Today

this case remains unsolved as the

investigation into it failed to discover

any additional evidence. In relation to

the trial itself there were a lot of

questions which went unanswered. For

example why did one person say they

saw Mr Dodds lift an iron bar and

another say that they saw him dispose

of it? If they were telling the truth then

this would explain why the blood and

rust appeared inside the overcoat. Was

this not enough to convict Samuel

Dodds? Obviously not.

In the Autumn of 1992 Samuel Dodds

died. A feature on the Stranix murder

appeared in a Sunday newspaper that

December and when a reporter asked

Mrs Dodds about the events of 1955

all she would say was:- “It destroyed

our lives.”

As part of the New Lodge Festival the Glenravel

Project are organising a few events which might

be of interest to our readers

Sunday 23rd August 7am (yes 7am!)

HISTORIC DUBLIN

This will be a walking tour of Dublin City Centre, a visit to Kilmainham Jail and

Glasnevin Cemetery.

Cost £10

Saturday 29th August 11am

WALKING TOUR OF THE HISTORIC

CLIFTON STREET CEMETERY

Visit the graves of prominent United Irishmen including its founder William Drennan

as well as two of the largest 'famine graves' in this part of Ireland

Admission Free

Sunday 30th 11am

HEALTHY HISTORY

A walk up Cavehill to look at some of the stories associated with this marvellous area.

Good walking boot or shoes recommended as well as refreshments.

We also promise not to get lost this year!

Admission Free

FOR ADDITIONAL INFO CONTACT THE

GLENRAVEL PROJECT ON 9074 2255

IN THE DECEMBER EDITION OF

OLD BELFASTThe Murder ofPatricia Curran

ON SALE IN ALL LEADING NEWSAGENTS

FROM DECEMBER 1st

ISSN 1757-7284

Old Belfast is published

by the Glenravel Local

History Project as part

of our Belfast History

Project scheme

www.glenravel.com

FOR ALL AVAILABLE BACK ISSUES OF GLENRAVEL’S PUBLICATIONS GO TO

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