SCOTLAND'S LAST PUBLIC HANGING

The last public hanging in Scotland took place in Glasgow on the 28th of July 1865. Before this date, Scottish criminals paid their final debt to society in crude fashion, and often departed from life with the angry sounds of a vengeful public ringing in their ears. Ironically, the last person to suffer this fate in Scotland was an Englishman.

Edward William Pritchard was born in December 1825 at Southsea, Hampshire. His family had a long association with the Royal Navy, in which his father served as a captain. In 1840, possessed of a standard education, he was apprenticed to a firm of surgeons in Portsmouth, where it is said he showed great promise. However, opinion is divided on the details of his later medical training. One version alleges that in 1843 he entered hospital studies at King's College, London ~ a claim later denied by the authorities of that institution.

In 1846 he followed the inclinations of his family and applied for naval service. With two of his uncles being admirals, and his brother a naval surgeon, it should come as no surprise that he passed muster, and in November of that year he was appointed assistant surgeon on HMS Victory.

Pritchard's naval service took him on several world-wide voyages, the effects of which may have had profound influence on his later unsettled life ~ a life destined to end in tragedy. It was whilst on shore leave from HMS Hecate in Portsmouth that he met the lady who was to share his destiny.

Mary Jane Taylor, the daughter of an Edinburgh silk merchant, was on a visit to her uncle, a retired naval surgeon. Pritchard was at this time quite a dashing figure of athletic build, tall (5ft. 11ins.) with clearly defined features, and sporting the traditional navy 'set' (beard). They met at a social function, and after a short courtship they were married in the autumn of 1850.

Pritchard remained in the navy until March the following year, by which time his wife's parents had bought for him a medical practice in Hunmanby, Yorkshire. The real brain behind this venture was his mother-in-law, Jane Taylor, an able lady of determined character. Sadly, though, such benevolence was destined to win her a cruel and tragic reward.

His return to civilian life showed great promise, and the couple set up their first real home together. He quickly settled into the practice and soon made his presence felt in community affairs. But it was here that that his unusual personality began to emerge and, moreover, to be noticed by his associates.

By all appearances he was the typical, clever young intellectual, possessed of great energy and charm. Yet those who paid closer attention to his action became suspicious of his motives. He pandered to those of greater influence, and continually sought publicity. It is said that he bluffed his way into the Freemasons, and then used their influence to advertise himself.

During this period he published several books concerning the surrounding district, all of which seemed to highlight an imagination stretched beyond reality. In 1857 he purchased a diploma of Doctor of Medicine from the University of Erlangen, Germany. Then, suddenly, in 1859, having sold his practice, he left England to serve as medical adviser to a wealthy old gentleman who was travelling to Egypt and the Holy Land. Mary Pritchard and their five young children returned to her parents in Edinburgh.

Pritchard returned to Britain in 1860, and it was decided that he should again set up practice ~ this time in Glasgow. Again, it appears that his mother-in-law provided financial assistance. The family then set up home at 11 Berkeley Terrace. From the time of his arrival in that city, many of his associates were suspicious of his qualifications. He made several attempts to gain entry to the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons at the then Andersonian University, offering his 'wide experience' in foreign parts, together with questionable references from 'eminent' medical men in England. Again, this proved unsuccessful.

Undaunted, and in spite of many setbacks, it seems his new medical practice actually prospered. He then resorted to lecturing on a wide range of subjects, mainly with a view to gaining public attention. He also had a number of photographs taken of himself, which he coaxed local shopkeepers to sell at cost price.

The lectures were largely centred on his seafaring days, but his somewhat flamboyant style of delivery was frequently overshadowed by gross inaccuracies in the subject matter. He was once heard to utter: 'I have plucked the eaglets from their eyries in the deserts of Arabia, and hunted the Nubian lion in the prairies of North America!' One contemporary writer noted: 'Dr. Pritchard only tells the truth by accident!'

Shortly after midnight on the 5th of May 1863, fire broke out in an attic of Pritchard's home in Berkeley Terrace. A patrolling constable spotted the flames, and quickly made to rouse the occupants inside. When he knocked on the door, Pritchard, who was fully dressed, immediately opened it. Together they rushed to the attic room where a servant girl, Elizabeth McGirn, was known to sleep. Beaten back by smoke and flames, the officer ran to alert the fire brigade, which arrived soon after and managed to save most of the building.

The charred body of the housemaid was later found lying on the bed. The resulting investigation put the cause down to drapes coming in contact with a gaslight situated on the wall above the bed. It was well known that the maid was an avid reader and often fell asleep, book in hand, with the gaslight burning. The house was fully insured, and accidental cause was accepted.

