Do you think William Herbert Wallace was guilty?

[John G]

Taking a simplified view I just can’t see why Parry would have gone to the needless trouble of the Qualtrough phone call? He knew Wallace was a member of the chess club. He’d have known which nights that the club met. There’s no reason why he would have been aware that Wallace didn’t attend every single meeting. He could easily have loitered around on chess night and entered when he saw Wallace leave.
The Qualtrough plan just introduced unnecessary risks: a) Wallace might have decided to ignore the message and not go to MGE. b) The message might not have been passed on to Wallace. c) Wallace might have actually been at the club to take the call. For me, Wallace is the only one that benefitted from a ‘plan.’

A question of geography?

I’m not at home at the moment and so can’t access any books (also I’m not really familiar with the locations.) Was the phonebox on Wallace’s likeliest route to the chess club?

Hi HS,

Parry lied about his alibi for the time of the Qualtrough call, and for me, that leaves him deeply implicated. There may also have been more than one reason for making the call. For instance, Parry might have decided to get his own back on Wallace for reporting the theft of the insurance money, i.e. by sending him on a fool's errand. This might also have appealed to his odd sense of humour-if Parkes is to be believed about the hoax calls made from the garage.

[John G]

Excellent points with which I agree entirely. I know it has been claimed it is plausible he went in the other direction as he himself stated. However, my understanding is he could have gone in either direction or that it depends if he took the tram or quicker bus (JM asserts this as a possibilityin his book) and nobody, even those who have noted the tight time frame has ever suggested the location of the box prohibited Wallace from making the call and making it to the club when he did.

Please note he himself said he left at 715 and the call box location was traced due to a mechanical fault with the phone that the caller could not have foreseen. This was at 718 and 300 yards from Wallace's house...exactly a 3 minute walk.

Hi AS,

But as has been noted before, Parry could have been surveilling Wallace's residence in order to ensure that he left for the chess club that night. This would explain both the timing and location of the call.

[AmericanSherlock]

I’ve been thinking about that point for a while but I haven’t been able to check through the books and my knowledge is still that of a newbie. So I wasn’t sure of the likelihood that Wallace would have passed the phone box or what were the alternatives(and how likely they were.)

If you have time, just for my own understanding, could you explain what you mean by ‘either scenario,’ please. Also, is there a decent map of the area online which highlights the relevant locations (phone box, chess club, tram stops etc?) Id appreciate a link if possible. I need to become more familiar with the locale and routes etc. Cheers

Sorry for the lack of clarity, I was posting from my phone.

The argument has been put forth that perhaps Wallace walked in the other direction from the kiosk, although it was only a couple minutes walk from his home. Or that he wouldn't have had time to go to the kiosk as it was in the wrong direction (Im not sure but I think it was more slightly out of the way than in the exact wrong direction) I also know Murphy has suggested he could have taken the bus instead of the tram which would be quicker. Wallace's method of travel was not checked for the night of the call. There is also not a precise time when Wallace arrived although he was apparently "engrossed" in his game at 7:50 and there was a penalty for not starting before 7:45. It's difficult for me to believe he did not have time to make the call himself considering how close the kiosk was to his home.

Scenario 1 : Wallace makes the call. Obviously then he walks by the phone booth

Scenario 2: Parry sees Wallace walk by. Obviously Wallace is near the phone booth

I guess the 2nd scenario is a bit tricky as you could argue Parry was stalking Wallace outside his home to see if he was leaving and saw him go in the opposite direction then walked to the phone booth to call the chess club. That indicates a bizarre and convoluted plan that makes little sense. As you said why go to all that trouble to get Wallace out of the house the following night when he was clearly out of the house THAT night. And I think it wold be risky for Parry to be right outside Wallace's home, and a bit ridiculous to imagine him waiting to see if WHW left before scurrying off to make the call.

The most I could imagine is Parry spotting Wallace and deciding to prank him as he sees him go by, near the phone booth. I agree the phone call didn't seem like a prank, but then again I don't think Parry made it...

