The incredible story of a Wimbledon finalist who became a murderer: Son of Irish baron with a 'killer' backhand saw his life spiral out of control after SW19 heartbreak

Daily Mail​

6 hours ago

The front page of French newspaper 'Le Petit Journal' in 1907 illustrated the crime of a former Wimbledon finalist in the most graphic manner possible.
A severed head and legs can be seen poking out of a hat box, while the majority of the remains of a women's body were located in a trunk. Blood was seen pouring out of both.
The front cover also illustrates the three people at the centre what became known as 'The Monte Carlo Trunk Murder'.
At the centre was the victim, a Danish widow named Emma Levin.
Pictured either side were the owners of the hat box and trunk, with Marie Goold shown on the left.
To the right was her husband Vere, who 28 years earlier had been a men's singles finalist at Wimbledon.
Vere Thomas St Leger Goold had been the second son of an Irish aristocrat, with tennis and boxing having been two of his passions at a young age.
His prowess on the court saw him win the first Irish Open back in 1879, before he set sights on the Wimbledon title later that year.
Goold won five matches at the tournament, but was ultimately beaten in straight sets 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 by the Reverend John Hartley in the final. It was one of two Wimbledon titles earned by Hartley in the first four years of the Championships.
It was claimed that Goold had been suffering from a hangover after drinking heavily ahead of the final, where he had been the favourite to triumph.
Reports described Goold as having a 'killer' backhand, while Hartley had described his rival as being a 'cheery wild Irishman' having triumphed in the final.
The statements proved prophetic, with Goold's life said to have descended into a negative spiral following his defeat in the Wimbledon final.
The tournament itself refers to Goold as an 'all-round degenerate', having become an alcoholic, opium addict and slow payer of gambling debts.
After his tennis career falling apart, Goold met his future with Marie Giraudin in 1886. Giraudin had already been widowed twice and ran a loss making dressmaking company.
The couple married four years later and were claimed to have then built up substantial debts by visiting London's finest restaurants, before briefly emigrating to Canada. When they eventually returned to London in 1903, they began introducing themselves at Sir and Lady.
Marie was then said to have convinced her husband to move to Monte Carlo, suggesting she had devised a scheme to outsmart the various casinos. The couple, instead, wracked up major debts and turned to their eventual murder victim for assistance.
Danish widower Emma Levin was said to have been taken in by their social standing and lent the Goolds around £40 in 1907 - close to £6,000 in the present day.
Levin later sought out the couple as she prepared to leave Monte Carlo, with a bloody argument said to have ensued.
Police would later arrive, looking for Levin, only to discover blood stains on the wall and ceiling. A dagger and butcher's knife were found at the scene of the crime.
The Goolds themselves had fled to Marseille and left instructions for a Marie's hat box and a trunk to be sent on to London, which they expected would be their final destination.
A porter, however, noted blood was leaking out and informed the police. Levin's head and body were discovered when they were opened, while her intestines were later found hanging from an iron stake along the Cote d'Azur near Monte Carlo.
The Goolds, who had initially claimed the bags contained dead chickens, were ultimately arrested at Marseille train station.
Following a trial that generated international headlines, the couple were convicted of murdering Levin.
Marie Goold was initially sentenced to death by guillotine, after the prosecution argued claimed she had instigated the murder. Her sentence was later changed to life imprisonment and she died in prison of typhoid fever in 1914.
Vere was sentenced to life in prison on the notorious Devil's Island in French Guiana.
The former Wimbledon finalist died by suicide at the age of 55 in 1909, just two years after being convicted for the gruesome murder.
Vere was said to have suffered from nightmares while on the island as he battled withdrawal from both alcohol and opium.