The Mysterious Mr Qualtrough: William Herbert Wallace, 1931 by Mark John Maguire
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
- The murder of Julia Wallace in Liverpool in 1931 is the city's most famous murder. It has intrigued writers and criminologists ever since, largely because it all started with a phone call from the mysterious "Mr Qualtrough" to the Liverpool Central Chess Club one evening in January 1931. Who was "R M Qualtrough" and did he really get away with murder?
A number of people have asked if they can help support my channel - I don't have any adverts on my channel (and don't intend to) but if anyone wishes to help defray the expenses of making these videos in some small way, they can buy me a cup of coffee! www.buymeacoff....
Absolutely love this! 30 years ago when we were first married, we bought a terraced house in Anfield and a colleague convinced me it was the house where this murder took place. I had to go to the central library to set my mind at rest. We had bought number 29 ... but in a different street. Phew! But I became very interested in the story and it kindled in me a lifelong interest in true crime. We now live ... on Menlove Avenue! So the story seems to follow us .. or vice verse! I’ve read and heard so much about this case but never has it been told as enthrallingly as you tell it here! Thank you 😊
Thank you, Jo - that is a fascinating story! I was born in Tetlow (sp?) street which is not far from this area also. I am not familiar with the south of Liverpool, but of course John Lennon lived on Menlove Avenue, so you are in good company. Many thanks for your kind words!
Remember, the man was not only a chess player but an exceptional one. This requires a mind that could feel challenged in order to work out his method of play, its repercussions and any possible solutions.
Just for the record, I think Wallace was guilty. I have zero evidence, but I feel their age difference played a part in it. As in he didn’t know she was so much older than him. Maybe he wanted children, which would not have been likely/possible given her age. If he found out he’d been ‘duped’, I feel that could have been the catalyst for murder …
Collapse of the claddau bridge milford haven
?
So wonderful to hear proper English put together in beautiful sentences . Such a joy
Thank you! 😃 You are very kind, Alison!
@Llwellyn ap Werth He pronounces the name correctly. Haven’t you ever heard of a trough that pigs eat out of? It’s pronounced “troff”. 🙄😂
@WVWoman He’s not correct. Trough, as in a pig trough, is pronounced “troff” in the US. The narrator is correct . Llywelyn has just made himself look like an uneducated jacka$$.
Stunning that low budget low staff can produce a series so superior to mainstream programs. Also the English are such masters of their language.
Ah thank you very much, Chip - I am delighted it has met with your approval!
Chip Parker ....as opposed to americans who who deliberately mispronounce words to what the whole world knows as. There is no such thing as American english... its just English english mispronounced by the arrogant because they havent a language of their own
@@glenharrison8653 Ha! That'd be more believable if the English didn't have so many accents in your own country, never mind the Welsh, Scottish, and Irish portions.
Bryan McGucken So how can I watch a Clint Eastwood film and hear 3 different actors pronounce the same word in 3 different words. And the scots the welsh and the irish are separate countries with their own language
Should be taken up by a bigger production company and put on a tv channel. (e.g. Discovery)
For once TH-cam has recommended a great channel to me- this is right in my wheelhouse and you're an excellent curator of interesting cases- thank u for your time and effort
Thank you - eloquently put, Shaelyn!
@ΑγαΡy I'm already subscribed to both of those
I have found this channel and am addicted to the videos now... These are well made without the fluff of the reality tv show crime shows. Awesome job
Thank you, Dawne - I'm pleased you like them!
I’m addicted, too. Thank you for these videos!
I am so glad to have found this channel. Very soothing voice.
As for this case: I go back & forth between thinking Wallace is guilty & not guilty. Fascinating. Poor Julia Wallace to have been murdered that way & to have no real resolution makes it even more tragic.
Thank you, Stacy!
Mr Maguire, you have the best site on TH-cam. No irritating music, no constant commercial breaks, a pleasing and calm voice enunciating each word in what we used to call "Queen's English". What a gem you have created. I absolutely adore your theories you offer at the end of each story. William Herbert Wallace. If I had been on that jury I would have voted 'not guilty' purely because no motive had been offered and a lot of the evidence was circumstantial, maybe unlikely but enough to cause doubt. What I would love to know is did Herbert know his wife's true age? Even today , in these lax times, a 17 year age gap of a woman to man would raise eyebrows and jokes about 'toyboy' but in those days....? But did he know? So when they married, he was 35 and she "34" but really 51, old enough to be his mother. I only watch crime stories and 99% of the time I am glad the killer got caught and received the death penalty. But in the case of Herbert, I just feel - poor Herbert. Why?
Many thanks, Lynne!
Proves once again that no elaborate and hifi graphics can replace good language exquisitely narration
Thank you very much, Ragu!
Totally agree 👍
such a pleasure to hear nowadays coupled with such poignant pictures suggesting amazing research.
@@alexsmith-gn4tp are you sure you are listening to his narration? There are other crime series where this is common. I have not found that to be the case with TGAWM.
@@alexsmith-gn4tp which words did you hear mispronounced?
So well read it almost seems a dying art....the pace and diction...perfect!!
Thank you very much indeed, Eamon!
What a superb channel. The quality of every episode is astonishing. Superior in every way to any trash in history channel or any other open tv program. While I watch this series can't help thinking in "Poirot" and that many of Agatha Christie's novels and short stories where written in that era of early 20's though the 30's. The similarities are many and they help me to enjoy the fiction and better understand the facts. Great great job! Hope you keep making more episodes.