As far as a map, I have seen some user generated approximations and it was discussed here before, but I can't find them anymore. Nothing that seemed official. It seemed the general consensus, even by those pro Wallace's innocence, was that there was nothing prohibitive in the location of the call box that could exonerate him from placing the call based on his route or timing.

I come back again to the call being traced due to a fault the caller could not have foreseen. Jon Goodman describes the caller as "one of the most fastidious planners in the annals of crime" or something like that. I think this is a load of codswallop. The theory that the caller was purposefully messing with the phone to try to get the call traced and implicate Wallace is fanciful and a bit ridiculous IMO. We are now implying a planned murder with the goal of framing WHW. A planned murder so detailed but one that relies on Wallace getting a message 2nd hand and actually following up on a journey to a non existent address. Just does not compute.

[AmericanSherlock]

Hi AS,

But as has been noted before, Parry could have been surveilling Wallace's residence in order to ensure that he left for the chess club that night. This would explain both the timing and location of the call.

Hi John it seems we both posted at the same time. Yes, that is 1 theory that is plausible in the sense that it meshes with fact without an obvious inconsistency. But it sure seems fanciful to me. What on earth could his motivation be? The implications of this seem a bit ridiculous to me.

I agree with your other point here that if Parry made the call it was almost certainly a malicious prank, at least at 1st. If the goal was a criminal enterprise, even if only robbery, then this was a deeply stupid way to go about it and unreliable. He was relying on the fact that Wallace was OUT THAT night for the whole plan to work in the 1st place and had time to enact this whole rigamarole. Why not then rob the place THAT night when it was guaranteed Wallace was out, not wait for a totally unguaranteed trip Wallace would make the following night?

It only makes sense if Parry was making the call as a prank, which strongly hints at Wallace's guilt. (Pd James theory) I dont like this theory because I dont think WHW could have come up with this plan in less than 24 hrs.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Is it really believable that someone/Parry made a prank phonecall on Wallace just to send him on a wild goose chase which just happens to provide the perfect opportunity for someone to access the house and commit a murder? This idea just doesn’t sit right with me.

[AmericanSherlock]

Is it really believable that someone/Parry made a prank phonecall on Wallace just to send him on a wild goose chase which just happens to provide the perfect opportunity for someone to access the house and commit a murder? This idea just doesn’t sit right with me.

Hi Herlock, PD James theory is Wallace exploited the opportunity of the visit to Qualtrough the following night to commit the murder himself and use that as an alibi. I agree it is implausible.

[AmericanSherlock]

Apparently Murderer Scot Free by Robert F Hussey has maps of everything.

This is a book I have managed to read snippets of but can not obtain in full or on online. He believes in the "sneak thief" theory and his book got mildly endorsed by Jonathan Goodman. The 2 were friends (He describes Hussey as "An American friend") and came up with slightly different, but still largely similar conclusions.

Both of them were wrong as I see it

[caz]

If Parry made the call he almost certainly did so after seeing Wallace walk by. That's a great point. Also it implies that Wallace walked by or near the phone box in either scenario if you think about it...

It just seems so unlikely to me that Parry would go to the trouble of watching Wallace either leave the house, or pass the phone box, and risk being seen by him, if he didn't anticipate his call being traced and implicating Wallace due to the location. It's a lot of trouble to go to for potentially no reward, whether it was just a prank that might not come off, a more serious plan to get Wallace out of the house so a theft could be attempted virtually under Julia's nose, or Parry had something much more sinister in mind.

If the purpose was only to make sure Wallace was on his way to the chess club, how would Parry have been sure he was actually going there, and not somewhere else entirely, such as visiting a client at home - which is precisely what he'd have been planning for Wallace to do the following night? Why not use a call box closer to the club to increase the chances that Wallace was indeed going to play chess and would get the message?

Also, if Parry needed to see Wallace pass the call box before making the call, but Wallace didn't go that way, what then?

