** The Murder of Julia Wallace **

[Herlock Sholmes]

Moste, The A6 threads you refer to are still there. The main one before the rebooted thread, called simply 'a6 murder' is closed but not deleted.

Was there irreplaceable stuff on the original a6 thread Nick?

[NickB]

To clarify my point about Wallace disposing of the weapon and bloodied gloves, he could only do this on the way to the tram stop or possibly later if he concealed them. And the police would know where to look for them, which made it more difficult for him than anyone else who could dispose of them anywhere.

[NickB]

I never saw the very original A6 thread or The Great Server Crash of 2008.

I do remember The Great Tea Trolly Disaster of 1967.

[moste]

Hi Herlock

That's an interesting question.

There appears to be no doubt that the mackintosh was singed in the front parlour, fragments were found on the hearth rug and no where else in the house.

The police analyst also concluded that the skirt had been burnt recently, based on the friability of the material at the edge of the burn which would have rubbed off easily.

I had always thought it likely both articles were singed during the same incident as a result of the above, but I had never picked up on an unblemished underskirt - that is odd.

Ok, sorry I missed this post. So Etenguy Irrefutable ,coat burned on fire!

Dragged away by her hair! Not as you would imagine by the scruff of her clothing . This person was certainly full of hatred.

[Herlock Sholmes]

To clarify my point about Wallace disposing of the weapon and bloodied gloves, he could only do this on the way to the tram stop or possibly later if he concealed them. And the police would know where to look for them, which made it more difficult for him than anyone else who could dispose of them anywhere.

I’ll have a look in Mark’s book tomorrow because he said something that surprised me. That the search for the weapon might not have been as thorough as I’d thought. I think he said something about them not really searching too far from Wolverton Street?

........

Ive always wondered about the ash bins. We’re they accessible by anyone from the outside? We’re all of the ash bins nearby searched? And when were they emptied?

Anyone?

[moste]

Was there irreplaceable stuff on the original a6 thread Nick?

I think two guys, Tony, and a Steve, we’re responsible for a great deal of irreplaceable stuff.

Graham who I believe had been on that thread from the beginning put great store by them. One

guy it was rumoured had saved much of the material in folders on his PC . But he disappeared into

the casebook mists .but apologies, Nick may know best.

[moste]

It would be great if you could find it Moste.

I found a site called forebears.io , which shows for 1880 heaviest concentration of Qualtroughs
in Britain on a map indicating with the colour ‘ red’ Westmorland Cumberland , but doesn’t give numbers . I’ll keep trying.

[Herlock Sholmes]

I found a site called forebears.io , which shows for 1880 heaviest concentration of Qualtroughs
in Britain on a map indicating with the colour ‘ red’ Westmorland Cumberland , but doesn’t give numbers . I’ll keep trying.

Cheers Moste. I really can’t recall ever hearing of a Cumbria/Qualtrough connection before and there’s been so much discussion on where the name came from (I’ve only heard of the Isle Of Man.) It would be a major ‘coincidence’ IMO if the name was most prominent where Wallace had grown up.

[etenguy]

Ok, sorry I missed this post. So Etenguy Irrefutable ,coat burned on fire!

It seems pretty certain - the police analyst (William Roberts) testified that the burning of the mackintosh had 'undoubtedly taken place in the room on the night of the murder' and 'the only place in the house where there were fragments of the mackintosh was in the sitting room on the hearth rug and just where the body had been.'

Dragged away by her hair! Not as you would imagine by the scruff of her clothing . This person was certainly full of hatred.

I think the scenario suggested as a possibility by CCJ in post 234 is very likely correct, or at least very close to what happened.

[Gordon]

The original A-6 thread was not deleted, but lost in The Great Server Crash of 2008 along with the rest of the threads on the boards.

JM

Thank you for explaining that, JM. I’ve always wondered. One mystery solved, anyway!

[Gordon]

The “Qualtrough Connection” certainly is interesting, moste. Goodman noted that the Qualtrough name was of Manx origin--hence its relative rarity--and was a dialectical corruption of “MacWalter.” Here’s his footnote:

Qualtrough is a common Manx name. Early in the sixteenth century the prefix Mac was almost universal in the Isle of Man, but it gradually disappeared, the final consonant coalescing with the first consonant of the following personal name and producing the characteristic Manx surnames beginning with C, K. or Q--Costain (MacAustin); Quilliam (MacWilliam); Qualter, Qualters, Qualtrough (MacWalter).

Anyone might scratch their head over where a strange name like “Qualtrough” came from, but once we understand how dialects “drift” in an isolated island population, and that most people were illiterate while the rest spelled out what they thought they were hearing, it makes sense.

No doubt some inhabitants of the island migrated later to the coast of the mainland for one reason or another, and it cannot escape attention that the coastal area closest to the Isle of Man is roughly between the towns of Barrow-in-Furness on the south, and Ravenglass to the north, with Millom about halfway in between--and Bowness-in-Windermere somewhat inland from Ravenglass. It’s no surprise if Qualtroughs could be found there, while other members of the clan no doubt sought their fortune in London (where the streets were paved with gold, as every naive person believed), with a few opting for other large cities like Liverpool.

I’ve read somewhere that Liverpool at the time of the Wallace murder boasted a mere five people named Qualtrough--or possibly five families; I can’t be sure. Since the 1931 census found the population of Liverpool to be 846, 101, that meant 846, 096 Liverpudlians back then were not named Qualtrough. Or to put it another way, the odds against anyone in Liverpool being named Qualtrough--as opposed to Smith, Brown, Jones, Johnson, Evans, Reilly, Donovan--or Lennon or McCartney!--was one in 169,220. So it was a pretty rare name.

