Thomas Weldon Atherstone

Thomas Weldon Anderson (1862 – 16 July 1910), also known as Thomas Weldon Atherstone, was an English music hall star and victim of an unsolved murder. His body was found in an empty London apartment on 16 July 1910.[1]

Career

Atherstone was born Thomas Weldon Anderson in Liverpool in 1862.[2] He was a classically trained actor who became prominent in music halls during the early 1880s and 1890s, although by the turn of the century his presence in vaudeville had been considerably reduced with the exception of occasional performances, such as poetry readings. Although married with four children, he began living with actress Elizabeth Earle at an apartment in London's Battersea district around 1899.

While Atherstone's career continued declining over the next decade, Earle soon retired from the music hall and turned to teaching. He and Earle began arguing regarding his accusations of Earle carrying on an affair as well as his resentment towards her success as a professional schoolteacher. Earle threw him out and sent him to live with his two sons Frederick and William.

Murder

However, Earle then began a relationship with the son Frederick despite protests from Atherstone. While Frederick was visiting Earle to view a painting she had recently finished, they heard gunshots from next door. Entering the apartment, which connected to Earle's though a garden, the two investigated the darkened apartment to find the body of a man who had been violently shot to death. After calling for the police, it was discovered to be the body of Atherstone.

Although an investigation found several witnesses who claimed to have seen a man jumping over a back wall fleeing the scene, police believed Atherstone had been spying on the two when he encountered a burglar who shot him and fled the scene. However, the murder remains unsolved.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "The Battersea Flat Murder. Evidence At The Inquest". The Times. 25 July 1910. pp. 4, Issue 39333, col B. ...resumed the inquest on the body of Thomas Weldon Anderson, aged 47, an actor, who was found shot at a back of a flat...on the night of Saturday, July 16.
  2. ↑ 1901 England Census
  3. ↑ "The Battersea Flat Murder. An Open Verdict". The Times. 19 September 1910. pp. 3, Issue 39381, col A. The jury at once returned a verdict of "Wilful murder against some man unknown"

Further reading

  • Whittington-Egan, Richard. Mr Atherstone Leaves the Stage... The Battersea Murder Mystery: A Twisting and Tragic Tale of Love, Jealousy and Violence in the age of Vaudeville London: Amberley Publishing, 2015.
  • Macnaghten, Sir Melville Leslie. Days of My Years. London: Edward Arnold, 1914.
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