1 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:15,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to Unexplained Extra with Me Richard McClane Smith, where 2 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: for the weeks in between episodes, we look at stories 3 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: and ideas that, for one reason or other, didn't make 4 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: it into the previous show. In last week's episode, A 5 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 1: Room with No View, we followed the mysterious case of 6 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 1: Artemis Ogletree and his apparent assault in Room ten forty 7 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: six at the President Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri that 8 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:39,240 Speaker 1: led to his death. Ogletree's murder presents as a hugely 9 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: puzzling real world locked room mystery, whereby everything of note 10 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 1: appears to have taken place in one room in which 11 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:50,159 Speaker 1: nobody apart from Artemis was ever seen coming in or 12 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: out of. Part of the fun, of course, as stragic 13 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 1: as it was for the victim who's trying to decipher 14 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 1: just what exactly occurred, the case, I believe is all 15 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: the more tragic since Ogletree, who it appears was gay, 16 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: may well have escaped his deeply conservative hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, 17 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: in search of the freedom to love whoever he wanted, 18 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,680 Speaker 1: only to be murdered by someone who he'd become romantically 19 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 1: involved with. Since any investigation into who'd attacked him would 20 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: likely lead to him being outed. With all sexual acts 21 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 1: between persons of the same sex being illegal at the time, 22 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: there would have been immense pressure not to reveal anything 23 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 1: about what had taken place, all of which is mere speculation. 24 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: Of course. In the end we are left only with 25 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 1: the small smattering of clues and any number of possible theories. Unsurprisingly, 26 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,959 Speaker 1: such stories a great fodder for writers of crime fiction 27 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: forever on the hunt for more ingenious and unusual ideas 28 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: to bambooz all their readers with. And there is one 29 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: case in particular that has enthralled and mystified some of 30 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: the world's best from p D. James Raymond Chandler, which 31 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: took place only a few years before Ogletree's death in Liverpool, England, 32 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: back in nineteen thirty one. It was, as Chandler himself described, 33 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: the impossible murder because the main suspect couldn't possibly have 34 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: done it, but neither could anyone else. On the evening 35 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:30,639 Speaker 1: of Monday January nineteenth, nineteen thirty one, down at the 36 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:34,679 Speaker 1: Liverpool Chess Club on Eberley Street, as members began arriving 37 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: for their weekly seven thirty matchups, the club's telephone started 38 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: to ring. Taking it off the hook, the club's captain 39 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: asked who was calling. A man on the other end 40 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,520 Speaker 1: of the line identified himself as a mister R. M. 41 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,919 Speaker 1: Qualtro who wanted to speak to William Wallace, one of 42 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: the members of the Chess Club. Since Wallace was yet 43 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: to arrive, the man left a message instead the captain 44 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:02,920 Speaker 1: to inform Wallace that he wished to meet him at 45 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: his home at twenty five men Love Gardens East the 46 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: following night at seven thirty pm sharp to discuss an 47 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:15,239 Speaker 1: endowment policy for his daughter. Wallace arrived a few minutes 48 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: later and was duly handed the message by the captain. 49 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: Though it was a little unusual for a potential client 50 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: to try and reach him at the chess Club, since 51 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 1: Wallace was an insurance agent, the request at least made 52 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 1: some sense, however, as Wallace was quick to note to 53 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:35,840 Speaker 1: the club captain he'd never heard of anyone called Qualtroux before, 54 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: nor of any street named men Love Gardens East, although 55 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 1: he and some of his fellow members did know of 56 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: a men Love Avenue. At fifty two years old, Wallace 57 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: appeared to be every inch the typical, quietly dedicated suburban professional, 58 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: living out a fairly mundane existence with his wife Julia, who, 59 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 1: at seventeen years his senior, was sixty nine at the time. 60 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:06,119 Speaker 1: Wallace's past, however, was anything but mundane, having spent time 61 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: working in Calcutta, India and later Shanghai in China as 62 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: a draper for the British Armed Forces, before a kidney 63 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 1: problem forced him to return to England, where the errant 64 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: kidney was later removed. After a brief stint in local politics, Wallace, 65 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: having by then met Julia, eventually settled in Liverpool after 66 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: getting a job working for the Prudential Insurance Company. For 67 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: sixteen years, he and Julia had rented a property on 68 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: Wolverton Street, where they could often be found in the 69 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: evening dueting together as Julia played the piano and William 70 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 1: tried his best to accompany her on the violin. Otherwise, 71 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: Wallace occupied himself with amateur studies in chemistry and electronics, 72 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:55,360 Speaker 1: while also conducting the occasional lecture of the local Technical College. 