druitt getting the sack

[caz]

There was such a stigma about suicide in those days (at least among the middle to upper classes) that brother William comes across to me as a reliable witness for admitting that Monty had written such a note and producing it at inquest to help establish the cause of death. It would have been a double-edged sword for the family to have their deceased relative regarded as a loony at best or a criminal at worst. Might William not have stated he was the sole relative in order to spare the other Druitts the indignity? That would be a very Victorian thing to do, along with Valentine's steadfast silence concerning the nature of the 'serious trouble at the school' that prompted him to sack Monty.

I can't entertain the theory that the serious trouble and subsequent suicide were incidental or isolated events, considering the two alleged suicide notes, addressed to Monty's boss and his brother, were found among his effects when William arrived at the school and had them searched.

But the cheques found on his body, together with the estate he left, could argue against him being fired for financial irregularities, or fired in his absence from the school. You don't fire someone for simply being absent, if they could have met with an accident or fallen seriously ill. That's just not cricket. You try to find out why they are missing in the first instance, and that would have involved Valentine contacting William or other relatives. But it never happened. It took Monty's unexpected and unexplained absence from Chambers to alert William and send him to Blackheath looking for clues. That leads me to conclude that his absence from the school was neither unexpected by Valentine nor unexplained.

Back to that 'serious trouble' then. And since Valentine had a brother serving on the cricket club committee it would have been par for the course (excuse the mixed sporting metaphors) for any serious trouble at the school to quickly result in Monty's dismissal from the club too, this time in his absence - obviously. As Andy mentioned, it's entirely normal to be absent from a cricket club in December in England.

As Jonathan H has often pointed out, we cannot be sure whether the suicide notes were opened and read by their respective recipients before or after Monty was officially dropped by the cricket club. But they must have had what they considered to be good grounds for doing so, especially if they were aware by then that the wretched man might have gone and done himself in.

Ah, those Victorian toffs - so frustratingly reticent on the subject of suicide, mental illness or 'improper' behaviour of any kind.

Love,

Caz
X

[Robert]

Yes Caz, I see no reason to doubt William. "The only relative" was probably in answer to the question, was he the only family member attending the inquest. And indeed there was no reason why the other Druitts should have attended, unless they had something important to say. John and Dave can correct me on this, but I don't think it was the custom to dragoon every member of a suicide's family into court. As head of the family, William's presence would have been enough.

As for William forging the suicide note : if he did, then why mention his mother and her mental illness? He would not have put that bit in if he was dishonest, for there were reputations and careers to sustain and advantageous marriages to contract. But if he was honest, and the note was genuine, then there is no problem.

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi Caz et al.

I have to think that Monty's cricketing career also had something to do with his mental state. Having been born August 15, 1857, he would have turned 31 on August 15, 1888. Consider this. He's trying to balance a career as a barrister and a schoolmaster as well as continue with his cricketing activities when he is the wrong side of 30. It would have been much easier for him to be a cricketer and participant in other sports while he was younger and attending Winchester College and New College, Oxford, when he would have been either playing at home or traveling with the team. Much harder as an aging amateur cricketer to be working in two careers and having to travel to wherever the team was playing. Just something else to think about... the stress upon him of his career choices in teaching, the law, and cricket, all combined with the fear that he was "going like mother."

Best regards

Chris

[Robert]

Yes, the cricket would have hurt him. Fear of a decline in form and being dropped from the team. Also 30 is a dangerous age. The first breath of the grave makes its appearance.

[Nick Spring]

With respect I don't think being 30 is an issue in terms of juggling activities, job etc.

Druitt was an average amateur cricketer who probably just loved playing the game.

There has to be more than that.

And ahem! speaking as an old fart, 30 is not old However maybe different then.

Regards

Nick

[caz]

Yes Caz, I see no reason to doubt William. "The only relative" was probably in answer to the question, was he the only family member attending the inquest. And indeed there was no reason why the other Druitts should have attended, unless they had something important to say. John and Dave can correct me on this, but I don't think it was the custom to dragoon every member of a suicide's family into court. As head of the family, William's presence would have been enough.

As for William forging the suicide note : if he did, then why mention his mother and her mental illness? He would not have put that bit in if he was dishonest, for there were reputations and careers to sustain and advantageous marriages to contract. But if he was honest, and the note was genuine, then there is no problem.

Absolutely, Robert. I too have wondered if William was merely stating he was the only relative in attendance. It would be a silly fib to tell, considering the list of Druitts who attended the burial!

It would have been a deeply personal thing to admit that one's mother had gone ga-ga and one's brother had just destroyed himself to avoid a similar fate, never mind make it up and forge a note to that effect. Better surely to plead ignorance and claim that Monty had given no indication of being suicidal, but must have acted while the balance of his mind was temporarily disturbed. Let's face it, just the fact that he had recently been dismissed by the school could have done that, and would have sufficed as an explanation without bringing lies and forged suicide notes into it. Same goes if there was the least suspicion that he was the ripper. But by producing that note, William didn't need to mention the sacking, so I can only conclude the note was genuine and the lesser of two evils. He could easily have admitted it if Monty had lost his job through unauthorised absence, effectively having resigned without giving notice.

