Watson’s Apology

by Beryl Bainbridge

  Cross-examined. I have known Mr Watson for many years as head master of the Grammar School at Stockwell – he bore the character of being a gentleman of great learning and classical attainments, and of being a kind and humane man – I always understood that he was very punctual in the performance of his duties as head master of the school – I had never attended him, or had much personal intercourse with him; he has not had much illness, I believe – I had often met him in the street, and three or four months previously I met him at a luncheon, at King’s College distribution of prizes – he did not know me at first, he was very absent – he was a very reserved man, and very self-absorbed. When I was called in to see him in this unconscious state, I have no doubt that he had taken poison for the purpose of committing suicide. I asked him whether there was any insanity in his family; that was afterwards, at the police-station, in the evening – he said no, he could not say much, for his father and brother were the only two members – he said “My brother was quite sane, but I can’t say so much for my father.” At the time he called my attention to the oyster shell he knew that he was charged with murder, and that the police were in his house. At that time he seemed perfectly oblivious to the crime he had committed; he did not allude to it; he conducted himself as if nothing of the sort had occurred – he wanted to shave himself; he said, to the police officer, why could not he shave – the officer did not allow him to do it – the policemen were in the room at the time. I don’t know that I can recollect the exact language he used about the oyster shell, he simply drew my attention to it as a great curiosity, and I examined it – he did not tell me how he had got it; I rather avoided speaking to him at that time. I asked him afterwards, at the police-station, in the evening, if he had anything on his mind particularly, and if his means were bad or limited – he said he had sufficient, but that his means were getting exhausted – he said that losing the grammar school had affected him very much, that he had become very much depressed and despondent; that he had been promised another appointment, but it had fallen to the ground. Those remarks seemed perfectly genuine, as really exhibiting the state of his mind, owing to the loss of the school – his age is sixty-seven, I understand. Most of the wounds on the scalp of the deceased were severe wounds; they indicated very great violence. The other marks on her person were recent – they might be the result of blows; they were abrasions, or scratches, not the same character as those on the skull. In the course of my experience the disease of insanity has come under my study, with other diseases – insanity is as much a disease as any other known to me as a professional man – it is always treated as a disease, to be cured if possible, and if not to be cured, the patient to be prevented from doing harm if he is liable to do so – there is a well-defined form of insanity called melancholia – I should say it was recognised by every medical man – a sudden shock or calamity falling upon a man would most certainly have a tendency to produce despondency and depression, which might ultimately result in melancholia – a person suffering under that disease is liable to sudden outbursts and paroxysms of madness – in such a condition he has not the reasoning power which would enable him to distinguish right from wrong, or to understand the nature and quality of the act that he commits, at the time that he commits it; that is my judgment. It is consistent with my experience that after the fit of madness is over they may resume almost their normal state – it is similar to a case of epilepsy; a person may be perfectly well after an attack of epilepsy – I thought Mr Watson was suffering from epilepsy at the time I saw him – homicidal mania and suicidal mania are recognisable diseases, they very frequently go together; an insane desire to destroy either one’s self or somebody else. I have not the slightest doubt that this gentleman attempted to commit suicide by poisoning himself. I have seen the prisoner since; I saw him in Horsemonger Lane Gaol – he then complained to me of having suffered from despondency since he had lost his school and could not obtain employment elsewhere – I don’t recollect his saying that at his great age it was almost hopeless to expect that he could ever get any other appointment; he complained that he had been in a despondent state – he said “I wish I had consulted you before”.

  Inquest report by Dr Rugg on the body of Anne Watson

  Body well nourished. A large, contused and lacerated wound of irregular triangular shape was found upon the posterior superior angle of the right parietal bone. In the front and to the right of the wound there was a lacerated wound to inches in length extending to the bone. Immediately in front was a wound of similar shape, also extending to the bone. To the right of the last described was an irregular triangular, contused and lacerated wound, two inches in length and breadth, causing a fracture to the bone. In front of this wound were two other lacerated wounds, each one about one and a half inches in length. On the forehead, about two inches above the brow, was an irregular lacerated wound of two inches in length. The mouth was closed and drawn to the left side, the lips compressed, and the under lip contused on the right side. There was nothing remarkable about the appearance of the face, except a small contused wound under the chin, as if bruised through falling. On the right arm there were two small wounds on its fleshy part. There were also wounds on the elbow joint of the right arm and several contusions on the hand. There were bruises on the left arm over elbow and back of fleshy part, and on the back of the hand a severe contused wound of two inches in length, and smaller marks on the knuckles. On the back of the neck there was a wound two inches in length, but only superficial and similar to the one on the chin. There was a slight bruise on the left knee cap and abrasions on each shin. Upon removal of the brain an extensive extravasation of blood was found between its convolutions and at its base. There was an extensive fracture at the base of the skull, from the anterior inferior angle of the parietal bone to the extent of two inches, through the wing of the apheroid to the temporal bone. The heart was small and covered with fat, but the valves were healthy. The liver was less than usual size, and was hard in structure (cirrhotic). The stomach contained about half a pound of partially undigested food. The intestines were healthy but loaded with fat. The kidneys were small and flabby and much congested, especially the left one. There was chronic disease of the liver, which may have been caused by the deceased taking stimulants from time to time.