Man this seems like something out of a murder mystery novel. The "mysterious Mr. Qualtrough", the nonexistent East Menlove Gardens, the classic wild goose chase. It all sounds too unbelievable and that's probably what caused his alibi to fall under suspicion. Also interesting to see that this is an early case of tracing a call, which is common practice nowadays.
Another interesting plot point: Menlove Avenue would be John Lennon's childhood street a few years after this. Funny how everything is connected like that...
Yes, I agree - and interesting to think Wallace may have passed the house that would become John Lennon's childhood home 20 years later... I wonder did he find himself thinking "I'm on a Magical Mystery Tour here!" :)
@@TheyGotAwayWithMurder 251 Menlove Avenue was only built in 1933 (John's aunt Mimi was the first to live there I believe). Interesting that the house was built the same year that Wallace died. Great channel by the way. New subscriber! Τhanks for all your hard work which must go into the making of these.
@@meditation762 Thank you very much for your kind words and for the information concerning 251 Menlove Avenue - what a pity. I liked the notion of Wallace walking past Aunt Mimi's house!
Menlove Gardens East, not East Menlove Gardens
I'm binge rewatching this true crime docu-series. It took me three entire episodes to appreciate that the drawings sometimes used instead of photos are original artwork. They are well placed, advance the narrative, fit well with the mood and blend with the photos. I appreciate both the art and the editing.
There has yet to be a drawing in the 4th video. Still posting.
Thank you very much - I usually only do drawings when I can't find photos for one reason or another! I am delighted you like them, anyway!
This series is excellent and I am convinced that anyone can be capable of heinous crimes when backed up in a corner.
Thank you very much - I am delighted you are enjoying it! I think you are right - most people have the capacity to commit murder if the circumstances are right.
@@TheyGotAwayWithMurder The OP said "anyone". You say "most". There's a difference. I say "some", and I think they are distinguished by a distinctly ego-centric view of their world: as an example, who could possibly believe Lucan's protestations as the central role in his life of his children? How could anyone who felt so attempt to murder their mother? All the people you've presented (wonderfully, incidentally) view society as existing for their benefit, not the other way round. I'd agree that anyone who is like will do whatever they like, to get what they feel they want. But that's not everybody... 😊
I agree it’s excellent and his voice and cadence quite pleasant .
And while I agree that many are capable of heinous crimes ,,no,not everybody is. I have to believe that!
Thanks
I think the degree of the corner is what matters. If someone is in a struggle for their lives and no one, not even the police, will help, then premeditated murder is understandable, even forgivable. But when the corner you’re backed into is, “It would be embarrassing to separate from my wife,” you’re a monster.
Most people will feel threatened enough to kill in a life-or-death situation. Only monsters will feel threatened enough to kill in the second situation.
I just discovered this series. The narrorator has rare analytical and literary gifts. (When I am roused from my torpor I will read his biography. He has a distinctly prosecutorial bent.)
I am not easily impressed but in this case I am dazzled. It's as if Poe or Dickens had started a TH-cam channel. The phrasing, pace and precision are Victorian or possibly Edwardian.
Well done old chap.
Thank you, Robert! You are very generous!
Hear, hear Robert 👏
I agree- it's very enthralling!
🤪
ObsoleteOddity also has a wonderful Brit accent and narrates true crime stories from long ago.
Thank you ever so much for these videos. I'm so glad to have been recommended this channel. I love the focus on older British cases and you accent and voice is sublime. Cheers!
Thank you very much, Leo - I am delighted you liked them!
I've heard about this case and saw a "Mystery!" episode about it on PBS. Once again, your research and narration are appreciated. The "Mystery!" show gave Wallace a motive in the form of an attractive sister-in-law whose husband was conveniently away in India. What you've presented here is, in my opinion, much more interesting than anything contrived by screenwriters.
Very strange case. He waits 3 long years, plots a detailed alibi, kills her but doesn’t do it for love or money and dies 2 years later. Strange.
But it,s perfect. Was his work, demential but left his signature
A couple of things didn't go to plan: (i) the phone call, and (ii) his other kidney
Brilliant i love these old crime mysteries specially when I haven't heard of them before. Keep on going.
Having struck Julia Wallace once, rendering her lifeless...did he then cover her head with the raincoat and then hit her several more times...?...therefore 'protecting' his own clothing.from blood splatters....?
@Timothy Noble Excellent theory.
Have you done so anytime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would suggest that there would have been a great deal more blood within the coat, although it is clear that whoever did swing the lead, used the coat for some similar reason. The fact that the photo is in black and white makes it hard to see the true extent to which the blood was spread. The room looks amazingly quite clean, but cluttered, and apart from the body of the woman lying prone on the carpet, doesn't look to be otherwise amiss.
@@KebabMusicLtd if you look at the Lizzie Borden murder photos many comment it looks 'too clean' as well. In actual fact , in both rooms there was blood spatter on the floor & ceiling: & in Andrews case the blood from his head soaked into the floor boards below & a stain from this was observable in the cellar beneath the sitting room. The sofa was so bloodsoaked it had to be reupholstered.
That's possible - but I think it was Parry wielding the weapon, not Wallace.
How do you not have millions of subscribers? This is EXCELLENT content!!!
You're very kind - many thanks!
Most people do not use the brains they were born with. We are an exclusive group!
More mysterious, despite 22,000 subscribers, this day in October 2020, so far an astonishing 122 621 have found their way to this video. It's the same with many other videos on this channel. I agree, "They Got Away With Murder" is excellent and deserves many more subscribers. One way is to spread the word.
