#32: The Wallace Case - Britain's Impossible Murder

On a cold January night in 1931, William Herbert Wallace returned to his Liverpool home to find his wife Julia brutally murdered in their parlor. The investigation seemed straightforward at first—a mysterious phone call had lured Wallace across town while the killer struck. But as police dug deeper, they uncovered a web of contradictions that would make this case one of the most controversial in British legal history.

Was Wallace a devoted husband caught in an elaborate trap, or a calculating killer who orchestrated the perfect alibi? The evidence pointed in both directions. Witnesses saw Julia alive when Wallace claimed to be miles away. Medical experts disagreed on the time of death. And the mysterious caller who set everything in motion vanished without a trace.

The trial captivated a nation and ended with a verdict that shocked everyone—including the judge. But the courtroom drama was only the beginning.

Fifty years later, a man in a hospital bed would finally break his silence about what he witnessed the night of the murder. His testimony revealed a truth that had been hiding in plain sight all along—if only someone had been willing to listen.


SUPPORT THE SHOW & LISTEN AD-FREE
Join our Patreon and unlock ad-free episodes directly in Apple Podcasts or Spotify after you connect your Patreon account.

Patreon: patreon.com/NightwatchFiles
Apple (after joining): bit.ly/4i7XcNW
Spotify (after joining): bit.ly/4oVVEsT

 www.nightwatchfiles.com

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Before we begin. Do you have a theory about this
case or a story of your own, leave a message
on our socials. Our handles are all just night watch
Files without the space, or head over to night watchfiles
dot com to find them all in one place. Your
insights might be featured in a future episode. I'm Harper
Finley and this is night Watch Files. Quick note. If

(00:26):
you enjoy the show and want to support it continuing,
we have a Patreon that goes for just three dollars
a month. You'll get ad free access to every episode,
and you can now listen to them on Spotify and
Apple Podcasts as a Patreon supporter. Whether you want to
help keep the show going or just prefer listening without ads,
you can find the links in the episode description. Now

(00:49):
let's get into today's case. Late on the night of
January twentieth, nineteen thirty one, in a quiet Liverpool suburb,
a man arrived home to find he couldn't open his
front door. It was locked from the inside. His neighbors,
leaving their house next door, watched as he hurried past
them toward the back entrance. He tried the back door,

(01:09):
it wouldn't budge. He returned to the front. Tried again,
still locked, The neighbors offered to help. Together, they went
back to the rear of the house. This time the
door opened easily. The man entered alone, moving through the
dark house room by room, kitchen, middle bedroom, bathroom, front bedroom.
Then he looked into the parlor. He struck a match.

(01:32):
In the flickering light, he saw his wife lying on
the floor, her skull shattered by eleven savage blows. He
rushed back outside and cried to his neighbors, come and
see she has been killed. The police arrived within the hour.
The scene was gruesome, blood spattered across the walls, the
body position near the fireplace, a Mackintosh raincoat lying beneath

(01:53):
her shoulder. But as officers searched the house, they noticed something.
The husband seemed calm, perhaps too calm. When questioned, he
offered an explanation. He'd been across town all evening, he said,
searching for an address that didn't exist. He'd been lured
there by a mysterious phone call, a call that had

(02:13):
come the night before while he was at his chess club.
A man had rung asking for him, specifically, leaving a message.
The caller gave a name and an address where he
supposedly wanted to discuss insurance business. But when the husband
arrived at the location, there was no such address. He'd
spent nearly an hour asking strangers for directions, trying to

(02:35):
find a place that simply wasn't there. The police began
to investigate. They traced the mysterious call, They examined the
crime scene, They interviewed neighbors and colleagues, and the more
they learned, the more suspicious they became. The investigation that
followed would become one of the most controversial murder cases
in British legal history, a case that would divide a nation,

(02:58):
destroy reputation, and remain unsolved for fifty years until a
dying man in a hospital bed finally broke his silence.

(03:38):
William Herbert Wallace was born on August twenty ninth, eighteen
seventy eight, at forty four Newton Street in Millam, a
town on the western outskirts of the Lake District north
of Barrow in Furnace. His parents, Benjamin and Marjorie Wallace,
were working class. Benjamin was a printer who struggled to
find success, supplementing his income as a part time prudential

(03:58):
agent while ursuing his passion for geology as an amateur.
William had two siblings, a brother Joseph Edwin two years younger,
and a sister, Jesse, several years his junior. The two
brothers shared a striking facial resemblance and were so devoted
to each other that locals referred to them as the
Wallace twins. From a young age, Wallace showed an intellectual

(04:21):
curiosity that set him apart. By the age of nine,
he had developed a keen interest in botany, natural history
and related subjects. He joined the public library, where he
formed a close friendship with the chief librarian, Ernest Beck.
In eighteen eighty eight, when Wallace was ten, the family
relocated to Blackpool. That same year, he contracted typhoid fever,

(04:45):
the only serious illness he would experience during his childhood.
The family stay in Blackpool was brief. By eighteen ninety
they had returned to the Furnace District, settling at twenty
seven Victoria Street in Dalton, near Barrow. Wallace's formal education
ended when he was fourteen. Around eighteen ninety two, he
took a position as a linen draper's assistant at Messr's

(05:06):
tenants of Cavendish Street in Barrow. His wages were modest
three shillings a week in his first year, with incremental
increases of two shillings per week over the next five years.
After approximately six years with the company, in eighteen ninety eight,
Wallace resigned from Messr's tenants. By this time he was
earning about thirteen shillings a week. He moved to Manchester,

(05:30):
where he secured a similar role with a wholesale firm,
this time with better pay. Meanwhile, his brother Joseph had
married a woman named Amy Blackwell and had taken a
position as a printer for the Chinese government in Shanghai.
Seeking his own opportunity abroad, Wallace applied for a salesman
position at the Calcutta branch of Whiteway, laid Law and Company.

(05:51):
In nineteen o two, at the age of twenty three,
he set sail for India. His time abroad would have
a lasting physical effect on him, giving him a sallow
complexion that he would carry for the rest of his life.
Wallace's years in India and China were marked by recurring
health problems. He had suffered from a kidney complaint since

(06:12):
his early twenties. In nineteen o five, while still in Calcutta,
he was admitted to the German Hospital for an operation
to treat pylitis, an inflammation of the kidney pelvis. The
condition persisted, and on April seventh, nineteen o seven, he
was admitted to Guy's Hospital in London, where surgeons removed
his left kidney. The recovery was lengthy. By October nineteen

(06:36):
o eight, Wallace had finally recuperated enough to return to
work at the Manchester wholesale firm. By this time, his
parents and sister, Jesse had relocated to Harrogate. In the
summer of nineteen o nine, Wallace met Julia Dennis in Harrogate.
Julia was thirty three years old, the daughter of a
veterinary surgeon. Their courtship would last two years. In December

(06:58):
nineteen thirteen, Whileallis's mother, Marjorie died, Wallace and Julia married
on March twenty fourth, nineteen fourteen, at Saint Mary's Parish
Church in Harrogate. After a brief honeymoon, Wallace moved his
few possessions from his family's residence at nine Belmont Road
to join Julia at eleven Saint Mary's Avenue. Within weeks,

(07:19):
Wallace's father Benjamin and his sister Jesse also moved into
the same house. Around the outbreak of World War One,
Wallace had been working as a Liberal agent, but he resigned,
stating the job ceased to be worth keeping up. In
the first week of March nineteen fifteen, William and Julia
relocated to Liverpool, where he took a position as an

(07:41):
agent for the Prudential Assurance Company. They moved into twenty
six Pennsylvania Road in Clubmore On March twenty second, nineteen fifteen,
just weeks after Wallace had started his new job in Liverpool,
his father, Benjamin died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the
age of seventy nine. He died in the Workhouse infirmary
at Naresborough, about a mile outside Harrogate. It's believed that

(08:04):
Wallace's sister Jesse, who worked there as a nurse, had
arranged for their father to be admitted to the infirmary.
After approximately four months in Liverpool, around July nineteen fifteen,
the Wallaces moved from Pennsylvania Road to twenty nine Wolverton
Street in Anfield. They rented the small red brick house
for fourteen shillings and threepence a week. Wallace became involved

(08:28):
in union activities, having joined the Prudential Staff Union almost
immediately upon joining the company. He served as chairman of
the Liverpool branch of the union. In nineteen nineteen, a
police strike in Liverpool resulted in the dismissal of nine
hundred fifty one officers, creating a severe shortage of experienced personnel.

