William Augustus Lacey

William Augustus Lacey was convicted of the murder of his wife Pauline Lacey and sentenced to death. They married at Easter 1900 but had a stormy relationship and she later felt compelled to write to her father who replied on 4 July 1900 to offer her a place at his home. Pauline Lacey was described as a particularly attractive woman. William Lacey was from Jamaica but had spent much of his life at sea. However, from Monday 2 July 1900 William Lacey refused to go to work saying that he thought she would see another man while he was out and on 6 July 1900 he cut her throat. At first he confessed to killing her saying that she had told him that she would be missing when he got home from work, but he later changed his story twice, the first time saying that Pauline Lacey had tried to kill herself and cut her own throat and that after seeing her injuries he had finished her off, and then that she had taken her own life and he had had nothing to do with it. William Lacey had come to Great Britain with a coloured cook that he had met on a sailing vessel in America, arriving in Port Tennant about a fortnight before Christmas 1899 whereupon he lodged with the cook and his family. The cook had been away for 15 months on that occasion. Pauline Lacey, who was the sister of the cook's wife, had lodged with her parents a few doors away. After William Lacey arrived he and the cook worked at Spiller's Works. Pauline Lacey used to visit the cooks house where she met William Lacey and they later ran away to get married. The cooks wife, William Lacey's sister, said that William Lacey said to her before the marriage that if he did not get married at 2 he would get the rope at 2.30. She also said that William Lacey said, ‘If I don’t have her, I’ll have the rope for her’. Pauline Lacey’s sister noted that Pauline Lacey had had a child before and that the father had left the neighbourhood. The child died after five months. Pauline Lacey’s sister denied having had any improper intimacy with William Lacey, although she said that she had been friendly with him when he was lodging with them. She denied that her husband had told Pauline Lacey that she was fond of William Lacey. William Lacey and Pauline Lacey got married on 19 April 1900. William Lacey had gone away three weeks before the marriage, saying that he was going to London, but he went to Pontypridd instead. They married after he returned from Pontypridd and then went off to Pontypridd without seeing the cook or his family where William Lacey got work as a miner. They went to live with a family in Maritime Terrace. The cooks family also went to lodge in Maritime Terrace about a fortnight afterwards but William Lacey and Pauline Lacey moved out about two or three days later. The woman that lived at Maritime Terrace said that William Lacey came to lodge with them about a fortnight before Easter and then brought Pauline Lacey and stayed for about six weeks. She said that she had a few words with William Lacey and told him to go as he was always quarrelling with Pauline Lacey. She said that she saw him hit her in the face twice, that being about four weeks after the wedding. She said that he struck her and that she picked up a fish kettle and struck him on the shoulder. She noted that it was not true that Pauline Lacey had struck William Lacey first. She said that William Lacey then went to a drawer and took out the certificate of marriage and a razor, and put the razor in his pocket and then said that he was going to cut his throat and drown himself and then left the house. She said that he was so continuously quarrelling that she said she could not stand it, adding that she would have her house respectable. She added that William Lacey told her that he would jam her head on the fire and that she then gave him notice to go. When she was cross-examined she said that she did have quarrels with William Lacey, but said that he had never complained of Pauline Lacey going out with her husband. She added that Pauline Lacey didn't say that she would destroy herself if he drowned herself or that she would let the train go over herself. After William Lacey and Pauline Lacey left Maritime Terrace they went first to 11 Barry Terrace but soon after moved into 21 Barry Terrace. William Lacey's sister said that on 1 July 1900 that she went to the house where William Lacey and Pauline Lacey were living, noting that it was a few minutes to four at which time she was in bed upstairs. She said that when she arrived that she asked William Lacey where Pauline Lacey was and said that he told her she was in bed and he called to her. She said that Pauline Lacey didn't speak to William Lacey but that she came down. She added that William Lacey was looking very nasty, but didn't speak. The woman that lived at 21 Barry Terrace said that William Lacey and Pauline Lacey came to lodge with her on 22 June 1900, noting that William Lacey came first and was followed by Pauline Lacey. She said that they quarrelled every day of the last week over work. She noted that William Lacey was a labourer at the colliery and worked by night but that he didn't work Monday night not Tuesday and Wednesday night. The woman said that William Lacey was promising to go to work every night, but he would not. She said that Pauline Lacey called him black and lazy man. She said that on the