A TRAGDY IN MOTHERWELL
MOTHERWELL TRAGEDY
At about 6.30pm on Wednesday the 24th of February 1904, the Manager of Love’s Market at 111 Brandon Street, Motherwell, was working in the premises on his own, clearing up after a day’s business.
As he was working away, he heard two loud noises which sounded similar to gunshots. He made his way outside but could not see any commotion in the street. He then noticed that the blinds were drawn at the premises next door, Clunes Jewellers, 109 Brandon Street. This was unusual as the blinds usually remained open until the owners secured the shop.
He tried the door handle, but the door was locked. At this pint Mrs. Clunes, the owner of the shop made an appearance from across the street. She had been heading to the shop to meet her son, a watchmaker. The shop manager told Mrs. Clunes what he had heard and she immediately became agitated.
Both made their way to the rear of the shop, again this door was locked. The shop manager said that he would fetch Dr McDonald, who lived nearby at Hawthorn Cottage. Dr McDonald was well acquainted with the Clunes family.
On the arrival of the Doctor, it was decided to force entry. They found a wheelbarrow in the yard next to the Jewellers. Using this as a battering ram, they forced the door open. The lights were on and all three walked inside.
They were all in shock as the walked past the partition separating the rear of the shop from the public area. Behind the partition lay George Clunes with an injury to his chest. Lying across the serving counter was Brownlow North Laing with a severe injury to the rear of his head.
Mrs Clunes collapsed and was taken to the rear of the shop and placed on a seat. Dr McDonald examined the bodies and observed that Clunes had a gunshot wound to his chest and Laing a gunshot wound to the rear of his head. Both were dead.
Everyone then left the shop and the shop manager form Love’s ran to the High Road Police Station. He informed officers of their discovery. Several officers, led by Superintendent Alexander Moir, attended at the shop.
By this time, a large crowd of curious on-lookers had gathered to watch the events unfold.
Superintendent Moir established that other than the door being forced no-one had disturbed anything within the premises. He also established that all points of entry and exit had been secure when the witnesses tried to enter the shop.
He then examined the front and rear doors. Both had been bolted from the inside. Lying next to Clunes was a six-chamber revolver with two empty chambers. These discoveries indicated that whatever had happened had only involved the two dead men within the shop.
So, who were the men?
The first was George Clunes, the son of the owner. He was 25 years of age, born in Airdrie and worked as a watchmaker on the premises. He trained as a watchmaker in Greenock, returning home after his father died. He lived in Orchard Street, Motherwell.
The second was Brownlow North Laing aged 32 years, an employee of Mrs Clunes, also a watchmaker. He originally came from Forres and at the time of his death, boarded at 37 Melville Drive, Motherwell.
A further examination revealed some personal correspondence on the counter beside Laing. One of the letters was to his brother, alluding to the fact that Mrs Clunes was to retire and pass the business to her son, George.
Laing mentioned in the letter that he was not too happy with the situation or indeed working for George Clunes. He wrote that he intended opening his own business as tensions had arisen between him and George Clunes since he had made this known.
Superintendent Moir investigated the content of the letter and did establish that Laing intended to set up his own business. Mrs Clunes said that there had been several heated arguments between the two regarding this.
Superintendent Moir concluded that George Clunes had become so incensed that he had become unstable resulting in him murdering Laing by shooting him through the back of the head and then turning the revolver on himself, shooting through his heart.
A truly tragic set of circumstances that could and should have been settled by other means.
The family of Barlow Laing erected a memorial to him, which stands at his grave in Cluny Hill Cemetery in Forres. It was erected on the 11th of April 1905.
Superintendent Alexander Moir
SUPERINTENDENT ALEXANDER MOIR
LANARKSHIRE CONSTABULARY – 1879 to 1914
Alexander was born in March 1854 at Maryton in Angus. His father was a Farm labourer. Alexander was educated in the local area and leaving school he worked on a farm at Menmuir in Forfarshire.
In 1873 he married Jessie Calder a local girl from Menmuir. They settled on the farm and shortly after started their family. They later moved to Ardoch of Gallery Farm at Logie Pert in Forfarshire, where Alexander was a Ploughman.
