Read 1/12

"They say that even of a good thing you can have too much. But I doubt it...{T}o my mind, one cannot have too much of a good murder."

Roughead was a crime reporter in Edinburgh for many years in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During that time he attended every criminal trial of significance in that city. This book includes his analysis of many of those trials, as well as of other earlier notorious crimes. The book is arranged in chapters, each devoted to a particular crime, roughly arranged in chronological order.

I found much of each narrative to be repetitive. For each of the major witnesses, Roughead reports, often verbatim, what the witness initially told investigators, what he said in later interviews (sometimes several), what he said to others, and what he said at trial. Very often there is only a little variation, as Roughead painstakingly analyzes and compares the similarities and differences of all the various witnesses. As an attorney, I understand that the specific words used by a witness, and all the nuances of various statements are important in establishing the credibility of or impeaching a witness. And perhaps in contemporaneous day-to-day reportage this type of detail was appropriate. However, in a compilation such as this, I would have preferred perhaps a little more amalgamation of the various statements and testimony, with the author briefly commenting on similarities and discrepancies, instead of reciting numerous statements word-for-word. This repetitiveness made it difficult for me to maintain my concentration on the book.

There are some very interesting facts included in the book. For example, I learned that trials used to proceed non-stop, 24 hours a day, until resolved. Some cases went on for days, which meant that basically no one would be paying attention for large portions of the trial. I was also disconcerted to learn that a defendant could be found guilty and sentenced to death on a jury verdict of 8--guilty, 7--not proven.

I also was much taken with Roughead's literary style. He uses formal Victorian/Edwardian language, and we are never quite sure when he is being intentionally humorous and pulling our leg, or when he is serious. For the most part, I think the humor was intentional and this kept me reading. For example:

"Although in her private capacity of friend and relative of the prisoners {the witness} had told extra-judicially everything she could against them.., she is said to have shrunk from the painful necessity of swearing to her story in the witness box. She therefore disappeared from the Ken of the Lord Advocate...."

or the delightfully understated:

"To poison a person in such a condition seems, to the lay mind, a superfluity of naughtiness."
and
"No sooner had he insured this mansion against fire than it was burnt down. Such accidents will happen in the best of families."

or one of my favorites, describing the two criminals who murdered, and sold the cadavers to a medical school for dissection:

"The firm of Burke and Hare--purveyors-extraordinary to Surgeon's Square, began business in earnest. During the nine months of their joint adventure they successfully carried through sixteen capital transactions. These at least were all that their natural modesty would allow them to claim, but there is reason to believe that they had other affairs to their credit. The firm kept no books...." ( )

"One cannot have too much of a good murder", 25 April 2016

This review is from: Classic Crimes (New York Review Books Classics) (Paperback)
Covering twelve major cases from Scotland and England in the 18th and 19th centuries, this is a brilliantly written book. As I started, I did wonder how a work on crimes - some of which are well-documented by other writers - was chosen as a New York Review Book. But the author's pithy turn of phrase and legal know-how add much to his accounts. Thus (in discussing alleged poisoner Madeleine Smith):
"It was through these rusty bars that the white hand of Madeleine was wont to proffer for the refreshment of her unpleasant wooer those midnight cups of cocoa or chocolate, of whose baneful effects he complained to his complaisant confidante, Miss Perry."
Other cases include Burke and Hare, Deacon Brodie, the Road Hill case (recently re-examined in "The Suspicions of Mr Whicher") and the Balham Mystery (also discussed in Elizabeth Jenkins' "Dr Gully"). There are innocents who were jailed through police bungling and undoubted killers who got away with it.
Fascinating read. ( )

William Roughead was a Scottish lawyer who practiced at the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century. But what really fascinated him was crime, especially murder, and especially the drama of the trials, and he became a connoisseur of Scottish murder trials, attending as many as he could and writing detailed descriptions of them for a series called Notable British Trials, as well as shorter but perhaps more literary versions, aimed at a more general audience, of ones that struck his fancy for one reason or another. This volume collects twelve of those tales, ranging from ones Roughead only read about because they happened before his time to ones he not only attended but in at least one case participated in.

