Spring Onions His Life and Crimes

                                          Review of new book by Paul Williams 

On the night of 24th November 1898, a prisoner by the name of William John Onion, decided to turn his life around. Onion was seriously ill in his cell, and prayed, offering to give up intoxicating alcohol and make amends for his shocking life. He had a little over 500 hundred convictions, largely related to getting drunk, then turning offensive and often violent. Police officers, Workhouse staff, his first wife, were amongst those Onion had assaulted.  Onion had tried to change his life before. This time he succeeded, becoming teatotal, and pursued his skill as a verse writer which he had been developing throughout the 1890's. 

Born near Whitechapel Road, his father died when he was an infant, his mother was severely ill in hospital. Onion and a younger sister spent some time in Selby Yorkshire, living with relatives after a spell in the workhouse.  They returned to the East End, and Onion had enough basic education to learn to read and write. His taste for defying authority, devouring alcoholic beverages, and fighting were not curbed when he was in the Army, then Marines at the time of the Crimean War, though Onion was never sent abroad. 

And a grim cycle of vandalism, fighting, alcoholism, bouts of being homeless, regular court appearance, frequent stays in prison, time spent in the workhouse, are listed in this book. Onion was jailed for six months for attempting suicide, a criminal offence until 1961. Mr Williams is very helpful in setting the scenes, looking at the Habitual Drunkards Act 1880, the Inebriation Act 1888, Homes for Inebriates Association. This writer is also considering William Onion as an addict but keen not to make excuses for his often cruel and destructive behaviour. 

On the 13th November 1888, the City of London Police received an anonymous letter from someone in Folkstone naming and describing William Onion fairly accurately, and claiming that he was Jack the Ripper. Not very likely as Onion was serving a twelve month prison sentence at the time. 

William Onion succeeded in becoming sober and became a temperance movement speaker. He would sometimes turn at Court where he once was tried and sentenced, to give out copies of poems, and even recite verses. 

The New Crusade (William Onion, published in Tower Hamlets and Independent, 16th April 1898)

Drink ruins lads, shames the maids,
And hurries on the drunkard's doom.
On home, sweet home, it makes its raids,
And where love dwelt, leaves quite a gloom,
Strong drink turns a loving heart to stone,
Serves what once was near and dear.
Separates some true and loving one,
Then too-late flows the bitter tear. 

Poems were sent to people in power and published in magazine and newspapers. In fact a great deal of research for this book comes from such publications. Onion wrote verses in support of the Boer War, and Britain entering World War 1. But also lesser known events such as when Russian naval ships fired on British fisherman off Dogger Bank in 1904 thinking that they were Japanese naval vessels stalking them

Untitled ( Daily News 28 October 1904)

Who is that assassin that caused the bang,
        Which sent those murderous shots abroad?
        Yorkshire's honest peaceful fishermen's boats
        whose crews toil hard, their beloveds to feed
        Give up unto my charge these men slaughtering stoats
        Ere the devils to cause more hears to bleed.
        How Shall I hang them? Up to yon -arm high.
        Before the coming Christmastide, that hour by hour keeps drawing

 nigh.
        Nay, commit no murder, tan the admiral's hide.
        One, two, three. Hold! For I say such barbarity
        Savoureth not of our Saviour's charity. 

The book has no index but plenty of endnotes citing source material. There is also an appendix of Onion's poems that were originally published in various publications and not available elsewhere. 

Spring Onions His Life and Crime by Paul Williams  is available in  paperback and kindle from Amazon UK 

Links

Author Website

Further Blogpost 

Seeking Mary Jane   Review of Paul Williams's book on Jack the Ripper's final known victim. 

Further reading, 

Jack the Ripper suspects-The Definitive Guide and Encyclopedia, Paul Williams, R J Parker Publishing, 2018 

Other blogs from this writer 

A Burnt Ship  17th century War & Literature 

World War 2 Poetry   As stated on the tin.

Social Media 

Instagram  mrbleak5 Mr bleak

I  am trying to update news about this blog and other 19th century history on Bluesky : Do join me. 

Michael Bully @bleakchesneywold.bsky.social  

1st September 2026