Move to Murder: Who Killed Julia Wallace?

[Herlock Sholmes]

And talking of dishonesty with your ‘Wallace dies’ nonsense. You know very well that I was talking about that part of the plan that gets Wallace out of the house and The Phantom in.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Thanks Rod - however, it doesn't make it so.

Rent-a-quote strikes again.

[RodCrosby]

Thanks Rod - however, it doesn't make it so.

Well, if we are going to casually ignore expert evidence that was accepted by both sides at the trial...
we're down a rabbit-hole where I have no desire to follow.

I understand the fire-bars corresponded with marks on the skirt.

[Abby Normal]

I'm not sure why we believe the parlour fire was turned on, nor if it was, why the killer would turn it off. I assume it is because of the burnt mackintosh and singed dress. The burning may have occurred in the kitchen where there was a real fire. There were coins on the hearth, possibly a struggle if Julia caught him replacing the cash box. The party then ended in the parlour as Julia tried to escape him - perhaps first reaching a bolted front door preventing her escape.

you would think she would have time to scream bloody murder then.

[RodCrosby]

you would think she would have time to scream bloody murder then.

Fair point, Abby. And where are there signs of a struggle?

Not a tottering music-stand knocked over. Not a teetering sheaf of music sliding helplessly to the floor...
Not a picture nor a plate nor a plant out of place in the parlour...

One of the most baffling crime scenes of all time.

[ColdCaseJury]

For the Qualtrough Plan to get Wallace out of the house on the Tuesday night and to allow Julia to admit The Phantom-

Parry - Beattie forgets to pass on the message. Wallace doesn’t go.
Someone at the club says there’s no MGE someone is playing a trick on you. Wallace doesnt go.
On the Tuesday Wallace checks a directory (not hard really) and discovers - no MGE and so Wallace doesn’t go.
Wallace phones Crewe (as he lives locally) to ask about MGE. Crewe tells him there’s no such place and so Wallace doesn’t go.
Wallace himself knows that there’s no MGE. And so Wallace doesn’t go.
Wallace decides that after working all day for the company he doesn’t see why he should trudge around at night too so Wallace doesn’t go.
He and Julia have plans for the night and so Wallace doesn’t go.
Julia is I’ll and he doesn’t want to leave her alone for two nights running. So Wallace doesn’t go.

But guess what. There’s only one way in the entire world where this plan become infallible. And that’s if it was perpetrated by William Wallace.

Back to the drawing board Rodders.

Hi HS, some good points. Some caution is required, however. You claim Wallace's plan is infallible yet the first two sticking points also apply to Wallace, who could not be sure the message would be passed on by Beattie (or passed on correctly) or that some club member might know that MGE did not exist. If either problem was realised then Wallace's plan is off. With Parry, if Wallace answers the door the accomplice can have any line prepared as a fail safe and walk away. Plan is off.

[etenguy]

Well, if we are going to ignore expert evidence that was accepted by both sides at the trial...
we're down a rabbit-hole where I have no desire to follow.

I understand the fire-bars corresponded with marks on the skirt.

I think we are happy to ignore MacFall's expert evidence regarding time of death, (with good reason) though I don't mean to undermine the forensic guy - just challenge his opinion in case it was formed within the context of the room. I didn't remember the statement about the skirt having fire bar marks on it and so have re-read the transcript. I didn't find it there, but it is an edited version and I may have missed it. The transcript has Roberts relying on finding fragments of burnt mackintosh on the hearth rug and no where else in the house. It is not conclusive but highly indicative of where the burning took place. Of course, if the fuller version of the transcript has the fire bar marks on the skirt, then I think it puts it beyond doubt that the gas fire in the parlour was the source.

[RodCrosby]

I think we are happy to ignore MacFall's expert evidence regarding time of death, (with good reason) though I don't mean to undermine the forensic guy - just challenge his opinion in case it was formed within the context of the room. I didn't remember the statement about the skirt having fire bar marks on it and so have re-read the transcript. I didn't find it there, but it is an edited version and I may have missed it. The transcript has Roberts relying on finding fragments of burnt mackintosh on the hearth rug and no where else in the house. It is not conclusive but highly indicative of where the burning took place. Of course, if the fuller version of the transcript has the fire bar marks on the skirt, then I think it puts it beyond doubt that the gas fire in the parlour was the source.

As ever, we shall rely on the good offices of Antony to settle the matter...

[Herlock Sholmes]

It’s just as if she’d been murdered by the last person in the world that she’d have expected to attack her with an iron bar

[Herlock Sholmes]

Fair point, Abby. And where are there signs of a struggle?

Not a tottering music-stand knocked over. Not a teetering sheaf of music sliding helplessly to the floor...
Not a picture nor a plate nor a plant out of place in the parlour...

One of the most baffling crime scenes of all time.

It’s just as if she’d been murdered by the last person in the world that she’d have expected to have attacked her with an iron bar

[RodCrosby]

It’s just as if she’d been murdered by the last person in the world that she’d have expected to have attacked her with an iron bar

Whoever was in the room, in other words...

[Herlock Sholmes]

Hi HS, some good points. Some caution is required, however. You claim Wallace's plan is infallible yet the first two sticking points also apply to Wallace, who could not be sure the message would be passed on by Beattie (or passed on correctly) or that some club member might know that MGE did not exist. If either problem was realised then Wallace's plan is off. With Parry, if Wallace answers the door the accomplice can have any line prepared as a fail safe and walk away. Plan is off.

Hi Antony,

If Beattie had forgotten I’m sure Wallace would have gone over for a friendly chat which would have jogged his memory.

On the other point, Wallace might have known in which area Beattie had lived and so might have had a very reasonable hope that he might have been unfamiliar with the area. And when Wallace received the message and then mentioned MGE he couldn’t really have foreseen that Beattie would have taken it upon himself to ask Mr Deyes.

As per the Accomplice Theory the Accomplice would have known that Wallace wouldn’t have answered the door because he’d been seen leaving for MGE.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Whoever was in the room, in other words...

I think you know the answer to that one.

[etenguy]

As ever, we shall rely on the good offices of Antony to settle the matter...

It is of little consequence as it gets us no closer to the identity of the murderer - and if she was sitting in the armchair in the parlour (as macFall argues the blood splatter suggests) with either wallace or qualtrough there is a good chance that the gas fire would be on and it is unlikely she was trying to escape - rather she was caught off guard - and that would be the same for Wallace as it would be for Qualtrough.

So the question then becomes - who turned off the fire and why?

[Herlock Sholmes]

It is of little consequence as it gets us no closer to the identity of the murderer - and if she was sitting in the armchair in the parlour (as macFall argues the blood splatter suggests) with either wallace or qualtrough there is a good chance that the gas fire would be on and it is unlikely she was trying to escape - rather she was caught off guard - and that would be the same for Wallace as it would be for Qualtrough.

So the question then becomes - who turned off the fire and why?

He was a very obliging sneak-theif Eten because he turned off the lights too.

I’m only surprised that he didn’t do a bit of polishing before he left.