The Murder Of William Terriss, A Victorian Tragedy.

 

The victim.

William Charles James Lewin was born in St. John's Wood on the 20th February 1847. His parents were George Herbert Lewin and Mary Lewin nee Friend, his father's profession was a barrister.

Always the athlete and adventurer after school and university Lewin first tried his hand at a career in the Merchant Navy, then as a tea planter in Bengal, before returning to England to briefly work in a hospital where his brother was a surgeon, only to move on and become an apprentice engineer.

Having a keen interest in amateur dramatics Lewin wanted to take to the stage as a profession, and in 1868 he got his first chance at the Prince Of Wales Theatre in Birmingham as Chouser in The Flying Scud, at this point he started using the stage name William Terriss.

Terriss married Isabel Lewis in 1870 and in 1871 they had a daughter, Mary Ellaline, she would go on to be a famous actress in her own right. Even with acting roles coming in his restless spirit was not satisfied, and off the family went to South America and on to the Falkland Islands, where Terriss added sheep farming to his skills.

Returning to England, and the stage, Terriss played roles in various plays such as Ivanhoe, Robin Hood and Rebecca in the West End, but it was a different west that beckoned. Wandering off again, this time to the USA, the Terriss family ended up in Kentucky breeding horses. This was a failure, back in England in 1873 Terriss pick up where he left off and was treading the boards again with gusto, playing choice roles all over the West End.

Irving, Terriss and Terry in Henry The Eighth 1892

In 1880 Terris (sometimes known as Breezy Bill) entered the orbit of the great Henry Irving and his Lyceum company. Irving's Lyceum was the height of Victorian Shakespearian performance and melodrama. Playing alongside other famous actors such as Ellen Terry, Genevieve Ward and Gordon Craig, he would become close friends with Irving, his erstwhile secretary Bram Stoker, and George Bernard Shaw.

It was while he was at the Lyceum that Terriss met the 24 year old actress Jessie Millward. The pair would often be cast as lovers on stage, and soon of it too. They would both enjoy roles at the Lyceum and at the Adelphi, as the Lyceum was the place to see  Shakespeare, the Adelphi was the home of melodrama.

The Lyceum company toured America in 1893 - 1894, on their return Terriss joined the Adelphi company, where he enjoyed even greater success. By 1897 Terriss was recognised as one of the great actors of his age, alongside Henry Irving. On the 24th November the Adelphi began it's season of the play Secret Service, in which Terriss would play Lewis Dumont, and Jessie Millward played Edith Varney.

William Terriss and Jessie Millward

The Murderer.

Richard Millar Archer was born in near Dundee, Scotland, on the 11th May 1858. His father was a ploughman and his mother worked in the fields, he claimed his insanity stemmed from his being left in the sun too much while his mother worked.

Richard Archer Prince

Leaving school at 14 Archer started work in the shipyards, but he had a keen interest in amatuer dramatics. In the mid 1870s his parents moved to London, where he joined them keeping up his acting interests. In 1887, he was a jobbing actor playing small roles in various theatres, including the Adelphi, under the names William Archer Flint and the name he was infamously known as, Richard Archer Prince.

By the early 1890s Prince was a well known character in theatreland, he and Terriss were well known to each other. Terriss often got Prince work and helped him out when he was down on his luck. 

Unfortunately during the mid 1890s Prince's luck was mostly bad, he was getting more dependent on alcohol, which certainly did not help his mental state. His life became more erratic and unstable, people began to call him "Mad Archer". It was during this time that Prince was appearing with Terriss in The Harbour Lights, at some point Terriss was angered at something Prince has said about him, and Terriss had Prince dismissed.

Between 1895 and 1897 Prince went back to Dundee now and then to do labouring jobs, when he was back in London Prince would receive small payments from the Actor's Benevolent Fund, these small payments came from Terriss who would also try and find him acting work.

By 1897 Prince was destitute, his alcohol addiction and his failing mental health made him unemployable. On the 13th December Prince was thrown out of the Vaudeville Theatre after using a free pass he was not entitled to. The next night he was seen arguing with Terriss at the Adelphi, Prince was convinced Terriss was stopping him getting work and achieving any success.

A Murder Most Foul.

IPN, 25 December 1897

16th December 1897.

