He Shot a Ghost. They Sentenced Him to Death | Tales From the Bottle
In one of the most bizarre legal cases of the past 200 years, a man shot a ghost, and suffered the consequences.
“The Hammersmith Ghost murder case of 1804 set a legal precedent in the UK regarding self-defence: that someone could be held liable for their actions even if they were the consequence of a mistaken belief.
Near the end of 1803, many people claimed to have seen or even been attacked by a ghost in the Hammersmith area of London, a ghost believed by locals to be the spirit of a suicide victim. On January 3, 1804, a 29-year-old excise officer named Francis Smith, a member of one of the armed patrols set up in the wake of the reports, shot and killed a bricklayer, Thomas Millwood, mistaking the white clothes of Millwood’s trade for the shroud of a ghostly apparition. Smith was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death, later commuted to one year’s hard labour.
The issues surrounding the case were not settled for 180 years, until a Court of Appeal decision in 1984.”
More on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammersmith_Ghost_murder_case
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@DaDiabeto
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
5:05 gotta love how pretty much every single time that sentence was used in sentencing in England the crown already had no powers
@Whidmarke
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Very very good ep
@TommyGun1979
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
0:50 Anyone else is wondering if at least 1 passenger d1ed of fright…? …a horse maybe…? 🤷🤨
@flatcapfiddle
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
"a person acting the bollocks" is the best phrase I've heard this year
@kevinmcgiveney5128
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Can you really kill something that's already dead?
@lorddrayvon1426
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
There’s something Srrange in the neighbourhood. Who ya gonna call? The hangman, apparently
@jon9021
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
2:13 was that a quote?😂
@0anon111
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
hi
@attackeh
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
you gotta rest your voice a little bro
@DoubleNN
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
qxir you should have 10 million subscribers instead of 1.24 million 🙂
@MajorT0m
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Possibly your finest work yet young man. Top marks for the churchyard background too, due to its comprehensive detail I am looking forward to seeing it recycled many times, mirrored, zoomed in, added to etc in many future videos. Just writing this and your GhostMoan© outro came on 😂 Excellent work sir.
@-Katastrophe
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
the judge really sat there being like "nah, that's the wrong verdict."
@balisongkid1
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
I'm sorry, but he should not have been arrested. He warned the man multiple times and he kept approaching like nothing was going on? No, you stop, you raise your hands, you fucking SAY SOMETHING! I'd have shot the moron dead myself. Did he not speak the language or is he just that fucking daft?
It's not about him being mistaken. Peoples understanding of what is "real" in this world are different… but a gun being pointed at you and commands telling you to stop approaching are pretty god damn universal.
@TA-xj5we
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
🌲👻👈🐿🤣🌲
@heckzotica
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
The wild thing is there was way more sightings than the person who was the actual ghost could account for which means other people In this town were also copy catting him!
@YouHaveReachedBob
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
But what about the REAL ghost? :O Did they bust it?
@BRAIAN-ALEMAN-10
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Uhhhhhh😜
@clueless4085
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
I hope you get those goblins, mate. ❤
@MrJayrock620
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
He should’ve used rock salt instead of buckshot. Salt is believed to cleanse evil, so it’s effective against evil spirits, but it will only wound a human. If you’re wrong, it’s only aggravated assault instead of murder/manslaughter charges that you’d be fighting
@enderblue2020
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
3:22 Reminds me of the Monsters are Due on Maple Street
@spoodlydoodler3552
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
0:56 should have had the ghost just start licking the window vigorously.
@jonathanstiles6072
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
You have barbarous goblins outside your house too?! I'll testify for you when you catch the bastards! (Everyone tells me it's my kids wanting to be let back inside BUT I KNOW THE TRUTH!)
@KisniCovek
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
–If I become a ghost after offing myself, don't worry. I won't be coming to eat you out at night. Erhm… I meant eat you.*
–No, I'll just be there. In your bathroom, watching you shower. Now, I won't be aroused by this in any manner, since I will obviously be a ghost. I'll also stand there to awkwardly lock eyes with you while you're taking a poop. Especially the excruciatingly long ones.
–Don't worry if you need to take a piss tho, I'm not gonna bother wasting my time on that shite, too short and boring.
@Chlorian420
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
6:15 is actual plot twist in a few seconds span
@oxidoferroso1515
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
you know they're barbarous goblins because other creatures would have A. not wanted to waste the money or B. eaten it
@meguminoko
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
No "I told you so" feels worse than a posthumous "I told you so"
@Mike-d7f7d
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Where is Scooby Doo when ya need'em?
@乾燥剤-u7o
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
I once heard of a story happened in Edo period. 1658 to be exact. There was this Yokai threatening the neighborhood called “white butt of the 大手 city”, which jumps out from below the bridge, showing off its signature unnervingly white butt while screaming like crazy.
One day, samurai encountered with it and slashed it in half with his katana, but it was turned out to be some dude who had spooking someone as his hobby (or kink, depends on how you interpret it).
Local chief retainers were like “what the hell is this” and couldn’t decide what to do with this case, so at the end they decided to cover up the truth of “white butt”, and officially stated that he died by seppuku ordered by his boss, which was considered much more honorable than whatever “this” is.
Which failed miserably, and people soon talked about this hilarious incident, made paintings and such a lot, and to this day after over 300 years, there’s still photo spot and occasional museum special exhibition about this incident. Poor guy.
@Essrayle
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Your honor, not guilty, as he was very very startled.
@secretdog2486
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
great as always
@maccaronich
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Wait if someone was pranking people dressed as a ghost, what of the two ladies who died of fright?
@Heike--
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
How can you kill that which has no life? Who knew these existed before World of Warcraft?
@InterCrash
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Henceforth i shall ask annoying strangers "if they want a punch of the head".
@ingramfry7179
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
5:46
@joostfloot5279
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
The drawing at 6:19 is such a clever way to illustrate what you were talking about.
@franzpattison
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
I'm so tired of immature entitled 20-something girls who think they're the most important person in the world because they don't understand how the real world works
@Chichi-sl2mq
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
My nephew hates the barbershop.
We bribe him …a lot. Sometimes it work…this term it didn't.
We are just waiting for him to make is decision because he hates washing his hair, and combing it out.
Now we wait.
He is 6 and has the kinkiest 4c hair.
@isaacschmitt4803
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
As someone who genuinely believes all politicians and CEOs actively mean everyone harm, I am intrigued by this legal precedent. . .
@Brice23
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Scooby doobie do, got some work to do!
@VonW0lf3N5t31N
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Haha this video was great.
@Leatherargento
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
How horrible 😢
@komayukiisakura7326
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Voice crack at 6:16
@jamespuffer2889
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Work has me getting late to this week’s video mate, but as always, hope you and yours are doing well.
@Anchor_117
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Looking forward to being horrified to hear about the murder of some barbarous goblins in Ireland in the coming months
@guitarandskating
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Now I'm glad as a painter that I don't wear white overalls just whatever tracksuit bottoms I can find
@solanaceae2069
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Would've got away with it if it wasn't for those meddling kids
@maskedmarvyl4774
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
Why did bricklayers wear all white??
It sounds like a dirty job.
This is a case of two not too bright guys meeting each other.
I feel sorry for the bricklayer, but he really should have listened to his wife.
@thurin84
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
damn thee barbarous goblins!!!!
@shiftymcgee4183
June 23, 2026 at 3:35 am
ruh roh