Berkshire Murders by John Van der Kiste

Author:John Van der Kiste [Kiste, John Van der]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Berkshire Murders
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2012-02-15T11:00:00+00:00

15

FOUR SHOTS IN THE EVENING

Newbury, 1892

In the spring of 1892, twenty-four-year-old Ellis Wynn left Tonbridge, Kent, for Newbury to work in a jewellery shop. He had told everyone that he had independent means, and worked at the shop because he enjoyed doing so, rather than out of necessity. In a short while he would come into an inheritance from a relative, and then he planned to travel the world, before settling in Australia.

Only later did certain less palatable facts about his history come to light. He had been brought up in Kent, and as a small boy he used to keep snakes in his pocket. His parents were divorced; his father had attempted to murder his mother by cutting her throat, and had been sentenced to twenty years in prison. This unhappy family background cast a shadow from which he would never be totally free during his short life.

Soon after arriving at Newbury, Wynn became friendly with Edith Stevens, a young woman who worked in a drapery shop nearby in Market Place, owned by Alfred Jackson, the town mayor. A few weeks later he announced that he was about to set out on his travels, and would be stopping first at Naples. In May 1892 he left Newbury for a few days, then returned to see Stevens.

They spent Sunday 15 May together walking around Savernake Forest in Wiltshire, and it was then that Edith began to see a disturbing new side to her friend. While they were together Wynn produced a revolver from his pocket and threatened to kill himself. Calmly she took it from his hand, and also retrieved thirty-two cartridges from his pocket. He apologised for his behaviour and she handed everything back, but not before extracting from him a promise that he would never threaten to do anything so silly again.

Returning from their day out, they spent some time with friends in Craven Road, and decided to spend the night there. After the women had retired to bed, Wynn stayed up later talking to his friend, Francis Andrews. He complained of severe headaches and reiterated his intention to shoot himself. The relative from whom he had been expecting a large inheritance had cut him off without a penny, and contrary to what he had been telling everybody, he had no money of his own and was deep in debt. An alarmed Andrews searched Wynn’s coat pockets once his back was turned, and found the revolver with the cartridges, which he locked away overnight.

On 16 May Edith Stevens went to her work as usual, having arranged to meet Wynn later. He seemed more his old self again, and spent part of the day going round Newbury saying goodbye to his friends, as he was about to set off on his travels. He told Andrews he felt much more settled, and asked if he could have the revolver back as he wanted to return it to the friend in Reading from whom he had borrowed it. Reassured that matters had somehow resolved themselves and that Wynn was no longer suicidal, Andrews gave it back.

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