And if Wallace did pass the phone box, but claimed he didn't, why did he lie about it?

Love,

Caz
X

[AmericanSherlock]

It just seems so unlikely to me that Parry would go to the trouble of watching Wallace either leave the house, or pass the phone box, and risk being seen by him, if he didn't anticipate his call being traced and implicating Wallace due to the location. It's a lot of trouble to go to for potentially no reward, whether it was just a prank that might not come off, a more serious plan to get Wallace out of the house so a theft could be attempted virtually under Julia's nose, or Parry had something much more sinister in mind.

If the purpose was only to make sure Wallace was on his way to the chess club, how would Parry have been sure he was actually going there, and not somewhere else entirely, such as visiting a client at home - which is precisely what he'd have been planning for Wallace to do the following night? Why not use a call box closer to the club to increase the chances that Wallace was indeed going to play chess and would get the message?

Also, if Parry needed to see Wallace pass the call box before making the call, but Wallace didn't go that way, what then?

And if Wallace did pass the phone box, but claimed he didn't, why did he lie about it?

Love,

Caz
X

Hey Caz,

These are all strong point you've made. The bold is a particularly impressive argument.

The call just does not make sense as part of a criminal enterprise if made by someone other than Wallace. And if a prank as you point out it seems an awful lot of trouble to go to (and still an unreliable prank at that ).

[John G]

Hi John it seems we both posted at the same time. Yes, that is 1 theory that is plausible in the sense that it meshes with fact without an obvious inconsistency. But it sure seems fanciful to me. What on earth could his motivation be? The implications of this seem a bit ridiculous to me.

I agree with your other point here that if Parry made the call it was almost certainly a malicious prank, at least at 1st. If the goal was a criminal enterprise, even if only robbery, then this was a deeply stupid way to go about it and unreliable. He was relying on the fact that Wallace was OUT THAT night for the whole plan to work in the 1st place and had time to enact this whole rigamarole. Why not then rob the place THAT night when it was guaranteed Wallace was out, not wait for a totally unguaranteed trip Wallace would make the following night?

It only makes sense if Parry was making the call as a prank, which strongly hints at Wallace's guilt. (Pd James theory) I dont like this theory because I dont think WHW could have come up with this plan in less than 24 hrs.

Hi AS,

Thanks. Of course we can only speculate as to Parry's motive for the call, although if he had no involvement I see no reason for him to lie about his alibi-that's a big red flag for me.

If Parkes was telling the truth about the prank phone calls from the garage, we can conclude that Parry had a somewhat childish sense of f humour, so in this context playing a trick on Wallace makes sense. I also don't think we can rule out the possibility of an affair with Julia-as unlikely as that may seem-or at least an infatuation on Julia's part. It's worth noting again that Wallace's diary makes no mention of the "musical interludes" Parry referred to, which at least raises the possibility they may have been meeting in secret, all of which leads to the possibility of a personal motive for Parry.

Regarding the Qualtrough call, I consider it very unlikely that Wallace's voice wouldn't be recognized as he was well-known in the cafe. In any event, he would be taking an enormous risk, because should the recipient of the call merely have acknowledged that the voice could have been Wallace's, albeit in disguised form, then he's in big trouble.

On the other hand, as far as I know Parry wasn't known to the cafe patrons, and he could have utilized his amateur dramatics training!

[AmericanSherlock]

Hi AS,

Thanks. Of course we can only speculate as to Parry's motive for the call, although if he had no involvement I see no reason for him to lie about his alibi-that's a big red flag for me.

If Parkes was telling the truth about the prank phone calls from the garage, we can conclude that Parry had a somewhat childish sense of f humour, so in this context playing a trick on Wallace makes sense. I also don't think we can rule out the possibility of an affair with Julia-as unlikely as that may seem-or at least an infatuation on Julia's part. It's worth noting again that Wallace's diary makes no mention of the "musical interludes" Parry referred to, which at least raises the possibility they may have been meeting in secret, all of which leads to the possibility of a personal motive for Parry.

