The One Similarity of the Bible John Murders

[Herlock Sholmes]

I’ve been thinking about this one Cobalt to try and come up with a remotely plausible explanation but I keep coming up dry and believe me I’ve scraped a few bottoms of barrels in the effort. I even wondered if the guy that found the body might have taken the clothes? I did recall one note that I’d made regarding his behaviour though. His name was Maurice Goodman and he kept his car in one of the garages. In his initial call to the police he’d said that the body was that of a man. He also said that the body was: “like brushing against a block of ice.” So if he got close enough to tell that, how could he not have seen that it was a woman and not a man?

I know…I’m clutching at straws.

[cobalt]

Maurice Goodman was reportedly 67 years old so maybe his eyesight was not so good. I can't find an exact time for his unfortunate discovery but it seems to have been around 7am which in February in Scotland would mean that visibility would have been quite poor. He initially thought it was a sleeping drunk blocking his garage door and tried to move the person with his foot.

None of which helps us with the puzzle of why or where the clothing was taken.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Maurice Goodman was reportedly 67 years old so maybe his eyesight was not so good. I can't find an exact time for his unfortunate discovery but it seems to have been around 7am which in February in Scotland would mean that visibility would have been quite poor. He initially thought it was a sleeping drunk blocking his garage door and tried to move the person with his foot.

None of which helps us with the puzzle of why or where the clothing was taken.

This statement by DC MacDonald makes Goodman seem less puzzling:

"There had been a heavy frost that night. We arrived about 8.10am and stopped the car at the Overdale Street end of the Lane. The body was lying with the head towards us. Initially I thought it was a man because of the thin build but when I got closer I could see it was female. She was completely naked, and there was no sign of her clothing. She was lying on her back, with the head turned to the right."

[cobalt]

As I understand the timing, Maurice Goodman made the discovery then returned to his flat to report the matter to the police. The first to attend were traffic police and I have read somewhere that they took around 30 minutes to respond. it was only after they viewed the scene that the decision to bring in detectives was made. So although detectives arrived at 8.10 am the initial discovery by Goodman must have been closer to 7am which in February, Glasgow would be around daybreak.

Possibly before daybreak, because around 1968/69 the government (moving towards joining the EU) abolished BST and this meant Scottish schoolchildren heading off in the morning into the darkness. I had a paper delivery round at that time and can remember daybreak occurring just as I was finishing my round about 8.30am. This idiotic decision was reversed after a couple of years.

[Herlock Sholmes]

I just had a quick look Cobalt but I see no mention of an actual time for the discovery by Goodman. Garcia says that it was in the ‘weak winter light.’ As you say, he went back to his house to call the police. The inference appears to be that there was no evidence of any attempt to rush to the scene by the police. Garcia calls their response “slow, almost leisurely.” Strangely he also says: “There was no reason yet to label the death suspicious and it was likely assumed that the body was that of an unfortunate vagrant, or a drunk who hadn’t quite made it home from the night’s excesses.” Sadly we’ve all seen vagrants and drunks asleep in the street but I’ve never seen one completely naked.

[barnflatwyngarde]

I just had a quick look Cobalt but I see no mention of an actual time for the discovery by Goodman. Garcia says that it was in the ‘weak winter light.’ As you say, he went back to his house to call the police. The inference appears to be that there was no evidence of any attempt to rush to the scene by the police. Garcia calls their response “slow, almost leisurely.” Strangely he also says: “There was no reason yet to label the death suspicious and it was likely assumed that the body was that of an unfortunate vagrant, or a drunk who hadn’t quite made it home from the night’s excesses.” Sadly we’ve all seen vagrants and drunks asleep in the street but I’ve never seen one completely naked.

Hi Herlock,
According to Paul Harrison's book "Dancing With the Devil", Maurice Goodman found the body "at around 7.30am"(page 41).

There were no lights in the lane, and visibility at that time in the morning would have been poor.

The first police to arrive were 2 traffic police constables, but it wasn't until approximately 8.10am that DS Andrew Johnstone and DC Norman MacDonald arrived on the scene. (page 42-43).

[barnflatwyngarde]

Here is a photo of Carmichael Lane at the time.

You can see that the lane is quite narrow, and the absence of lighting in the lane would not have helped Goodman be certain what he was looking at.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Hi Herlock,
According to Paul Harrison's book "Dancing With the Devil", Maurice Goodman found the body "at around 7.30am"(page 41).

There were no lights in the lane, and visibility at that time in the morning would have been poor.

The first police to arrive were 2 traffic police constables, but it wasn't until approximately 8.10am that DS Andrew Johnstone and DC Norman MacDonald arrived on the scene. (page 42-43).

Hi Barn,

Cheers Barn.

Now that’s a real coincidence. I don’t have the Harrison book and I meant to ask if you had it. You’ve answered that question. I was looking to get it but the only copy I can see online for sale at the moment is on EBay for £28! I’ve no problem holding out for a cheaper copy. Harrison turned out to be not exactly the most trustworthy of writers after all.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Here is a photo of Carmichael Lane at the time.

You can see that the lane is quite narrow, and the absence of lighting in the lane would not have helped Goodman be certain what he was looking at.

The brilliantly named Elphinstone Dalgleish in the light coat.

[barnflatwyngarde]

The brilliantly named Elphinstone Dalgleish in the light coat.

Yeah it's a great name.

I remember that he was very highly regarded as a tough cop who nabbed the bad guys.

Here's another photo of Carmichael Lane, giving greater detail.

[cobalt]

As we await the critique of the book, just an observation. As I stated earlier I was a paperboy at the time of the last BJ killing in Autumn 1969 and remember well the photofit produced. We all had a laugh and suggested some neighbour or teacher. We Scots love to pull powerful people down, which is is not such a bad instinct for all its limitations.

However another most juicy, sordid, salacious, raunchy, crime was actually front page news at the time in late autumn 1969. The murder of Max Garvie, a rich farmer, by his wife and her younger lover, was very much the front page story. I should know. It made me late for my paper round as I tried to read the daily account. This was the aristocracy exposed!

The murder of poor Glasgow women who liked to let their hair down and go the dancing could not compete.

[Herlock Sholmes]

In the same series of books - Murder World: Scotland, Steve MacGregor wrote The Face of Bible John and A Killing At Kinky Cottage (amongst others) which is about the case that Cobalt mentions in his post. This could be a false memory but something tells me that I’ve seen a TV documentary on the case at some point.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/killing-kinky-cottage-Maxwell-Scotland/dp/1973148218