Nearly 102 years from today, a mysterious murder happened in Herefordshire, England. Katherine Armstrong the wife of a solicitor named Herbert Rowse Armstrong died seemingly a natural death in her bed room, only to be found murdered a year later. With this infamous discovery Herbert Armstrong went into making history in England as the only solicitor who was so far executed for murder.
Watch short documentary aired on Channel 4 about Herbert's conviction and execution for murder of his wife. The documentary features Martin Beales and Bernert's surviving daughter Margaret looking into whether he was falsely implicated.
In his compelling crime novel ‘The Poisonous Solicitor’ Stephen Bates rolls out a gripping story of the downfall of Herbert Armstrong from nobility to a prisoner until he breathed his last at Gloucester Prison in 1922. Bate’s enthralling crime story is crowned as one of the greatest poison dramas of the century.
It all started with a box of chocolates and a scone. At a meeting of two professionals. Herbert attempted to poison a his only rival solicitor who represented the opposing party in a property dispute Herbert also appeared for a party. Herbert 's side was at the time fighting a losing battle and he feared of his client having to pay large sums of money. Herbert invited Oswald to come over to his house for tea. Oswald after consuming scones offered by Herbert became violently ill. Interestingly the chemist who sold arsenic to Herbert happened to be Oswald's father-in-law. The professional rivalry and alleged sickness combined together sparked accusations against Herbert of poising his fellow solicitor which resulted in Katherine’s body also being dug up a year after her death. Herbert was arrested for attempt to murder Oswald and for the alleged murder of his wife.
Sir Bernard Spilsbury, Britain's celebrated pathologist who conducted the examination of Katherine's body found arsenic in her body.
Bate's narrative of the trial also brings into light Herbert 's alleged habit of keeping arsenic in his pouches. Herbert failed to provide a reasonable explanation for carrying around arsenic. He had reportedly kept arsenic as a weed killer to treat dandelions.
Throughout the novel, Bates portrays Herbert 's guilt as seriously flawed. He unhesitantly labels the judge who presided over Herbert 's trial as “the fourth lawyer on the prosecution”. Moreover shedding light on the appeal process existing at that time he alludes the trial to be prejudicial to Herbert, as the Attorney General who prosecuted Herbert 's case was the one who would give green light to an appeal to proceed to Law Lords.
As the trial came to a close as prejudicial and biased as it was, the story ends on a sad note for Herbert. He was hung for murder of his wife which Bates believe Herbert might not have been involved in at all. Herbert's sole defense was his wife committed suicide. Bates makes second thoughts on what everybody thought to be a black-and-white slam dunk case. He dispassionately presents evidence, finally leaving readers with a whodunnit puzzle: was Herbert really guilty as he was charged and tried? Was he framed for a crime he never committed?
In a 2019 episode of BBC One podcast series ‘Murder, Mystery and My Family, barristers who reviewed the case concluded that the conviction was unsafe despite a serious case was presented against Herbert, because the trial judge had erred in law in summing up the case against him.
You can watch BBC One episode here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGI2emqsNns
The Herbert Armstrong murder case is still making rounds among avid crime function readers and even for almost after a hundred years remains a real-life golden age crime novel. A must-read for all who are passionate about law and crime fiction.
The LegalCheek reported that the author Stephen Bates will have an online Q&A session (The Poisonous Solicitor: The True Story of a 1920s Murder Mystery) with the UK National Archives on 8th June. Bates is an award winning British writer and a reporter for BBC, Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail.
Book your free ticket to register for the online Q&A via this link.
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