(08:49):
During the nineteen twenties, Liverpool gained a reputation as the
country's main center of shin fane activity. In nineteen twenty three,
Wallace fell seriously ill with pneumonia and was nursed through
it by a woman named missus Wilson. Wallace kept meticulous
records of his daily life in a large page a
day diary. The nineteen twenty eight diary provides a window

(09:11):
into his marriage to Julia. On January seventh of that year,
he noted that he had fallen out with his wife
because she was buying too many newspapers. This was the
only recorded quarrel in diaries spanning several years, suggesting their
relationship was generally harmonious. On December fifth, nineteen twenty eight,
Wallace experienced an anxious evening when Julia was very late

(09:33):
returning home from Southport. A railway accident had delayed her journey.
Wallace grew increasingly worried and went to the police station
at one in the morning to check for news. Julia
eventually arrived home after taking a bus, having waited at
Southport station until after ten o'clock because the line was
blocked by a laundry van crash. In his diary, Wallace

(09:57):
recorded his relief that she was safe, noting he had
been getting apprehensive fearing that she might have been run
over by a motor car or something. The following year,
nineteen twenty nine, brought small moments that revealed the couple's
different temperaments. On March twentieth, they listened to a radio
broadcast of Ibsen's The Master Builder. Wallace considered the play

(10:20):
a fine thing, but Julia was unimpressed. In his diary,
Wallace speculated that she did not grasp the inner significance
and real meaning of the play. That same year, Amy Wallace,
the wife of William's brother Joseph, returned to England from Malaya.
At the time, Malaya was a British controlled territory made

(10:41):
up of the Straight Settlements, the Federated Malay States, and
the Unfederated Malay States. Most of this area is now
part of Peninsular Malaysia, the western portion of the modern nation.
Joseph was employed there as a printer for the Malayan government.
Amy left him behind, saying she could no longer endure
the way, the harsh smells, the local customs she viewed

(11:03):
with contempt or the oppressive heat. Her account reflects the
prejudices and attitudes common in her social circle and period,
rather than an objective picture of the place or its people.
Also in nineteen twenty nine, Wallace received violin lessons from
his prudential superintendent, Joseph Crue. The year nineteen thirty saw

(11:24):
significant developments in Wallace's health and in Liverpool's police force.
At the beginning of the year, Hubert Moore was promoted
to the rank of superintendent in the Liverpool City Police Force.
His promotion had been assisted by the police strike of
nineteen nineteen, which removed many of his competitors, and by
his work combating shin Fane activity, which were actions and

(11:47):
unrest related to the Irish nationalist movement in Liverpool during
the nineteen twenties. By the end of nineteen thirty, Moore
was placed in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department. On
the June ninth, ninenineteen thirty, Wallace was admitted to the
Royal Hospital in Liverpool complaining of pain in his right loin.
Doctors confirmed the absence of his left kidney, which had

(12:09):
been removed in nineteen o seven, and a blood test
indicated that his remaining right kidney was not functioning satisfactorily.
Treatment was limited to medicinal and palliative care as surgical
procedures were ruled out. On December fifth, nineteen thirty, exactly
two years after the previous incident, Wallace again recorded in
his diary and anxious evenings spent waiting for Julia, who

(12:32):
was late returning from Southport due to a railway accident.
He noted that he went to the police station at
one in the morning to check for news of her.
Yet again, despite Wallace's health concerns, those who knew the
couple during this period saw no obvious problems in their marriage.
James cared Wallace's chest playing friend and neighbor observed them

(12:55):
to be a very happy couple. The new year began quietly.
On Wednesday, January seventh, nineteen thirty one, Missus Sarah Draper,
the charwoman employed by the Wallaces, came to twenty nine
Wolverton Street to carry out her normal cleaning duties. It
would be her last visit for two weeks, as she
had lost her husband and would not return during that time.

(13:17):
That same day, Wallace made an entry in his diary,
a night of keen frost. He wrote, the heavy fog
gives a wonderful appearance to all plants and trees. He
noted that every twig and leaf was most beautifully bordered
and outlined with a white rim of frost. He recorded
persuading Julia to visit Stanley Park after dinner, where she
was equally charmed. He concluded that a gradual thaw seemed

(13:41):
to be settling. In the following Thursday, January fifteenth, Wallace
was attacked by influenza. On Friday, he did not do
any insurance collecting, instead working on his accounts at home.
By Saturday, January seventeenth, he still felt unwell and spent
the morning with his feet in a mustard bath, occasionally
sipping whiskey and water rather than doing his normal round

(14:04):
of collections from about ten in the morning until midday.
By Monday, January nineteenth, Wallace had only just recovered from
the influenza. Julia, however, was now suffering from a cold.
That evening, Wallace planned to attend the Chess Club to
play a tournament game. He was in arrears on, needing
to get it wiped off. Quick break ads keep the

(14:29):
show running, but if you want to skip them, the
ad free versions on Patreon for just three bucks a
month links in the show notes and we're back. Thanks
for sticking through that. Let's get back to it. Shortly
before seven o'clock that evening, a man named Baruk arrived

(14:50):
at the City Cafe, home of the Central Chess Club,
and settled down to a game with a man named Beatty.
At seven point fifteen, operator Luisa Alfred's received a call
from a public telephone box designated Anfield one sixteen twenty seven.
Around two minutes later, operator Lillian Kelly received a call
from the same box. The mail caller said he had

(15:12):
pressed button A but had not connected. The automatic device
showed he had pressed button B and received his money back.
At approximately seven twenty the call was referred to supervisor
Annie Robertson, who eventually succeeded in putting the caller through
to Bank thirty five eighty one, the number for the
City Cafe. At seven twenty or shortly thereafter, the telephone

(15:34):
rang at the cafe, Gladys Harley hurried across to answer it.
Beatty took the receiver. The call lasted at least four minutes,
ending around seven twenty four. The caller, who would later
be referred to as Qualtraw, asked for W. H. Wallace.
When told Wallace wasn't there yet, Qualtro requested that Wallace
call on him the following evening Tuesday at seven thirty

(15:57):
at twenty five men Love Gardens, East Most Hill. He
stated that he couldn't ring up later as he had
his girl's twenty first birthday on and wanted to do
something for her in the way of his business. Before
quarter to eight, Wallace arrived at the City Cafe, tournament
matches had to start by this time. He took off
his hat and mackintosh. At about seven fifty, Beatty delivered

(16:20):
the message to Wallace, who was playing a match with McCartney.
Wallace used a silver propelling pencil and a small prudential
giveaway diary to copy the details Beatty had written on
an envelope, he wrote East in capital letters on its
own line. The evening passed. At about twenty past ten, Wallace,
Cared and another man named Bethne left the city cafe

(16:43):
and boarded a West Derby Road tram. Wallace was chattering
happily about his success at the chess club. Wallace and
Cared got off at the stop by Saint Margaret's Church
in Anfield and walked home together. Late that night, Wallace
returned to twenty nine Wolverton Street, unlocking the door with
his key. Julia was waiting up for him in the kitchen.

(17:05):
She was distressed her black cat had disappeared, and she
worried if she would ever see her lucky black cat
alive again. Tuesday, January twentieth, nineteen thirty one began with rain.
It accompanied the dawn and drizzled steadily throughout the morning.

