Isabella Mueller (crime writer)
The story of Catherine Kinrade and John Camaish is a tragic love story full of passion and emotion that could have come straight from a Rosamunde Pilcher novel. Unfortunately, however, there is no happy ending, as the two star-crossed lovers were convicted of the cruel and inhuman murder of Mrs. Camaish, John’s pregnant wife, and executed on the Isle of Man on April 18, 1823. The case of these two young people shocked society and served as a terrifying reminder of the consequences of unbridled passions and criminal acts. Catherine Kinrade, then 19, and John Camaish, 28, were involved in a forbidden love affair. John was married to Catherine’s older sister, but his feelings for Catherine prompted the couple to hatch a diabolical plan to remove John’s wife and Catherine’s sister from their lives. They decided to poison Mrs. Camaish so that they could pursue their relationship. The first attempt at poisoning was made by Catherine, who mixed arsenic into her sister’s porridge. This first attempt caused Mrs. Camaish to vomit severely and suffer from intense headaches, but did not kill her. John then obtained more arsenic from a pharmacy in Ramsey, under the pretext that he needed it to kill pests. This time, he persuaded his wife to take the poison by promising her that it was a cure. This dose quickly led to her death. However, the circumstances of her death aroused people’s suspicions, and John and Catherine’s behavior reinforced these suspicions. An investigation revealed that Mrs. Camaish had died of arsenic poisoning and not of a natural illness. John and Catherine were arrested and charged with murder. The trial took place at the end of March 1823 before the Deemster, the island’s highest judge, at Castle Rushen. The jury found them both guilty and they were sentenced to death by hanging. Catherine showed deep remorse soon after her arrest. John, on the other hand, showed no signs of remorse until a few days before his death. Only then did he begin to become extremely nervous, trembling constantly and refusing food. On the day of the execution, he finally confessed that he had procured both portions of the poison. On the morning of the execution, Catherine asked for a final meeting with John. She gently reproached him for his guilt, but emphasized their mutual forgiveness. They said goodbye, holding hands. When the day of the execution began, the condemned were taken from their cells, bound, and loaded into a cart with nooses around their necks. Accompanied by clergy, they were driven to the gallows, a place near the water where a large crowd was waiting for the prisoners to arrive. The crowd consisted of people of all ages and genders who had come to witness this rare event. The cart was driven under the gallows and the ropes were attached to a beam. Reverend Mr. Kewley said prayers for the condemned for several minutes. After the prayers were finished, he embraced Catherine and shook John’s hand. The officers left the cart, and the signal was given to move the horse forward. While John died quickly, Catherine’s rope slipped, and her feet touched the ground, resulting in a prolonged agony. Her final moments were agonizing, while John died almost immediately. The bodies were left hanging for half an hour before being taken down and returned to the prison. Their bodies were later transferred to Douglas for dissection. However, it appears that this part of their punishment was not carried out, and their bodies were eventually handed over to their friends for burial. This execution was one of only seven carried out on the Isle of Man in the 19th century, and Catherine Kinrade was the only woman to be hanged there in the 19th or 20th century. The Isle of Man, a self-governing British colony, did not finally abolish the death penalty until 1993. The sad story of John Camaish and Catherine Kinrade serves as a cautionary tale of the terrible consequences that forbidden passion and criminal acts can bring. Their dark history echoes as a warning to this day, reminding us that no crime goes unpunished.
