The Remarkable Case of William Chester Minor: The Lambeth Tragedy
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- The Remarkable Case of William Chester Minor: The Lambeth Tragedy
News of the Times Episode 348 | 1872
1872 Lambeth and a man, on his way to work in the early morning hours to the local brewery, is chased, shot, then repeatedly stabbed by an unknown assailant. A policeman on his beat nearby hears the shots and catches up with the assailant, American William Chester Minor.
Yale graduate, doctor in the American civil war, eventually achieving the rank of Captain and coming from a good family in the United States, William Chester Minor would not seem to be the kind of person who would kill an unknown victim.
What transpires is an interesting case of a man encouraged by his family to travel abroad, with known mental health issues.
William Chester Minor, one of the newer inmates in the relatively new Broadmoor Prison for the Criminally Insane, also became famous for being one of the most prolific contributors to the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary with his contributions running into the thousands.
We take a look at the background, the crime and the end of the life of the remarkable William Chester Minor in today’s episode of Murderous Mondays.
Hosted by Robin Coles.
#NewsofTheTimes #VictorianCrimeStories #HistoricalCrimeStories #VictorianMurders #Historicalcrimedocumentary #historicaltruecrime #truecrimedocumentary #truecrimes
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EPISODE
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Thank you. 😊
It's a freezing cold rainy day here in New Zealand, typical for the middle of winter and this made my rainy Monday. Thankyou Robin and team, I'd never heard of this case
Hullooooooo NZ!! We love NZ!! A bit different for us, but we think it is an important story to tell. He is still remembered here - his contributions to the Oxford English Dictionary were epic! Hmmm, we are supposed ot be in the height of summer, erm, nooooo. We are circa 12 degrees, grey skies and rain, rain, rain. *sigh*
It’s on the middle of summer here. Hotter than blazes! 😂🤣
@@chicagogyrl4846 We are familiar wth midwest summers! Scorchio!! ☀ here in the UK, we are playting to the stereotype of the UK weather ⛈*sigh*
Ì just love News of the Times stories I get completely lost in them
How very kind! 🤗This one was a bit different - we like ot mix things up a bit - but we thought it was an important story to tell. 😉
I thoroughly enjoyed today's story. I'm still binging on the older stories, the history is fascinating. I especially love Chronicles of the News of a certain year or era. Your team is amazing, Robin, and you are an excellent narrator. I look forward to all your future works. Love and Blessings from Canada. 🇨🇦 ❤
How exceedingly kind!! Thank you so very much - most appreciated!! 🙏Yes, we had to stop the looks at a year in general - the forgotton fridays - they just did so very poorly in the rankings. We gave it a good shot for several weeks. We have a similar thing though on our sister channel - @chronicleofthetimes2024, called Vintage Voices (which also was rather sinking in the ratings, but which we know has a dedicated fan base). The team have great fun working together and planning out the stories - always usually rather breathlessly and excitedly! I have spoken several times of slowing down, but they won;t hear of it! Thank you very much for your kind comment and kind support! It has been a bit of an difficult week, so your kind comment has given us all a real boost!🙌
Thank you. Enjoyed. Have an excellent week ahead, everyone.
Thank you.🙏And to you and yours!🙌
If anyone is interested in learning more about the relationship between Dr. Minor and Professor Murray,, there's an excellent book: 'The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary', by Simon Winchester. Even though I read it 25 years ago, it's a story I've never forgotten.
It's fascinating that Minor could maintain the mental discipline this level of work required, while also inhabiting a mental world of horrors. Thank you so much for telling this story.
Brilliant!! Thank you!🙏 very much appreciated your heads up on the book! 👍We found the story fascinating - a slight departure from our usual episodes, but we think it is an important tale to tell. Without diminishing the terrible loss suffered by the Merritt family, Minor is still remmbered and regarded with some fondness here in the UK. There seemed to be genuine sadness with his departure to the states basically on the premise that Broadmoor had become his home and he was well cared for there. Thank you so much for sharing with the community! Much appreciated!🙌
There’s also a movie based on the book starring Sean Penn and Mel Gibson. It doesn’t have great reviews probably because it’s more of a character study with little action. I liked it though and Penn is great as the tormented doctor.
@@sonder122 I'm aware of the movie but have not seen it yet. Thanks for the good review, makes me want to go look it up.
@@sonder122 Interesting! Thank you - never heard of it. Penn does tortured soul well. 😉
I enoyed the story. Thank you for sharing your video.
So glad you liked the story! 🙏A bit different thatn usual, but he was quite an important American in England - still remembered, with compassion we think, for both himself and for Merritt!🤔 What we found so very odd - his family knew he was mentally unstable. Why would you send away someone vulnerable? To a new place? We were really impressed how very quickly the American community responded to help merritt's widow and family - they really helped to generate quite a bit. 🙌
Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
Thank you - really glad you liked it! 🙌
Watching from South Africa very interesting stories I'm addicted 👍
Hullllooooo South Africa! Nice to hear from you! 🙋♂ Ummm, that is more than an pond between us!😉 Thank you - so glad you are enjoying! We have a lot of favourites, but off the top of our heads...The chocolate cream killer, and the go cart murder - if you have not seen them already. 😉 Thank you so very much for giving a jolly hello and thank you for supporting us!🙌
Absolutely great show as always
Wow! Thank you!! 🙏Ummm, we were taking a bit of a chance on this one as it is slightly different than usual (as is the wednesdays show!), but we were keen to tell his story. Thank you so very much for the kind comment and support!🙌
Poor George Merritt was in the wrong place at the wrong time!! I'm glad that the American community in London rallied around the Merrit family to support them financially, and to even get the oldest son an apprenticeship!! I bet that was an unusual occurrence!!