Because they are all on TicTok !!!
@@TheyGotAwayWithMurder seems like a good steady growth happening. I've just found your channel and I am enjoying it. Thank you sir.
I agree with you, Mr. Maguire. Wallace must have just wanted to be rid of Julia once and for all. How cold blooded. Thank you, again, for your wonderful presentation of these very cold cases. :)
Thank you, Kathleen - I believe so.
@@TheyGotAwayWithMurder I like to go back and rewatch these because they are so well done. :)
You are very welcome. :)
This is a fascinating case from the annuls of true crime. There are many who have studied it who have concluded that Wallace was probably innocent. ‘Probably’ because nobody can be sure. What’s interesting is that the facts of the case are generally not in dispute. It’s what they might suggest that is the cause of much debate.
Excellent...Superb narration and no silly sound effects.
Thanks Peter.
It appears he had a tendency to " over think" a situation, not uncommon in chess players, hence the absurd name " Qualtrough".
I think you are right!
I had never heard of that name either, so I looked it up. Apparently, it is quite common on the Isle of Man and some people with that name, when moving to the mainland, HAD gone to Liverpool.
@@lexiburrows8127 yes indeed a popular name on isle.of.man, in south of the island castletown. people used to have life insurance. with a rep calling for payment weekly, there was a pru office in douglas. so head office in liverpool. and ferrys every day to and from i.o.m - liverpool.. my grand dad at the time , would have had policies with pearl and pru assurance company's . who knows, maybe he seen this name at the office he worked.. always been interested in this case from my teens.
I have no idea what you mean ? Does qualtrough have something to do with chess ? I’ve googled it and it only speaks of surnames but gives no Definition
@@paintalongwithmandykay3685 He simply made it up. It means nothing.
I'm a postman in Moseley hill sorting office and we get quite a few letters for Mr qualtrouugh manly being from insurance company's very ironic
How interesting! :)
yes and possibly to and from the isle.of.man, with that name.
Good qoint - did he have a life qolicy out on his wife I wonder?
@@MsVanorak A very small amount, less than was in either of their bank accounts.
I know you hear this a lot, but I love this channel. It is amazing. Can you please just come and read any book to me at night so I can fall asleep? Your voice is amazing.
Every time I study this case, I'm struck by the lack of clear motive on Wallace's part. Did he discover Julia was that much older than he was just before the murder and decided that marriage to a woman nearly 20 years his senior was too horrible to contemplate? Surely, he could have divorced her easily enough as there were no children involved? He didn't have to kill her to get shed of her. Unless, in his circles, divorce was a worse offense than being tried for murder? If he was Mormon or Jehovah's Witness, that would probably be true. Or if he had an abundance of money hidden away that he didn't want to surrender to her in a divorce settlement, murder looks like the better alternative. But there's no evidence he had that kind of wealth. He seems like a thoroughly retiring Casper Milquetoast-type. So one is left to wonder if, as you speculated, this was the only chess match he ever won. Your presentation is, as usual, wonderful. Thanks for all the hard work you much surely put in to these videos.
Very nice train of thoughts laid out there, Cheryl. I am inclined to agree with you - and thank you for your kind words.
Great! The best documentary on the Wallace case I've watched. Well researched and discussed - a cut above the average dross on youtube. TFU.
Thank you very much!
Your channel appeared to me as a TH-cam recommendation. They've gotten this one spot on! I absolutely love your work and have become an instant fan. Just outstanding work. Thanks.
Very polished and professional presentation.
Thank you very much, Ed
So glad TH-cam recommended this channel to me. It's just great. You are a great story teller and these stories are so interesting.
Glad you enjoy it - many thanks!
Superbly paced, well-informed and presented,, simple production. One of the best podcasts I've ever heard. Changed my.mind as to the culprit.
This is a brilliant series...so glad I found it.....thanks.
There's something fishy 'bout the neighbour couple, they moved away the next day after the murder, look like brother and sister and came over a bit too quickly as if they were waiting Wallace to return. Aaand they had the key. Anyway, the time window was so narrow that i don't think Wallace was fit enough to pull off the actual killing and run to the tram while carrying a heavy iron bar in his pocket so either he was innocent or had a partner in crime.
Thought something similar. The nosey neighbors didn’t hear anything but keys and knocks.
Mrs. Wallace probably knew something and the couple must’ve tried to keep her silent.
What a wonderful series! Your voice is beautiful and so soothing. It’s been a pleasure to listen. The title of this episode really caught my eye, as I grew up on Qualtrough Road in Rochester, New York. My family was related to the Qualtrough family by marriage. The name is a bastardization of the Manx surname McWalter. Our family actually pronounced it as Qual-tro. And my grandmother’s maiden name was Wallace!
I could listen to your voice tell stories for hours.which is what I am doing
Sir. From a distant and locked-down KL Malaysia and ex Liverpool, my compliments on a wonderful series, which I have poured over several times without tedium. Most enjoyable and worthy of a wider viewing. If I might ask you to keep up the indulgence please.
Steve - many thanks. Yes, I do intend to!
just discovered your channel and it’s excellent!!! i used to think Parry did it, but the more i think on it, the more i feel wallace is guilty. but the judge was correct in admitting that there was not substantial evidence to convict and sentence wallace to death.
Yes, that is the conclusion I have reached. Although my mother, who watched this on Friday, has demurred that it was Wallace! Thank you for your kind comment!
I am revisiting your videos because you are the absolute best and I miss you. It was your last video, has it been a week, two, that I realized how much I've missed your voice, art, and villains.
