The Halifax Slasher

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The Slasher The town of Halifax in West Yorkshire had never experienced such a manhunt in it’s history (Glover 3). During a short, but long lasting in feeling, time period in late November through early December in the year 1938, the town of Halifax underwent a period of mass hysteria. A mysterious “slasher” hid in the shadows and lunged out with a razor blade at people who passed by (Halifax Slasher). On November 16, two mill workers, Gertie Watts and Mary Gledhill, reported that they had been attacked by a man while they were walking on Old Bank Lane between Barkisland and Ripponden. They quickly ran to a nearby house for help. Blood was pouring continuously from their heads. Their wounds appeared to be caused by a razor blade (Glover …show more content…

Police had to escort him home because they were scared for his safety. Eventually that rumor died out when the slasher struck again (Sutfin 3). Fred Baldwin was also accused of being the slasher. Fred Baldwin was walking home alongside his bicycle through the village of Copley, which is a mile South of Halifax. As he was passing the Standard of Freedom Inn, a group of boys stopped him and began questioning him. One of the boys grabbed him by his shirt and yelled out “It’s him”. All the boys began punching Fred due to the fact that they thought he was the slasher. A few policemen arrived later on and Fred was brought into the Halifax Borough Court on December 6. He pleaded not guilty to the assumptions that he was the slasher (The Halifax Slasher-Copley). The next reported slasher attack, Hilda Lodge was the victim. She was attacked on Green Lane near Martin’s Mill, Pellon Lane. She was walking down the street when suddenly an arm flung out from around a wall and cut her on her face and both arms. This attack joined the others and the hysteria spread like wildfire (Glover 3). The panic spread as far as London (Halifax

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