In October 1879, at the age of 25, he travelled south and joined Lanarkshire Constabulary. After a short spell at the training deport at Motherwell Police Station he was posted to Hillhead. He and his family lived at No 3 Otago Street.
From there he was posted to Possilpark and when he reached the position of Senior Constable, he was posted to the Cadder Works. All these postings were in the Lower Ward of Lanarkshire.
Following a short period as Works Constable he was sent to Chryston as the Senior Constable in Charge of the area.
In 1891 he was promoted Sergeant at Bellshill, where he had quite a turbulent time! He had only been there a few weeks when he was called to assist with the ‘Railway Riots’ at Motherwell. These were violent riots because of the railway workers strike. The police officers were billeted in the engine sheds for two weeks, to protect the railmen that remained at work.
The riots were violet, and many police officers and strikers were seriously injured. The military were called from Maryhill Barracks to assist the police and the ‘Riot Act’ was read. It was the first and last time that Alexander heard it read.
In March 1892, two of his Constables attended a disturbance in Mossend. On making to arrest the culprits a large group turned on them, knocking them to the ground and assaulting them. They managed to break free and went for assistance.
Along with Sergeant Moir they returned to the scene of the disturbance. Five of the men involved ran in to a house. The police followed with Sergeant Moir at the front. As he entered the door he was struck on the head with an axe, fortunately the flat side of the axe head. Even though, he was knocked unconscious and lay on the floor.
One of the accused reached to the fire and lifted a red-hot poker from the flames. He ran at Constable Stronach who held up his hand, grabbing the poker and causing severe burns to his hand. He managed to wrestle the poker from the accused, and they fell to the floor in a struggle. Other officers assisted and the man was arrested.
The others in the group resisted the police violently using pokers, tongs, axes and anything else they could lay their hands on. Sergeant Moir struggled to his feet and regained his composure. An almighty battle ensued; however, the police got the upper hand and four of the five were arrested. The other one was later caught nearby.
All five appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court on the 10 of March 1892 and although the Sheriff was condemning of their actions, he only passed sentence of three months hard labour on all five.
In September 1893 Alexander was the officer that arrested William Coubrough, who murdered Sub-Inspector Allan in Bishopbriggs (see post of 4th September 2020). Sergeant Moir was one of the team of officers called in to search for Coubrough. He found him hiding in a barn in the Campsie Hills.
In 1894 Alexander had once again to deal with riots in Bellshill because of a miner’s strike. Fortunately, these were not as serious as the Motherwell incidents.
In January 1895, Alexander was promoted to Inspector and transferred to Motherwell.
There was an increase in the Motherwell Division which resulted in his promotion to 2nd Class Superintendent after four years, in March 1899, remaining at Motherwell. Only two years later he was promoted to 1st Class Superintendent, again remaining at Motherwell.
On Saturday the 10th of March 1906, Detective Gumming, from Hamilton, was involved in enquiries in the Motherwell town centre area. At about 4pm he met, by chance, Superintendent Moir near to the Railway Station on Muir Street, both were in plain clothes.
Whilst standing talking, they saw two stylishly dressed men walking on the other side of the road. Something about the two men seemed out of place and the officers Their suspicions were aroused, and the officers decided to separate and keep their eyes on the strangers.
The two men walked along the street and entered the close at the Crown Buildings in Muir Street, they did not remain long and came out again. They then walked along Muir Street back in the direction of the Railway Station, but turned again heading towards Motherwell Cross, and turning on to Merry Street.
They walked away in quite a purposeful way into the common close at 11 Merry Street next to the chemist shop occupied by Mr Thomas Scott.
Superintendent Moir and Detective Cumming, thinking something was not right, decided to take on action.
Superintendent Moir went into the close by Merry Street and Detective Gumming went round by way of Collins bakers’ entrance in Muir Street, to approach the men from the opposite direction .
As Superintendent Moir entered the close, he found only one of the men there, who appeared to be on the look-out. He could hear noises coming from the stairwell above him and surmised that the other man was up the stairs.
The Superintendent challenged the man, and on hearing this the other came rushing down the stair. The Superintendent seized this man by the collar of his jacket , and by this time, Detective Cumming appeared in the close and he arrested the other.
