Do you think William Herbert Wallace was guilty?

[caz]

Another point that I often ponder is the picture that’s painted of the Wallace’s marriage. Most said that they appeared happy and Wallace certainly did. But I find it difficult to completely ignore the doctor, the nurse and the char woman. They all spent time with the Wallace’s in their home and they all said that they weren’t as happy as they made out. One other man (I can’t recall his name but I think that he was a colleague of Wallace’s said he was a ‘soured’ man [I think that was the phrase that he used]. So that at least raises some doubt as to the picture painted by Wallace and others.
Add this to an age difference that Julia had kept from him. I apologise for ‘harping on’ about this but I can’t help wondering if Wallace somehow discovered his wife’s true age? Maybe Julia’s sister Amy let it slip? Maybe he was looking into insurance matters and found her birth certificate? How would that affect Wallace? Might he not think that, apart from being lied to by Julia (and let’s face it, many people shave a few years off their age for vanities sake but not usually 16 years!) that all he had to look forward to (at the age of 52) was a life looking after a woman in poor health, who basically wore a nappy (diaper to AS ) and was theoretically old enough to be his mother! This prospect could, and I only say could, provide a motive for murder.

Good points, HS. I think the age difference could have provided a motive whether he'd always known or only recently found out.

However, I've never got the logic of pretending to be younger than your real age for the sake of vanity. If you look very young for your age, vanity is far better served by being truthful and earning genuine compliments. If you look your age or older, why shave years off and have people think you look terrible for your age?

I do think there was something rather odd about Julia pretending to be so much younger when she presumably didn't look it. Maybe she had got away with it in the past and couldn't bring herself to add the years back on when they showed in her face and body. It couldn't have worked for much longer and her advanced age would certainly have made life difficult for Wallace, had he not got rid... sorry, had she not been taken from him when she was. It could also have gone on to cause a proud man considerable humiliation to think of people making fun behind their backs.

Love,

Caz
X

[caz]

One thing I would bring attention to that I have before is the sheer unlucky coincidences that would have had to have happened if Wallace was in fact innocent. How incredibly not fortuitous for him.

For example, on the night of the call, he leaves at 7:15. The call is placed at 7:18. I think this suggests Wallace called himself, which would line up perfectly. Please note the call time and location was only traced due to an error which would not have been expected by the caller. He then makes it to the club just barely giving him enough time to have made the call and show up there in time for 7:45 start. If he made it a few minutes earlier to the club or left a few minutes earlier, then he would be in the clear.

Hi AS,

You make an important point here. If Qualtrough was Wallace, it fits almost too neatly for comfort. He would have kicked himself over his call being traced. However, if Qualtrough was anyone else, the opposite is true. He must have put a fair bit of effort into a plan which, if it all came off perfectly, would make him a very lucky murderer indeed! Firstly he had to know there was a good chance that Wallace would go to the club that night. Next he had to wait and watch for Wallace to be on his way so the call could be made before his arrival at the club, assuming it was someone who didn't have the luxury of speaking directly to Wallace because they were known to each other. If Wallace was still feeling the effects of 'flu, he might not have left the house at all, leaving Qualtrough to wait in vain. Then there was always the possibility that when Wallace came into view he wasn't on his way to the club, but to visit friends or perhaps call on a customer - just as Qualtrough was planning for him the following evening. If he seldom if ever made evening calls the plan wouldn't have got off the ground.

While the location of the phone box was handy for checking that Wallace had actually left his house that night, a phone box halfway to the club or even nearer would have been handier to confirm his destination and still have time to make the call a few minutes before he got there. If Qualtrough had no expectation that his call would be traced, there would have been no perceived advantage in making it appear like Wallace himself had made it, and yet that was the fortuitous outcome of his chosen time and location.

Great weekend all.

Love,

Caz
X

[Herlock Sholmes]

Good points, HS. I think the age difference could have provided a motive whether he'd always known or only recently found out.

Agreed. Even if Wallace didn’t actually discover Julia’s true age it must have become apparent to him that his wife showed the physical signs of being an old lady rather than a middle aged one. The impression that we get of Julia (or at least I get) is of a slight anachronism. A genteel, Victorian Governess-type. Nothing wrong with that of course but she also lied about her father’s occupation. Maybe Julia was a touch ‘unbalanced’ rather than just the ‘delicate flower’ type? Either way Wallace might have seen his future as one more of a son looking after an infirm and aging mother rather than that of a middle aged couple looking forward to their twilight years?