(17:28):
Wallace left home at half past ten to cover his
insurance round in the Clubmore district. He was behind with
his five hundred and sixty calls, having stayed home sick
the previous Saturday. He finished his collection calls shortly before
two o'clock and returned home for dinner with Julia, who
was well. After eating, he retired upstairs to his laboratory

(17:48):
and workshop. Around quarter past three, Wallace left the house again.
The weather had improved, so he wore his light fawn
colored coat instead of the macintosh and returned to Clubmore
to continue his rounds. His afternoon calls revealed a puzzling contradiction.
Missus Louisa Harrison remembered him being cheerful. They laughed and

(18:09):
joked together, but at roughly the same time, police Constable
James Rothwell saw Wallace cycling along Maiden Lane towards Anfield
Police station, dabbing his eyes with his sleeve. Rothwell would
later note that Wallace looked haggard and drawn and very distressed,
unusually distressed, suggesting he had been crying. Yet. Minutes later,

(18:31):
at Missus Jane Harbord's house on Worcester Drive, Wallace was
pleasant and jolly, again, joking with her and speaking about
the welcome change in the weather. At four o'clock, Amy Wallace,
William's sister in law, knocked at twenty nine Wolverden Street
to ask Julia if she felt well enough to go
to the Empire Theater on Friday to see Mother Goose.
She left about ten minutes later. Around half past four,

(18:54):
Neil Norbury, the Baker's Boy, saw Missus Wallace with a
scarf wrapped around her neck. She told him she had
a slight touch of bronchitis. Wallace continued his rounds through
the afternoon, Missus Blanche Richard's house, miss Anne Miller's at
quarter to six, then Missus Margaret Martin's between ten to
six and five to six, where he helped her complete

(19:16):
a policy surrender claim form. He arrived back at Wolverden
Street no earlier than five minutes past six, having boarded
a tram at Queen's Drive in Townsend Avenue, then walked
up from Cabbage Hall. Between then and quarter to seven,
he had tea with Julia, who was quite well. What
happened in the next hour would become the most contested

(19:37):
period of the entire case. At six twenty five, Alan Close,
the milk Boy claimed to have looked at the illuminated
dial of the Holy Trinity Church clock and noted the
time between six thirty and six thirty five. David Jones
delivered the Echo newspaper, thrusting it through the letter box
without noticing any lights or hearing any noise. Then a

(20:00):
to the defense's calculation based on closes route from the church.
Between six thirty seven and six thirty eight, Julia Wallace
was seen alive at the doorstep by both Close and
Alison Wildman. Close received an empty can from Missus Wallace,
who advised him to hurry home due to his cough,
mentioning she had one too. At quarter to seven, Wallace

(20:20):
left home by the back door, leaving Julia quite well.
Wallace's journey across town was precisely documented. He boarded a
Number four tram at six minutes past seven at the
junction of Smithdown Road and Lodge Lane, receiving a transfer
ticket to Penny Lane. At quarter past seven, he boarded
a Number five a tram at Penny Lane, asking to

(20:42):
be put off at Menlove Gardens East. He arrived near
Menlove Gardens West about seven twenty and began searching for
the address. For the next twenty five minutes, Wallace spoke
to several people, Sidney Green, Katie Mather, police Constable James Sargent,
all asking for directions the twenty five men Love Gardens East.

(21:03):
At quarter to eight, he consulted his watch while speaking
to Constable Sergeant. After seven forty five, he went to
Miss Lily Pinch's news agent's shop on Allerton Road and
consulted a street directory. He was told there was no
such place as men Love Gardens East. Wallace started his
journey home around eight o'clock. He arrived back at Wolverton

(21:23):
Street approximately forty minutes later. He tried the front door
and found it secure. He went to the back door,
which he also couldn't open easily. Nearly quarter to nine,
John and Florence Johnston, the neighbors from next door, were
leaving their house when Wallace hurried past them towards his
own yard door, which was standing open. Wallace asked the

(21:45):
Johnstons if they had heard anything unusual tonight. He explained
that the front door was locked against him and he
couldn't open the back kitchen door. Johnston told him to
try the back door again. This time the back kitchen
door open and quite easily. Wallace moved through the house,
checking each room kitchen, middle bedroom, bathroom, front bedroom, where

(22:08):
he found the bed upset. Then he looked into the parlor.
After striking a match and entering the room, he found
Julia lying dead on the floor. He rushed out and
cried to the Johnstons, come and see she has been killed. Inside,
Wallace pointed out signs of disturbance. A broken locker lay

(22:28):
on the floor in the kitchen, along with a till.
He noted that about four pounds had been taken from
his cash box. He also pointed out his bloody macintosh
lying beneath Julia's right shoulder. John Johnston left to call
the police and a doctor. Police Constable Williams arrived about
ten past nine. He examined the body and felt the
flesh was slightly warm. Julia's black cat returned home. Police

(22:53):
Sergeant Joe Breslin arrived about a quarter of an hour
before ten, followed at ten minutes to ten by Professor
John Edward whitte Lee McFall. Mackfall noted rigor mortis in
the neck and upper part of the left arm. He
concluded Julia had been dead for at least four hours,
placing the time of death before six o'clock. Detective Superintendent

(23:14):
Hubert Moore was traced to the Press Club in Lime
Street and informed of the murder. He arrived at twenty
nine Wolverton Street at five past ten. About half an
hour later, Constable Williams made rough notes of Wallace's initial statement.
At eleven o'clock, Professor mc fall discovered a blood clot
in the bathroom on the rim of the lavatory pan,

(23:35):
measuring three sixteenths of an inch in diameter and one
eighth of an inch in height. Doctor Hugh Pierce, the
police medical officer, arrived at ten minutes to midnight. He
concluded Julia Wallace had died six hours before at about
six o'clock, but at twelve ten in the morning he
noted that the rigor mortis was about the same. Then,

(23:56):
between twelve ten and one o'clock the rigor mortis rapped
spread to the extremities of three limbs, a development that
would later raise serious questions about mcfall's timeline. At one
o'clock in the morning of Wednesday, January twenty first, the
body was removed to the mortuary. Also at one o'clock,
Wallace made a recorded statement at Anfield police station. His

(24:19):
hands and clothing were examined. They showed no trace of blood.
After two in the morning, Detective Sergeant Harry Bailey drove
to police headquarters with collected items, including one pound notes,
one of which was found to be smeared with human blood.
The investigation continued through the day. Missus Sarah Draper called

(24:40):
at twenty nine Wolverton Street to carry out her cleaning duties,
but was turned away. At ten o'clock, Wallace arrived at
police headquarters to provide fuller details of his movements. At midday,
Amy Wallace formally identified the body, while Professor mc fall
conducted the post mortem examination. In the early after detectives

(25:01):
traced the qualtroll call to the public telephone box Anfield
sixteen twenty seven. At about five o'clock, McFall emerged from
his laboratory with the results of chemical tests on the
blood clot from the lavatory pan He stated it contained
typical human red cells and white corpuscles, but was not
menstrual blood. That evening, the Anfield Exchange supervisor called Moore back,

(25:24):
confirming that the qualtrall call had been traced to Anfield
sixteen twenty seven at seven twenty on Monday evening, and
that three operators remembered the call. Also that evening, Alan
Close was questioned by police. After voluntarily coming forward to
revise his statement, he now said he saw missus Wallace
alive at a quarter to seven. At ten o'clock that night,

(25:47):
Wallace was allowed to leave police headquarters. He was driven
to Amy Wallace's flat at eighty three Ullt Road, where
he would stay late into the night and into the
early morning. Moore and other detectives took states, finishing around
five o'clock. The search for a man with bloodstains on
his body or clothing continued all night across Liverpool. Quick

(26:29):
break ads keep the show running, but if you want
to skip them, the ad free versions on Patreon for
just three bucks a month. Links in the show notes
and we're back. Thanks for sticking through that. Let's get
back to it. On the late afternoon of Monday, February two,

(26:53):
the Liverpool City Police obtained a warrant for Wallace's arrest.
At seven o'clock that evening, superintendent's Hubert Moore and Thomas,
along with Inspector Gold, arrived at eighty three Ellet Road,
the flat belonging to Wallace's sister in law, Amy Wallace,
where Wallace had been staying since the night of the murder.
Inspector Gold arrested William Herbert Wallace on the charge of

(27:15):
wilful murder of his wife, formally cautioning him. Upon being arrested,
Wallace asserted his absolute innocence, stating what can I say
in answer to a charge of which I am absolutely innocent?
Moore's colleague, James Wilde of the Prudential discussed starting a
collection among branch members and contacting the Prudential Staff Union

(27:37):
headquarters regarding financial aid for Wallace's defense costs. The following day, Tuesday,
February third, at half past ten in the morning, Wallace
appeared before the Stipendiary Magistrate, Stuart Deacon, for his first
appearance in court. The committal proceedings formerly began on this day,
though they would be postponed and resumed later. J R. Bishop,