  George Davis (Police Inspector). On Wednesday, 11th October, I went into the room where Mrs Watson was lying dead – that was the first room I entered – Dr Pope went in with me, Dr Rugg came shortly afterwards. I saw the dead body in the corner – there were smears of blood about the room which appeared to have been caused by her clothing, which was saturated with it. On the landing between that room and the library, I saw a stain which appeared to be blood, that was outside the library door, about three or four inches from it – I had to remove the carpet. I found blood in different parts of the library, on the sides of the window, the window frame, the woodwork, also on the wire-blinds, several small spots, and also on the back part of a large armchair – I then went into the dressing-room – I there found a pair of trousers, which I produce, and a waistcoat was handed to me by Dr Pope in that room – there were stains on them which appeared to me to be blood – I am now speaking of the trousers – I showed them to Dr Pope – there were stains down the front of the waistcoat, which appeared to be blood – I showed those also to Dr Pope – I also found a pair of drawers in the dressing-room, they have marks of the same sort on the knees and inside the thigh. I also found there this sponge, it had a reddish stain on it and also some long white hairs – it appeared to have been washed out. I then went into the room in which the prisoner was in bed; he was at that time able to understand – that was about 3.40 – I told him that I should put him into custody for killing and slaying his wife on the previous Sunday – he made no reply then – he asked me where I should take him to – I said to the Brixton police-station – I then asked him for the shirt and coat that he was wearing on the previous Sunday – he said “What for, what do you want them for?�
�� – he afterwards said the coat was hanging up in the next room – I found it, and produce it – there were a great quantity of marks on it which appeared to be blood, down the front and the sleeves, they appeared to have been wiped with something. I remained with him while he dressed, and then conveyed him in a cab to the police-station. I was present in the dressing-room while he was combing out his hair there – he dressed in his bedroom partly, and he went into the dressing-room to comb his hair. I took him to the police-station, where I charged him with the wilful murder of his wife – I asked him his wife’s Christian name as I was unacquainted with it – he said Anne – the charge was entered in the usual way – he made no reply, with the exception, when the sergeant was speaking to him, when I told him the name Anne, he only put down Ann, and I called the sergeant’s attention to the fact, and said Anne, and the sergeant said “Annie”, and the prisoner said “Anne”. He wanted to know whether he could have anything brought him – I said yes, anything he required, if he put it down on paper, I would send for it. He gave me a list, I produce it – he wrote it himself (Read: “Mattress, two or three blankets, counterpane, pillow, clean cravat, clean collar, boot hooks, hairbrush, some slices of cold beef, b.k.f.” – When I came to b.k.f. I could not understand it, and he said it was bread, knife and fork – I told him he could have anything with the exception of the knife and fork, and he had nearly all these things supplied to him. When I said he could not have the knife he said “What is the good of the bread and meat; what am I going to eat it with”. I told him his servant could make some sandwiches, and he said that would do very well. Next day, the 12th, I was sent for to the house – I was shown a drawer in the dressing-room by Sergeant Giddings – I opened it, and saw in it five pistols, the one produced, and four others. I examined this one and saw what appeared to be a stain on the woodwork at the side of the trigger – that was one of the largest pistols – there were two others not quite sc large as this, and two smaller ones – it was a stain of a reddish colour, similar to blood – it has been scraped off for the purpose of the analysis – I noticed a stain of a similar colour on the butt end, a portion of it is remaining now – the woodwork of the handle was split in three places, lengthways, and across in two places – Giddings had seen it before me – the other pistols were rusty and dusty, and apparently had not been handled for some years I should think, and there was dirt in the drawer. I afterwards brought away the piece of Latin that has been produced – that was on the Sunday following – I saw it the day I first entered there, but did not remove it. I also found a pair of boots and some rope, the rope was in the library – it is new rope, nearly twelve yards, wrapped in brown paper, also a new hammer. There was no appearance of the hammer having been used, it was perfectly new, wrapped in brown paper, and the size marked on it, also an old hammer that had been in use for some time – there were no marks on that.