However, I've never got the logic of pretending to be younger than your real age for the sake of vanity. If you look very young for your age, vanity is far better served by being truthful and earning genuine compliments. If you look your age or older, why shave years off and have people think you look terrible for your age?

Neither have I Caz. I’m 52 but I look 30! I also look like Johnny Depp

I do think there was something rather odd about Julia pretending to be so much younger when she presumably didn't look it. Maybe she had got away with it in the past and couldn't bring herself to add the years back on when they showed in her face and body. It couldn't have worked for much longer and her advanced age would certainly have made life difficult for Wallace, had he not got rid... sorry, had she not been taken from him when she was. It could also have gone on to cause a proud man considerable humiliation to think of people making fun behind their backs.

One colleague described Wallace as ‘soured.’ A man who was disillusioned by his life? That combined with Julia’s health and physical condition might have tipped Wallace over the edge. Only ‘might’ I hasten to add.

Love,

Caz
X

I just don’t think we can take as a given that the Wallace marriage was ideal. There could have been some very deep and longstanding resentment on William’s side. And of course...there might not have been

[OneRound]

Hi Caz,

I’m with you on this one. I’ve been trying to think what ‘Qualtrough’ could have said to Julia when he arrived on her doorstep that would have sounded remotely plausible to her? Best I can come up with is something like ‘I’ve been out on business and I was kept late. As I was pretty near here I thought I’d try to catch Mr Wallace before he left for my house.’ Not great is it?

And even if she knew the name Qualtrough (and we only have Wallace’s statement) it’s still by no means certain that she would have let him in. If Parry was involved this only potentially works for me if it was Parry himself at the door and not ‘Qualtrough.’ I can’t see Parry planning this whole thing, knowing Julia and her ways as he would, in the hope that she might let a stranger into the house while she was in her own at night.

As I said before, it’s not much of a plan is it?

Hi Herlock and all - I'll have a try with this.

''Good evening. I'm John Qualtrough. I have an appointment here with Mr Wallace ...... Oh no. I did wonder if the old duffer at the chess club I spoke to on the telephone had got the wrong end of the stick. I only gave him my address as he kept asking where I was calling from. I hope you don't think me too forward but I wonder if you might be so kind as to allow me to come in and wait for your husband. He shouldn't be long as he will surely turn straight back as soon as he discovers I'm not at home. I wouldn't normally ask but my business is rather urgent and I believe will also be to Mr Wallace's advantage ...... Oh, you are so kind. It's a jolly cold night, Mrs Wallace. I don't suppose I could push my luck and trouble you for a cup of tea while I wait ...... Oh, Mrs Wallace, what a mess the two of us have made. I must be away now ...... ''

Is the above likely? I'll be honest and say ''no''. However, I don't think it's impossible.

Best regards,

OneRound

[Herlock Sholmes]

Hi Herlock and all - I'll have a try with this.

''Good evening. I'm John Qualtrough. I have an appointment here with Mr Wallace ...... Oh no. I did wonder if the old duffer at the chess club I spoke to on the telephone had got the wrong end of the stick. I only gave him my address as he kept asking where I was calling from. I hope you don't think me too forward but I wonder if you might be so kind as to allow me to come in and wait for your husband. He shouldn't be long as he will surely turn straight back as soon as he discovers I'm not at home. I wouldn't normally ask but my business is rather urgent and I believe will also be to Mr Wallace's advantage ...... Oh, you are so kind. It's a jolly cold night, Mrs Wallace. I don't suppose I could push my luck and trouble you for a cup of tea while I wait ...... Oh, Mrs Wallace, what a mess the two of us have made. I must be away now ...... ''

Is the above likely? I'll be honest and say ''no''. However, I don't think it's impossible.

Best regards,

OneRound

Hi OneRound

I agree that it’s not impossible but personally I still find it unlikely.

If it wasn’t Wallace then could it have been Parry? It could have been but I just can’t see Parry risking trying to steal cash and leaving Julia alive. The cash box being replaced can only have been because either, the thief was trying to steal without being discovered or it was a set up to look like a robbery.
The other option is Parry murdering for the cash. And such a small amount. And of course there’s the fact of eleven savage blows with a heavy object. It seems more than just an act of silencing to me.