Wednesday morning a letter came to her from her father and that after the letter she heard Pauline Lacey say to William Lacey that she should go home and said that William Lacey told her that he was not willing to let her go. She said that she saw Pauline Lacey making preparations for William Lacey's food at about 5pm on the Thursday, filling his tin jack and putting it in the room with his tin box, which she said was what he would take his food to work in. However, she said that William Lacey didn't go to work again, noting that she didn't hear him give a reason. She said that she remembered Pauline Lacey going to bed that night and heard them quarrelling all night in bed, noting that they were knocking the partition and that she heard scuffling going on. She said that she was up before them at 5am and that William Lacey and Pauline Lacey later came down at about 9am and that they began quarrelling again before the lighted fire. She said that Pauline Lacey said that she did not know what she would do owing to the small amount of money coming out of the pay but that William Lacey said nothing. She said that at about 10am she went out to a neighbour and about a quarter of an hour later she heard neighbours shouting out, 'murder' and went back at once and when she opened the door she saw Pauline Lacey on her back in a pool of blood with her clothing open at the front. She said that she then shut the door and ran out. She noted that William Lacey was a very loud talking man but didn't hear anything about him kissing the wife of the man that lived in Maritime Terrace, but said that she did know that they had had a fight. The woman that had lived at 20 Barry Terrace said that she had been standing in front of her house on Friday 6 July 1900 when she heard screaming from 21 Barry Terrace at about 11am. She said that she went to the door and listened and heard Pauline Lacey shouting out, 'Oh, Lacey, don't', noting that she was sure that it was her voice. She said that she then ran to tell her mother and then listened with her but that by then it was all quiet and that she heard no sound after that. She said that about five minutes later she saw William Lacey leave. She said that he walked past them and then began to run and said that she thought that he was buttoning something up. She said that after he had got away that she looked through the window and saw Pauline Lacey in a pool of blood and called out, 'Lacey has murdered his wife'. The doctor that was called out said that he went to 21 Barry Terrace and found Pauline Lacey in the front room on the ground floor lying on her back with her head towards the window. He said that a good deal of blood was on the floor, a pool of blood in one place and blood in two other places on the floor. He said that he examined her body and found her face was cut on the left cheek, and also in two places over the lower jaw and a big gash in her throat extending from one side to the other that had the appearance of having been done by more than one cut. He said that her windpipe was severed and also the large blood vessels on either side of the neck. He noted that there was also a cut on her left bosom and also on the upper part of the chest on the right-side in front. He said that she also had a small cut on her little finger of her left hand and also a cut on the back of her right wrist. He stated that her wind pipe was completely severed and her body still quite warm and that all of her wounds had been inflicted recently. When William Lacey gave evidence he said that they had been married at a registry office and that he had been very fond of Pauline Lacey and that she was very fond of him and that it was not true that they were always quarrelling. He said that he and the cook were supposed to be bosom friends. He said that the cook came to their house and that Pauline Lacey met him at the door and then told him something and in response he told him to bring his wife to him. He said that the cook accused him of having had connection with his wife, Pauline Lacey's sister. He said that when Pauline Lacey heard that on the Monday that he had from that time he had no peace and that Pauline Lacey told him that he could not go out of the house and that she could not hold her head up. It was noted that after William Lacey had not been to work for a number of days that Pauline Lacey threatened to leave him and that in response he had said, 'If you go I'll follow you, and I will do for you', whilst at the same time drawing his finger across his throat. He said that on the Friday he came down stairs at about 8.30am and Pauline Lacey came down at about 8.40am. He said that she told him that he was too late to go and get the money and that at about 10am she stated to make breakfast and that then went out to get some cigarettes. He said that when he came back that Pauline Lacey was crying and that he could not stop her. He said that he never saw the razor and that Pauline Lacey then went into a corner and opened her dress. He said that he didn't see the razor then. He said that he left her on the floor and came back and that he then saw her with the razor and she then cut her throat at the side. He said he became frightened then and ran away. He said that he was nervous and didn't know what he was saying. He said that he had tried to get the razor away and he didn't kill