Thank you for bringing your magnificent work to us, your fans.
Thanks, Barbara - you are too kind!
this looks like a case for Hercule Poirot
Absolutely!
Actually the case was presented with exquisite precision by Dorothy L Sayers. Sayers also drew attention to the fact that Qualtrough was not such an unfamiliar name in Liverpool since it’s a Manx name, the Isle of Man being quite near Liverpool.
@@pygiana16 It's a textbook case. Ask as many people and get as many witnesses as possible, including policemen and bus conductors to use as alibi
Preferably Holmes and Watson......The games afoot.....
Clearly he read to many detective stories
Well made documentary, however I feel the way the evidence is presented (and items excluded) is unfair to Wallace. If interested in the case check out the three part 1981 radio documentary Radio City Who Killed Julia Wallace available on TH-cam. Many principals in the case were still alive when that was made; you can hear their memories of what happened that night, and what they suspected at the time, in their own words. Then decide for yourself.
Thank you for bringing up the Radio City documentary- an excellent documentary. Amazing all the original witnesses who took part - including the telephone operator ! My opinion is now more confused but I suppose all I can think now is that the Court of Criminal Appeals was right to over turn the finding of the first trial on the basis of there being a lack of evidence. However I can’t help but believe that Wallace’s ludicrously elaborate alibi was most certainly created as he was complicit or the main agent in the commissioning of Mrs Wallace’s brutal murder.
I think the Radio City broadcasts were superb- thanks so much for pointing me in that direction as I too have come to the view that Wallace's case is unfairly presented here (even though it's also an interesting documentary). The discussion in the radio broadcasts focused on the possible guilt of the admittedly very unpleasant Parry but before the police files were released which show he had an alibi for the night of the murder. All very confusing!
I can understand someone being anxious about which stop to dismount if unfamiliar with the area but the fact that he over egged it by telling them about his private business does raise questions as to his purpose.@@tabletop_railway
Love old murder mysteries and the historical facts and then old pictures of inside the houses and what the area looked like in those times, the way they dress the furniture the buildings.❤️🙂❤
Many thanks!
You don't think there's a possibility he was framed? He seems so mild mannered and unassuming....i don't want him to be guilty.
Such a tragic story and to die 2 yrs later 😔
There's always a possibility someone is framed but how likely is it? Without some reason to suspect it, it is a one in a million chance.
@@TheXmeimei I totally agree.. The more I heard, the more I begin to feel he done this.... He thought he was smart too.... LoL almost gotten away with it, then he used the weirdest name " Qualtrough" right😂?⁉️ So weird 😂
Yoo hoo 👋 I've just found your channel, I have to tell you I love love love it !
My two favorite things History and True crime 👏👏👏👏 Thanks for your great content I'm resting due to a broken foot and I shall be watching all the stories 👍
Get well soon ☺️
I've lived with someone who was a good pianist and who, in consequence, wanted to play the piano all the time. It took considerably less than 3 years for me to conceive murderous intentions towards them.
Radio City (Liverpool) named the murderer, he was a nephew of the chief constable of Liverpool, and moved to the Isle of Man, and after he died Radio City went to his house and put forward the evidence, and I think it was his mother said they have nothing else to say.
Thanks Liam. There are a lot of theories concerning this case and the Parry plus one is another. If I publish these video essays at some point - which it is my intention to do - then I shall certainly include a historiography of the various writings over the years and include amongst them a review of this one. It simply hasn't been possible to do this with the limitations of these videos - as it is, the Wallace video is the longest I have done at 58 mins and it would defeat my purpose to go beyond this.
@Cynthia I don't know if you know Liverpool. but there was once a garage called Dougherty's on Queens drive , and parry went in after the murder with his car and blood was supposedly on the seats and he asked for it to be cleaned and said he'd had a pig in there from the abbottoir ?
I remember straightaway there was a Radio City series (?) Some years ago. I'm sure I read one book about the case written by someone from Radio City. Excellent documentary by the way really good. Absolutely lays out all the points without waffle or distraction. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Subscribed!
@@lliambunter Atkinsons,
Thank you for narrating another case for us. It did seem that Wallace was preparing an alibi right from the very start, but even so, this case had a few twists and turns I wasn't expecting. Thank you again !
Many thanks - I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Congratulations on this superb production, the definitive exposition of this fascinating case. Growing up on Merseyside in the 1960s I heard, at my father's knee, the story of Qualtrough and Menlove Gardens East. My Dad had heard the story from his Dad, who had come to the same conclusion as you do, as his father had done and as I did also, of course. Great storytelling, precise analysis, I love it, thank you!
Thank you very much indeed - I too am from Liverpool, having been born in Teclow (sp?) which is, I believe, about 1/4 of a mile from Wolverton St.
I’m thinking he could have discovered her true age. One could presume that she would have been unable to conceive a child in her 50s, but Wallace, believing she was younger, could have thought they would have children.
I think anyone would be aware that his/her spouse was 17 years older.
Sometimes you would be surprised. I recently met a woman whom I was certain was in her late twenties early thirties. She turned out to be forty six. Kept herself in wonderful shape.
I wonder if other countries are so fascinated with crime, murder and the investigation of such ... There is Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes), etc. going back to the 1800's, in books, movies, plays, TV drama ... Love this presentation ...
Edgar Allan Poe and Gaston Leroux ( American and French )
produced several classic murder
mysteries prior to the Holmes /
Poirot era . If anything they provided the template for the
" Golden Age " of crime writing which had its peak in England .