[NickB]

eleven savage blows

Although the pathologist testified in court that Julia had been hit 11 times, in the pathologists report he had said 3 or 4 times.

Perhaps he had good reason to change his mind. But 11 blows delivered in a frenzy did fit in better with the prosecution’s argument that it was a domestic dispute.

“Death would take place practically immediately with the first blow. The other ten blows would be struck when the head lay on the floor.”

[Herlock Sholmes]

Although the pathologist testified in court that Julia had been hit 11 times, in the pathologists report he had said 3 or 4 times.

Perhaps he had good reason to change his mind. But 11 blows delivered in a frenzy did fit in better with the prosecution’s argument that it was a domestic dispute.

“Death would take place practically immediately with the first blow. The other ten blows would be struck when the head lay on the floor.”

Thanks for that Nick

[John G]

Hi John,

I now have a problem with Wallace's claim to have told Julia the name of the person he was due to meet, and therefore she might have invited him in if he turned up on her doorstep.

Firstly, it would have seemed odd to say the least, given that her husband was already out and expecting to meet this Qualtrough chap in another district. How could Qualtrough have got his own wires crossed when he was the one who had made the arrangements?

Secondly, from what Amy Wallace said of her conversation with Julia on the Tuesday, Wallace didn't know anyone in that district, so Qualtrough would have presented as a total stranger to both of them. Again, I think I'd have been uneasy in Julia's shoes.

Thirdly, what Julia told Amy doesn't quite make sense if her husband had told her all about the message to call on a Mr Qualtrough. She said he didn't know anyone in that district and she only thought it was on business. That sounds as if Wallace merely said he was going out that evening and where he was heading, but not who he was seeing or why, leaving Julia to speculate when talking to Amy. It's possible he told her more when he came home for tea, but we'd only have his word for that. Amy doesn't appear to support him. Did he say when he told Julia he was seeing someone called Qualtrough?

Love,

Caz
X

Hi Caz,

Wallace revealed the information in an exchange with his defence barrister at the trial:

Roland Oliver: "Had you told your wife that evening when you went out at a quarter to seven where you were going."

Wallace: "Yes"

Oliver: "Or told her the evening before."

Wallace: " She knew all about it. As a matter of fact we had discussed it during the day, and it is really because we discussed it that I finally decided to go."

Oliver: "She wanted you to go?"

Wallace: "Yes she thought it might be worthwhile."

Oliver: "It was a long way, four miles, but it might be something worth having?"

Wallace: "Yes."

Oliver: "Had you told her the man's name and where you were going?"

Wallace: "Yes, everything about it. I might say I never made a decision, if I was in a difficulty, without conferring with my wife on any point."

The information can be found in a transcript of the trial, which I have found to be an excellent resource, at para 182. Here is the link if you haven't already got it: https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet....Trial_djvu.txt

[John G]

Although the pathologist testified in court that Julia had been hit 11 times, in the pathologists report he had said 3 or 4 times.

Perhaps he had good reason to change his mind. But 11 blows delivered in a frenzy did fit in better with the prosecution’s argument that it was a domestic dispute.

“Death would take place practically immediately with the first blow. The other ten blows would be struck when the head lay on the floor.”

Thanks for that, Nick. There is, however, no doubt that Julia had been subjected to a brutal attack. An artery was severed, and on the furniture blood spots reached seven feet in height.

I don't think that amending the number of blows delivered helped the prosecution case, quite the reverse. For instance, if Julia was struck eleven times, in a frenzied attack, it's difficult to see how the killer wouldn't be drenched in blood.

[AmericanSherlock]

Hi AS,

You make an important point here. If Qualtrough was Wallace, it fits almost too neatly for comfort. He would have kicked himself over his call being traced. However, if Qualtrough was anyone else, the opposite is true. He must have put a fair bit of effort into a plan which, if it all came off perfectly, would make him a very lucky murderer indeed! Firstly he had to know there was a good chance that Wallace would go to the club that night. Next he had to wait and watch for Wallace to be on his way so the call could be made before his arrival at the club, assuming it was someone who didn't have the luxury of speaking directly to Wallace because they were known to each other. If Wallace was still feeling the effects of 'flu, he might not have left the house at all, leaving Qualtrough to wait in vain. Then there was always the possibility that when Wallace came into view he wasn't on his way to the club, but to visit friends or perhaps call on a customer - just as Qualtrough was planning for him the following evening. If he seldom if ever made evening calls the plan wouldn't have got off the ground.