  George Hazell (Police Sergeant). On Wednesday, 11th October, I was called to the prisoner’s house by Dr Rugg – I went upstairs and saw the body of Mrs Watson in the room on the first floor – I afterwards went into the prisoner’s bedroom – it was about 12.45 when I got to the house – I saw the prisoner in bed, and told him he must consider himself in custody for the murder of his wife – he said “I suppose so, don’t be violent” – I told him no violence would be used – he then turned on the other side, and said “I am ill” – Dr Rugg was there at the time – I left Dr Rugg to attend to him – I afterwards made a search at the house. On the following Sunday, the 15th, I examined a chest of drawers in the dressing-room, and in the bottom drawer I found this shirt; both the wristbands appear to have been cut off – there were marks on the sleeves that appeared to be blood – there was a quantity of shirts and clean linen in the drawers – this shirt was under some other clean linen – the drawer was not locked – there was a lock to it.

  John Huey (Police Sergeant). On Wednesday, 11th October, I went with Hazell to 28, St Martin’s Road – I found Dr Rugg at the door; he beckoned me into the house, and I went in, and went upstairs into the room where the body of a woman was – Dr Rugg went in first, Hazell next, and I last – I did not observe how the body was covered – it was dressed, no cap or bonnet on – the hair was very much disarranged. After leaving the room I went into the library with Dr Rugg, and there saw the servant Pyne – I then went into the prisoner’s bedroom with Dr Rugg and Hazell – he was in bed – Hazell told him he might consider himself in custody for the murder of his wife – I understood the prisoner to say “Don’t be loud about it” – it was either “Don’t be violent”, or “Don’t be loud”, I could not be certain, but I understood him to say “Don’t be loud about it”. He asked me if I had any objection to his shaving before he went to the police-station – I said “Yes, I have a very strong one” – when Dr Rugg came in he told him that I had objected to his shaving and Dr Rugg said that was quite right. His dog was on the landing, barking, at the time, and he called him by name, “Snap”, and kept snapping his fingers for the dog to come into the room, but the dog did not come in.

  Thomas Giddings (Police Sergeant). On Thursday morning, 12th October, I was at the prisoner’s house – in consequence of what the servant said I went to a drawer in the prisoner’s dressing-room, and there found three pistols – I did not touch them – I sent for Inspector Davis, and showed them to him.

  Edmund Pope. I am surgeon to the W division of the police – on Wednesday, 11th October, I went to 28, St Martin’s Road, Stockwell – I found Inspector Davis there – I went up to the prisoner’s bedroom – I found him there in bed. Dr Rugg had been there before me – I asked the prisoner how he felt now – he said better than he hoped or expected to be – I sent for Dr Rugg, and then went into the room in which the dead body was – I found it in the crouching, huddled up position which has been described. I have this morning had pointed out to me a deal box, which is in Court – I think, with a little compression, the body could have been stowed away in that box – Dr Rugg and I went together into the room, and examined the glass that was there – I mean the glass that had been drunk from – I waited there until I formed an opinion that he was fit to be moved, and I then authorised Inspector Davis to remove him – Davis said he should apprehend him on a charge of murder, and after doing so I asked him if he would tell me where the coat was which he had worn on that day, as he wished to have it. Mr Watson objected at first to say where the coat was – he said he did not wish an exhibition made of it – he said “What do you want it for?” – I can’t say the exact words – that was the purport of what he said – I left the room almost immediately after that – I afterwards saw him at the station – I heard what passed about his wife’s name, and so on, which has been spoken of by the witness – the charge was read over to him – he made no reply. During the whole of that time I saw nothing which led me to come to the conclusion that he was a person of unsound mind – I saw him in the cell that same evening – I then had a conversation with him – I asked him if he required anything, if he had been attended to – he said he had had a cup of tea, that he wanted something to eat – on that occasion I did not notice anything at all about him which indicated that he was of unsound mind. I afterwards made a post mortem examination with Dr Rugg.