73 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 1: All in all, by nineteen thirty one, his and Julia's 74 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:02,919 Speaker 1: was very much the quiet life, which only made what 75 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:12,040 Speaker 1: happened next all the more shocking. Is there something interfering 76 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 1: with your happiness or preventing you from achieving your goals. 77 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 1: Better help will assess your needs and match you with 78 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: your own licensed professional therapist. Sign up today and start 79 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: communicating in less than forty eight hours. 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You can also log into your 83 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: account any time to send a message to your counselor. 84 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:39,559 Speaker 1: Better Help is not a crisis line nor self help. 85 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: It is professional counseling done securely online, with a broad 86 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,000 Speaker 1: range of expertise available, and with better helps commitment to 87 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: facilitating great therapeutic matches, they make it especially easy and 88 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 1: free to change counselors to help you find the right fit. 89 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:58,159 Speaker 1: This podcast is sponsored by better Help and Unexplained. Listeners 90 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:01,360 Speaker 1: get ten percent off their first month at betterhelp dot com. 91 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:06,159 Speaker 1: Forward slash Unexplained that's better h e lp dot com. 92 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 1: Forward slash Unexplained joined the over one million people taking 93 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:12,360 Speaker 1: charge of their mental health with the help of an 94 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:16,279 Speaker 1: experienced professional. Better Help wantsh you to start living a 95 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:25,320 Speaker 1: happier life to day. The day After the peculiar phone call, 96 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 1: the couple were seen in their home at a round 97 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:30,839 Speaker 1: six forty five p m by a milk boy who'd 98 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 1: called round to collect his bill for that week. At 99 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: precisely seven oh six p m. William Wallace, having seemingly 100 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: set out to attend the seven thirty meeting with the 101 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 1: mysterious r M. Qualtro, was seen boarding a tram roughly 102 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 1: two miles away from his home, where he asked the 103 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:53,480 Speaker 1: conductor directions to men Love Gardens East. Having been told 104 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 1: to get off at Penny Lane to transfer to the 105 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: five A tram, Wallace spent the next ten minutes continuing 106 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:03,000 Speaker 1: asking the conductor to call out when they arrived there. 107 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: After boarding the next tram at seven fifteen pm, Wallace 108 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 1: then asked its conductor again for directions to Menlove Gardens East, 109 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 1: not knowing where it was. However, this conductor suggested he 110 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,880 Speaker 1: get off at Menlove Avenue, half a kilometer up the road. 111 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 1: At some time around seven thirty pm, the residence of 112 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:27,840 Speaker 1: twenty five men Love Gardens West heard a knock at 113 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 1: their door. Opening it, they found an exasperated Wallace wanting 114 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: to know of a mister r M. Qualtroux lived at 115 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 1: the property. As he explained, he'd been given the address 116 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: east but had only been able to find north, south 117 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:45,520 Speaker 1: and west and had begun to wander if he had 118 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 1: the address wrong. The occupants, however, had never heard of 119 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:54,400 Speaker 1: the man. A few minutes later, Wallace approached a nearby 120 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: police officer and proceeded to explain his predicament, asking again 121 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 1: for directions to men Love Gardens East, before pointedly asking 122 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:06,040 Speaker 1: whether it was eight pm yet, to which the police 123 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: officer confirmed it was not. Next, Wallace dashed over to 124 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 1: a local newsstand to search a local directory, where he 125 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 1: also asked the seller working there if they'd ever come 126 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:21,560 Speaker 1: across men Love Gardens East. When they said they hadn't either, 127 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: Wallace finally gave up the search and returned home. Wallace 128 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:31,320 Speaker 1: was next seen around eight forty five pm standing outside 129 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: the front door of his house, looking confused. When his 130 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:38,640 Speaker 1: neighbors Florence and Jack Johnston asked him what the matter was. 131 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 1: He explained that neither his front or back door key 132 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 1: seemed to be working, and that his wife, Julia, who'd 133 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:48,480 Speaker 1: made no plans to go out that evening, didn't appear 134 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 1: to be inside, Asking the Johnston's to escort him round 135 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: the back. Wallace attempted to access the house again, where 136 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 1: this time he was able to unlock the door. While 137 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 1: Florence and Jack waited for him, Wallace dashed inside, appearing 138 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:07,160 Speaker 1: moments later with a look of horror on his face. 139 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:13,079 Speaker 1: Come and see, he said, she's been killed. The Johnstone 140 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:16,200 Speaker 1: screamed in shock at the sight of Julia on the 141 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 1: floor by the gas fireplace, her head a bloody pulp 142 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:24,840 Speaker 1: having been smashed open. Underneath her was a half burned 143 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:29,720 Speaker 1: Macintosh coat, while all about the walls were splattered with blood. 