(27:59):
the prosecuting solicit made his opening speech, which would later
be noted to contain at least eighteen misstatements of fact.
Wallace was remanded in custody for the maximum period of
eight days. He was received at Walton Gale and admitted
to the hospital for special observation. Hector Monroe, newly returned
from his honeymoon, accepted the brief as Wallace's solicitor and

(28:22):
began gathering details of the case. On Thursday, February fifth,
the inquest on Julia Wallace, which had been opened on
January twenty second, was scheduled to resume, having been adjourned
until this date. The next day, Friday, February sixth, Hector
Munroe received an anonymous letter written on Liverpool Cotton Exchange

(28:42):
notepaper which falsely suggested that Julia Wallace had previously tried
to have her husband declared insane. Following Wallace's arrest, Monroe
focused on the crucial time factor and began gathering defense evidence.
He spent several evenings interviewing neighbors in and a arro
Wolverton Street. He tracked down the children Kenneth Cared, Elsie Wright,

(29:05):
and Douglas Metcalf, who had spoken to Alan Close the
Milk Boy the day after the murder. Monroe secured evidence
that Allan Close had stated he saw missus Wallace alive
at a quarter to seven on the night of the murder.
Elsie Wright testified that she saw Alan Close walking towards
Wolverton Street at about twenty to seven. Monroe also discovered

(29:26):
David Jones, the newspaper boy, who stated he delivered the
echo to twenty nine Wolverton Street at about six thirty five.
On Wednesday, February eighteenth, Hector Monroe interviewed Alison Wildman, a
newspaper boy, who provided a statement confirming that he saw
the milk boy at twenty nine Wolverdon Street at twenty
two or twenty three minutes to seven. The following day, Thursday,

(29:48):
February nineteenth, the committal proceedings officially began. They would last
for seven days. The hearing was held in Number two Court,
presided over by Lay Magistrate R. J. During the proceedings,
j R Bishop repeated misstatements from his initial speech. Sidney
Scholfield Allen, the barrister representing Wallace, obtained assistance from doctor

(30:11):
Robert Coope, regarding cross examination strategy concerning the time of
death and the unusual shape of the blood clot found
on the lavatory pan. Scholfield Allen compelled Inspector Gold to
produce Wallace's four personal diaries from nineteen twenty eight to
nineteen thirty one, which had not been previously submitted as evidence.

(30:31):
Gold noted the only quarrel recorded in the diaries was
a falling out with Julia on January seventh, nineteen twenty eight,
over buying too many newspapers. Gold then read a December
nineteen thirty diary entry detailing Wallace's immense anxiety when Julia
was late returning from Southport due to a railway accident.
Wallace was so affected by the reading that he was

(30:53):
overcome with emotion and wept freely. As the proceedings continued
through late February, doctor Robert Coope began a series of
one hundred and eighteen experiments involving drops of blood and
blood clots to test the prosecution's claims regarding the blood
found on the lavatory pan. Coupe concluded that the blood
found could not have been a fresh blood spot. Professor

(31:16):
James Henry Deebel also concluded that it was impossible to
estimate the time of death accurately based on Professor mcfall's observations.
Wallace stood up and formally pleaded not guilty, asserting that
he and his wife had lived happily for eighteen years
and that the suggestion he murdered her was monstrous. Wallace

(31:36):
was committed for trial at the Liverpool Spring assizes. The
committal proceedings against Wallace concluded just before March fourth. On
that day, Arthur Evans, the local secretary of the Prudential
Staff Union, wrote a long and eloquent letter of appeal
to the Union headquarters in London. Simultaneously, mister Wilde, the
Prudential Chief Clerk, wrote to the Prudential head office regarding

(31:59):
financial aid. The defense team, led by Solicitor Hector Munroe,
also wrote to the joint National Secretaries of the Union
outlining the necessary costs. Munroe advised that between eight hundred
and one thousand pounds would be required to ensure the
briefing of the best council and securing competent scientific evidence.

(32:19):
This sum included the potential fees for a leader council
Roland Oliver estimated at two hundred guineas an old unit
of British currency worth twenty one shillings or one point
zero five pounds on the brief and refresher fees of
fifty guineas per day. Beyond the first Wallace's brother Joseph
had already contributed a large sum, helping the initial defense

(32:43):
fund reach slightly less than four hundred fifty pounds. Within
a fortnight of the committal, the defense fund was boosted
to six hundred pounds. This increase included a grant from
the Prudential Assurance Company, which agreed to provide a sum
not exceeding one hundred fifty pounds towards the costs, citing
Wallace's long and faithful service. A pivotal event occurred when

(33:06):
the Joint National Secretaries of the Union developed an extraordinary
plan to decide the level of Union assistance. On Thursday,
March twenty sixth, the Union held a mock trial and
camera at Holborn Hall, the Union headquarters in Gray's Inn Road.
The purpose was to protect Wallace from prejudicial leaks and
prevent the prosecution from learning the full defense strategy. Union

(33:30):
officials from across the country attended and acted as the jury.
The proceedings began at half past ten and lasted all day.
Norman Alsop, who had helped Wallace join the Prudential, brought
the case before the Union jury. Hector Munroe presented the defense,
replying to the transcript of j R. Bishop's opening speech
from the committal proceedings. Following a discussion period lasting two

(33:53):
or three hours, the Union President J. C. Kinneberg called
for a vote. The count revealed a unanimous vers verdict
in Wallace's favor. The Executive Council immediately announced that they
would guarantee the whole cost of the defense. This decision
was noted as making trades union history, as unions did
not typically cover defense costs unrelated to union activities. The

(34:17):
day following the mock trial, the w H. Wallace Defense
Fund was set up and contributions from union members began
pouring in. A circular letter was sent to all members
setting out the broad facts of the case and the
Executive Council's decision. The announcement appeared on April Fool's Day.
Contributions from the seven thousand members began flooding into the

(34:39):
union Treasurer's office. Over four thousand members would eventually respond.
In March, Edward Hammered, the Recorder of Liverpool, was offered
and accepted the leading prosecution brief in the Wallace case.
The choice of Hammered caused considerable commotion in Liverpool. Hammered
viewed this brief as an olive branch from the Lift

(35:00):
Liverpool Corporation, signaling an end to a long feud. He
recognized that his handling of the case would be a
crucial test, potentially determining his future legal prosperity and security.
Before April thirteenth, Roland Oliver k C accepted the brief
to lead for the defense. On Monday, April thirteenth, the

(35:21):
Liverpool Spring of Sizes began. Around April twentieth, Wallace was
driven from Walton Gale to Saint George's Hall. He was
lodged in a cell to await the decision of the
grand jury. Before being moved, a warder gave him his
personal belongings watch, ring, cigarette case, fountain pen, which he
had to give up again upon returning to the jail

(35:42):
each evening. On Tuesday, April twenty first, the committal proceedings
against Wallace were fully concluded immediately preceding the trial. On
the morning of Wednesday, April twenty second, Wallace, pale faced
and dressed in black, appeared in the dock. The clerk
of a size and tone the formal words of the indictment,

(36:02):
Edward Hammered rose to make the opening speech so promptly
that it seemed to overlap the clerk's instruction to the jury.
Hammered's speech lasted two hours. He used an iron bar
similar to the missing parlor poker, and flourished it menacingly
before letting it fall with a resounding crash, creating an
electric effect on the jury. Hammered advanced a revised theory

(36:25):
suggesting that Wallace wore the macintosh over his nude body
while committing the crime to avoid bloodstains. He stressed the
absence of motive for murder as a point against Wallace,
suggesting the act was murder foul and unpardonable. After Hammered's speech,
the courtroom was silent for a second before filling with
excited conversation. Leslie Walsh, Junior Council for the Crown, conducted

(36:49):
the examination of the first witnesses. Harry Cook, the police photographer,
was questioned by Roland Oliver, who used Cook's testimony to
highlight contradictions in the police folkhotographs regarding the movement of
objects in the parlor. Seven witnesses testified about the Qualtro
telephone call, including the GPO engineer, the three operators, and

