** The Murder of Julia Wallace **

[moste]

Copied from first page ...Quote: Accomplice (a theory first published in my book*)…. 36%
Wallace (supported by Murphy and now Russell)… 29%
Parry (endorsed by Roger Wilkes and the late Jonathan Goodman)… 25%
Conspiracy (Gannon’s theory)… 9%
Prank (the theory of the late P.D. James)… 1%

Hi, CCJ. Was there no consideration given to the culprit being ‘The Anfield Burglar’ ? (My second choice after William Wallace.)

[caz]

Well, Wallace may have thought burglars avoid occupied houses. Being in insurance, he was likely to know. If so then to his mind Julia would be safe as long as she kept the doors locked, put the gas lights on, and maybe played the piano.

I don't have 1930s stats, but this is the case today, where one published estimate is that 70% of burglars would avoid burglary where there is an occupant. And nowadays we rarely have pokers available!

On the other hand, 50% of burglaries are to occupied premises, so either the stats are askew or burglars are not good at guessing if someone is at home.

Maybe Julia was preparing the front room to make sure occupancy was clear to anyone outside, although surely burglars would not try to gain entry at the front where everyone could see them. (That's my hope anyway.)

Hi Dupin,

I don't have a poker, but I do keep a genuine H Division police truncheon by the bed, just in case! I won it in a raffle at the Brighton JtR Conference in 2005, and when Jeremy Beadle presented it to me, the cheeky bugger told everyone it had been following me round all weekend.

Happy days...

Love,

Caz
X

[Herlock Sholmes]

Thanks as ever, Herlock.

This case continues to tease. I now see more pointing to Wallace's guilt than Parry's although I'm still not fully convinced that Parry didn't have some involvement.

Following on from another recent post of yours, I'll throw a wild thought with no substance to back it up into the mix later today or tomorrow. Moste might approve anyway!

Best regards,
OneRound

No problem OneRound. Got there in the end.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Little thought to throw out there. What if Parry had seen Wallace exiting the phone box?

[OneRound]

Hi OneRound,

I just remembered the origin of the story about Parry’s family wanting him out of the country. It was Ada Cook. You can read the details on pages 120 and 121 of Gannon.

Thanks as ever, Herlock.

This case continues to tease. I now see more pointing to Wallace's guilt than Parry's although I'm still not fully convinced that Parry didn't have some involvement.

Following on from another recent post of yours, I'll throw a wild thought with no substance to back it up into the mix later today or tomorrow. Moste might approve anyway!

Best regards,
OneRound