Also, why would the cricket club have dismissed Monty if they had reason to believe he was merely abroad (as in overseas) in the middle of bleedin' winter? Surely there was no pressing business that could not have waited for his return, or been carried out by someone else on the committee. No, his dismissal had to be for more serious reasons, and his non-attendance at the grand Wimborne ball (on December 20th and attended by royalty) could not have helped matters.

Love,

Caz
X

[Robert]

Exactly, Caz, and as I think you've argued elsewhere, if a chap who's worked at a school for 7 or 8 years and played a full part in the local scene suddenly goes missing and doesn't send for his things, the logical assumption would be that something might have happened to him. Plus, if William had Monty's room searched at the end of December, then Valentine was a very patient man in holding on to Monty's things for nearly a month and not asking William to come and remove them.

[Paddy]

No Relations

Hi Caz, Montagues Brother Edward (b1859) later a Army Major living in Kensington was probably away with the army and his younger brother Arthur (b1864) was a schoolmaster in Edinburgh. So William (being a solicitor too) would be the one who would go to inquest. I dont think he lied.
I should imagine failure in the Druitt family was frowned upon.
One of my family way back commited suicide while the balance of his mind was disturbed. When one looked back in his history, although successfull he was not well for many years before.

Pat.........................................

[Paddy]

Family

It looks like Montague was not isolated. His three sisters were living in New Cross road South East London in 1891.
Georgiana, his older sister married Rev William Haugh and it looks like Edith and Ethel, his younger sisters, probably went to live with them when their mother went in hospital.
New Cross road is about a 10 minute bus (if that) ride from Blackheath, very near.
Perhaps thats who alerted William?

Pat.......................................

[Mayerling]

With respect I don't think being 30 is an issue in terms of juggling activities, job etc.

Druitt was an average amateur cricketer who probably just loved playing the game.

There has to be more than that.

And ahem! speaking as an old fart, 30 is not old However maybe different then.

Regards

Nick

Hi all,

I saw the issue of aging cricketeer being brought up, so out of curiosity I looked at the Wikipedia article on Dr. Grace, the greatest cricketeer of that period. He was playing cricket to one extent or another far beyond the age Montie had reached in 1889 - Grace played it until 1914, a year before his death.

Jeff

[caz]

It looks like Montague was not isolated. His three sisters were living in New Cross road South East London in 1891.
Georgiana, his older sister married Rev William Haugh and it looks like Edith and Ethel, his younger sisters, probably went to live with them when their mother went in hospital.
New Cross road is about a 10 minute bus (if that) ride from Blackheath, very near.
Perhaps thats who alerted William?

Pat.......................................

Hi Pat,

I thought William was alerted by someone who noticed Monty had not been in Chambers for a week. That would suggest he had also been away from the Blackheath school for at least a week by then, without Valentine seeing the need to contact any friends or relatives about his sudden disappearance.

That of course would make perfect sense if Monty had been sacked for serious misconduct at the school. He was an adult after all, and it would have been up to him to deal with the consequences.

Love,

Caz
X

[Wickerman]

Macnaghten described Druitt as sexually insane.

Really, it is the context which tells us what Macnaghten was alluding to.

First, Macnaghten talks about Druitt being a suspect in a series of 'heterosexually' motivated crimes...

"From private information I have little doubt that his own family suspected this man of being the Whitechapel murderer;...

then he offers that Druitt was 'sexually insane'.

"...it was alleged that he was sexually insane."

So, when taken together...

From private information I have little doubt that his own family suspected this man of being the Whitechapel murderer; it was alleged that he was sexually insane.

we can see the latter comment is being offered in support of the former. That 'sexually insane' means heterosexual, not homosexual.

The Whitechapel murders were never regarded as homosexual crimes, right or wrong it was believed an over active heterosexual killer was responsible. It is within this context that Macnaghten offered Druitt's name.

[caz]

The Whitechapel murders were never regarded as homosexual crimes, right or wrong it was believed an over active heterosexual killer was responsible. It is within this context that Macnaghten offered Druitt's name.

Hi Jon,

That works for Druitt, assuming he was heterosexual of course, and Macnaghten wasn't seriously misled by idle gossip.

But what about Tumblety? Nobody apparently believed there was anything remotely straight about him, yet he was said to be 'among the suspects'.

Love,

Caz
X

[Wickerman]

Hi Jon,

That works for Druitt, assuming he was heterosexual of course, and Macnaghten wasn't seriously misled by idle gossip.

But what about Tumblety? Nobody apparently believed there was anything remotely straight about him, yet he was said to be 'among the suspects'.

Love,

Caz
X

Thankyou Caz.

Yes, ....among the thousands of suspect?

You might already know my opinion of 'recollections', written decades after the the fact.

[pinkmoon]

Who can say what a man with a disturbed mind could be capable off no matter what his sexual orientation