(37:10):
the City cafe staff, Gladys Harley and Samuel Beatty. Beattie's
description of Qualtro's voice as strong and gruff and confident
contrasted with the operator's description of it as just ordinary.
That afternoon, Police Constable James Rothwell testified that he saw
Wallace crying in the street at about half past three

(37:31):
on Tuesday afternoon, looking haggard and drawn. Alan Close, the
milk Boy testified. His examination in chief by Leslie Walsh
was over in two minutes, but Roland Oliver's cross examination
was intense. Close admitted that the time he gave six
point thirty was based on retracing his steps and timing
the route from the church clock. Oliver relentlessly questioned Close

(37:55):
about whether he had initially told other children that he
saw missus Wallace alive at a quarter time. Hammered tried
to repair the damage by suggesting Thomas Phillips, the tram conductor,
might have left later than his previous testimony. Witnesses confirmed
Wallace's movements and inquiries in the men Love Gardens area,
strengthening the prosecution's alibi theory. Joseph Crewe, Wallace's prudential superintendent, testified,

(38:21):
confirming Wallace's reputation as a gentleman, but was unintentionally helpful
to the defense by clarifying that Wallace's largest collections occurred
in the monthly week. Lilly Hall, the young typist, was
the final witness of the day, testifying that she saw
Wallace talking to another man in Richmond Park at eight
thirty five on the night of the murder. The long

(38:42):
first day concluded. Jurors were housed in a nearby hotel
and guarded, unable to talk to anyone or read a newspaper.
On Thursday, April twenty third, the court was brighter due
to improved weather. The Johnstons, John and Florence testified about
meeting Wallace in the entry and to discovering the body.
John Johnston said the police photographs of the parlor appeared inaccurate.

(39:06):
Police Constable Williams testified Hammered tried to suggest the front
door was not bolted, but Williams admitted he did not
hear a bolt being drawn. Williams maintained Wallace had said
Julia walked a little way down the entry with me
and bolted the back yard door, which Wallace later denied.
Missus Sarah Draper testified about the missing piece of iron

(39:28):
from the sitting room fireplace James Sargentson. The locksmith, testified
that the back door lock was stiff and required pressure
to open. Professor mc fall took the stand. He was
aggressive and insisted that death occurred four hours or more
before his arrival, placing it before six o'clock. Mac fall
introduced the theory that the crime was one of frenzy.

(39:51):
Oliver's cross examination was devastating, forcing the professor to admit
he made practically none of his notes regarding rigor mortis.
Mack fall was forced to admit that if Julia was
alive at half past six, his opinion was wrong. He
was also forced to admit the blood clot on the
lavatory pan might have been carried there by the police. Doctor.

(40:13):
Hugh Pierce, the police medical officer, testified and nervously placed
the time of death at six hours prior to his
arrival about six o'clock, with a two hour margin of error.
Detective Superintendent More testified, constructing a theory with hammered that
the absence of blood on Wallace's boots indicated guilt, as
he must have known where the blood stains were. In

(40:34):
the dark parlor. On Friday, April twenty fourth, Detective Sergeant
Harry Bailey testified. Inspector Gould was questioned about shadowing Wallace.
He repeatedly claimed he was unaware of the surveillance, although
he admitted Wallace was followed about the end of the
week for his own protection. William Roberts, the city analyst,

(40:56):
was recalled by Hemmered. Robert's claim to have conducted did
exhaustive experiments showing that fresh blood drops from a height
formed a conical blob like the one on the lavatory pan,
but Roberts had no notes of these experiments. The Crown
rested its case. The Clerk of a size read Wallace's
statement from the committal proceedings. Roland Oliver gave his closing speech,

(41:20):
lasting less than half an hour. He stressed the lack
of motive, the absence of evidence connecting Wallace to the call,
and the insufficient time for the crime. William Herbert Wallace
took the witness box at half past two. His examination
in chief lasted about an hour. He described his return
home and finding Julia's body, admitting he tried to be

(41:41):
calm and as cool as possible. Hammered's cross examination attempted
to confuse Wallace by switching topics rapidly. Wallace remained composed,
politely correcting Hammered's misstatements. Hammered spent significant time arguing that
a wrong address was essential for Wallace's alibi to create
multiple witnesses. Wallace was cross examined for almost three hours

(42:05):
That afternoon. Defense witnesses took the stand. Professor James Henry
Deebel testified that mac Fall's time of death estimate was
unreliable and that the murder might have been committed after
seven o'clock. Doctor Robert Coop testified that the blood clot
on the lavatory pan must have been at least an
hour old when deposited and could not have been a

(42:25):
fresh blood spot. Alison Wildman testified for the defense, confirming
he saw Alan close at twenty nine Wolverton Street at
about twenty three minutes to seven. Other defense witnesses included
the children who heard closes original time of six forty five,
and Wallace's insurance clients, who rebutted Police Constable Rothwell's claim

(42:46):
that Wallace looked distressed. Missus Martin was the final defense witness.
Mister Justice Wright adjourned the trial, stating the closing speeches
would be made the next morning. On Saturday, April twenty fifth,
at ten o'clock, Roland Oliver began his closing speech for
the defense. He argued that the medical evidence was unreliable

(43:07):
and that the boy's original time of six forty five,
which precluded Wallace, was his unaided recollection. Hammered gave his
closing speech, lasting seventy minutes. He stressed the singular coincidences
and inherent improbabilities of Wallace's story. He submitted that the
time of death was easily established and that Wallace had

(43:27):
ample time nearly twenty minutes to commit the crime. Wallace,
arms folded, listened intently to the proceedings. At twenty minutes
past one, mister Justice Wright finished his summing up, which
lasted one hour. The judge's summing up was entirely favorable
to Wallace, indicating that the prosecution had failed to prove
the case beyond reasonable doubt. At two forty one hour

(43:51):
and twenty minutes after the summing up concluded, the jury
returned to the court room. The foreman of the jury
pronounced the verdict guilty. Wallace asked if he had anything
to say, replied firmly, I am not guilty. I cannot
say anything else. Mister Justice Wright put on the black
cap and passed the sentence of death. Canon Dwelly, the

(44:13):
Sheriff's chaplain, quietly added amen. The execution was provisionally fixed
for Tuesday, May twelfth. On Sunday, April twenty sixth, the
arrangements for the appeal began. Oliver Monroe and Scholfield Allen
worked to formulate the grounds of appeal. Dozens of Merseysiders
wrote letters to local editors expressing shock and disbelief at

(44:35):
the verdict. Quick break ads keep the show running, but

(44:57):
if you want to skip them, the ad free versions
on Patreon for just three bucks a month, links in
the show notes and we're back. Thanks for sticking through that.
Let's get back to it. On May first, Hector Munroe,
Wallace's solicitor, received a reply from the Prudential Staff Union

(45:20):
Executive Council regarding funding for the appeal. The council expressed
that they were all staggered by the verdict and felt
bound to concur in exploring every possibility of saving mister
Wallace from such a cruel fate. That same day, Munroe
wrote a confidential letter to E. T. Palmer MP, stating
that he was grieved by the shocking verdict. Munroe expressed

(45:42):
his opinion that the jury had no material whatever upon
which they could convict, and that the judge's summing up
was extremely favorable to the defense, having practically told the
jury that there was no evidence upon which they could act.
He noted that the appeal judges were likely to take
the view that the jury were the judges of fact

(46:03):
under English law. On Saturday May second, a thirty two
year old man who had confessed to the murder two
days earlier, was medically examined, certified to be suffering from delusions,
and removed to Rainhill Mental Hospital. The provisional execution date
of Tuesday May twelfth, which had been fixed on April
twenty sixth, passed without it taking place, pending an appeal hearing.

(46:26):
On Friday May fifteenth, another thirty two year old man
presented himself at Prescott Street, Bridewell, wishing to give himself
up for the murder. Superintendent Moore, however, wrote to Monroe
the next day noting that inquiries had shown the man
to be peculiar in his manner for some time making
it obvious that he could not have committed the murder.

(46:48):
On Saturday May sixteenth, Superintendent Moore and the other c
i D officers involved in the case traveled to London
to consult with prosecuting counsel Edward Hammered over the week end.
Later the same day, Wallace was transferred from walt Gale
to London. He was handcuffed and dressed in his own clothes.