144 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 1: They finished her, muttered Wallace, look at her brains. Police 145 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:46,120 Speaker 1: found little evidence of disturbance in the property. Although Wallace 146 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:49,880 Speaker 1: was convinced that some money had been stolen, nothing else 147 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 1: of any note, including the murder weapon, was found. The 148 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:57,559 Speaker 1: medical professional called to the scene determined that Julia had 149 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:01,040 Speaker 1: died at some time between six and seven pm, although 150 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: no formal tests were carried out to confirm this. With 151 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:08,400 Speaker 1: little else to go on. As the only credible suspect, 152 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:12,560 Speaker 1: William Wallace was promptly arrested and two weeks later put 153 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:16,840 Speaker 1: on trial for his wife's murder. Over four days, the 154 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 1: prosecution and defense argued the merits of the case. With 155 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 1: the phone call from the mysterious R. M. Qualtro, who 156 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:27,600 Speaker 1: was never identified, found to have been placed only four 157 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:31,720 Speaker 1: hundred meters from the Wallace home. The prosecution argued that 158 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 1: Wallace made the call himself, then carried out his very 159 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 1: public search for the meeting location the following night in 160 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 1: order to construct an alibi. And yet if Julia was 161 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 1: last seen alive at six forty five pm but died 162 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 1: around seven pm at the latest, it simply wasn't possible 163 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: for William only moments later to have been seen on 164 00:10:53,679 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 1: the tram looking clean and presentable two miles away. As 165 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:01,840 Speaker 1: for the murder weapon, the couples cleaner testified that a 166 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:05,199 Speaker 1: small iron bar and a fire poker appeared to have 167 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 1: been removed from the property. With the media and the 168 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:12,080 Speaker 1: public having had a field day with the crime, conjuring 169 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:14,680 Speaker 1: up all sorts of wild theories as to how and 170 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:18,280 Speaker 1: why he'd done it, it appears the jury's opinion was 171 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 1: already made up. After only an hour deliberating the case, 172 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:26,680 Speaker 1: they returned with a verdict of guilty. Wallace was sentenced 173 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 1: to death by hanging. However, Wallace quickly appealed the decision, and, 174 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:36,120 Speaker 1: having been disturbed by a conviction determined on only the 175 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:40,440 Speaker 1: flimsiest of evidence, the Court of Criminal Appeals moved to 176 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 1: overturn the decision. His freedom was short lived, however, when 177 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,240 Speaker 1: he finally succumbed to the kidney issues that had plagued 178 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 1: him for much of his life, dying in February nineteen 179 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:56,319 Speaker 1: thirty three after a miserable two years being relentlessly harassed 180 00:11:56,440 --> 00:12:00,960 Speaker 1: for having seemingly got away with murder. Many years later, 181 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:05,120 Speaker 1: during a renovation of the old Wallace home, the iron bar, 182 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:08,280 Speaker 1: thought to have been a possible murder weapon, was found 183 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:11,720 Speaker 1: at the back of the fireplace. It was later analyzed 184 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:19,880 Speaker 1: but found to have no bloodstains on it. If you 185 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:22,719 Speaker 1: enjoy Unexplained and would like to help supporters, you can 186 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:26,000 Speaker 1: now do so via Patreon. To receive access to add 187 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:29,600 Speaker 1: free episodes, just go to patron dot com, Forward Slash 188 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: Unexplained Pod to sign up, or if you'd like to 189 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:35,600 Speaker 1: make a one time donation, you can go to Unexplained 190 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:40,120 Speaker 1: podcast dot com Forward Slash Support. All donations, no matter 191 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:43,800 Speaker 1: how large or small, are greatly appreciated. Unexplained the book 192 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:47,360 Speaker 1: and audiobook, featuring ten stories that have never before been 193 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:50,840 Speaker 1: covered on the show, is now available to buy worldwide. 194 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:54,559 Speaker 1: You can purchase through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Waterstones, 195 00:12:54,679 --> 00:12:59,679 Speaker 1: among other bookstores. All elements have Unexplained, including the show's music, 196 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,600 Speaker 1: produced by me Richard McClain smith. Please subscribe and rate 197 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:06,560 Speaker 1: the show wherever you listen to podcasts, and feel free 198 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 1: to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding 199 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:11,840 Speaker 1: the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you have 200 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:14,360 Speaker 1: an explanation of your own you'd like to share. 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