James B. Watson

Case record

Overview

James B. Watson was an American “bluebeard” who led a life of subterfuge and mystery. He was later sentenced to life in prison on confession of seven counts and died in prison on October 15, 1939.

Background

Watson was christened Charles Gillam. He was born in Paris, Arkansas, sometime in 1870. His father was absent at the time of the event. As a child, he was told of his father’s death, but at the age of nine he discovered the truth that his father had been deserted.

When his mother remarried, she added further confusion by calling her son “Joseph Olden,” after her new stepfather. Man and boy clashed immediately, with cruel punishment prompting “Joseph” to run away from home around age 12.

Watson was described as “a marrying machine,” though the number of his brides and victims remained uncertain. Carl Sifakis, in The Encyclopedia of American Crime, credited Watson with “40-odd marriages” and “at least 25” murders. Watson’s own confession listed 19 wives and seven murder victims. His memory was described as faulty, with the names of two wives completely slipping his mind, while he recalled their anniversaries. Victims listed in his final affidavit spanned only the last two years of his career in lethal matrimony. The narrative also stated that there may have been others murdered and forgotten during 12 years on the road, but their names were not retrievable.

Watson entered the advertising business after settling in St. Louis, but his creative bookkeeping led to criminal indictment around 1912, and he fled into Canada. He adopted the Watson alias that he used for the rest of his life.

The offences

Watson engaged in repeated marriages that ended in killings. His later confession included statements about impulses and lack of violence in some relationships. For example, in summarizing his relationship with Katherine Kruse, he said:

“No violence attempted on her -- had impulse but was able to resist.”

The narrative described multiple killings by drowning and by use of a hammer, a rock, strangulation, and stabbing.

Marriages and killings described in the confession and narrative

• On June 12, 1913, Watson married Katherine Kruse in British Columbia, later deserting her without benefit of a divorce.
• He resisted violence against her, stating he had an impulse but was able to resist.
• He was later said to have married “Mrs. Watts” at Winnipeg in early 1918, and the narrative did not provide an outcome for that marriage.
• In March 1918, Watson married Marie Austin in Calgary, Alberta, then moved to the United States. Marie was bludgeoned with a rock. Her body was weighted down and dumped in a lake near Coeur D’Alene, Idaho.
• Later in 1918, Watson married a Seattle widow, whose name he could not recall. They honeymooned at Spokane, and Watson cut the relationship short by pushing her over a waterfall. He wrote later:

  “There was no controversy,” he wrote later, “just an impulse.”

• Watson married Maude Goldsmith in January 1919 while drifting around Tacoma. He then married Beatrice Andrewartha a month later.
• Beatrice survived until spring, when Watson and Beatrice paid a visit to Lake Washington near Seattle. Watson then felt “something come over me,” compelling him to drown her on the spot.
• Watson picked up two more brides in Vancouver and Sacramento before marrying Elizabeth Prior on March 25, 1919, at Coeur D’Alene, Idaho.
• They were touring near Olympia, Washington, when Watson and Prior began to quarrel. Watson “accidentally” knocked her unconscious and seized the opportunity to finish her off with a hammer.
• Three wives later, in June 1919, Watson married Bertha Goodrich at North Yakima, Washington. They were honeymooning near Seattle when Watson bludgeoned her “on impulse,” dumping her weighted body into a convenient lake.
• In July 1919, Watson was boating with new bride Alice Ludvigson near Port Townsend, Washington, when she “accidentally” fell out of the boat and was drowned in the St. Joe River.
• After at least two more survivors followed Watson to the altar, he married Nina Delaney at El Centro, California, in December 1919.
• A month later, Nina Delaney’s nude body was found outside of town. The narrative stated that she was strangled, her skull crushed, and her breasts and genitals slashed with a knife.

Motive and characterization of the killings as described

Jealousy, rather than homicide, was described as what proved to be Watson’s undoing.

Investigation and arrest

In the spring of 1920, wife nineteen suspected Watson of infidelity and hired a private investigator to check out his background. The detective found a suitcase filled with wedding rings and marriage licenses, concluding Watson was “dealing with no ordinary criminal.”

Watson was arrested on suspicion of bigamy in April. He remained in custody when an unidentified woman’s body was unearthed near Plum Station, Washington. The narrative stated that Watson was afraid the body might be one of his, but it was not.

Watson struck a bargain with the prosecutor and issued a detailed confession on May 7. He accepted a life sentence three days later.

Trial and sentencing

Watson issued a detailed confession on May 7 after striking a bargain with the prosecutor. He accepted a life sentence three days later, on May 10, 1920, on confession of seven counts.

Outcome and status

Watson was confined at San Quentin. He died in prison on October 15, 1939.

Additional biographical and identification details

The narrative included the following identification details: Watson, James B. (1870–1939). It also stated:

• SEX: M
• RACE: W
• TYPE: N
• MOTIVE: PC-domestic
• VICTIMS: 25+ alleged
• MO: Hermaphrodite “Bluebeard” slayer of wives
• DISPOSITION: Life term on confession of seven counts, 1920; died in prison Oct. 15, 1939.