The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath Free

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Be the first to ask a question about The Magnificent Spilsbury and the case of the Brides in the Bath. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. They are spinsters and are desperate to marry. Each woman meets a smooth-talking stranger who promises her a better life. She falls under his spell, and becomes his wife. But marriage soon turns into a terrifying experience. The horror of the killing fields of the Western Front was the backdrop to a murder story whose elements were of a different sort. This was evil of an everyday, insidious kind, played out in lodging houses in seaside towns, in the confines of married life, and brought to a horrendous climax in that most intimate of settings The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath the bathroom. The nation turned to a young The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath pathologist, Bernard Spilsbury, to explain how it was that young women were suddenly expiring in their baths. This was the age of science. In fiction, Sherlock Holmes applied a scientific mind to solving crimes. In real-life, would Spilsbury be as infallible as the 'great detective'? Get A Copy. Uncorrected Proofpages. Published by John Murray first published March 1st More Details Original Title. Other Editions 6. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Magnificent Spilsbury and the case of the Brides in the Bathplease sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water Inyear-old spinster Bessie Mundy was desperate to find a husband. No easy task at a time when young men were heading to the colonies in droves, leaving a surplus of unmarried women behind. Poor Bessie wasn't particularly attractive but she did have the advantage of having an inheritance. A cynic might think this was what attracted handsome, charismatic Henry Williams to her. And when, after making her will in her new husband's Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water And when, after making The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath will in her new husband's favour, she subsequently died in her bathtub, a cynic might even think nefarious deeds were afoot. Unfortunately for the future wives of Williams, aka George Smith, the inquest jury weren't cynical enough, and found her death to be accidental. Meanwhile, also inBernard Spilsbury was beginning to make his name as a forensic pathologist in the Crippen case. Amidst the gloopy yuckiness that was all that remained of the corpse found in Crippen's basement was a small scrap of skin, with what looked like scar tissue on it. Spilsbury used this to positively identify the corpse as Crippen's missing wife Cora, and despite the best efforts of the defence, he was unshakeable in the witness box. Crippen hanged. Top defence barrister Edward Marshall Hall later claimed that, had he been defending Crippen, he'd have made a case in court that would have over-ridden Spilsbury's evidence and got Crippen off. Robins tells her tale well, widening out from the specifics to look at the society of the time. She discusses the place of women, still indoctrinated to see marriage as the only fulfilment even if they had enough money or skills to survive alone. With the relative shortage of men, which would only worsen when WW1 commenced, Robins shows how women would resort to advertising for husbands in the newspapers, often mentioning their financial worth as an incentive. If successful in finding a husband, she would then become The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath entirely subordinate to him, regardless of his behaviour. Divorce was still scandalous and hard to obtain — in fact, Robins uses Marshall Hall's suggestion of how he would have defended Crippen to show that often juries would be sympathetic to those who murdered intolerable spouses as the only way to be shot of them. Vulnerable women were easy prey for men like Smith, who preferred to inherit from his dearly departed wives rather than working for a living. The other main strand is the growing importance of the expert witness in criminal trials, especially pathologists. Robins shows that it was sometimes as much a matter of how well the evidence was presented that could sway juries, since they often didn't understand the technicalities of the science. Spilsbury was tall and good-looking with a commanding presence and an unshakeable confidence in his own expertise The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath a nightmare for defence lawyers to break. Again in the case of Smith, Robins cites Marshall Hall, who pointed out that, had Smith been rich, he'd have been able to hire expert witnesses of his own, but in the days before legal aid the field was left open to Spilsbury acting on behalf of the prosecution to give his evidence more or less unrefuted. Robins also shows that some of the evidence that Spilsbury gave as definite fact doesn't stand up to subsequent advances in science. The courtroom takes on aspects of theatre with Marshall Hall and Spilsbury vying to win over the audience by the quality of their performance, with truth becoming something of a victim of the process. So, much of interest in the book and Robins writes well, holding the reader's attention even through some of the necessarily detailed and occasionally gruesome forensic stuff. However, there are a couple of weaknesses too, which stopped me from