Oh, yes. I can tell assure you these clasical mystery writers are popular around the world.
Not convinced he was the murderer,the police did not investigate other possible perpetraters.Great job you did once more!!!
Excellent production, writing, editing, narration, photos. Thank you.
Brilliantly put together video - best I've watched on this case. You Sir, have most definitely earned a subscriber. I've always been intrigued by this case and I've read and watched tons but still gained some new information having watched this. Nice one buddy and thanks so much for your hard work and the upload.
Thank you very much, Conor! I'm delighted you like it! Apologies again for belatedly discovering your generous comment.
There are so many elements of this that remind me of the Lizzie Borden case, although that was not so precisely pre planned. There was first the mysterious and never discovered note supposedly asking Abby Borden to come out to an unknown location. Lizzie made sure to have Bridget the maid observe Lizzie's movements at significant times. Lizzie also told a story to the neighbours about fearing someone was watching them and she feared they were in danger. Lizzie saying she was absent from the house at the critical time and on a silly errand to find lead weights for fishing somewhere in the barn. Also, the bloody coat placed near/under the body. All these elements just struck me even though I have read about both cases many times before and didn't see them.
I think Emma set that one up, left for the day to visit friends and Lizzie gladly agreed to do the deed(s). Lizzie's guilt, to me, is far more certain than Wallace's in that not a single other theory is backed up by an iota of evidence.
I am enjoying your hard work immensely. A lot of work goes into such excellent content. Continue with this format and you will never be short of subscribers. Thank you again and I look forward to more . Good luck to you.
Thank you very much indeed, Wolfgang!
Mrs Wallace probably knew something about the next door neighbors. They should’ve been investigated as well.
I have just found your channel and im really impressed with the content. Well researched and narrated at a lovely pace . Will now have to watch all you have. You now have a new subscriber
Thank you, Deborah - I'm delighted you like them!
I wondered during this if he was one of those for whom the " the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" quote was apt. A repressed, frustrated and disappointed man who did nothing with his life (in his estimation) and who believed he deserved more. Perhaps he had unspoken delusions of grandeur that he choked down and eventually warped his psyche. Fascinating story, incredibly well told. Thank you for your brilliant channel and insightful storytelling.
Quiet desperation and women especially in those days .Love this channel no metallic crashing and banging
I watched every one of this series and loved them all. Mr. Maguire is a great narrator
Many thanks indeed, John!
Every other source I’ve read seems to lean more towards Wallace’s innocence - interesting to hear the other side of the story
How often do you post? I just found your page and I have to say it is, by far, the best one of this type
The final photograph clearly shows Wallace giving a Freemason handshake, this is probably why the guilty verdict was overruled.
OMG. I love the narrative of this story. I love this story. And it makes you wonder if he did/didn't do this murder of his wife. Just excellent. I hope to hear more. Thank you.
I'm glad you like it - thank you very much.
Yet another exemplary piece of deductive reasoning on your part Mr. Maguire and most viewers would concur with your opinion.
This case is a difficult one to fathom as it lacked an obvious core motive for Mrs. Wallace's demise. Where there is absence of a clear motive at the time of the trial itself a motive can sometimes be discerned based on behaviour or change in lifestyle of an accused POST TRIAL; however in this case Wallace doesn't seem to have made any radical changes other than the adoption of 'widower' to his social status.
It is illogical to suppose that he ever lacked a genuine motive for his actions and as enigmatic as that motive is to all who have studied the case he risked a definite appointment with the hangman just to see his plans reach fruition.
If he did indeed simply relish the prospect of being free from being 'shackled' in a loveless marriage to a woman many years his senior then dying two years later at the age of 54 may be seen as retribution from the grave.
oh shut up. you like to hear yourself thinking aloud, don't ya?
At that time the average person had a limited idea of what motives there could have been. He may have been gay and tired of putting on an act day in and day out. There are many possibilities. We were never present in their house, we weren't the proverbial fly on the wall.
@@deborahflorence2332??????
@@TheXmeimei
Wallace would NEVER have been 'shocked' by the fact that his wife was 17 years his senior. The huge disparity in age was known from the outset and would have manifested itself on their marriage certificate. The fact that the public only recently discovered Julia to be in her 50's shouldn't imply that Wallace never knew.
As for motive; there never was one established!
At 21:57 in his summation the judge stated that, "no motive could be established".The narrator also said at 38:12, "absence of apparent motive is Wallace's greatest defence". "Oppressive", "claustrophobic" and "marriage to an elderly woman" were terms used to imply POSSIBLE motives but they remain suggestions and are not based on proven fact.
Wonderful series of documentaries, so refreshingly intelligent and well presented. Thank you!
Thank you - I'm so pleased you liked them.
THANK YOU for this video! I looked at photos of your BLUE PAINTINGS and I liked them. You are a very talented man!
Recently discovered this channel and am currently binging ALL your videos. These productions are nothing short of professional; script, editing, narration, and subject matter! To think you do it all yourself! Also your voice lends itself beautifully to narration! I look forward to more of your content and I hope this channel gets the subscribers it is so deserving of! Thank you for all your hard work!
Drinking my tea, listening on a cold rainy Sunday night in Oregon. Yet I feel part of this story. Love detail and smooth presentation. Guilty, I believe. What a blessing science is. Time of death, is the key.
There was far more evidence against Gordon Parry than there ever was against Wallace. The very fine book on the case by Roger Wilkes sets it out. He even spoke with some of those people, who were involved with the case and we're still around in 1980.