In most of the stories, Roughead briefly describes the people involved in the crime and the crime itself, and its aftermath, and then devotes most of his time to how the case unfolded at the trial. What makes these stories much more than a legal tale is how Roughead tells them: he brings his "characters" to life, with insight into their personalities; he makes wonderful biting remarks that reveal pretension and stupidity; he is content to leave threads untied, as they are in real life but rarely in fictional mysteries; and his point of view is clearly though largely obliquely expressed, especially in the several cases that involve miscarriages of justice. The cases vary widely, and some are inevitably more interesting than others, but I found the book as a whole fascinating for what it revealed about life in earlier times, and how in some ways things never change. In particular, aside from the fact that people still murder for money or to get rid of their husbands or wives, I was fascinated by the way the news media of the day -- dozens and dozens of newspaper reporters, first without and then with photographers -- crowded the trials and relayed the proceedings to large and eager audiences. Sound familiar?

Roughead's writing style takes getting used to. It is old-fashioned, filled with words, and occasionally discursive and, as Luc Sante says in the introduction to the edition I read, Roughead "seldom fails to introduce a barrister without summarizing the now obscure highlights of his illustrious later career," but after a while I got into the rhythm of his prose and rather enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a bit of a long haul to read all the way through, but individually the stories are fun and give a great glimpse into crime and punishment of the past. There were several cases that I would wanted to know more about, which I suppose is the best possible endorsement for true crime lovers. ( )

What an amazing book! It's definitely for people who are aficionados of historical true crime, and who have a lot of patience. Set mainly in Scotland, the author has put together all kinds of information he's gleaned from either first-hand observations or trial/police transcripts and compiled this data into a collection of criminal cases from the 18th through early 20th centuries. It takes some time to get used to Roughead's manner of speech, but the cases are so interesting (as are his opinions) that you'll get through this book in a short time.

My long review of this book can be found here. Definitely recommended, especially for people (like me) who are fascinated with historical true crime. If you're looking for something along the lines of today's titillatingly-titled tell alls, this one isn't probably your cup of tea. ( )

In the early 20th century, solicitor William Roughead reported on notable British trials of the past and present. In Classic Crimes he provides interesting and detailed accounts of the people, actions and events leading up to each crime; moving on to the investigation, presentation of evidence, legal arguments and results at trial. He seems to be careful to only present established facts, but it is always clear what his own opinion is and where his sympathies lie. I found his sly wit and biting observations entertaining.
On the topic of his main preoccupations - justice and the law - he is fierce; he is outraged at the misuse and abuse of justice, whether at the hands of the accused, witnesses, police, counsel or judge. This is particularly evident in his reporting of 'The Slater Case'.
HIs narrative is a like a long rambling legal after dinner story; he's also fond of using commas and lengthy sentences. It gives the writing a Victorian air which I liked, as if Mr Rattisbon jumped out a Ngaio Marsh novel, a little bit tipsy, and began to tell you a story.

For true crime and mystery buffs, especially those with an interest in legal trials and arguments. Mr. Roughead was a Scottish solicitor who wrote extensively on Scotland's most infamous and famous criminals. This collection includes Burke and Hare, Madeleine Smith and Dr. Pritchard, and 9 other cases primarily from the 18th and 19th centuries. Will you enjoy it? Try this sample of Mr. Roughead's writing style:
"It is hard to account for the spell which even unto this day Madeleine Smith unquestionably casts upon her votaries. Hers was an unlovely nature; false, self-centred, wholly regardless of the rights and feelings of others, so far as these conflicted with her own desires; and her treatment of her blameless suitor, Mr. Minnoch, was flagrantly perfidious." If, like me, you like your facts presented with a strong adjectival sauce, and just can't live without a dash of "perfidy", then you'll have a great, ghoulish time.