(47:08):
He was taken by taxicab to Lime Street station. Before
leaving the condemned cell, he shook hands with the two
death watch warders, who wished him luck, with one saying
I hope we don't meet again. During the train journey
to Euston, Wallace was very greatly impressed by the green
and wonderful beauty of the country, which served to cheer

(47:28):
me and take my mind off the grim horrors. At Euston,
he was driven in a black Maria to Pentonville Prison,
where he went through the routine of standing on a
canvas sheet, emptying his pockets and stripping off his clothes.
A warder thoroughly searched him, combing his hair, separating his toes,
looking under his arm pits, and shining a flashlight inside

(47:50):
his mouth. Wallace was ordered to dress in the blue
uniform of an appellant and was taken to the Pentonville
Condemned Cell. On Sunday, May seventeenth, all parties involved in
the appeal were either in London or on the way.
In Liverpool. Special prayers were offered at the morning, afternoon
and evening services at Liverpool Cathedral by the Vice Dean

(48:13):
Cannon Dwelly, who was the Sheriff's chaplain at the trial.
The prayer was for the judges of Appeal, Learned Councils
and the people of the County Palatine, asking that the
judges may be guided in true judgment. On Monday May eighteenth,
the Wallace appeal began at the Royal Courts of Justice
at eleven o'clock. The judges of appeal were Lord Hewart,

(48:34):
Lord Chief Justice, Mister Justice Branson and Mister Justice Hawk
Roland Oliver k C presented the points in Wallace's favor.
Wallace sat absolutely still with his hands cupped around his ears,
listening to the speeches. The hearing lasted the entire day.
On Tuesday May nineteenth, the appeal hearing continued into the
morning Wallace began to fidget with nervousness, and his gaze

(48:59):
wandered restlessly. After four fifteen in the afternoon, the cry
of silence was made and the judges returned to the court,
which was crowded to suffocation. Wallace was ushered in, looking
tired and worn. He waited fourteen minutes to hear the decision.
Lord Hewart delivered the judgment, noting that the case was
one of difficulty and doubt, and that the learned judge's

(49:22):
summing up had been fair. Hewert announced the Court of
Criminal Appeal's conclusion that the case against the appellant was
not proved with that certainty which is necessary in order
to justify a verdict of guilty. The conviction was quashed.
Wallace was immediately ushered out of the dock on the street.
The news caused an excited crowd to gather around a taxi.

(49:45):
Wallace later wrote that the two days before the appeal
were the longest days of my life and a nightmare.
On the same night, Hector Monroe and Sidney Scholfield Allen
traveled back to Liverpool on the same train as Superintendent
More and other c ID officers. Moore, who was drinking,
was distraught and incoherent, mumbling I still say he did it,

(50:08):
and making continual reference to Wallace's calm behavior on the
night of the murder as a sign of guilt. On
Wednesday May twentieth, Wallace spent his first full day of
freedom in London. He visited the Prudential head office and
the Union headquarters. He spent the afternoon at Kew Gardens.
On Thursday May twenty first, the inquest on Julia Wallace

(50:29):
was resumed and formally closed. The Registrar of the Court
of Criminal Appeal issued the notification. A police spokesman announced
that the investigations would remain open and the case would
not be closed until a conviction was secured. Wallace arrived
in Liverpool in the afternoon. He immediately went to the
Prudential building, where he spent an hour with Hector Munroe,

(50:52):
followed by a party given by his insurance colleagues. A
large crowd formed in Dale Street upon hearing he was back,
and police had to be sent to control the crowd.
As Wallace was driven away, Munroe told reporters that Wallace
had left for a quiet spot in Wales to find refuge.
On Saturday May twenty third, the first day of the

(51:13):
Whitsun Bank holiday weekend, Wallace and his brother Joseph traveled
north to the Furnace Peninsula. They asked Missus Eleanor Douglas,
the owner of a guest house in Broughton in Furnace,
if they could stay for a couple of weeks. Wallace
introduced himself, saying he was the one from the news,
and asked will you still have us? During May two

(51:34):
Labour MPs J. S. Clark and J. H. Hayes suggested
in the House of Commons that Wallace should be given
compensation for the suffering he has endured. The Home Secretary,
J R. Kleines stated he could make no statement. The
matter was raised again a few days later, and the
Home Secretary stated that Wallace's case did not differ in

(51:55):
principle from any other defendant who had been acquitted or
whose conviction was quashed. Sir William Jowett replied that since
all witnesses called at the trial had given evidence at
the Police court, it was unnecessary to consider the suggestion
that the trial was improperly handled. Wallace's journey from the
condemnation of the gallows back to freedom was swift but

(52:17):
as transparent as Glass. Despite his acquittal, he carried the
social stigma of guilt, which led to a hostile public
reaction upon his return to Liverpool. Wallace's stay at Missus

(52:38):
Eleanor Douglas's guesthouse in Broughton in Furnace continued into early June.
He and his brother Joseph had arrived on May twenty third,
planning to stay for about two weeks. During this retreat,
they spent time walking, fishing in the River Dudden, and
Wallace engaged in sketching. Amy Wallace his sister in law,
visited them there. While Wallace was away Liverpool, scandalmongers revived

(53:02):
old rumors suggesting he was a sex maniac, a vampire,
a sadist or a mad scientist, and warned men to
protect their women folks should he return. Because of the rumors,
Wallace's solicitor, Hector Munroe, wrote to him, suggesting he accept
the prudential's offer of a transfer to another part of
the country. Wallace replied, thanking Monroe, but refusing the suggestion.

(53:25):
He stated he intended to return to Liverpool and to
twenty nine Wolverton Street on June ninth, he argued that
moving would be taken by tattle tales as an indication
of guilt despite his acquittal by the Court of Appeal.
Monroe wrote back, insisting that Wallace must find another place
to live due to a strong and growing feeling of
hostility toward him in Anfield. On June ninth, Wallace returned

(53:49):
to twenty nine Wolverdon Street, Anfield as planned. Wallace immediately
attempted to resume his old job collecting insurance money in
the Clubmore district. He quickly in encamp intense pervasive hostility.
Children were dragged into houses when he walked by, doors
slammed shut, women opened upstairs windows and shouted curses at him.

(54:11):
The tough guys of the neighborhood stood in his path,
brandished their fists and threatened him. Many long standing clients
refused to answer the door when he knocked. On June fifteenth,
Wallace documented his failure to resume his agency in his diary.
I think I must definitely abandon the idea of returning
to a Liverpool agency, as the ill feeling against me

(54:33):
is evidently stronger than I expected. Wallace's prudential superintendent Joseph
Crewe arranged for Wallace's transfer from the field staff to
a clerical job at the Liverpool head office of the Prudential.
On June sixteenth, Wallace recorded his deep frustration with his
neighbors in his diary, Find all the neighbors up against me.

(54:54):
They are the rottenest crowd I ever struck, mean and
paltry brained will It is a wicked insult to Julia.
How she would have scorned the whole thing. The harassment continued.
Wallace continued to receive poison pen letters. His house became
the main target for knocking down ginger, banging on the
door and running away, carried out by both children and

(55:16):
grown up people. Adults would call through the letter box
with shouts and taunts of what's happened to Julia? Or
she's all chopped up? Chop Chop chop, and calling him
Killie Willie. Curiosity seekers came from all over Liverpool to
press their faces against the parlor window for a glimpse
of the murder scene, and even clambered over the back

(55:36):
wall to test the strength of the kitchen door or
cut a piece from it as a souvenir. On June
twenty third, Wallace decided the situation was unsustainable, telling Hector Munroe,
you were right, It's impossible to carry on like this.
With Monroe's assistance, Wallace found a new residence, the Summer House,
a small bungalow and meadowside road, Bromborough on the Cheshire

(55:58):
side of the Mersey. When the pantechnicon arrived at Wolverton
Street to remove the furniture, a crowd gathered, Treating the
event as a public spectacle. They cheered the van as
it left, viewing the departure as cheers of victory. Wallace
was transferred to a clerical job at the Liverpool head
office of the Prudential. He would commute across the Mersey

