George Joseph Smith, Serial Killer
Bigamist and Mass murderer
George Joseph Smith was born in Bethnal Green, East London on Jan. 11, 1872. His life of crime started at an early age when, at the age of nine, he was sent to a reformatory school in Gravesend, Kent.
George Smith's First and Only Legal Marriage
Using the assumed name of Oliver George Love, Smith married Caroline Beatrice Thornhill, an 18-year- old woman from Leicester. Together the couple moved to London where Caroline found employment as a maid in a series of households. Encouraged by her husband, Caroline stole from her employers and she was arrested trying to pawn some stolen silver in Worthing, Sussex.
On release from prison, having served a one-year sentence, Caroline incriminated her husband as masterminding her stealing spree and he was duly arrested and sentenced to twp years. Having served his sentence, Love discovered that Caroline had fled abroad. Undeterred, Love returned to his 'second' wife, whom he had bigamously married in 1899. Oliver Love, as Smith was still known, took this opportunity to steal his wife's life savings before leaving.
A Life of Bigamy Begins
By now Smith was a habitual bigamist. In June 1908 he met a widow by the name of Florence Wilson. By July 3 not only had he married the unfortunate woman but he had left her virtually destitute having stolen her savings and sold her possessions.
Certainly Smith could be deemed what is known as a' fast worker' as by July 30 he had married Edith Peglar who had replied to an advertisement Smith had placed for a housekeeper.
Between 1908 and 1914, George, Joseph Smith had entered intoseven bigamous marriages. These included Sarah Freeman who he married in October 1909 using the alias George Rose Smith. He then married Bessie Munday and Alice Burham and in September 1914 he met and married Alice Reid using the name Charles Oliver James.
Suspicions of a Crime
Police suspicions were aroused when in January 1915 Detective Inspector Arthur Neil received a letter from a gentleman by the name of Joseph Crossly which contained two clippings from the News of the World newspaper which carried alarming similarities.
The first was the story of how Margaret Lloyd was found by her husband, drowned in the bath. The second was a report on a coroner's inquest of the death of Alice Smith, also found by her husband, George, drowned in the bath.
Neil's investigations revealed that both women had taken out life insurance polices shortly prior to their deaths, both of which paid out in favour of their husbands. Suspicions aroused, Neil set up surveillance at the lawyers office used by Lloyd, assuming he would get in touch regarding the settlement of the will of Margaret Lloyd. On February 1, a man fitting the description of Lloyd and Smith was seen. Detective Neil approached the man and asked if he was John Lloyd and on confirmation of this asked if he was also known as George Smith, which the man denied. Eventually the suspect confirmed that he was known by both names and was arrested.
Brides in the Bath
Stories of the Brides in the Bath began to appear in the press and this brought a report to Arthur Neil from the Chief Police Officer of Herne Bay who recalled a similar newspaper story about the death of Bessie Munday, discovered by her husband, Henry Williams drowned in the bath.
George Joseph Smith was charged with the murders of Bessie Williams, nee Munday, Alice Smith and Margaret Lloyd on March 23, 1915.
The Trail and Sentence of George Joseph Smith
The trial opened at the Old Bailey on June 22, 1915 before Mr Justice Scrutton. Prosecuting council was Cecil Whitely QC and appearing for the defence was Sir Edward Marshall-Hall. Smith was tried for the murder of Bessie Williams, but Justice Scrutton allowed evidence of the other two murders to be heard to establish a pattern to Smith's crimes.
The jury took just 20 minutes to reach their guilty verdict and George Joseph Smith was hung on Aug. 13, 1915 at Maidstone prison, Kent.
This was the first case in the history of British Law to use similarities between crimes to establish pattern and intent.
Sources.
Met.PoliceCrime archive on line
Historybythe yard.co.uk
Hangman's Noose
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