At first sight, the foregoing explanation sounds feasible. However, given the circumstances which were later to develop, together with the facts that the girl's body was found to be in a relaxed posture ~ suggesting no evidence of a struggle to survive ~ and that no traces of a hard-back book were found on or about her body, then there is room for suspicion. Added to this, Mrs. Pritchard was at the time away visiting relatives, accompanied by the other female servant who usually shared the attic room with Elizabeth McGirn. The question arises, was the fire victim already dead or doped when the fire started?

Pritchard had a reputation for paying more than professional attention to some of his female patients. In one such instance he narrowly escaped legal scrutiny only by the untimely natural death of an irate husband of a patient.

After the fire incident, Pritchard removed his family to 22 Royal Crescent, where he remained for one year. During this time he engaged a sixteen-year-old servant, Mary McLeod, as housemaid and children's nurse. It would appear the lass had no sooner unpacked her humble possessions before Pritchard was making amorous advances towards her. He bought her a few items of inexpensive jewellery, and when Mrs. Pritchard and the children were sent on summer holiday to a Clyde resort, he finally seduced Mary.

On Whitsunday 1864, the family again moved, this time to 131 Clarence Place (now a division of Sauchiehall Street), Glasgow. It was here that the final chapters of his unusual story began to unfold. The accommodation was spacious, with two upper floors and a basement.

During mid-November 1864, Mrs. Pritchard began to suffer bouts of sickness and vomiting. By the end of the month she was in a weak state, spending much of her time in bed. Throughout this time Pritchard acted out the devoted husband and father role. And on the 26th he even encouraged his wife to pay a visit to her parents in Edinburgh. Surprisingly, her health improved after a few days away from Glasgow.

She returned to Clarence Place a few days before Christmas, and between this time and throughout January 1865, she suffered frequent bouts of sickness and stomach pains. The attacks were always most severe shortly after meals. Then, in early February, she worsened and began to ask for a second opinion to the treatment that she was receiving from her husband.

Surprisingly, Pritchard sent for Dr. James Cowan, a retired Edinburgh physician, who was also a second cousin to Mrs. Pritchard. He arrived on the 7th and remained overnight, during which time he apparently did not consider his cousin's plight as a cause for alarm. He prescribed the application of mustard poultices and small amounts of champagne and ice.

On the 10th of February, Mrs Taylor arrived from Edinburgh to nurse her daughter. She immediately took charge of cooking arrangements, but it was Mary McLeod or Pritchard who invariably carried the food tray up to the sick room. In spite of her years (age 70), Mrs. Taylor was seen as an energetic old soul, but prone to bouts of neuralgic headaches. She made liberal use of an analgesic solution known as Battley's Mixture, which contained opium. Her mission of mercy on this occasion was cut short. Two weeks after her arrival in Glasgow, she was dying of an agonising sickness.

On the night of the 24th of February, the old lady lay on her bed in a delirious state. Pritchard sent for a local physician, Dr. James Paterson, who took one look at the old woman and declared that she was beyond medical help. However, he also noticed the condition of Mrs. Pritchard and concluded that she appeared to be suffering from excess antimony (often used as a purgative) in her body. For some reason he made no comment to her husband.

At one o'clock next morning, Mrs. Taylor died. A telegram was sent to her husband, who arrived from Edinburgh a few hours later. On his arrival, Pritchard sent him to Dr. Paterson to have the death certificate signed. Not surprisingly, the doctor refused to sign, saying that the old lady was under Pritchard's care. Pritchard then signed it, and put the cause of death down to paralysis and apoplexy. Her body was later buried in Grange cemetery, Edinburgh.

Following the death of her mother, Mrs Pritchard's health deteriorated even further to the point where she frequently lost her senses. On two occasions the eminent Professor William T. Gairdner of Glasgow University, was called in. He was puzzled by the patient's symptoms, but prescribed simple dietary changes. Finally, during the evening of the 17th of March, her condition became critical.

That night her 'devoted' husband lay on the bed beside her, while Mary McLeod slept on a sofa in the same room. At one o' clock in the morning, Mary Jane Pritchard died, with the sobbing doctor kneeling beside her corpse saying: 'Come back! Come back, my dear Mary Jane. . .don't leave your dear Edward!'

Pritchard signed his wife's death certificate giving the cause of death 'gastric fever, duration, two months.' And in his personal diary he wrote: 'March, 1865. 17th Friday. Died here, at 1 am, my beloved wife. Age 38. No torment surrounded her bedside, but like a calm and peaceful Lamb of God passed away Minnie. . .'

The body of Mrs Pritchard was taken to Edinburgh for burial beside her mother, suitably escorted by the 'bereaved husband'. During his absence from Glasgow, the Procurator Fiscal (prosecutor) received an unsigned letter alerting him to the possibility of murder at Clarence Place.