While the location of the phone box was handy for checking that Wallace had actually left his house that night, a phone box halfway to the club or even nearer would have been handier to confirm his destination and still have time to make the call a few minutes before he got there. If Qualtrough had no expectation that his call would be traced, there would have been no perceived advantage in making it appear like Wallace himself had made it, and yet that was the fortuitous outcome of his chosen time and location.

Great weekend all.

Love,

Caz
X

CAZ,

Another great point and an even stronger way of looking at it I think--if Wallace was truly innocent not only was he extremely unlucky, but Qualtrough was extremely lucky.

Likely? I think not...

Note to all: This is now the longest thread on the Wallace case out there! Also, with the new details we have, I doubt anyone has discussed the case in depth the way we have with the most accurate information. Unfortunately, I doubt much more will ever come out so we will probably be left guessing forever. I do feel it is the best unsolved murder mystery ever. ( I view JTR in a different sort of category, since there isn't 1 suspect , but rather a serial killer with multiple possibilities)

I'll have to check out the A6 stuff though which OneRound mentioned to me. I had never heard of that case, although my impression is Hanratty seems very likely guilty.

I don't always come down on the side of the accused/suspected being guilty by the way! I just read Framed about Michael Skakel and I would recommend anyone reading that if there is an interest in American cases. My feeling is not only should he not have been found guilty, but that he is probably innocent.

[John G]

Here are the details of an exchange at the trial concerning who Julia might admit to the house:

Oliver: "Had you at that time considered the possibility of a man coming to the house and giving the name Qualtrough to your wife? Looking at it now, if someone did come and give the name "Qualtrough " to your wife on that night, do you think she would have let him in?"

Wallace: "Seeing I had gone to meet a Mr Qualtrough, I think she would, as she new all about the business."

[Herlock Sholmes]

A scenario

I love a good hypothetical scenario so I tried to come up with one that overcame some of the issues in the case. Im not saying that this is what I think happened it’s just a suggestion. As it’s been suggested that the addition of a Mr X helps toward a Solution I’ve decided to add a Miss X for the same purpose. So....

Wallace is unhappy in his marriage (as has been suggested by at least 4 people, 3 of whom saw the couple in their home environment over a period of time.) On his daily rounds he gets talking to a female customer (maybe a widow) and they become ‘close.’ As time goes on he starts to think of the alternative life that he could have without Julia. She feels the same. He makes a suggestion she agrees to play her part.

Wallace makes the Qualtrough phonecall using his own voice when talking to the phone operators (they said that it was a normal voice of an older gentleman) as he would have no real need to disguise his voice to strangers. He uses a gruff voice when talking to Beattie ( Beattie also described the voice as peremptory) because Beattie would recognise his normal voice. Parry for eg would have no need to disguise his voice to Beattie.

On the Tuesday, at around 5.30 Wallace lures Julia into the Parlour and kills her with an iron bar. The eleven blows represent a build up of resentment against her. He uses his mackintosh, draped over his left arm, to shield himself from most of the blood spatter. He places the mackintosh under her body in the pool of blood which will disguise the evidence of spatter. He goes into the back kitchen to wash away any blood. He washes the murder weapon and puts it into a bag and then goes about setting up a robbery. When he takes the cash from the cash box he puts the box back by force of habit not thinking how strange it might look. He takes the notes from the box and goes upstairs where he puts them into a vase. Unfortunately he doesn’t notice that he has a small amount of blood on a finger which smears onto one of the notes as he pushes them down into the vase.

At around 5.45 Miss X arrives and let’s herself in by the back door which Wallace has opened. She goes upstairs and puts on a set of Julia’s clothes and comes downstairs to wait for Alan Close to arrive. Obviously the later Julia is seen ‘alive’ the better. Close is late due to a broken bicycle but he arrives somewhere near 6.45.

