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Section Two The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Wednesday, May 11,1994 9 N ow that Fred West of Gloucester, England, has been charged with killing sundry acquaintances as well as his own daughter and burying burying the bodies in his garden and in the foundations of his home, we are reminded of Reginald Christie, another chap who employed much the same methods. Reg, a veteran of World War I, met and married Ethel Simpson Waddington. The love of his life was a plump, matronly type you wouldn't pick out of a crowd. At the time of their wedding on May 10,1920, both were 22 years old. The happy couple settled in Halifax, England, where Reg obtained employment employment as a postman. He was soon caught stealing postal orders and sentenced to three months in jail. Upon his release, he and Ethel moved to London. For the next 10 years, Reg was convicted of theft several several times. On each occasion, he spent a few months in jail. In 1938, Reg and Ethel moved into 10 Rillington Place, Netting Hill. Number 10 consisted of three flats. The Christies lived on the ground floor. The flat directly directly above them was occupied by a blind old man named Kitchener, while the top flat was vacant. Behind the building was a small garden. Reg joined the War Reserve Police, wore à crisp official uniform and cut a dashing figure. When World War II broke out, Reg assumed an Air Raid Warden's duties. Overnight he was transformed from a man with a dead-end job to an efficient member of that staunch group helping to defend their tight little island. Reg, in his uniform, was a happy man. In 1942, Reg met 21-year-old Ruth Fuerst, a native of Austria who worked in a munitions factory. Ruth lived at 41 Oxford Gardens in the. same neighborhood neighborhood as the Christies. In August, 1943, Ruth called at 10 Rillington Place. Ethel vvas away visiting relatives in Sheffield. While he was having intercourse with Ruth in the bedroom, Reg strangled her ,vith a piece of rope. Later, he related, "I ook her from the bedroom into the front 'oom and put her under the floorboards. ' had to do that because of my wife coning coning back." Next day, Reg transferred luth's body to a grave he had dug in the garden. In September, Ruth was reported reported missing. No one paid much attention o the fate of an Austrian girl in war-torn England. In December, 1943, Reg left his job with he War Reserve Police and was hired .on it the Ultra Radio Works. One day, while mating lunch in the company canteen, he net 31-year-old Muriel Amelia Eady. leg invited Muriel and her boyfriend iver to his home for tea with him and his vife. A friendship developed. One day, Juriel mentioned to Reg that she suf- ered from catarrh. Reg had just the icket. He told Muriel he had developed ,n inhaling device that would fix her up n no time. Ethel was visiting those relatives in Iheffield the day Muriel knocked on the !oor of 10 Rillington Place inquiring if ind Mr. Christie would let her inhale ome of his cure. Reg's miracle device onsisted of a glass jar with a metal crewtop which had two holes. The jar ontained Friar's Balsam. A rubber tube ?d from one of the holes, so that Muriel ould breathe from the other end and lhale the Friar's Balsam. Unknown to er, another lube led directly from the as stove into the second hole in the jar. luriel was almost immediately ren- ered unconscious, Reg carried her into îe bedroom and had intercourse with le unconscious woman as he strangled er. That night, he buried Muriel in the arden. The war ended. Reg changed jobs. Life antinued for the Christies in its monoto- ous way until 1948 when Timothy Evans Illlpll ^ ♦.**I»M' had bodies floorboards stacked in an alcove, buried in his garden. and his wife Beryl moved into the vacant upper flat. Beryl was an attractive 19- year-old who was three months pregnant. pregnant. The not too bright Timothy, 24, made his living driving a lorry. Six months after moving in, Beryl gave birth to daughter Geraldine. The Evans' quarters quarters were cramped, money was scarce and Tim loved to spend evenings at the local pub. The young couple quarrelled incessantly, incessantly, particularly when Beryl found herself pregnant again. By now, the young couple and the Christies were good friends. When Beryl mentioned her unwanted pregnancy, Reg said he was able to perform abortions and offered his services. Over her husband's husband's objections, Beryl agreed to have Reg perform the operation. With Tim at work and Ethel out of the house, Reg visited visited Beryl, At some point during the bogus operation, Reg struck her several blows to the head and strangled her