enjoying The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath one as thoroughly as I did her later book, The Curious Habits of Doctor Adams: A 's Murder Mystery. The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath, a lot of the information that she gives us about Smith's murders must, I think, have come from the records of the trial, so that, when the book actually gets to the trial, it becomes very repetitive of much that has gone before. Secondly, and more importantly, Smith murdered three women in an identical way, shortly after marrying them. The sheer fact of a man losing three wives by drowning in bathtubs after they had made out wills in his favour was surely more than enough for reasonable doubt to disappear, without any need for forensic evidence. He had only got away with it for so long because no-one had connected the cases. Once connected, and with the judge ruling that evidence regarding all three deaths could be introduced into the trial regarding the murder of Bessie, it hardly required a brilliant prosecution to prove his guilt. The fact that the jury convicted after just 22 minutes of deliberation would seem to confirm that. Therefore, it seemed to me that Spilsbury's evidence as to the specific manner of death, however interesting and however well presented, was actually incidental to the case. I rather wished Robins had chosen a different case where the conviction was more dependent on the scientific evidence, or where some doubt existed as to guilt. Robins finishes with a brief run-through of Spilsbury's subsequent life and career, and left me wishing this part has been expanded. It's largely a matter of subjective opinion, but for me the book would have been improved by concentrating more on Spilsbury's work in general than on this one The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath case, which, however sensational, was from a detection point of view rather straightforward. However, I still found enough in the social aspects of the time and the conduct of trials and use of expert witnesses to make this both an enjoyable and informative read, and I look forward to seeing where Robins heads next. This was excellent. The story of George Joseph Smith's life and crimes is interesting enough by itself I wrote about him in a guest entry for the blog Executed Todaybut Robins also did a good job putting the story in its proper historical context. Women were supposed to be wives and mothers, and the general belief was that if a girl wasn't married or at least engaged by the time she was in her mid-twenties, there was something wrong with her. It was also very difficult for a single woman to s The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath was excellent. It was also very difficult for a single woman to support herself. Due to World War I, emigration to the colonies, and the fact that more females survived infancy than males, there was a shortage of men in Britain. Kind of like how it is in present-day China, except the other way around. All of this meant that women were desperate to marry, and "old maids" like Margaret Lofty, Bessie Mundy, and Alice Burnham could be talked into marrying a near-stranger within weeks, or even days, of meeting him. Anything was better than being single forever. The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath Alice, who was at 25 still relatively young, and who had a thriving career as a nurse, thought that. They were the only women he killed but they were not his only victims; Smith made a living out of talking desperate spinsters into marrying him, robbing them of whatever cash and valuables they possessed, and then walking out and vanishing from their lives. He bigamously "married" at least eight women. The book is not just about crime and women's studies, though: people who are interested in forensics will get a lot out of this book as well. Bernard Spilsbury was a celebrity forensic pathologist yes, really, that is not an oxymoron and his testimony was the crux of the prosecution's case. The book talks about other famous murder cases which he helped investigate. Yet he has become a controversial figure: looking back a century later, we can see that many of Spilsbury's methods were unscientific and he was often just plain wrong. This was not because the man was incompetent or lazy -- he was a very intelligent man and a dedicated scientist -- but simply because it was the nineteen-teens and his field was in its infancy. I am very glad I read this book, not only because it was a great read but because it turns out I made some errors in the above-mentioned Executed Today entry I wrote about George Joseph Smith, and with the book I will correct them. View all 8 comments. As England was heading into and then in the beginning years of World War I, within the short space of three years, three women, all of whom had married George Joseph Smith who used multiple aliases died while taking a bath. Each individual death had been legally attributed to natural causes after proper inquests, the doctors finding no evidence of foul play. But early inDetective Inspector Arthur Neil from the Kentish Town police station was going through his workload and came across an As England was heading into and then in the beginning years of World War I, within the short space of three years, three women, all of whom had married George Joseph Smith who used multiple aliases died while taking a bath. Bernard Spilsbury - Wikipedia