Miss X answers the door holding a handkerchief. She tells Close to hurry on home because he has a cold, explaining that she has one herself, hence the handkerchief which she holds to her face. Close is concerned with finishing his round so he isn’t studying ‘Julia’ closely. why should he? Miss X is the same build as Julia, same or similar coloured hair. She may even resemble her slightly. Close goes on his way.

Miss X goes back inside to William when she notices a touch of blood on his hand. William doesn’t connect it to the notes. He goes back to the back kitchen to wash, Miss X goes upstairs to quickly change back into her own clothes, hence the clothes strewn around the bedroom. Wallace goes upstairs to use the toilet inadvertantly transferring a tiny clot of blood onto the toilet bowl in the process that he hadn’t spotted. As Julia has been dead for over an hour this explains the clotting (rather than splashing)

Back downstairs Wallace gives Miss X the bag containing the weapon. They leave by the back door. Getting to the gate he checks for the all clear. Miss X goes one way he goes the other on his journey to the mythical Menlove Gardens East. Miss X disposes of the weapon and the police only check on Wallace’s route for it.


Ok, I’m ready for the jeering Remember though, its only an exercise in creating an alternative scenario which could explain the known facts. The rumour mill mentioned Wallace and another woman but there’s not a shred of evidence for it. It doesn’t mean that there couldn’t have been one though. Another point would of course be what happened to ‘Miss X?’ What about the happy ending? Maybe the stress of the trial and the appeal combined with the nasty comments and insults that Wallace continued to receive made her walk away. After all, they would hardly drop each other in it.

If someone can add a ‘Mr X’ to try and explain the mystery I’m not too concerned about taking the liberty of adding a ‘Miss X’ to do the same.

[NickB]

The most pertinent exchange about who Julia would admit may be in the cross-examination when Wallace said he gave Inspector Gold a list of those whom his wife might admit.

Hemmerde: “Although you gave the police the names of certain people who might have been admitted to the house, is there one you have the slightest suspicion of being guilty of this murder?”

Wallace: “Not one.”

Hemmerde seems to have scored a significant victory here. First of all he gets Wallace to restrict the number of suspects to a finite group, like an Agatha Christie novel, then admit that he doesn’t suspect any of them. He does not remind Hemmerde that he had suggested she might also have let in Qualtrough.

Also, PC Williams had recorded him saying his wife had bolted the back-yard door, but in court he said he did not hear his wife bolt the back-yard door. If he was now raising the possibility that someone could have gained access through the back, why did he (and the defence in general) appear to accept that the only means of entry was via Julia?

[Graham]

I've been spending too much time recently on various historical forums, so have lost track just a little regarding Wallace, the A6, The Diary, and so forth.

With regard to Wallace, I only ever read just a couple of books on the case, along with an excellent website on the subject hosted, I believe, by a Liverpool historian. My purely knee-jerk thinking to the murder is: if Wallace did kill his wife, what could possibly have been his motive? From the little I've read it seems to me that both of them were perfectly content - if not exactly happy - with their marital situation. William had his chess and his home chemistry laboratory, lectured infrequently at a local technical college. Julia was apparently an avid reader and borrowed books from local libraries, and was musical. There was a piano in the house. It seems neither of them had any close friends. They strike me as a quiet, perhaps even boring, couple, who would have been perfectly happy and content to carry on with life as it was until (natural) death did them part. So - I ask again: if Wallace murdered Julia, what was the motive?

Graham

[Herlock Sholmes]

Hi Graham

The char woman Sarah Draper said that they weren’t the happy couple that everyone believed.

Dr Louis Curwen, who attended them both in their home concluded that they didn’t lead the happy life that everyone supposed that they did.

Mr Wilson, matron of the Police Remand Home, who had previously nursed Wallace during an illness at his home said “their attitude toward each other appeared to be strained and that feeling of sympathy and confidence that one usually found between man and wife appeared to be entirely absent.”

Alfred Mather, a retired Prudential agent called Wallace “the most cool, calculating, despondent, soured man that he’d ever met,” and that he was a “bad tempered devil.”

Obviously these aren’t conclusive proofs but it’s difficult to completely dismiss them. Especially as 3 of them spent time with the Wallace’s in their home environment.

Also Julia was actually 16 years older than Wallace (a fact that she’d lied about) and in poor health. Wallace was 52 and might easily have felt that all he had to look forward to was a life nursing a frail old lady?