(56:20):
from his new residence in Bromborough to Dale Street, Liverpool,
where the Prudential building was located. Despite being acquitted, Wallace
experienced profound social isolation at his work place in Liverpool.
He noted that the men with whom I have won
and lost at play so often, with whom I have
exchanged views on topics of the day over coffee and cigarettes,

(56:43):
passed me with heads tilted away from me. Wallace regularly
lunched at the city cafe. He attempted to maintain a
philosophical outlook, noting, I suppose this feeling against me will
probably persist for some time, and I may never really
live it down. Well, after all, so long as I
know I am innocent, why should I worry. In the

(57:06):
months following his acquittal, Hector Monroe was actively briefing Sidney
Scholfield Allen in several actions against printers and publishers who
had prejudiced Wallace's reputation. A group of newspapers had already
agreed to pay two hundred pounds for publishing small indiscretions.
This money was used as the down payment on the
house in Meadowside Road, Bromborough. On August twenty fifth, Wallace

(57:30):
wrote an entry in his diary that highlighted his profound
social distress and depression. He recorded, to go about feeling
that one is shunned by nearly everyone is a terrible ordeal,
and though I try to fight it down and ignore it,
the whole business depresses me beyond words. He also expressed
a hope for the future, writing, perhaps after a while

(57:52):
I may get immersed in some new hobbies to take
my mind off the terrible tragedy. Wallace concluded this entry
by revealing his fear of being alone at night. What
I fear is the long nights. On September eighth, Wallace

(58:22):
wrote about his persistent grief. The last few days, I
have been depressed thinking of my dear Julia. I'm afraid
this will be a very lonely winter for me. I
seem to miss her more and more and cannot drive
the thought of her cruel end out of my mind.
Six days later, on September fourteenth, Wallace recorded a direct
confrontation with Richard Gordon Perry, a former prudential agent whom

(58:45):
Wallace suspected of being the murderer. Wallace wrote in his
diary that Perry stopped me and said he wanted to
talk to me for a few minutes, just as Wallace
was going to dinner. Wallace noted that this situation was
a desperately awkward position. Wallace ultimately decided not to hear
what he had to say. He informed Perry that he

(59:07):
would talk to him some day and give him something
to think about. Wallace explicitly documented his suspicion, stating, he
must realize that I suspect him of the terrible crime.
Wallace worried that he had let Perry see clearly what
I thought, which may have unfortunately put him on his guard.
He pondered hiring a private detective. I wonder if it

(59:30):
is any good putting a private detective onto his track
in the hope of something coming to light. I am
more than half persuaded to try it. Wallace never followed
through on this plan. In September nineteen thirty one, The
Herald of Salvation, an illustrated magazine of pure gospel literature,
published an article that compared the court of criminal appeal,

(59:50):
which acquitted Wallace, with Heaven's court of appeal. The article
stated that for Wallace, described as a condemned sinner, it
would be ESSENTI for him to acknowledge the guilt and
iniquity that were his to appeal to God's court. The
publication suggested that Wallace should, like other condemned sinners, make

(01:00:10):
open confession of his crime, arguing that this would provide
an object lesson for all men who love darkness rather
than light. Wallace, a confirmed agnostic, was intensely angered by
this libel, not primarily because it prejudiced his reputation, but
because he had been used as an advertisement for something
he did not believe in. This religious libel later resulted

(01:00:34):
in a successful out of court settlement for Wallace. On
October sixth Wallace wrote explicitly about his shattered nerves and
constant fear. He stated, I cannot disguise from myself that
I am dreadfully nervous about entering the house after dark.
He attributed this nervousness to the fact that his nerves
are also shattered after the ordeal. He noted that this,

(01:00:57):
combined with the recurring fits of grief and anguish over
my dear Julia's end, makes me horribly depressed and apprehensive.
He also revealed his continuing obsession with the crime, writing,
left to myself, I am forever trying to visualize what
really did happen. Just before Christmas nineteen thirty one, Wallace
began suffering from a recurrence of the kidney trouble that

(01:01:20):
had afflicted him for most of his adult life. His
condition rapidly worsened and the pain increased. As a direct
consequence of his failing health, Wallace was forced to give
up his clerical job at the Prudential. The intense physical
suffering and emotional exhaustion led Wallace to adopt a fatalistic
view of his life. He told his friend Annie Mason

(01:01:43):
that he had no wish to remain alive, suggesting he
was committing slow suicide by refusing treatment for his illness.

(01:02:12):
Quick break ads keep the show running, but if you
want to skip them, the ad free versions on Patreon
for just three bucks a month links in the show
notes and we're back. Thanks for sticking through that. Let's
get back to it. Even after moving away from Anfield,

(01:02:36):
he was still attempting to cope with severe social isolation
and harassment, as he was still receiving poison pen letters.
On February ninth, nineteen thirty two, Wallace could endure the
pain no longer. An ambulance was called. He wept as
he said goodbye to Annie Mason, telling her you have
been goodness itself to me. Miss Mason believed that he

(01:02:57):
was aware he was leaving his home for the last time.
The ambulance transported him to the nearby Clatterbridge Hospital. Upon arrival,
he was given drugs to ease the pain. After approximately
one week at the hospital, an emergency operation was performed,
but it was unsuccessful. Following the failed operation, Wallace was
in a severe state, spending much of the time either

(01:03:19):
delirious or unconscious. On March twentieth, nineteen thirty two, Wallace
wrote a deeply emotional entry detailing his ongoing grief and loneliness.
He recorded, today I have been very much depressed, full
of grief and tears. He agonized over the loss of
his wife Julia, asking why were you taken from me? Why?
Why should this have been so? He noted that this

(01:03:42):
question went unanswered and that he must fight this dread
feeling of utter loneliness as best I can. The W. H.
Wallace Defense Fund, managed by the Prudential Staff Union, was
still active in collecting money. The union Treasurer was acknowledging
contributions to the fund in the March nineteen thirty two
issue of the Union magazine. In May nineteen thirty two,

(01:04:05):
the magazine True Detective Mysteries published an article called the
Crime at twenty nine Wolverton Street. This article was considered
by some to contain the worst libel of all against Wallace.
Legal action would follow, though the writ against the printers
and publishers would not be issued until February nineteen thirty three.

(01:04:25):
Wallace's personal life during this period was defined by his
irreversible physical decline and social isolation. On the evening of
February twenty fifth, Wallace was conscious when his nephew, Edwin
Wallace visited him. They talked for approximately a quarter of
an hour, with the nephew doing most of the talking.
As the boy left, Wallace murmured, do good with your life.

(01:04:48):
These were his last words. Wallace lapsed into a coma
soon afterwards. On February twenty sixth, nineteen thirty three, Wallace
was pronounced dead at three o'clock in the morning. The
death certificate, signed by Elizabeth Lansdowne m RCS, listed the
causes of death as euramia, pylonephritis and left kidney removed

(01:05:10):
thirty years ago. Following the announcement of his death, Liverpool
became a city of speculation. Rumours spread that Wallace had
made a dying confession, either verbally to his nephew or
in writing in his diary. There was also a rumour
that he had made a deathbed will in the presence
of the master of the infirmary. Wallace's solicitor, Hector Monroe,

(01:05:32):
immediately took a statement from Edwin Wallace and issued it
to the press, stating that the rumours about a confession
or a death bed will were absolutely untrue. On February
twenty seventh, Wallace's body was taken to a private chapel
for a preliminary service. On February twenty eighth, crowds set
an attendance record at Anfield Cemetery, flocking around Julia's grave

(01:05:54):
in search of clues. That night, after the cemetery closed,
two grave diggers returned and, working by flares, dug away
most of the soil covering Julia's coffin. On March first,
nineteen thirty three, the full committal service and funeral for
William Herbert Wallace took place. The funeral cortege entered Anfield
Cemetery by the back gate in Cherry Lane. The grave

(01:06:17):
diggers had finished the job early that morning. The funeral
was attended by ten mourners, all mail, including Wallace's nephew
Edwin Wallace, his solicitor Hector Monroe, and some of his
old prudential colleagues. Four small wreaths were present, and after
the clergyman concluded the service, Wallace's coffin was lowered into

