It was around nine-forty-five on the evening of Sunday, January 26th, 1919. Eighteen-year-old John Bianchi, who lived with his parents and five brothers in a village called Bigges Maine on the outskirts of Wallsend, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, was walking with his paramour Elizabeth Philipson, who was also his cousin. She worked at the nearby Walkergate Fever Hospital, and after spending the day with John at church and at his home, she had taken him up on his offer to walk her back to the hospital, where she also lived.
The pair was happily strolling along the path, which was known locally as a lovers’ lane because couples would often take walks there. Suddenly, however, a tall man in a long dark overcoat and a cap came out of the bushes and blocked their way.
Elizabeth was immediately terrified, as several of her co-workers at the hospital had complained of being followed along a road nearby. But before either John or Elizabeth had time to react, the stranger shot John in the stomach, then grabbed Elizabeth by the shoulder and struck her on the head with the butt of his revolver, knocking her to the ground. The assailant stood over her for a short time, but Elizabeth played dead until she heard his footsteps fleeing the scene.
After the coast was clear, Elizabeth heard John groaning, and struggled to her feet, screaming for help and running back toward the Bianchi residence. An ambulance was quickly dispatched, and John was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. Unfortunately, though, John succumbed to his gunshot wound the following day. Elizabeth had thankfully escaped serious injury because her hat had cushioned most of the blow to her head.
A murder investigation was launched, but all police were able to determine was that John had been killed with a 455 Webley Scott revolver of the type issued by the Royal Navy. A piece of cord that was also in common naval use was likewise found at the scene.
At first, authorities theorized that the killer had perhaps been an ex-boyfriend of Elizabeth’s who was jealous of her new relationship. To that end, two young men whom she had previously dated were questioned, but both had solid alibis and were dismissed as suspects.
Another couple who frequented the lovers’ lane reported that they too had seen a strange man watching them from the bushes, and from this, investigators speculated that perhaps the attacker was some kind of religious fanatic who disapproved of the courting couples walking along the path. It seemed somewhat farfetched, but the slaying of John Bianchi appeared to have no other rational motive.
Despite their best efforts, police were never able to solve the case, and more than a century later, the identity of the mysterious stranger in the bushes by the lovers’ lane is still unknown.
Crime Immemorial 