The two men were walked to the nearby Police Station and searched. They were found to have in their possession an impressive set of housebreaking implements, consisting of no fewer than thirteen skeleton keys and a jemmy.
The keys were of varying sizes, and it was later claimed at court that it could have been possible for them to enter ninety-nine out of every hundred houses in Motherwell with little or no difficulty. An impressive claim, but how this was established is not clear!
They were lodged in the police cells, and further inquiry elicited the information that both men were notorious and professional housebreakers from Glasgow, named James McCudden and John Wilson.
Wilson had no fewer than ten previous convictions of theft and theft by housebreaking, and had undergone terms of imprisonment, including twelve months, eighteen months and one term of five years’ penal servitude.
The other, McCudden, was a ticket-of-leave man (released on licence) and was wanted for failing to report himself to the authorities.
Superintendent Moir also remembered that two weeks previous, two housebreakings were committed the Cross in much the same way as the accused were found when they were arrested. The house at the Crown Buildings in Muir Street and a house in Sneddon’s Buildings Merry Street, had been entered by true or false key. It was suspected that the two prisoners were concerned in these, but it was impossible to charge them with these crimes.
Both men were kept in custody on charges under the Prevention of Crimes Act 1871 Section 7, being known thieves found at the location about to commit or aid in the commission of theft by housebreaking.
On Monday the 12th of March, the pair appeared at the local Police Court and remanded for twenty-four hours to enable the police to make further enquiries. They re-appeared on the morning on Tuesday the 13th before Bailie Kerr at the Police Court.
The charges were read out and McCudden replied promptly in a loud tone, “Guilty, sir,” and Wilson in low tones also indicated that he also was guilty.
The Procurator Fiscal (Mr A. L. Wright) then narrated the circumstances of the arrest of the accused, and to the false keys and the jemmy found in their possession; and these were handed up to the Magistrate for his inspection.
The Procurator Fiscal further remarked that under the Prevention of Crimes Act, the Court had the power to send the accused to prison for a period not exceeding one year, and he saw no reason why the full penalty should not be imposed in this case. Both had a very bad records, Wilson having been convicted ten times, and McCudden three times.
On being asked if they had anything to say, McCudden shook his head. Wilson said that he wished to speak. This being allowed he informed the court that he hoped his honour would make the sentence as lenient as possible on him.
On being liberated from penal servitude he could not manage to get employment anywhere and the prison aid society would do nothing to get him a situation.
Bailie Kerr, in passing sentence, said that all he could say was that the two men, who had had such life of crime as they had, and having had so many previous convictions against them, and with the experience of prison life that they had had, and still having been found on the streets of Motherwell with intent to commit felony, he thought it was his duty to society to see that they were rid of their presence as quickly as possible.
He did not think he would be doing his duty were he to make the sentence any less than one of one year’s imprisonment with hard labour on each.
In conclusion, the Bailie complimented Superintendent Moir and Detective Cumming on the smart and clever way in which they had discovered and apprehended the prisoners. Superintendent Moir thanked the magistrate for his kind words.
This closed the proceedings, and the prisoners were then removed to the cells in the Police Station, and later in the day were taken to Barlinnie Prison.
In January 1908 Alexander was transferred to take charge of the Wishaw Division, due to re-structuring. He was held in high regard by the people of Motherwell and on leaving, was presented with a gold watch, suitably inscribed and a pocketbook with 80 sovereigns. His wife was presented with a gold wristwatch.
Even having reached the rank of Superintendent, at that time the second highest rank in force, he was not one to shy away from work and was regularly involved in the arrest of housebreakers, thieves and other criminals. He appears to have been a man that led from the front, providing great example to other officers.
On the 9th of August 1910, Alexander’s son George, died at home at the age of 29 years. He had been working in India when he became ill and returned home to live with his father. Unfortunately, the illness became serious, resulting in his death.
He remained at Wishaw until his retiral in April 1914, having completed 34 years and 6 months police service.
The First World War brought tragedy to the family with one of his sons was killed whilst serving with the Cameron’s.
Alexander did not retire fully, he obtained a Spirit Merchant licence in 1914 and continued his business at Bardykes Road, Barnhill, Blantyre, living above the premises. He died on the 18th of February 1927 at the age of 72 years.