Nevertheless, the link posted by Al Bundy’s Eyes was also interesting insofar as the Qualtrough referred to had a carpenter’s shop on Windermere Street (unfortunately misspelled “Windemere” by his descendant). This suggests on the one hand a Lake District connection: that numerous people from that region may have migrated to Liverpool in previous years, at least one of whom was that carpenter named Qualtrough. But with a prominent sign on his shop announcing his name, anyone might have made note of it--including Wallace, who lived a mere ten minutes’ walk away on Wolverton Street--but others as well.

Although I lean in the direction of Wallace’s innocence, it’s certainly tempting to see this as evidence of his guilt. It reminds me of the case a couple of years earlier, in which William Henry Podmore, who murdered Vivian Messiter to cover up for his own fraud, had used fictitious names and addresses traceable to people and places he’d known in his home town of Stoke on Trent: Bold Street, Jervis, Clayton Farm, and so on. Did Wallace do the same with Qualtrough?

But then, why pick such a strange name for a fake alibi in the first place? Wouldn’t an ordinary name have done just as well? Smith, Brown, Jones, Wilson, whatever... Or if for some reason it had to be a strange name, like “Puddephat,” say, which could be linked with Oxford or with Hemel Hempstead, why not pick one out of a directory? Anything but “Qualtrough,” which could be linked to his own background. How bright was Wallace anyway? Admittedly it’s a strained argument, but if Wallace was “set up,” it had to be by someone who knew his background, and may have been devious enough to plant the Qualtrough name as one more pointer intended to implicate Wallace. So much evidence that a determined enough person could argue either way!

[etenguy]

There was something else that the police analyst stated which I found interesting. It related to the money found in the jar on the mantelpiece upstairs. One of the notes had blood on it. He stated that the blood stain appeared to be from something like a thumb with blood on it and had been placed on the note on the 20th January or no more than two days before that.

Do you think that suggests the money taken from the cash box was transferred to the jar on the night of the murder? If so, that does suggest to me that Wallace moved the money to suggest it had been stolen. Wallace did state to PC Frederick Williams that he changed in that room that evening before going out and may have left the light on. He wouldn't want to have been caught with the money on his person. Since the blood stain was on the inside of the notes, he may not have seen it (the blood stain tailed off as it reached the top of the note). I don't think anyone else, such as a burglar, would move the money (if indeed it was moved that night).

[Ven]

It seems pretty certain - the police analyst (William Roberts) testified that the burning of the mackintosh had 'undoubtedly taken place in the room on the night of the murder' and 'the only place in the house where there were fragments of the mackintosh was in the sitting room on the hearth rug and just where the body had been.'



I think the scenario suggested as a possibility by CCJ in post 234 is very likely correct, or at least very close to what happened.

Also, William Roberts, in his initial notes where he lists all the items he analysed, wrote -
"On the cushion there were numerous small human blood stains on one side, together with burnt particles of the burnt macintosh."

This would seem to me that the murderer used the cushion to smother the burning jacket. He just grabbed the nearest thing to him.

[ColdCaseJury]

What if Julia is standing in front of the fire...let’s say the middle....holding the mackintosh. (A) Wallace strikes her and she lands where she was found (perhaps with her feet nearer the centre of the fireplace?) but as soon as the blow lands (B) she drops the mackintosh onto the fire. Wallace sees it smouldering. (C) He drops the weapon near the chair (causing the bloodstain) so that he can pick up (D) the mackintosh which is beneath her legs (which he moves to the position that they were found in) and put out the smouldering. (E) The blood in the chair and on the violin case just come from the rest of the blows.

Hi Herlock, a few points and questions:

(A) Which way is Julia facing? If she's facing into the room then the mackintosh will not be fireside - how is she holding it?
(B) Julia facing the mirror, blow strikes back of head, she falls backwards, mackintosh falls on fire (?)
(C) A blood-soaked cylindrical iron bar will leave a rectangular stain not the observed pool of blood. If it did create the stain, the bar must have been drenched in blood, suggesting heavy transfer onto the gloves and mackintosh (if he is wearing it) and on his sleeves or arms (if it's a shield)
(D) If (B) is correct, how does the mackintosh become trapped beneath her legs? And are you assuming that the skirt singe was caused some other time?
(E) The head is much nearer the piano and door, yet almost all of the cast-off is the corner. I think this is consistent with one or two blows on her head by the chair and possibly one in the centre of the room

I suggest the crime scene points to the body having been moved, increasing substantially the risk of some blood transfer. This does not eliminate Wallace, of course, but I think it focuses our minds on how he did it with none. I think most people will say gloves, but this is now an extra item to be carried (probably blood stained and risking secondary transfer) and disposed of.

BTW, it is possible all subsequent blows rained down when Julia's head was by the chair. It could be as few as two, after one blow that felled her. If the body was moved and then, say, three or four more blows were struck that would suggest a highly personal attack. It is possible that the body was moved (only to stop the burning) and no more blows were struck. I'm not sure that possibility has been considered, largely because MacFall suggested 11 in a frenzy (after originally suggesting 3 or 4).

[NickB]

Etenguy, The police appeared to think that if £4 was in the jar and £4 was missing from the box, it must have been transferred from one to the other. But Wallace said the money in the box comprised smaller denominations than the pound notes in the jar, and postal orders etc.