(01:06:38):
the grave. Wallace and Julia Wallace now share a common
grave in Anfield Cemetery, where the inscriptions note both their names.
The legal action against the printers and publishers of the
magazine True Detective Mysteries was terminated by Wallace's death. Approximately
two years after William Herbert Wallace's death, in February nineteen

(01:06:58):
thirty three, probate was granted on his property. In nineteen
thirty five, the total value of Wallace's estate was recorded
as one thousand, six hundred seventy two pounds, fourteen shillings
and sevenpence. His brother, Joseph Wallace was named the sole
legatee aside from a bequest of one hundred pounds made
to Annie Mason. The evidence against Richard Gordon Perry emerged gradually,

(01:07:26):
much of its surfacing only after Wallace's trial had concluded,
but when examined together, it forms a compelling picture of guilt.
Perry was a former prudential insurance agent who had worked
under Joseph Crewe until early nineteen thirty. During his employment,
he frequently visited the Wallace home and developed an intimate

(01:07:46):
knowledge of their domestic arrangements. He had been in the
parlor and kitchen many times, and had even been upstairs
in the middle bedroom on several occasions when Wallace was ill.
Julia Wallace knew him well and would have had no
hesitation in letting him inside the house. More importantly, Perry
knew where the money was kept. Wallace habitually kept his

(01:08:09):
collection money in a cash box on top of the
bookcase in the kitchen, and Perry had watched him put
money into it countless times when he called to receive
his own collections. Perry's employment with the Prudential had ended
under questionable circumstances. He had collected client payments but failed
to return the cash, a deficiency of about thirty pounds

(01:08:30):
that his parents had to cover. Wallace knew Perry was
either careless with money or dishonest, and had found persistent
discrepancies in his accounts. Perry had been given the choice
of resigning or being sacked. At the time of the murder,
Perry was more than usually hard up, heavily in debt
and pleading with friends for financial aid. As a frequenter

(01:08:54):
of the City Cafe for Amateur Dramatic society meetings and lunches,
Perry could have consulted the chess club noticeboard to learn
when Wallace was due to play a match. This knowledge
would have allowed him to time the Qualtro call perfectly,
ensuring Wallace received the message on a night he was
certain to be at the club. The Qualtro call itself

(01:09:14):
bears Perry's signature. Being an actor, Perry would have had
little difficulty assuming the role of R. M. Qualtro. A
former colleague stated that Perry, known for making prank calls,
could alter his voice like changing a shilling. The choice
of the unusual name was deliberate. The call was made
from a telephone box just four hundred yards from Wallace's home,

(01:09:38):
close enough to suggest local knowledge, but far enough to
avoid immediate suspicion. If the name was intended as a
password into the house, Perry would have insured Julia remembered it.
The caller's excuse for cutting the conversation short is particularly revealing.
Qualtro told the chess club captain he was busy preparing

(01:09:58):
for his girl's twenty first birthday party. In nineteen sixty six,
thirty five years after the murder, when Perry was interviewed
about the case, he offered a new alibi, claiming he
had spent the evening of the murder arranging a birthday celebration.
Perry's original alibi came from his fiancee, Lilly Lloyd. The
police accepted it without investigation, but in nineteen thirty three,

(01:10:20):
after Perry jilted her, Lloyd confessed to Hector Monroe that
the alibi was false. She had been working at a
cinema that night. The most damning evidence emerged fifty years
after the murder in nineteen eighty one, when John Parkes
came forward with his statement. Parkes had worked as a
cleaner at Atkinson's garage in nineteen thirty one. He stated

(01:10:43):
that late on the night of the murder or early
the next morning, Perry drove into the garage in an
agitated state. Perry insisted that Parks washed the car with
a high powered hose, both the body work and the inside.
This was unusual. When Parks questioned it, Perry became more insistent.
As Parks worked, he noticed a blood stained glove protruding

(01:11:05):
from the glove compartment. Parry saw him looking and snatched
the glove away, saying if the police found that it
would hang me. Parks also overheard Perry muttering that he
had hidden an iron bar down a drain in Priory Road.
This statement is significant because Missus Sarah Draper, the Wallace's charwoman,
had reported a large piece of iron missing from the

(01:11:26):
parlor fireplace, described as about a foot long and as
thick as a candle. The murder weapon was never found.
Parks later learned that Perry had borrowed a pair of
thigh boots and an oilskin coat from friends around the
time of the murder. This suggests Perry wore protective gear
to commit the crime without staining his clothing, which would

(01:11:47):
explain the absence of blood on Wallace's own clothes. Parks
claimed he reported the blood stained glove and the iron
bar story to Superintendent Moore in nineteen thirty one, immediately
after the incident. Moore's response was dismissive. I think you've
made a mistake. Parks's account of the car washing episode

(01:12:08):
was later corroborated by Missus Dolly Atkinson, who worked at
the garage. When researchers tracked down Perry in nineteen sixty six,
they found him working as a g PO telephone operator
in Camberwell. He was described as plausible, evasive, manipulative and clever,
with a false trowel laid on charm. He had large
hands in a military style mustache. Perry refused to discuss

(01:12:30):
the case, even for a significant sum of money, citing
a promise to his father, but he revealed that he
was still tracking everything that appeared in connection with the case.
He knew about the deaths of Joseph Crewe, Alan Close
and Wallace's nephew Edwin, the latter having died in north
Borneo in circumstances not widely reported in British newspapers. Perry's

(01:12:53):
criminal record painted a disturbing picture. Before the murder, he
had charges involving theft and embezzlement. In September nineteen thirty four,
he was sentenced to three months imprisonment with hard labor
for stealing a car. In nineteen thirty six, he was
charged with indecent assault. The prosecution alleged he had offered
to drive a girl home from a temperance bar in Prescott,

(01:13:16):
then drove her to Rainhill and threatened to murder her
before committing the assault. Professor Deeble, who examined the victim
later referred to Perry as a sexual pervert. Perry may
have believed his connections would protect him. His father was
a senior employee of the Liverpool Corporation who later became
assistant City Treasurer. His father's secretary was ammelde More, the

(01:13:40):
daughter of Detective Superintendent Hubert Moore, the head of the
Liverpool c i D who led the investigation into Julia
Wallace's murder. Perry told the nineteen sixty six interviewers he
knew top people in Liverpool. Richard Gordon Perry died of
a heart attack on April fourteenth, nineteen eighty, leaving a
will of eighteen thousand pounds. He had been doing part

(01:14:03):
time work as a switchboard operator in local hospitals. He
was never charged with Julia Wallace's murder. Quick break ads

(01:14:30):
keep the show running, but if you want to skip
them the ad free versions on Patreon for just three
bucks a month links in the show notes and we're back.
Thanks for sticking through that. Let's get back to it.
William Herbert Wallace didn't kill his wife. The Court of

(01:14:53):
Criminal Appeal understood this in nineteen thirty one when they
quashed his conviction, stating the case against him had not
been proved with the certainty necessary to justify a verdict
of guilty. No blood on his hands or clothing, no
credible motive, medical evidence that contradicted the prosecution's timeline. The
calm behavior that Superintendent Moore found so suspicious was simply

(01:15:14):
how Wallace processed trauma, the same man who wept openly
in court when his diary entries about Julia were read aloud.
Moore had already decided Wallace was guilty. He took that
conviction to his grave in nineteen fifty one, even after
the Court of Appeal had ruled otherwise. The police files
that might have contained evidence pointing to Perry were destroyed

(01:15:36):
in nineteen forty, handed over to a salvage collector by
an official who forgot that murder has no statute of limitations.
Wallace suspected Perry from the moment he was released in
September nineteen thirty one. After their confrontation on the street,
Wallace wrote in his diary, he must realize that I
suspect him of the terrible crime. But Wallace was a

(01:15:58):
broken man by then, shunned by neighbors and colleagues, his
nerves shattered. Julia and William Herbert Wallace share a common
grave in Anfield's cemetery. The grave is difficult to find,
surrounded by high grass and weeds with plainstone inscriptions. The
case has been called an impossible mystery, a chess problem

(01:16:20):
with no solution. But the solution was there all along,
the police just refused to see it. William Herbert Wallace
was innocent. He was convicted, sentenced to death, acquitted on appeal,
and then destroyed by the Court of public opinion, all
for a crime committed by a man. The police chose
not to investigated b