Overview

The case of George Joseph Smith, who was convicted of the murders of his three wives, Beatrice Mundy, Alice Burnham and Margaret Lofty, and sentenced to death. The case is etched in memory for being one of the most notorious in history. However, what makes the case exceptional is the method of prosecution, that being the application of 'system', in which George Smith was not tried for all three murders, but rather the jury were asked whether they agreed that there had been a pattern in the deaths, that being that all women were drowned in baths and that upon agreeing that, if they felt that George Smith was responsible for one murder, that of Beatrice Mundy, and that there was a pattern that he was therefore guilty of all three murders. The case is also remarkable as it demonstrates how Coroner's inquests could, and can, return incorrect verdicts and miss cases of murder, as happened in this case three times. Beyond that, we have the exceptional manner of the murders, which for 1913-5 was without precedent, that being the marriage, followed by writing up of wills and systematic murder of each wife in various locations around the country. This is a case that has captured the imagination of the public for over a hundred years. Contains a comprehensive chronology of events.

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