Pritchard returned by train from Edinburgh. During the journey he presented a fellow passenger with one of his photographs. However, he was arrested on arrival at Queen Street Station and taken into custody. The police carried out a search of his premises and took away various chemicals, diaries and letters. Examination of receipts showed that over a period he frequently bought unusual amounts of antimony and aconite from local druggists. Among the items seized was the part-full bottle of Battley's Mixture belonging to Mrs Taylor. Subsequent examination showed that it was liberally laced with antimony and aconite.

Pritchard's arrest caused a considerable stir in Victorian Glasgow. Throughout his detention he maintained his usual aloofness and an air of bewildered innocence, which seemed to earn him a good deal of sympathy in certain areas of society.

The bodies of his wife and mother-in-law were exhumed and the internal organs subjected to forensic examination. Chemical analyses showed quite clearly that both women had received lethal doses of antimony. This substance, being a metal, left traces in the body tissue. However, aconite, being a vegetable poison, was absorbed into the body and was not readily identifiable to the same extent. It therefore seems likely that antimony had been used to mask the effects of aconite, which was only detected in the Battley's Mixture.

Mary McLeod was also arrested, but after making a lengthy statement to the police she was released and cited as a witness for the Crown. In spite of all the apparent criminal evidence amassed against Pritchard, it was entirely circumstantial. No one actually saw him administer the poisons. Nevertheless, he was charged on indictment with the murder of his wife and Mrs Taylor.

The trial began on Monday 3rd of June 1865, in the High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh, before The Lord Justice-Clerk (Inglis). Leading the Crown evidence was Solicitor-General (Young); and for the Defence was Mr A. Rutherford Clark (Advocate). The hearing lasted five days, during which the key witnesses were Mary McLeod, who revealed her illicit pregnancy by Pritchard and subsequent miscarriage, and Dr. Paterson, who faced much criticism over his actions ~ or lack of same.

Pritchard remained composed throughout the proceedings, and showed little sign of emotion, except when Mary McLeod's evidence revealed their secret, and again when the eldest of his children were called to give evidence on his behalf. He doted on his children.

The fifteen-man jury took only fifty-five minutes to return a verdict of 'Guilty' on both counts. Lord Inglis donned the black cap and pronounced the sentence of death by hanging. Thereafter the prisoner was escorted away to Duke Street Prison, Glasgow, to await his final day.

Whilst in prison Pritchard dictated three confessions. The first statement named Mary McLeod as an accomplice, but the second one absolved her of all blame. He spent much of his time writing to his children and reading passages from the Scriptures. On the eve of execution he was moved to the South Jail, near Glasgow Green.

The mobile gallows were erected at the entrance to Jail Square, facing The Green. It was during the Glasgow Fair Fortnight (holiday period), and many stalls, booths and sideshows were on The Green. These were hastily removed by order of the City Magistrates, and crowd control barriers were erected and manned by extra constables. A motley crowd had gathered overnight, with some of the city's lowest classes, drunks and vagabonds disturbing the night by their shouting and signing.

By eight o'clock next morning, Pritchard stood rigidly on the high platform. The hangman moved the prisoner's thick beard and long hair to ensure the noose fitted snugly. His arms were pinioned and ankles tied together, then the hood was pulled down over his face. The crowd became silent, and at a signal from the prisoner the bolt was drawn, and Dr. Pritchard dropped into eternity. His last words had been: 'I acknowledge the justice of the sentence!'

Eye witnesses claim that the body jerked in a grotesque manner, until the hangman went below and pulled sharply on the legs. It hung in view for thirty minutes and when finally cut down, it fell with such a force that the bottom of the pauper's coffin was damaged. This was quickly repaired and Pritchard's body was interred within the courtyard of the jail.

What motived Pritchard towards murder? This is a debatable point. Although he was overdrawn at the bank, the terms of Mrs Taylor's will left £2,500 in trust for her five grandchildren. Pritchard would have been unable to touch this money. It is also doubtful if he intended to marry Mary McLeod. Perhaps his own explanation is more accurate: 'I can assign no motive for the conduct which actuated me, beyond a species of terrible madness!'

Around 1910, during renovation work on the court building, the remains of several victims of the law were exhumed and moved elsewhere. Pritchard's skeleton was seen to be in good condition. Although much of his clothing had rotted away, his elastic-sided boots were still in excellent condition. While his bones were being carted with others, an incident occurred which adds an ironic 'footnote' to the Pritchard story. . .someone stole his boots! Such was life in Glasgow in the good old days!

Copyright 1989: Malcolm Lobban

First published: 'The Highlander' Vol.27, No.5: Sept/Oct. 1989, Illinois, USA.

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