Regarding the Qualtrough call, I consider it very unlikely that Wallace's voice wouldn't be recognized as he was well-known in the cafe. In any event, he would be taking an enormous risk, because should the recipient of the call merely have acknowledged that the voice could have been Wallace's, albeit in disguised form, then he's in big trouble.

On the other hand, as far as I know Parry wasn't known to the cafe patrons, and he could have utilized his amateur dramatics training!

Hi John,

I still have in my head the idea you had of Wallace having Parry make the call on a false pretext. This would mean they weren't working together but Wallace somehow tricked Parry into making the call without explicitly stating his plot. I don't actually think this is the most likely scenario, but it is interesting. It strikes me as odd that both WHW and Parry were right there around the time of the call.

[John G]

It just seems so unlikely to me that Parry would go to the trouble of watching Wallace either leave the house, or pass the phone box, and risk being seen by him, if he didn't anticipate his call being traced and implicating Wallace due to the location. It's a lot of trouble to go to for potentially no reward, whether it was just a prank that might not come off, a more serious plan to get Wallace out of the house so a theft could be attempted virtually under Julia's nose, or Parry had something much more sinister in mind.

If the purpose was only to make sure Wallace was on his way to the chess club, how would Parry have been sure he was actually going there, and not somewhere else entirely, such as visiting a client at home - which is precisely what he'd have been planning for Wallace to do the following night? Why not use a call box closer to the club to increase the chances that Wallace was indeed going to play chess and would get the message?

Also, if Parry needed to see Wallace pass the call box before making the call, but Wallace didn't go that way, what then?

And if Wallace did pass the phone box, but claimed he didn't, why did he lie about it?

Love,

Caz
X

It's possible that Parry went round to see Julia that night, unbeknownst to Wallace. After all, he seemed to be blissfully unaware of the "musical interludes." I agree that he couldn't be certain that Wallace was leaving for the chess club, but the odds have to be overwhelming that he was, i.e. when you consider the timing. And I certainly don't think it would have been likely that he would have been visiting a client outside of normal office hours as this doesn't seem to be his normal practice. In fact, he seemed very uncertain as to whether he was even going to attend the Qualtrough appointment, despite the prospect of a significant commission.

[John G]

Hi John,

I still have in my head the idea you had of Wallace having Parry make the call on a false pretext. This would mean they weren't working together but Wallace somehow tricked Parry into making the call without explicitly stating his plot. I don't actually think this is the most likely scenario, but it is interesting. It strikes me as odd that both WHW and Parry were right there around the time of the call.

Hi AS,

Yes, that's an interesting possibility. Thus, Wallace informs Parry that he has a secret lover who he desperately needs to visit. He therefore asks, as they're both they're men of the world, if he would he mind helping him out by simply making a hoax call, thus giving him a perfect excuse to leave the house. I think considering Parry's reputation, this is something that might appeal to him. In fact, he might have considered the whole thing to be quite hilarious!

[AmericanSherlock]

Hi AS,

Yes, that's an interesting possibility. Thus, Wallace informs Parry that he has a secret lover who he desperately needs to visit. He therefore asks, as they're both they're men of the world, if he would he mind helping him out by simply making a hoax call, thus giving him a perfect excuse to leave the house. I think considering Parry's reputation, this is something that might appeal to him. In fact, he might have considered the whole thing to be quite hilarious!

It's a clever idea I think there is still, from your POV, the problem of how Wallace executed the plot since we still have all the problems of timing, distance, and weapon disposal as this plot implies WHW committed the murder himself.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Wouldn’t the risk of Parry spilling the beans about the plot have been to great? What would have prevented Parry going to the police and explaining that he’d made the phone call because Wallace told him that he needed to get out of the house to meet a woman? Especially as he knew Julia and had visited the house, he may have worried about being suspected?