Samuel James Furnace

Case record: Samuel James Furnace

Background

Samuel James Furnace was a small-time builder who ran his own business and contractor work. He rented a shed to carry out his work. Furnace had serious financial difficulties and had managed to renew his life insurance policy. He had several expensive lady friends despite being married. Spatchett and Furnace were friends, and it was known that Spatchett would have been carrying takings from his rent collections.

The offence

Mr Wynne, of 30 Hawley Crescent, Camden Town, was alarmed to find his garden shed on fire on the evening of Tuesday 3rd January 1933. After the fire brigade put out the blaze, they found the charred body of a man sitting on a high chair in front of the remains of a desk. The body was later identified as Sam Furnace by one of his tenants.

A note was found which said: "Goodbye all. No work. No money. Sam J Furnace."

A coroner examined the body and determined it was neither suicide nor Furnace dealing with himself. There was a bullet hole in the corpse's back. The teeth were those of a man younger than the 42-year-old Furnace. A post-mortem showed the man had been shot twice and had been dead before the fire was started. Examination of the clothes revealed a post office savings book in the name of Walter Spatchett. A local doctor confirmed the identity of the dead man as Spatchett.

Police were dealing with a case of burglary and murder, and Samuel Furnace was the prime suspect. Investigation revealed that Spatchett had vanished with £40 in his pocket the day before the fire. Police revealed the circumstances around Spatchett’s missing money: on the afternoon he went missing, he would have been carrying takings from rent collections, about £35, and his wallet was empty.

Furnace’s in-custody suicide prevented the case from coming to trial.

Investigation

A suspicious coroner, Mr Bentley Purchase, decided to examine the body himself. He determined it was neither suicide or Furnace dealing with. For a start there was a bullet hole in the corpse's back and its teeth were those of a man younger than the 42-year-old Furnace.

Examination of the clothes on the body revealed a post office savings book in the name of Walter Spatchett, and a local doctor confirmed the identity of the dead man. Spatchett was 25-years-old when he had vanished, with £40 in his pocket, the day before the fire.

Police immediately searched the dead man’s clothes and discovered a charred post office book, in the name of W Spatchett, and a wallet, empty except for several scraps of paper, also bearing the same name. Spatchett and Furnace were both missing.

Police brought in Spatchett’s dentist, who quickly confirmed from dental records that the body was his.

The investigation concluded that it was obvious to the police Furnace had murdered Spatchett in an attempt to fake his own death and get hold of the money. Furnace’s business hadn’t been going too well, and Spatchett had been bailing him out.

Arrest

Furnace made the mistake of sending a letter to his brother-in-law, Charles Tuckfield, asking him to bring some clothes and to meet him in Southend. The letter was taken to the police. Shadowed by the police, Furnace kept the appointment with Furnace who was quickly apprehended.

Furnace was taken to Kentish Town police station.

Trial

Furnace was never brought to trial.

Sentencing

No sentence was imposed because Furnace was never brought to trial.

Appeals

No appeal information was provided.

Outcome

A coroner’s jury found Furnace guilty of Spatchett’s murder.

An inquest verdict recorded a verdict of murder against Furnace. The case never came to trial because Furnace killed himself while in custody by drinking hydrochloric acid from a bottle he had smuggled in with him.

Furnace’s stated explanation after apprehension was that Spatchett was in the shed with him, they both did work for the same firm, and Furnace's Webley revolver had accidentally discharged. Thinking that he had killed the man, he decided to escape from his precarious financial position by faking suicide. He set fire to the shed, left a suicide note, and threw the revolver in the Regent's Canal.

Another account of his explanation said that he said he had been cleaning his gun while talking to Spatchett when the gun went off, and he panicked and thought that if he made it look like suicide then no-one would know.

Aftermath

The night after making the statement, Furnace asked for his overcoat to be returned to him. Police checking his cell at 7am saw him raise something to his mouth. The cell was hurriedly unlocked to find Furnace writhing on the floor. He had swallowed hydrochloric acid which had been in a small bottle sewn into the lining of the coat. He died in St. Pancras hospital twenty-four hours later, on Tuesday 18th January 1933.

Furnace’s last words were: "My dear wife".