Although I'm not excusing the murder, Minor must've had a VERY tortured mind!! It must've been awful being in a constant state of paranoia and anxiety!! I couldn't imagine living like that!!
I NEVER knew about Minor's contribution to the Oxford Dictionary!!
Well done on another SUPERB video, Robin!! 👏👍❤💕💞
Glad you liked! Yes, we were trying to be careful regarding his mental health issues which persisted throughout his life. His contribution to the OED was epic and went on for some 20 years. We thought it important to show that the American community immediately responded to help merritt's widow and actually helped to raise quite a bit for her and her family. Everyone pulled together - Americand and English - we think that is important. The press, once it was aware of the mental illness, pulled back quite a bit. If anything, there seemed to be a bit of sadness - Minor had a "good" life, as these things go, within Broadmoor. he had an extra room for his library and the Broadmoor staff were very much more like medical care believng that those in their care were unwell - it was a prison, yes - but not a punishing one,. The point in the press was that he had been moved from something he knew and was comfortable in to being alone in America. They were sad about it.🤔
@@newsofthetimesIt was rather irresponsible of Minor's family to send him on a Grand Tour of Europe ALONE, when they knew full well he was mentally ill!! Maybe they were tired of hearing about his hallucinations at breakfast on a daily basis!!🤔🤔
I have a friend living in Hartford, Connecticut!!😊😊
@@nadiabrook7871 We have never been to Connecticut, but we hear it is rather nice! 🙌 Yes, we find the whole thing rather suspcious too! There was apparently money in the family and the step brothers controlled his share. We do not know how much money there was, but Minor was put on an allowance which was apparently well above his needs and expenses. After decades, the family were keen for him to return - we wonder why? There is something that all feels a bit odd from his family back home. However, we have not read the book recommended by one of our subscribers, so possibly it is all answered there....🤔
@@newsofthetimes Well, I'm wondering where Minor's share of the family fortune would have gone to after HIS death?! He was, after all, the eldest son!!🤔🤔
Connecticut is a VERY nice place, from what I've been told, and seen on TV!!😊
@@nadiabrook7871 We believe the money was controlled by a step-brother. Hmmmmm. 🤔 Posisbly we have read too many true crime stories!😉
This story was CRAZY! I kept having to pause to process what I heard. While I know that mental illness is not something to laugh at, the over the top parts like the asylum simply wasn't close enough to any brothels made me crack up😂. I can't imagine how the psychiatrist must have felt! Bravo for finding such an unusual story💚👏💯
Thank you - glad you liked it! 🙏He is still known and remembered here in the UK. And his contribution to the Oxford English Dictionary was epic!! Another story, he wanted at least his room rebuilt with exta flooring because then people would not be able to get into his room. 🤔
Watching from a humid Sunday evening in NJ. That intro was epic. Loving this already
Good morning NJ!! Glad you liked it!🤗A bit different than our usual fare, but we think it is an interesting story and it is American / French / Canadian month...😉
Thanks I’ll check them out ! I’m a retired special hospital charge nurse so am well familiar with their history.
Wow!! A walking hero! That is a tough job! One of our staff has an honour's degree in psychology - tough job - hence now history researcher. 😉
I do need to point out that Broadmoor has never been a prison it was built as a maximum security hospital and still functions as this
Hiya - one of our team lived not far from Broadmoor. In the schools in the area, one had to give permission if one would allow one's child to walk home in the event of the alarm. Also, you could hear the alarm every day at 10.00. So, Broadmoor was referred to as a Prison for the Criminally Insane. When it was started (we cannot speak for now) it was certainly way ahead of its time and looked at mental illness, despite the violence of its inmates, as an illness. So its approach was not to demonise its prisoners. And yes, the inmates were prisoners - to get into broadmoor one had to have been found guilty of a crime - usually violent, but not always (in its early days). People could not place thier mentally ill family member into Broadmoor - it was via a court of law (with some few early exceptions as it took on the spillover of the other asylums). We actually have done several epeisodes on boradmoor if you are interested! Thank you for your feedback!🙏
The human brain can be our best friend or our worst enemy. Trying to understand what makes us "tick" can drive one to drink! lol
He was clearly quite a brilliant man - really tragic his mental health issues. He was reagrded with compassion within Broadmoor where it is thought, as much as possible, he was happy. he was awarded loads of extra priveleges. Minor's mental health issues persisted throughout his life.😔
Poor man
It wa sunfortunate all around. The community came togtehr to give support to Merritt's widow, and Minor was treated with compassion within Broadmoor. rather tragic all around. 😔
I do agree it was a terrible tragic for Mr Merritt and his family. 🇨🇦🙂
I saw a film starring Mel Gibson that covered this...the Professor and the madman. I think it's still on Amazon prime video. Check it out.
Yes, someone else mentioned this too! 😊We may do! There was a film recently on the Littlehapmton Poison pen mystery. The acting was fab, but why why why did they change the story? The original story was better than the film version....🙄
A pity about the mental health problems,otherwise seemed like a good one🤔,well ✔ Robin👋
😁Thank you. A really interesting case this one we thought. Some very odd behaviour from the family....a very sad case all around. He was, by all accounts, within the constraints of his tortured mind, very happy in Broadmoor.🤔