Earlier that day Prince had been to the Actor's Benevolent Fund asking for money, but he had been turned down. His desperation was reaching boiling point, with the little money he had, he bought a butcher's knife.

At 7pm Terriss and his friend Henry Graves pulled up in a carriage on Maiden Lane, just beside the back entrance to the Adelphi theatre. As they walked over to the door Prince rushed out of the doorway he had concealed himself in. 

In his hand was the butcher's knife, which he plunged into Terriss's back, side and chest.

Prince made no effort to escape from the ghastly scene, he was quickly held by passers by and Mr Graves. P.C Bragg, who was on point duty in the Strand, heard the commotion with cries of "murder" and "police" coming from the vicinity of Maiden Lane, and went to investigate. On arrival he saw Prince being restrained by several people, and eventually the body of William Terriss.

Graves apprehends Prince

Doctors were called from Charing Cross hospital, but it was too late, Terriss was pronounced dead just before 8pm.

P.C Bragg, Graves and Prince then walked to Bow Street Station where Prince was booked into custody and his knife was placed into evidence.

The Trial.

The trial was on the 13th January 1898, at the Central Criminal Court.

The Times 14th January 1898.

"Richard Archer Prince, actor, was indicted for the wilful murder of Mr. William Charles James Lewin, otherwise William Terriss. Mr. C. F. Gill and Mr. Horace Avory were counsel for the Crown; Mr. Sands and Mr. Kyd appeared for the prisoner; Mr. Frank Safford watched the case on behalf of the Actors' Benevolent Fund, and Dr. J. D. A. Johnson for other persons.

In reply to the charge, which was read to him by Mr. Mead, the Deputy Clerk of Arraigns, who asked if he pleaded "Guilty" or "Not Guilty," the prisoner said, "Guilty, with great provocation." (Addressing the Judge.) I have a favour to ask you my Lord. I believe it is the law of England to allow me the services of a Queen's Counsel to defend me.

Mr. Sands, interposing, said he was instructed with Mr. Kyd to defend in the matter on instructions coming from friends of the prisoner.

The prisoner - I have no friends. My mother cannot afford a penny to defend me. If counsel are assisting in defending me they must be paid by the people who drove me to commit this crime.

Mr. Justice Channell - You are not entitled by the law to have the services of a Queen's Counsel. On the contrary, if you desire a Queen's Counsel he would have to get a licence to appear for you. You are entitled to be defended by counsel, or to defend yourself.

The prisoner - Thank you, my Lord.

Mr. Justice Channell - Assuming that you are in a position to decide which you will do, you have that choice.

The prisoner - Thank you, my Lord; that will do.

He agreed to be defended by the learned counsel who appeared. In reply to the Clerk of Arraigns as to his plea of "Guilty" or "Not Guilty," the prisoner said, I plead "Guilty, with the greatest provocation."

Mr. Justice Channell - had you not better take the advice of your counsel? You are making a plea unknown to the law. If you insist on pleading "Guilty, with great provocation," I shall consider it as a plea for mercy.

After a consultation with his counsel, the prisoner said, my Lord, I am advised to plead "Not Guilty," and I plead "Not Guilty."

On the cause of death;

The knife Prince used to kill Terriss

Mr. Hayward, senior house surgeon at Charing-cross Hospital, gave evidence as to being called to attend Mr. Terriss on the evening of 16th December. Mr. Terriss was then sinking very fast, and death took place at a few minutes to 8 o'clock. Mr. Terriss was semi-conscious and did not speak. 

Witness afterwards made a post-mortem and found four wounds, one over the spine, one over the left shoulder, a slight superficial wound in the wrist, and the fourth wound, which was the immediate cause of death, was in the chest, penetrating the heart. It must have been caused by very great force. It was such a wound as could have been inflicted with the knife produced."

The trial was an open and shut case, he was obviously guilty, what was really in question was the state of Prince's mind at the time of the murder, was he sane? The trial summed up thus; 

"Mr. Justice Channell -  in summing up the case to the jury, said the question was whether the prisoner was responsible according to law for the act. The crime was of a startling character.

The victim of it was a gentleman well known to a great many personally and to a great many by reputation. The jury must decide the case, not from any preconceived opinion, but entirely by the evidence which had been laid before them. 

