The tragic story of Michael Smith and the murder of Catherine Duff, Sunderland 1888.

[@julieswallsendhistory8671]

Thank you for watching, I hope you will find it interesting.

[@TonyHolland-v7g]

Happy New Year Julie...what a tragic story that was x

[@julieswallsendhistory8671]

Happy New Year to you too. Yes a very sad story, and one that was all too common in the past.

[@devonstable9913]

Thank you Julie. Another sad story and a questionable prison term.

[@julieswallsendhistory8671]

Thank you for watching. Yes I think so too, not enough punishment for the crime.

[@ann7882]

Hey! Good morning 🌄! 6:34 AM in Birmingham Alabama, USA! Great story.❤

[@julieswallsendhistory8671]

Thank you so much and Good Morning to you too, 12.36 in the afternoon here.

[@derekstocker6661]

Poor Catherine, no doubt more modern medical and forensics would have proved that this dear lady lost the child and her own life because of the actions of this rotten guy. RIP to both victims.

[@julieswallsendhistory8671]

Yes I think things would have been very different today. Sad to think many people got away with murder because there wasn't enough proof.

[@TotemCrow]

Happy New Year Julie and everyone. Another interesting story. OOh those times. Michael had obviously come to feel acting as he did was perfectly fine. Many boys who grew up with abusive fathers could believe love was expressed through violence. Women were also often better off with an abusive partner than no partner at all, although what use hers was is hard to comprehend as he didnt seem to bring any money in. I get the impression Catherine was probably a little simple which Michael took advantage of. Hence her believing they were married when they werent. Was this some story Michael had concocted about perhaps getting a mate to pretend to be a vicar to get Catherine into bed. His behaviour in court strikes me as nothing could be put past him. That he would do anything and get away with all sorts. Yes it was definitely murder and again he was lucky to get away with his life. Feel sorry for Catherine who had quite a painful end to her short life.

[@julieswallsendhistory8671]

Happy New Year to you too. Yes that's true, he may have had a similar experience with his own parents and thought that was how you behaved and of course, once he found someone who seemed to "put up" with him it seems like he simply behaved however he liked with no fear of anyone stopping him.

[@davidhollingdale5408]

Good evening, Julie. This bully got off extremely lightly for the death of that poor woman AND she destruction of her unborn chjld. His continual violent assaults on herbage it murder rather than manslaughter. I suspect Smith was a man you crossed at your own risk,and nobody dared confront him. Thank you for your first Crime and Punishment story of 2025. Until next time: 👍👍👍👍⚘

[@julieswallsendhistory8671]

Thank you. Yes he seems like a person to avoid, which is often the case and often explains why no-one really gets involved. He was a very lucky man in the end.

[@leedsman54]

Murder or manslaughter, he got off very lightly with only seven years. I’d accept that he didn’t intend to kill her but the fact remains that he did. Had the poor child been born I wonder how it would have been treated by a violent thug of a father. I think we can guess. You’ve got to wonder as well why women stay with violent men, especially when they don’t have children.

[@julieswallsendhistory8671]

yes I too think he got off very lightly. It's very sad that she stayed with him, she clearly knew what he was like and did have somewhere she could have gone but sadly made the wrong choice.

[@purplevelvet69]

Fear, keeps them from leaving

[@julieswallsendhistory8671]

@@purplevelvet69 sad but often true.

[@LorrieBrady]

If only she would have gone back to her Mother's house, after all they were not married, he was a drunk and didn't work. Retched beast! I believe it was murder there were so many witnesses to testify that they saw him punch, kick, drag her by her hair.

[@julieswallsendhistory8671]

I also think it is sad she didn't leave him. He seemed to be someone without a care in the world when it came to his treatment of poor Catherine.

[@purplevelvet69]

As is the case today, she was probably too scared to leave him. He knew where her mother lived so he would have easily found her😢😢😢

[@julieswallsendhistory8671]

@@purplevelvet69 And he does sound like someone who would have gone looking too.

[@michaelrooney1454]

Definitely worthy of a verdict of murder. I'm really surprised that the neighbours didn't interfere or get involved more to help out Katherine. Sad story all the same 😢

[@julieswallsendhistory8671]

Yes I believe he was someone who was very worthy of a murder verdict. I often wonder about neighbours, in many stories they hear a fight/argument or know that someone is abusing another but do nothing to help. I now think it mostly comes down to the fact that they were sadly afraid of the abuser.

[@janetpendlebury6808]

Domestic abuse was very common back then, and condoned most of the time, men were allowed to 'chastise' their wives. The police, even in the 60's and 70's would not get involved in a 'domestic' unless it turned into GBH.

[@WadeRaney-vv5oi]

Not easy listening about Michael,R.I.P Catherine,👋 Julie 🙂

[@julieswallsendhistory8671]

Thank you for watching. Yes he was really not a nice man :(

[@kellyburgess671]

💚

[@julieswallsendhistory8671]

💚Thank you for watching.