What is the narrator talking about in the opening scene of the film, Magnolia?

The film begins with the narrator's long monologue, as we watch events play out. He first talks about three men who were hanged for murdering Sir Edmund William Godfrey as they robbed him. Godfrey lived in Greenberry Hill, London, and the men who killed him were named Joseph Green, Stanley Berry, and Daniel Hill. Green- Berry- Hill.