Julia Wallace Murder Case

[Ged]

I think there is a chapter on Wallace - he said he would be covering the case in a chapter on it a few months ago. I'll probably get a copy sometime today online - (it's cheaper).

I hope it's a better outcome than his dvd on the case.

[Mark R]

I managed to get a copy. The chapters in order are:

1) A Call to Murder - The Wallace Case
2) Married to a Killer? - Florence Maybrick
3) James Maybrick - Ripper Suspect
4) When the Price is Murder - Multiple Murders in Liverpool
5) The Hypnotic Killer - The Trial of Joseph Clarke
6) Till Death Do Us Part - The Case of Nurse Jones
7) Killed By Kindness - Murder at the Old Curiosity Shop
8) And then the Lights Went Out - The Murder of Mary Hagan
9) Little Nelly - The Sad Death of Nelly Clarke
10) Of Blood and Petals - The Murder of Alice Rimmer
11) A Good Woman Who Suffered a Ghastly Death - A Killing in Old Hall Street
12) Murder of a Back Street Madam - Death in the Tempest Hey Manicure Lounge
13) And then the Angels Wept - A Tale of Two Tragedies in New Brighton
14) The Armed Assailant - The Cameo Cinema Murders

[Mark R]

Without trying to be pedantic about it there are some flaws in the chapter on the Wallace murder. (I am not having a go at Vincent Burke here - this is not a criticism - I would just like to point them out).

pp.1 "53 year old WHW" (He was 52)
pp.1 "Julia was of a similar age" (She was 17 years older than Wallace)
pp.1 "R.A. Qualtrough" (Should be R.M. Qualtrough)
pp.2 "Wallace's final stop was at the post office before heading home" (Wallace's actual final stop was Allday's Newsagents)
pp.3 "The Johnstons waited in the back kitchen as Wallace made his way through the house" (Not so - they waited in the back yard)
pp.3 "Julia's body lay on the carpet, facing towards the fireplace" (She was actually facing towards the piano and away from the fireplace)
pp.4 "Wallace rushed upstairs to inspect another box containing insurance premiums" (Although it could be argued - Wallace himself said he kept the insurance money/premiums in the box in the kitchen downstairs)
pp.7 [Text accompanying the photo] "The room in which Julia was murdered" (The actual photo shows the kitchen where the cash box was situated - Julia was killed in the front parlour)
pp.15 "Richard Gordon Parry was 21 at the time of the murder" (He was 22)

It is a well written account though and Burke gives us his expertise on the legal side of the case.

[RodCrosby]

Such elementary errors are pretty unforgivable though. Has he corrected his times from the ones he spouted on the Billy Butler show?

[Mark R]

Yes. He does say Wallace left at 6.45 on the evening of 20th January. Also in the acknowledgements it mentions The Murder of Julia Wallace by Thomas Murphy...I bet James Murphy was happy about that...Although that could be down to the editor...

[Ged]

So 10 errors

He should team up with Tom Slemen's detective side-kick, Mr Andrews.

It's no good having a great interest, demeaner, voice and looks for the part, as no doubt Mr Burke has, if he's going to lead new readers up the garden path.Well done for pointing them out Mark.

[Mark R]

Thanks Ged. As I said earlier, I'm not having a go at him but it is annoying to see those errors. Like you say, misinforming readers on it.

[burkhilly]

Thanks for posting the errors - I'd probably not have realised. I do love Vincent Burke though, I think he's brilliant when telling stories.

[RodCrosby]

Menlove Gardens - the "triangular affair"


At the junction of Menlove Gardens West and Menlove Gardens North, Wallace turned right into Menlove Gardens North...



He asked a woman coming out of a house on the left where Menlove Gardens East was... She directed him back to the junction, and said it might be a continuation of Menlove Gardens West...