Post a Comment. In the summer ofthe The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath public experienced a temporary, if morbid, diversion from the horrors of World War I. George Smith, a middle-aged serial bigamist who was accused of drowning three wives for their money between andstood trial for murder. The Fleet Street dailies christened it the Brides in the Bath case. Smith targeted spinsters who were considered past marriageable age. Their gratitude at finding a husband in a world unfriendly to single women weakened their instincts and made them willingly give him control of their assets. After marrying Bessie MundyAlice Burnhamand Margaret Loftyhe rented lodgings with a bath and had each wife make out a will and purchase life insurance, in both instances naming him as the beneficiary. Once all papers were signed, he convinced them that they were ill enough to see a doctor. The Crown turned to eminent forensic scientist Bernard Spilsbury, whose talent for collecting and accurately assessing post-mortem evidence was unparalleled. His testimony withstood the barrages of the eminent Sir Edward Marshall Hall, who represented the defendant, and sent Smith to the gallows in August Spilsbury asserted that George Smith had murdered the three women by suddenly grabbing and lifting their legs, forcing their heads under water The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath preventing any outcry that other lodgers might hear. His medico-legal testimony at the trial likened him to the deductive literary hero Sherlock Holmes, and the awestruck jury found Smith guilty. Author Jane Robins points out that Smith was an undisputed bigamist, but was he actually a murderer? He had married several women between andsome of whom testified at the trial, and while he maltreated and robbed all of them, only three died. While the powerful similarity between the deaths of Bessie Mundy, Alice Burnham, and Margaret Lofty make his guilt probable, Robins debates whether he would have been executed if tried today. Posted by Rose Keefe at AM. No comments:. Newer Post Older Post Home. Subscribe to: Post Comments Atom. The Magnificent Spilsbury and the case of the Brides in the Bath by Jane Robins

Free Shipping in the UK on over 5 million books in stock. Consider changing the search query. List is empty. Account Log in Registration. Fiction Books. Non-Fiction Books. Children's Books. Rare Books. Out of Stock. A young woman marries. Before long, she drowns in her bath. No sign of a struggle. No suggestion of foul The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath. Edwardian England turns to Bernard Spilsbury to solve the mystery. Very Good. Add to Wishlist. They are spinsters and are desperate to marry. Each woman meets a smooth-talking stranger who promises her a better life. She falls under his spell, and becomes his wife. But marriage soon turns into a terrifying experience. The horror of the killing fields of the Western Front was the backdrop to a murder story whose elements were of a different sort. This The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath evil of an everyday, insidious kind, played out in lodging houses in seaside towns, in the confines of married life, and brought to a horrendous climax in that most intimate of settings -- the bathroom. The nation turned to a young forensic pathologist, Bernard Spilsbury, to explain how it was that young women were suddenly expiring in their baths. This was the age of science. In fiction, Sherlock Holmes applied a scientific mind to solving crimes. In real-life, would Spilsbury be as infallible as the 'great detective'? Our excellent value books literally don't cost the earth. Free delivery in the UK Read more here. Every used book bought is one saved from landfill. A high point in the annals of murder, for every necessary ingredient - callousness, ruthlessness, mystery, recklessness, boarding houses, detection, a chase, money, sex and even a bit of glamour - is present. Miss Robins has made a thumping good book out of it'. This is a pacy page-turner underpinned by meticulous primary source research. Frankly, it's a treat. The Magnificent Spilsbury teems with promise'. An author tackling a story like this has to fight hard to avoid tipping into prurience and ghoulishness. Robins wins the fight, and shines a light on a dark age for women'. Robins wins the fight, and shines a light on a dark age for women. Robins is excellent at setting this story in its historical context' -- Sunday Telegraph 'Like its hero, The Magnificent Spilsbury teems with promise It is a deceptively delicate task to examine trial transcripts, police depositions, letters and newspaper accounts and reforge them with such admirable immediacy Robins should prepare herself for a summer bestseller' -- The Daily Telegraph Outstanding. The book is about a pre-war conman who drowned his wives in the bath. It made my jaw drop -- Kate Kellaway, Observer Written with economy, elegance and wit, the book grips with the ghoulish fascination of a murder mystery while educating about the unhappy role of women in Edwardian society, the early importance of the expert witness and the evil underbelly of human nature -- Financial Times Jane Robins is a distinguished writer and journalist. Additional information Sku GOR Author Jane Robins. Condition Used - Very Good. Binding type Hardback. Year published Number of pages ISBN 10 ISBN 13 Cover The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. Note This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us.