Little Willie in a dark hole

[HelenaWojtczak]

Has anyone got the slightest idea where the "story" came from that Chapman locked Willie in the shop cellar? I can't even remember where I read it (was it Gordon?) Anyway, whoever it was, does anyone know if it has any provenance?

I visited the shop today and peered down the cellar...

Helena

[Natalie Severn]

Hi Helena,

Maybe this will help.Its from HL Adam's introduction:

..................Shortly afterwards Mrs. Spink gave birth to another child, also a boy, who was christened William.
Chapman then left the Rent on's house and went to lodge with a man named Ward. Spink had not been gone very long when Mrs. Spink and Chapman were seen about together a good deal; so much so, in fact, as to cause Mr. Ward to comment upon it. Chapman thereupon explained the intimate association by stating that they were going to be married. One day in October, 1895, they did in fact go out together for this purpose, declaring upon their return that they had been married. Henceforth they lived openly as man and wife. The supposed marriage was undoubtedly a pretence. As both were already man-led. and there had been no divorces, a genuine marriage would have constituted bigamy on the two sides. It is unlikely that the police could have overlooked what was, in Mrs. Spink's case at any rate, such an apparent offence.
Up till this time Chapman had had a situation as a hairdresser's assistant, but as Mrs. Spink had private means he was eventually enabled to give up this work. Mrs. Spink's grandfather had left her nearly £C>00, the money being vested in a trust for her beneiii. Soon al'ier taking up with Chapman the trusiees advanced her £250. Subsequently, in 1897, ihe balance, a little over £300, was paid
5George Chapman,
over to a legal firm representing " Mr. and Mrs. Chapman." There can be no doubt that most, probably all, of this money passed into the possession of Chapman. With the first instalment he took the lease of a small shop in Hastings. The establishment, being situated in a poor part of the town, did not prosper. He soon left it for an old-established hairdressing business in George Street, behind the Albion, in Old Hastings. This was a lock-up shop, and the two lived in rooms close by. Chapman was assisted in his business by his female com panion, who, of course, was regarded as his wife. She was short and plump, and had blonde hair, which was cut as short as that of a man—an anticipation of a general fashion which was at that time a long way off. In another respect this lady was a social pioneer. Lady hairdressers were unknown at the end of last century, yet Mrs. Spink lathered ail her husband's customers; later she even on occasions tried shaving them. But this was largely by way of experiment, and she did not persevere with it. Possibly these novel shaves by a woman, who was not always in full possession of her senses, received but slight support from the public.
The couple still had with them the little boy, Willie, who sometimes slept in the shop and quite frequently in a foul cellar below the premises. His mother explained his presence to curious customers by saying that he was the child of her first marriage; her first husband, she said, had been a doctor. The reason for this lie does not appear, unless it was merely foolish female affectation to convert a railway porter into a medical man. In any event, it seems that the boy led a most unhappy and neglected life.
At the commencement of business in the Hastings shop, notwithstanding the very free nature of the female assistance, results were disappointing. Accordingly, another improvement scheme was tried. As Mrs. Spink could play the piano, Chapman hired an instrument, and installed it in the front of his shop. After lathering customers, the lady assistant would sit down at the piano and play. These " musical shaves ,; quickly became popular, and business as a result improved. So great, indeed, was the improvement that Chapman was able to afford a small sailing-and-rowing boat, which he named the " Mosquito." He boasted to his customers that he would sail her across to Boulogne, hut this never eventuated. He restricted himself to short cruises with Mrs. Spink. On those occasions he was always appropriately dressed in nautical attire. He was generally regarded as a hazardous person rather than as a skilful sailor, and upon one occasion the boat capsized and the occupants were nearly drowned. Only a timely rescue by fishermen saved them. In the light of subsequent events one would like to know how this accident happened. It would be interesting, too, to know if both, or only one, of the occupants of the boat could swim; particularly as the two were not then living very, happily together, on account, it wras thought, of the lady's habitual drunkenness. But although there is no evidence to clear up the point, no injustice is being done, in view of Chapman's later crimes, in not giving him the benefit of the doubt. Chapman and his companion had only been at the Hastings shop for six months when it was sold to a Mr. Robinson, a neighbouring furniture dealer. On the day following the sale, Chapman, Mrs. Spink, and the boy left Hastings. But two incidents that occurred before this are worthy of narration.

[Natalie Severn]

Sorry there were so many typos in above account.I extracted it from an on line
extract from HL Adam's book and hadn't noticed the mistakes,
Norma

[HelenaWojtczak]

You are most helpful Norma!

I have the book on inter library loan order. I've been searching for it online for nearly a month, and gave up and ordered it, but it coudl still take weeks to get.

Is it ALL on line?

Cheers mate

And my next question is, as he was writing in 1930, where on earth did he get the information about Mary lathering, Willie being neglected and put in the cellar?

The dates are a mess, too. Adam says that after a short spell in their first shop they moved to George Street, then...

"Chapman and his companion had only been at the Hastings shop for six months when it was sold to a Mr. Robinson"

Well, as you have so cleverly pointed out (in reference to 1887) in order to be in a directory, people had to get in before the deadline in December. Chapman is in the 1897 Hastings directory, so he MUST have been in the shop by December 1896. And they left it in September 1897, that makes nine months, not six.

The moral is, Adam is just as likely to be incorrect as anyone else.

The question is, did he also make things up i.e. Mosquito incident, that is NOT in the local paper, neglect of Willie, Mary lathering, maybe even musical shaves? None of this stuff was mentioned by the Hastings witnesses as the Old Bailey in 1903, so where did Adam get them from?


They moved into Hill Street in March 1896. A witness said "after they had been [in Hill Street] some time the prisoner opened a barber's shop in George Street". What does "some time" mean?

Helena

[HelenaWojtczak]

Norma, have you got the next bit please or can you lead me to the website?

I am intrigued by:

"But two incidents that occurred before this are worthy of narration..."