Wallace continued up Menlove Gardens West, but found that it stopped at Dudlow Lane. There he met Sydney Green, who told him there was no Menlove Gardens East. Wallace said he would ask at 25 Menlove Gardens West, and doubled back the way he had come...



crossing the junction with Menlove Gardens North again, looking towards Menlove Gardens South [Menlove Gardens West to the right of the picture]...



25 Menlove Gardens West, where Wallace rang the bell. Mrs. Katie Mather told him she hadn't heard of Menlove Gardens East or Qualtrough...



Wallace continued back down Menlove Gardens West and turned left into Menlove Gardens South. He discovered that all the houses were even-numbered...



looking back from Menlove Gardens South towards Menlove Gardens West (left) and Menlove Gardens North (right)...



25 Menlove Gardens West, viewed (zoom) from Menlove Gardens South...



Wallace continued along Menlove Gardens South until it joined up again with Menlove Gardens North. He then continued along Menlove Gardens North and found himself back on Menlove Avenue, at the junction with Green Lane....

[Gort]

So this is where Julia Wallace devotees came after the disastrous crash, and obliteration of the superb Casebook discussion boards!!

Hi Mark R! (Granger here).

I asked this question on Casebook. Has anyone seen any of the police photographs of the upstairs bedrooms at No 29? I have seen the pictures of the two downstairs rooms, and the bathroom, but never the bedrooms, and there is reference of these pix been taken (forgot the name of the police photographer).

I have always felt that these pictures could now yield some valuable clues.

I have never been able to ascertain whether or not the Wallace's shared the same bedroom.

[Gort]

Just found this discussion board, after being an avid contributor to the Casebook boards, particulary the Julia Wallace thread. Sadly the bulk of this was lost when the web site crashed . Hi Mark R, Granger here!

Have asked this question before on other discusion boards. Has anyone seen the police photographs of the three bedrooms at No 29. I know these to have been taken, but all I have ever seen is the ground floor rooms and bathroom. I am positive, after 75+ years they could offer up some valuable clues.

Did the Wallace's share the same Bedroom? I know the second Bedroom was used as a laboratory by Wallace. What was the third Bedroom used for?

[Mark R]

Hi Granger

I have all the photos that were taken by photographer Harry Cooke. There were none taken upstairs (with the exception of the two in the bathroom). The bedrooms (for some apparent reason) were not photographed. The upstairs back room was where Wallace conducted his scientific work. It is believed the Wallace's slept in the middle bedroom (although of course, we only have Wallace's word for this). The front room upstairs was also a bedroom. That was the room with the hats (and other items) thrown onto the bed. They could have slept in different rooms - we'll never know for sure...

[RodCrosby]

Found this interview with Kevin Firth, former owner of 29 Wolverton Street...

starts at 13 minutes into the tape...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/saturday...e_20080531.ram

[Gort]

Thanks for that RodCrosby. Wonder who bought it?

[RodCrosby]

Wallace 1911 census

1911 Census Household Transcript

Name: Relationship to head: Marital Status: Years married: Sex: Age in 1911: Occupation: Where born:
WALLACE, BENJAMIN HEAD MARRIED M 72 RETIRED INSURANCE AGENT CUMBERLAND ASLTON
WALLACE, MARGERY WIFE MARRIED 33 F 60 LANCASHIRE CORRISTON
WALLACE, WILLIAM HEBERT SON SINGLE M 32 LIBERAL REGISTRATION AGENT CUMBERLAND ENGLAND MILLOM
WALLACE, JESSIE DAUGHTER SINGLE F 28 CUMBERLAND MILLOM
CRANAGE, SORBLE BOARDER SINGLE F 22 DRESSMAKER DERBYSHIRE HORRINGLOW
LINTOTT, WALTER LUCIUS BOARDER SINGLE M 25 OUTFITTER GENERAL DERBYSHIRE BURTON
JACKSON, AMY MARION BOARDER SINGLE F 29 DRESSMAKER CUMBERLAND DRIGG
CORLETT, HARRIET BOARDER SINGLE F 20 DRESSMAKER LANCASHIRE DALTON IN F

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