Yes I find it hard to believe that Wallace was responsible.
I absolutely love these videos since discovering them this year. Thank you and please do keep up the good work 👍🏻
Glad you like them!
This is like one of those videos that you'd find being played in a museum in Liverpool. The difference being, this is actually interesting.
I didn't know about this case, so thank you for making this video.
Thank you very much!
You tell these events so well! I tune in nearly every day to hear another.
Thank you, Susan!
As a True Crime fan, I read about this case a few years ago now. I remember at the time of reading how I found his insistence on telling everyone he met that evening a running narrative of his impending meeting. He was giving I felt, far too much information. You only need to ask the whereabouts of the road in which you are searching, you don't give a running commentary on the whole call you received, It was plainly obvious he was establishing an alibi for himself so that the people he spoke to would remember him.
The phone number of the cafe where he played chess was not listed, he has never received a telephone call there before in all the 8 years that he had been going there. Just far too many red flags. The front and back doors of which he said to his neighbour that he could not attain entry, but when they accompanied him, hey presto it opened. This was of course in his mind to have witnesses to find his wife dead.
The victimology of Julie suggests that she was a quite lady who would not attract attention and it seems had no enemies, So we get to the possibilities and probabilities. I feel this case was premeditated, and I believe her husband, William, committed this murder for reasons only he knows. But my guess would be that he grew tired of her, the age difference was now perhaps a factor. I think he just wanted her our of his life, and he choose murder as a way to achieve his aim. So Mr William Wallace you got away with murder.
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I think he over egged the pudding as well. He was a tall man with an unusual appearance and most people would have remembered him if he had simply asked to be left off at a particular destination mentioning by the way that he was unfamiliar with the area.
Since finding you I find the stories so interesting and so much detail thankyou for all your hard work.
My pleasure - thank you, Brenda.
Have heard of this case before, but you really do have an amazing story telling skill, found your version really fascinating, plus the way you inform us so clearly of all the facts, make it easy to understand.
Thank you for a very entertaining narration.✊♥️
That is exactly the same reason I enjoy this channel so much. I couldn’t help but notice the majority of comments are 2 or 3 years old so have a lot of catching up to do. I was watching an excellent series called “Murder Maps”. It’s a similar channel to this but it’s a BBC production and well reenacted. You should check out Murder Maps, if you like this program you’ll love Murder Maps.
Cheers, stay safe!
Thank you so much, Julie!
📌 I’m not a stalker….wait…oops…that’s exactly what stalkers would say! lol…No, seriously, I love your voice and your dedication to this channel. Long live the teller of tales! ♥️😝😂🤣
The position of the raincoat seems to mean that MRS Wallace was not wearing it when she found😕
I think that is the natural conclusion - the defence argument was that she had placed it about her shoulders due to the cold weather.
Point of information: EG Hemmerde, counsel in the case, was know as Edward, not George as captioned here. A former MP and Recorder of Liverpool, Hemmerde had a chequered political and financial career. The Wallace case was probably his best remembered.
A fantastic story, one that is quite unique. We know who killed who, We know how the murder was commited, and subsequently, by whom. Yes, it was a game of Chess, played out by someone that wasn't quite the best of players...but then that was the point. Although Wallace knew this; he felt perhaps he should be. So the plan was hatched. He knew that he was dying, I think that this was certain to him. Probably he was told this in one of his many consultations. What better way to go out in a blaze of glory. I think he knew he was going to be found guilty, his gambit however, was to see if he could cheat the hangman. Which of course, he did.
Do you have any theories on how he escaped being splattered with blood?
Imagine how DNA and today’s forensics would have rendered so many of these intriguing and fascinating cases de-mysterized!! [ apologies for the made-up term!!]_______________________________||
If there is an after-life, then I'll be asking a few questions up there when my time comes around. Such as "who was Jack the Ripper?" and "did Wallace do it?"
derby1884 And I’ll try to ask God why he made Amelia Earhart disappear and allowed Donald Trump to be born______
A lot of times they just complicate the cases
@@cadaverdog1424 Yes you could have instead, much better.
He was only 54 when he died but he looked more like 74.
I noti that, too. He seemed to have aged unusually fast. Kidney illness? Stress? Guilt? Maybe all of them. What do you think, Stephen?
Jennifer Sherman well Jenn I doubt it was guilt as he didn’t seem to bothered about beating his wife to death so like all psychopaths they have no empathy so I recon he either lied about his age or they just used a photo of his grandad. Could be because he didn’t have a good wife to look after him he was a useless cook so just ate raw food.
His time in tropical/hot climates when antibiotics and knowledge of parasitic infections were poor (still is) might account for that. The average life expectancy for anyone visiting such places in the mid-1800s was just three years if they even survived the journey. Indeed, for a European to visit today, in an unprotected state, is to invite any number of infections/parasites that could make life permanently very uncomfortable.
Such discomfort will age a person very quickly.
People looked older in those days
YOUR RIGHT. WOULD NOT HAVE PUT HIM DOWN AS 54.
Another interesting case, many thanks Mark.
Many thanks, Shaun!
Have you heard the Juniverse version of this story? It lists a host of questions.
I hadn't heard of this one before, but even in the first few minutes - telling complete strangers about his mission etc, seemed obvious that he was trying to create an alibi - also not opening the door and getting the neighbours. All frequently-used ploys by perpetrators. I question whether he'd been planning it for 3 years (or whatever it was) because his diary entries went back that far describing a perfect marriage - he could have written (backdated) all of those diary entries the week before the murder as part of his "alibi"...
