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mutilated and slain children in one of his castles alonehis total of over
two hundred children thus foully done to death。 I will set you Gilles
against anything that can be brought forward as a monster in cruelty
among women。
Against the hypocrisy of Helene Jegado I will set you the
sanctimonious Dr Pritchard； with the nauseating entry in his diary （quoted
by Mr Roughead） recording the death of the wife he so cruelly murdered：
March 1865； 18； Saturday。 Died here at 1 A。M。 Mary Jane； my
own beloved wife； aged thirty…eight years。 No torment surrounded her
bedside ＇the foul liar！＇but like a calm peaceful lamb of God passed
Minnie away。 May God and Jesus； Holy Ghost； one in three； welcome
Minnie！ Prayer on prayer till mine be o'er； everlasting love。 Save us；
Lord； for Thy dear Son！
Against the mean murders of Flanagan and Higgins I will set you Mr
Seddon and Mr Smith of the ‘‘brides in the bath。''
％ IV
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I am conscious that in arguing against the ‘‘more deadly than the
male'' conception of the woman criminal I am perhaps doing my book no
great service。 It might work for its greater popularity if I argued the
other way； making out that the subjects I have chosen were monsters of
brutality； with arms up to the shoulders in blood； that they were prodigies
of iniquity and cunning； without bowels； steeped in hypocrisy； facinorous
to a degree never surpassed or even equalled by evil men。 It may seem
that； being concerned to strip female crime of the lurid preeminence so
commonly given it； I have contrived beforehand to rob the ensuing pages
of any richer savour they might have had。 But I don't； myself； think so。
If these women； some of them； are not greater monsters than their
male analogues； monsters they still remain。 If they are not； others of
them； greater rogues and cheats than males of like criminal persuasion；
cheats and rogues they are beyond cavil。 The truth of the matter is that I
loathe the use of superlatives in serious works on crime。 I will read； I
promise you； anything decently written in a fictional way about ‘master'
crooks； ‘master' killers； kings； queens； princes； and a whole peerage of
crime； knowing very well that never yet has a ‘master' criminal had any
cleverness but what a novelist gave him。 But in works on crime that
pretend to seriousness I would eschew； pace Mr Leonard R。 Gribble； all
‘queens' and other honorifics in application to the lost men and women
with whom such works must treat。 There is no romance in crime。
Romance is life gilded； life idealized。 Crime is never anything but a
sordid business； demonstrably poor in reward to its practitioners。
But； sordid or not； crime has its human interest。 Its practitioners are
still part of life； human beings； different from law…abiding humanity by
God…alone…knows…what freak of heredity or kink in brain convolution。 I
will not ask the reader； as an excuse for my book； to view the criminal
with the thought attributed to John Knox：
‘‘There； but for the Grace of God； goes '' Because the phrase
might as well be used in contemplation of John D。 Rockefeller or
Augustus John or Charlie Chaplin or a man with a wooden leg。 I do not
ask that you should pity these women with whom I have to deal； still less
that you should contemn them。 Something between the two will serve。
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SHE STANDS ACCUSED
I write the book because I am interested in crime myself； and in the hope
that you'll like the reading as much as I like the writing of it。
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SHE STANDS ACCUSED
II。 A FAIR NECK FOR THE
MAIDEN
In her long history there can have been few mornings upon which
Edinburgh had more to offer her burghers in the way of gossip and rumour
than on that of the 1st of July； 1600。 In this ‘gate' and that ‘gate；' as one
may imagine； the douce citizens must have clustered and broke and
clustered； like eddied foam on a spated burn。 By conjecture； as they have
always been a people apt to take to the streets upon small occasion as on
large； it is not unlikely that the news which was to drift into the city some
thirty…five days laternamely； that an attempt on the life of his Sacred
Majesty； the High and Mighty （and Rachitic） Prince； James the Sixth of
Scotland； had been made by the brothers Ruthven in their castle of
Gowrieit is not unlikely that the first buzz of the Gowrie affair caused no
more stir； for the time being at any rate； than the word which had come to
those Edinburgh folk that fine morning of the first day in July。 The
busier of the bodies would trot from knot to knot； anxious to learn and
retail the latest item of fact and fancy regarding the tidings which had set
tongues going since the early hours。 Murder； no less。
If the contemporary juridical records； even what is left of them； be a
criterion； homicide in all its oddly named forms must have been a
commonplace to those couthie lieges of his Slobberiness； King Jamie。 It
is hard to believe that murder； qua murder； could have been of much more
interest to them than the fineness of the weather。 We have it； however； on
reasonable authority； that the murder of the Laird of Warriston did set the
people of ‘‘Auld Reekie'' finely agog。
John Kincaid； of Warriston； was by way of being one of Edinburgh's
notables。 Even at that time his family was considered to be old。 He
derived from the Kincaids of Kincaid； in Stirlingshire； a family then in
possession of large estates in that county and here and there about Lothian。
His own property of Warriston lay on the outskirts of Edinburgh itsel