If it appeared to them that the prisoner committed the act charged, but was insane, so as not to he responsible for his actions, they must return a special verdict to that effect. There was no doubt that the prisoner committed the act, and there was also evidence that it was premeditated; but premeditation did not prevent a man's being so insane as to be irresponsible at law. 

The whole point was - what was it that made a person responsible or irresponsible at law for crime. The learned judge then referred to the well-known rule of law laid down on the subject in Macnaghten's case (1) by the House of Lords and said it, was clear, according to law, that a person might be insane to a certain extent, and still be responsible. 

Some insane persons were amenable to consideration of punishment and to considerations which showed that, although they had a certain amount of partial insanity, they still could judge an act and, to a certain extent, regulate their conduct. 

Therefore it was that the law had said that the mere fact of insanity was not enough to make a person irresponsible according to law, but what was required to make a person irresponsible was that he must be shown to be, at the time of the committing of the act, labouring under such a defect of reason, from disease of the mind, as not to know the true or the quality of the act, or if he did know it, that he did not know he was doing wrong. 

Those were the words in which the law was laid down; by the House of Lords. The learned Judge pointed out that there must be some disease of the mind from which the defect of reason arose. Mere moral deficiency which made a person think a thing right when mankind in general and the law said it was wrong would not be insanity which would prevent him from being responsible. 

It must be a disease of the mind which must go the length of preventing him knowing the nature and quality of the act or that it was wrong. Having referred to the evidence and to the testimony of the medical experts, who had expressed the unanimous and undoubted opinion that the prisoner was insane, the learned Judge concluded: by observing that the questions were, first, whether the jury were satisfied that the prisoner committed the act and, secondly, whether it had been made to appear to them that, at the time be committed it, he was not responsible, according to law, by reason of a disease of the mind.

The jury at 25 minutes to 7 o'clock retired to consider their verdict, and after an absence of half an hour they returned into Court. In reply to Mr. H. K. Avory, the Clerk of arraigns, who asked if they had agreed upon their verdict and if they found the prisoner guilty or not guilty. The Foreman said, 'We find the prisoner Guilty of, wilful murder. We say that he knew what he was doing and to whom he was doing it, but, on the medical evidence, that he was not responsible for his actions. 

Mr. Avory (to the jury). You say that he was insane so as not to be responsible at law for his actions at the time he committed the act?

The Foreman - On the medical evidence, yes.

Mr. Justice Channell said upon that the order of the Court was that the prisoner be detained as a criminal lunatic at Holloway until Her Majesty's pleasure be known. 

The prisoner -  Shall I not be allowed to make a statement of thanks to the Court? I should like to thank all the gentlemen who have assisted in the case.

The prisoner was then removed from the dock."

Prince was removed from Holloway to Broadmoor Asylum, he would be a resident there until his death on the 25th January 1937, aged 78.

His sentence was seen as mild by many, an angry Henry Irving said "Terriss was an actor so his murderer will not be executed."

Madam Tussauds waxwork museum was very quick to modernise their exhibit of William Terriss, by adding a waxwork effigy of Richard Arthur Prince to his tableau.

William Terriss was buried at Brompton Cemetery on the 21st December 1897, a plaque marking the site of the murder was placed on the wall in Maiden Lane next to the stage door of the Adelphi Theatre.

The ghost.

It wouldn't be a Victorian melodrama without a ghost to go with the tragedy. 

The spectral presence of William Terriss has been seen in Covent Garden underground station, even though that station wasn't built at the time of his death, it wouldn't be completed for another ten years. But it was the site of a bakery that he allegedly patronised. 

Maiden Lane, the stage door is in the middle of the large white building

Also in the Adelphi itself, the spirit of Terriss is blamed for various ghostly sightings. In 2022 comedian Jason Manford recorded an interview for the BBC on an experience he had at the theatre in 2012. On a video call to his daughters one of them said she could see a man dressed as a soldier crying behind him, he was in a dressing room positioned above the stage door on Maiden Lane...........

Jason Manford Interview

1. Macnaghten assassinated English civil servant Edward Drummond, mistaking him for the Prime Minister, while suffering from paranoid delusions. The jury retiring, duly returned a verdict of not guilty on the grounds of insanity.