An elaborate plan though, and all because he didn't want to learn the violin. :) Thanks for uploading this fascinating case.
Thanks, Mel!
@@RodCrosby Hi. I haven't read the book - is it forwarding the Parry + accomplice theory? Is there any hard evidence for this theory? It would take a lot to make me change my mind about Wallace because there is so much to point to his guilt. His behaviour on the night in question was bizarre in the extreme - I'm sure you're aware of all the instances. His personality type fits with many wife killers. At some point after his marriage he must have figured out that Julia was past her child-bearing years and had lied about her age. She held the purse-strings and he wanted rid of her.
This is my belief. Or opinion. Just like yours, or Mark's or the author of your book. So I wouldn't agree that it is now solved or that the latest theory is the last word on the case... I think it will always remain unproven, and therefore unsolved. :)
@@RodCrosby
You are embarrassing yourself again. Try not to insult the video creator as "prejudiced, inaccurate, and partial" if you want to keep up a veneer of respectability and impartiality. I'm pretty sure Melanie can see thru you...
To claim the case is "solved" is outrageous. Personally I think your theory as espoused in Move to Murder is the least likely.
The book sold very poorly. Most of the reviews are by personal friends of the author and there are less than 300 votes total (the whole point of reading the book is to vote on it online.)
I'm sorry Rodney but you haven't solved anything. Even if Wallace was innocent (I doubt he was), that doesn't mean your particular theory is correct. To claim the case is "solved" is in your words "prejudice and fancy". As usual you seem to be evoking ridicule and scorn wherever you go.
@@RodCrosby There was actually a lot of circumstantial evidence. It IS possible to convict someone on circumstantial evidence BUT much harder. There was also a small amount of physical evidence (the mackintosh).
AFAIK there was also no hard evidence against Lizzie Borden. Even less in fact since she SUCCESSFULLY incinerated her clothing. She walked. But it's widely accepted she's guilty. But very similar... She was blood free and timing was tight.
I also suspect he was sleeping with Amy personally, or at least having an affair since Julia was 69 and way past the days of sexual interest, which could provide motive if that was ever proven.
Further, if Gordon Parry was involved with another man (it's quite possible) they have the least chance of pulling it off because unless it was a planned killing they wouldn't have accounted for blood spray and would therefore have it upon them. No cars were heard nearby, so they had to travel at least some distance at a time when there are still people milling around to the getaway vehicle or safe house. Parry could also have a coerced alibi from the Brines, I don't necessarily trust it.
Mr. Johnston had far better opportunity to commit the crime, clean up, and ofc PLANT the mackintosh under Julia to draw suspicion away from himself. To escape he need only be in public view for about 5 seconds. Also fingerprints at the scene that were found matched only Wallace and the Johnstons. But if gloves were worn they would have blood upon them most likely and objects that were touched would have experienced slight transfer on objects and door handles. But this wasn't the case, it was all squeaky clean.
@@RodCrosby There was evidence, the term for it is circumstantial evidence. Prosecutors and law enforcement tend to prefer gathering hard evidence since it makes it far more likely to result in a conviction, but if they have to they will make an arrest or prosecution case built on circumstantial evidence.
The challenging part for law enforcement in domestic homicide cases is of course that first and foremost the DNA and fingerprints of the person is inevitably going to be over the house because they live there.
The court also let off Lizzie Borden. The court of appeal quashing his conviction DOES NOT mean they think he was innocent. What it means is there is not the certainty required to convict a person. Again it's very important to realize it does NOT mean innocence. There are many more examples than just Wallace or Borden where this has happened. Many. So essentially he could be innocent, could be guilty. You can't convict a person when there's reasonable doubt as there is here.
I had a friend whose surname was Qualtrough: her family was from the Isle of Man, which is off the west coast of England, a ferry journey away from Liverpool. Wallace could have come across this unusual name, with its ambiguous pronumciation ("Qual-trow"? "Qual-troff"?) in the course of his insurance work and stored it up for future reference. Most pranksters or blackmailers use very forgettable names, so it does seem to have been specially chosen to catch attention. The description of Wallace’s sour, despondent and evil temper is very telling. Such people have a lot of suppressed violence under the surface. That Julia was 17 years older and of a different cast of mind, hints at increasing divergence and alienation as the years went by.
Thank you Harriet - I like your comment very much. I now understand that the name Qualtrough is, in fact, pronounced "Qualtrow," and that I have mispronounced it throughout the video. But the fact that I have done so actually reinforces the point you make: Qualtrough is such an unusual name it seems designed to be remembered. Had it been Williams, Carter or Brennan, then those whom Wallace mentioned it to on his journey to Menlove Gardens, would probably not have remembered it - and I would not have mispronounced it!
@@TheyGotAwayWithMurder yes interesting, my dad and grand dad. farmers. had insurance policies with pearl and pru. and the head office would have been liverpool, with a small office in doolish on the island . it a popular name on i.oman. but at the time there may not have been that many in england.
I don’t think he did it at all. Maybe the neighbour did. It’s open to who did it , but the neighbours did have a key to the house. Maybe the neighbours had a vendetta with him over his gardening and cutting of trees so they sent him to “Menlovegardens East”.
Anything is possible! Thanks for your comment.
The accused was a Mason. No judge is that incompetent. The attempts at providing an alibi were overkill. No pun intended.
Seddon the poisoner was also an Mason; he was convicted and hanged at Pentonville in 1912
@@stevebengel1346 Well, I guess the judge wasn't.
