Kirsten Elliott - Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in Bath

TRUE CRIME FROM WHARNCLIFFE

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OTHER TRUE CRIME BOOKS FROM WHARNCLIFFE

Norfolk Mayhem and Murder

Executions & Hangings in Newcastle

The A-Z of London Murders

and Morpeth

Unsolved Murders in Victorian and

Norwich Murders

Edwardian London

Unsolved Norfolk Murders

Unsolved Yorkshire Murders

Yorkshires Murderous Women

A-Z Yorkshire Murder

Black Barnsley

Brighton Crime and Vice 1800-2000

Durham Executions

Essex Murders

Strangeways Hanged

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First Published in Great Britain in 2007 by

Wharncliffe Books

an imprint of

Pen and Sword Books Ltd

47 Church Street

Barnsley

South Yorkshire

S70 2AS

Copyright Kirsten Elliott 2007

ISBN: 978-184563-029-4

eISBN: 978-178303-774-2

The right of Kirsten Elliott to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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Introduction

V isitors come to Bath mainly for its history and architecture. With the Roman Baths, the Georgian terraces, and a lively restaurant and pub culture, it offers them a welcome. It is marketed in many ways Bath the Georgian City, the Floral City, even the City of Love. What the guidebooks do not say, however, is that it could equally be Bath the City of Crime or at least Bath the City of Mysteries. In this book, we look at some of these dark or puzzling events. Many deal with death by murder, manslaughter, or by the victims own hand. Some turn out to be less exciting than first thought. For fiction writers, the city has also proved irresistible as a scenario for dark deeds, and for aficionados of the detective story, we look at some of the best crime novels set here. To whet your appetite, heres the story of the crime that got away.

Among the list of famous perhaps that should be notorious murders, the story of the Brides in the Bath ranks highly. What is not widely known is that the murderer had, appropriately perhaps, a Bath connection. The final Bride in the Bath, Margaret Lofty, was literally that, having made the fatal error of marrying her killer, George Smith, in the city. Smith, who operated under a number of aliases, was using the name John Lloyd when he came to stay in Bath in December 1914. He told the landlady that he needed a room for a young lady the unfortunate Margaret Elizabeth Lofty, the daughter of a wealthy Bristol clergyman. She arrived on 15 December and they were married at Bath Registry Office, then situated at No. 3 North Parade. Had Smith decided to stay in the city, Bath might forever be connected with his activities, especially in view of the name which the popular press gave to the series of murders. Fortunately for the citys image, they caught a train to London and took lodgings in Holloway.

On 18 December, Margaret made a will in her husbands favour. By the evening she was dead, drowned in the bath. Although no suspicions were aroused at the time, the inquest was reported in the News of the World, together with a picture of John Lloyd. An alert Blackpool lodging-house keeper spotted that Lloyd looked a lot like George Smith, whose wife Alice had also drowned in the bath, at his lodging-house. He wrote to the police and the truth about Smith, also known as Henry Williams, came to light. Bessy Williams had been his first victim, followed by Alice, and then Margaret. All had drowned in their baths. He was also a serial bigamist, two previous wives having escaped his bagnatorial attentions. He was hanged at Maidstone Gaol in August 1915.

No. 3 North Parade in 1914 this was Bath Registry Office, and here the unfortunate Margaret Lofty married George Smith. The Author

During the investigations, another Bath connection came to light. At an earlier stage in his career, Smith had run a shop in Bath, during which time he had written several letters to the Bath Chronicle. They were on subjects such as the lack of probity in civic life, the decline of moral values among the young, hooliganism in the city, and the baleful effects of popular fiction. He would doubtless disapprove strongly of a book such as this, dealing as it does with morally dubious characters, mob violence, and an entire chapter on popular fiction. With a seal of disapproval like that, I hope you will feel impelled to read on.

Acknowledgements

A s ever with my books based on research, I would like to thank the staff of Bath Central Library for their patience and assistance, as well as the ever-helpful Colin Johnston and his staff at Bath Record Office.

Thanks also go to Derek Stimpson and the Gunmakers Company for assistance relating to the death of John Hanning Speke. I am indebted to them for information relating to shotguns and shooting practices of the mid-nineteenth century. Mr Stimpson provided the likely reconstruction of the cause of the shooting.