her, adding that he could not kill her as it was not in his heart to kill her. He said that it was not true that he had struck Pauline Lacey at Maritime Terrace before she struck him with the fish kettle and that he had never used violence to her at all. He added that he had not gone to work on the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday because Pauline Lacey had told him not to go to work. At the magistrates hearing William Lacey said that Pauline Lacey had repeatedly asked him to cut her throat. However, at his trial he completely denied that and claimed that she committed suicide as he had been too familiar with her sister. William Lacey was tried at the Glamorgan Assizes at Swansea on Friday 3 August 1900 and sentenced to death and executed at Cardiff by James Billington on 21 August 1900. He had pleaded not guilty. The judge said that the motive was jealousy. Reporters were allowed in to witness the execution and stated that William Lacey had walked firmly to the scaffold and that his death was instantaneous. It was reported that before he was executed that he confessed his guilt. Several thousand people had assembled outside the gaol to see the hoisting of the black flag. A petition was set up for William Lacey, it being stated that he had been provoked into jealousy, both by Pauline Lacey and his workmates, who played on his suspicions by inventing lies to the effect that they knew Mrs Lacey which left him in a state of constant doubt and suspicion, which received 4,500 signatures in five days. It was also said that Pauline Lacey, who was aware of his intense devotion to her, exercised that power over him to amuse herself by witnessing his paroxysms of jealousy, thus bringing the danger upon herself. It was also noted that she had written to her parents and had been planning to leave William Lacey and return to them and had told William Lacey that she preferred her first sweetheart. In a letter that she wrote in the days before her murder, which was later published, she said, 'Dear Mother, We hope you are in the best of health, as it leaves us at present, and in answer to your welcome letter, which we received all right. My dear parents, I am glad to think I can come home again, and glad to tell you I have got no cause to come. The cook, (the other coloured man) came to fetch Lacey from his bed yesterday morning, and I went out and told him that the people of the house did not want any bother, and he told me if I did not shut my mouth he would kick me. So Lacey heard what he said, and ran after him, and they had a bit of a fight on the road. When the cook found out that he had his match he did not keep up for very long. There were a lot of women about at the time, and they threatened to break his (the cook) head if he did not go away. My dear brother, we know if you were up here you would not let them put down Lacey as they did. They thought Lacey was going to be like a baby, but they soon found out their mistake, and that he was a match for them. But, my dear parents, it is not over yet. They are going to meet one morning by coming home from work at one of the collieries. Dear Parents, Lacey has not done anything to them. We don't see them personally once a week. We want to live away from them. They are jealous of us because we are living more happy than they. Why they are so I don't know. I don't know why they want to part us. Dear, dear parents, if anything does turn up I will come home, but I hope not to be under any obligation to other people. But, dear parents, I will lose a good husband when he is gone. I have no more to say at present. You shall hear more in the next letter. We remain, you loving daughter and son, Pauline and Will Lacey. Good-bye, and God bless you all. My sister is coming down in a fortnight. She is going to tell plenty of 'clecks', but it is all lies to put you against Lacey'. It was also noted that William Lacey had not had counsel in court that understood his peculiar difficulties and characteristics. An ex-missionary under the Jamaica Baptist Missionary Society that visited William Lacey at Cardiff Gaol after his conviction said that William Lacey was like all negroes, from Jamaica more especially, and was only partially acquainted with the English language and was most diffident in expressing himself in English, being only conversant with the English Creole, which often conveyed an opposite meaning to what English people understood. He added that if William Lacey had been a Frenchman or German that he would have had his counsel in court and if not, one of his own countrymen on the jury, who would be able to interpret his meaning. The ex-missionary stated that William Lacey had had no one present of his own colour or race in either place, and no one to look to but the Secretary of State for the Colonies to see if there was anything that could be done to influence the Home Secretary on his behalf. The ex-missionary then requested a meeting with the Home Secretary to discuss William Lacey's case. However, the Secretary declined the meeting, stating that there was no useful purpose in it as he had no power to interfere with the discretion of the Secretary of State for Home Affairs. It is thought that Barry Terrace was later renamed Barry Road some time before 1915 as maps from that time don’t show a Barry Terrace, but instead a Barry Road.