This case was also brilliantly covered in In Suspicious Circumstances, under the title The Man From The Pru. It suggested a colleague of Wallace was responsible. If ever an innocent man went out of his way to look thoroughly suspicious it was William Wallace. Although he 'got away with it' he was a broken man ever after.
I've recently discovered this channel and absolutely love the clear way the cases are presented. I would ask do you plan to do more modern cases, or are you limited due to libel laws.
How many office clerks today , live and work , for years , in such faraway places as calcutta and shanghai .Such was life in the days of Empire .
Marvellous narration. So glad I found this channel.
An excellent presentation of a case that has fascinated me for years. One anomaly ... the gravestone shows the Wallace's were approximately the same age, whereas in the narrative you describe them as being born 17 years apart ?
Thank you, Peter! It was - quite strangely and perhaps importantly - not appreciated at the time by the police, the prosecution, or anyone else it seems, that Julia was a great deal older than her husband. It was only discovered relatively recently that the ages cited in the newspapers, the police papers and at trial were wrong. William Herbert Wallace allowed this error to go unchecked...why? He surely cannot have thought his wife was 52! The fact that he remained silent in this and allowed his wife to be buried with a false age on her grave suggests he did not wish this fact to be known. It would certainly have increased suspicions of him...
Lucy worsley did a three part series called a very British murder and they covered this case in it. ☺️
Adding from previous post - she looks charming in pics and there appears to be no reason for him to kill her!!
He’s hardly an attractive exciting man with no scandal attached to him or to her!
I still can’t quite believe he did it - and if he actually did Why??
John Lennon lived at 251 Menlove avenue as a child.
Menlove Gardens, what an unfortunate name.
Thank you for the uploads, they make for complusive listening, making one's brain work, trying to figure out who did what
That's good to hear - many thanks, Tina
I’m amazed that this husband began setting up his murderous plot 3 yrs prior! I still don’t understand why he didn’t just leave her, they didn’t have much while married and he certainly didn’t seem to gain much after. A terrible, selfish , callous man . I was glad to hear his life afterwards did not go very well. That was some vindication to his old wife. May she Rest In Peace.
Or perhaps he didn't! Could it be that the loving tone in the diary was in fact genuine?
A fascinating case. All the evidence is circumstantial, but of course, sometimes circumstantial evidence can be better than the more direct kind. For example, the faulty memory of a mistaken witness.
While there is some evidence that points to the guilt of William Wallace, the notes of the telephone call and his apparent efforts to establish an alibi for the supposed time of the murder, I am less convinced by some other aspects of the prosecution case. Most important among them is their inability to establish a motive. Then I ask myself, Is it really possible that the accused had enough time to clean himself up and cover his tracks after the murder had been committed? Why would he pick a fictitious street for his appointment? Especially in a neighbourhood, he was known to be familiar with. A non-existent resident in a real street would have done just as well. Going around neighbouring houses asking after the mysterious caller would have provided an equally good alibi to that which he supposedly relied upon.
The best that can be said for the evidence the prosecution produced is that it indicated that Wallace may have been guilty. However, suspicion is nowhere near enough to meet the criteria of being "beyond reasonable doubt."
Thank you. I love your narration and presentation of the fascinating and unusual cases you cover for your viewers. I think he was guilty of murdering his wife even though it seemed madness to leave his blood soaked Macintosh beside poor dead Julia; it is almost as if he was playing with the police as pawns to his king on a chessboard despite not thinking himself an excellent player. It is incredible he got away with murder after the jury found him guilty. Xxx
Thank you, Laura!
what was the reason why he married a woman that much older. She did not have any money- what was the motive. Divorce was not an option because back in those days- being divorced did not look good within society's rules and regs
Yes and divorce was expensive and difficult - and somewhat dependent on the cooperation of the spouse. I think it is questionable whether or not Wallace realised he had married an older woman - he did not appear to know this at the time of the trial. But it would be surprising if he had not come to suspect it at the time of the murder. A 69 year old woman does not really resemble a 52 year old in any respects. The motive is always the hardest part - I have just finished a new documentary on a husband and wife where the husband is much older than the wife and again, it is difficult to identify the motive - everyone said they had a loving relationship. It becomes highly speculative in nature. I believe that only 2 people know what happens inside a relationship - its dynamics - and what may seem to many to be a happy union, may in fact be seething with petty furies and deep resentment...
@@TheyGotAwayWithMurder Just stumbled upon your channel. Subscribed! Fabulous job. I'm binge watching. Thank you for the well researched cases.
And while I love reading the comments, I couldn't help but notice a certain someone that is trashing everyone else's opinions and just generally being disrespecful.
I hope that this one person doesn't make your comment section an unpleasant place for everyone else to visit. Good luck!
@@TheyGotAwayWithMurder I agree completely with your comment about the dynamics of couples but would just like to add that sometimes the dynamic of a couple can be murky even to either side of a relationship. Some devious souls can disguise their true nature and feelings towards a spouse. And there is always the phenomenon of gaslighting so sometimes, I fear, the dynamics of a couple are not well-understood by the couple themselves.
Yes, I agree, Leo. Relationships can be complex for those within a relationship - and for those without it, unfathomable!
@@geordie9973 Thank you Ingrid! I am sorry to have only just stumbled across your comment - the youtube notification system is a mystery to me. My hope is that people are able to make their comments and discuss their opinions in a mutually respectful way - obviously on subjects like these people have strongly held convictions, but it takes only a little courtesy to afford others the respect we would wish for ourselves.