The Eastbourne tragedy - the story of sisters in love and an insidious polygamist (6 photos)

If a young romantic maiden dreams of great love, then no one can stop her. Moreover, the object of passion is a gallant officer, ready for anything. For everything for yourself and achieving your goals, of course, and not satisfying the interests of your chosen one.





This story began on the Isle of Wight in 1908, and its consequences excited the public for a long time. A guest, a new acquaintance, officer Robert Hicks Murray, arrived at the house of a local resident, wealthy railway official James Peyler. The owner's daughters, Florence and Edith, who were 20 and 17 years old, were fascinated by the stories of a courteous man with perfect bearing.



Isle of Wight

But neither James nor the girls suspected that the stories about distant countries and heroic adventures were lies from the first to the last word. And the guest's name is fictitious.

The elder sister was the first to give in. But the lover reassured the girl, promising to marry. Since the father was categorically against the party in the person of the rootless military man, the ceremony had to be held secretly. Robert promised that when the baby was born and they showed the baby to his grandfather, he would soften. And the couple will begin to live openly. For the sake of the family, the girl went to study, but in reality settled in a London apartment that Murray rented.

Following Florence, Edith also could not resist the seducer’s charms. The man confessed his feelings to his younger sister and proposed marriage. The happy bride, of course, invited her sister to the wedding. Who by that time was already expecting her second child and presented the expected claims to her husband. To avoid a scandal right at the ceremony, Murray threatened Florence. Surprisingly, she, in order to avoid shame and exposure of the secret marriage, agreed not only to remain silent, but also to share her husband with her sister.

Love on a schedule



Amazingly, the swindler managed to live peacefully with two women for some time. From Monday to Wednesday on one side, from Thursday to Saturday on the other, and Sunday was a legal day off from family life. The man explained his absence by service matters.

Between 1908 and 1911, the wives gave birth to children for the swindler. The older sister has a son and daughter, the younger sister has a daughter. But then a more promising object for love loomed on the horizon of a bored Murray - the daughter of a wealthy merchant. After repeated attempts, the girl's father agreed to the marriage.

But something had to be done with the “old” families: the wives were no longer so young and beautiful, the children were annoying with their whims. And a young bride with an excellent dowry also promised a substantial inheritance in the future. Murray decided to get rid of his sisters and his own children...

The horror of the "blue room"



Eastbourne

The attacker announced to both women that he had prepared a surprise - a pleasant holiday in a specially rented cottage in the resort town of Eastbourne. On August 17, 1912, Murray transported his younger sister and child there and dealt with both in cold blood. The bodies were locked in the “blue room” - a room whose interior was kept in one color.



On the evening of the same day, the criminal brought Florence and the kids to the cottage. For a couple of days, complete idyll reigned in the house. True, Murray forbade the family from entering the “blue room,” the door of which was locked with a key. A family vacation took place next to the bodies of a woman and child...

Then the maniac shot Florence in cold blood and killed the children. But he miscalculated the trajectory, and the woman survived after being wounded in the neck. She managed to get out into the street and call for help.

Unfulfilled plans and ruined lives



The police arriving at the crime scene saw a glow. Murray realized that his plans were not destined to come true when he discovered Florence's disappearance. He dragged all the bodies into a pile, set them on fire and shot himself, leaving a suicide note admitting complete financial collapse, because of which he decided to get rid of everyone who depended on him, and asking for forgiveness.

During the investigation, it turned out that Murray, who, of course, was not Murray, was not the first time to resort to such a scheme. And before the Eastbourne tragedy, the nameless killer was responsible for at least seven more women.

The bigamist maniac took his secret identity and other dark secrets with him to hell.