with his rope. He then had intercourse with the body. When Tim came home from work, Reg told him Beryl had died during the operation. operation. He was in a bit of a pickle for trying to do Beryl a favor and asked for Tim's co-operation. He planned to dispose of Beryl's body. Poor Tim, confused and stunned at his wife's death, put his trust in Reg. Together they carried Beryl down to the middle flat left vacant when Mr. Kitchener was confined to hospital. Tim asked his older friend what he planned to do with the body. Reg replied, "I'll dispose of it down one of the drains." Next day, Reg told Tim he would arrange to find a home for Geraldine. Tim accepted the idea and went to work. That evening, when Tim arrived home, Reg told him he had found a nice couple who would adopt the baby. In the morning, morning, Tim fed his daughter and left her in Reg's care. Reg strangled the child with a necktie and placed the body beside Beryl's in Mr. Kitchener's flat. The following following day, Reg hid both bodies in a wash house then undergoing repairs. Meanwhile, Tim had been fired from his job as a lorry driver and took off to visit his uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Lynch, in Merthyr Vale, Wales. To account for the absence of his wife and • baby, he told the Lynches they were vacationing in Brighton. Tim was lonesome for his daughter. Christmas was only a month away. He decided to visit Geraldine in London. On Nov. 23, he called on Reg, who told him the child was happy with her new parents parents and it was too early to set up a visit. Disappointed, Tim returned to Merthyr Vale, but he couldn't quite accept that he was unable to see his daughter. Besides, the Lynches had found out that Beryl wasn't vacationing in Brighton and accused him of lying. Tim decided to go to the police. He walked into the Merthyr Vale police station and told the officer on duty, "I want to give myself up. I have disposed of my wife, put her down the drain." Tim went on to give a long incriminating incriminating story to police. They contacted London police, who opened the manhole lid in front of 10 Rillington Place. It took three men to remove the lid. The drain was empty. Tim was amazed at this turn of events. After all, Reg had told him he would dispose of the body down the drain. So convincing was Tim that police were again dispatched to Rillington Place to conduct a complete search. This time they found the bodies of Beryl and Geraldine Evans under some boards in the wash house. When told of the discovery discovery of the bodies, Tim gave a detailed confession of how he had killed them both. Only after conferring with his lawyers lawyers did he change his story: He swore Reg was the murderer. On Jan. 11,1950, Timothy Evans stood trial for the murder of his daughter in London's Old Bailey. Reg Christie, who had two women buried in his garden at the time, was the chief witness for the prosecution. Tim was found guilty and sentenced to death. On March 9,1950, he was hanged. Reg Christie returned to his home with wife Ethel. Two years passed. Ethel started to get on Reg's nerves. On the morning of Dec. 14,1952, Reg strangled her with a stocking as she lay beside him in bed. He hid her body under loose floorboards floorboards in the front room. He told friends his wife was visiting relatives in Sheffield. Christmas and New Year's of 1952 came and went. Reg was again overtaken overtaken by his homicidal urges. In January he met prostitute Kathleen Maloney in the Westminster Arms. Reg used his infernal gas machine to render Kathleen unconscious unconscious before having intercourse with her and strangling her. He placed Kathleen's body upside down in an alcove. A few days later, another prostitute, Rita Nelson, met the same fate. About a month later, Hectorina Maclennan was killed and placed in the alcove. Reg papered over the alcove and left 10 Rillington Place forever. The owner of the building gave permission permission to Beresford Brown to use the kitchen kitchen of the vacant Christie flat. One day Beresford decided to put up a shelf over the area papered by Christie. It sounded hollow. Beresford tore away a piece of the wallpaper and gazed, horrified, upon three bodies. Scotland Yard descended on 10 Rillington Place. Just as in the current Fred West case in Gloucester, bodies were uncovered in the house and garden. Reg was picked up walking the streets of fogbound London. In custody, he confessed confessed to all the murders, except the slaying of little Geraldine Evans. On July 15,1953, Reg Christie was hanged for his crimes. It took until January of 1966 before Timothy Evans was granted a posthumous free pardon by the Queen of England.