Edward Johnstone – “The Saline Murder”.

 Edward Johnstone – “The Saline Murder”.

Edward Johnstone – “The Saline Murder”.

In June 1908, 32 year old Edward Johnstone (also given as Johnston), a miner and his girlfriend 25 year old Jane Wallace Withers were living together as lodgers in the home of Frank and Mary Christie at Saline near Dunfermline in Scotland.

Jane had suffered various bouts of physical violence at the hands of Johnstone, particularly when he had been drinking.  He had served a term in prison, from which he had been released in the Spring of 1908 and after this Jane became increasingly concerned for her safety.

On Saturday the 6th of June Johnstone had been drinking heavily and awoke the next morning still very much the worse for it.  On the Sunday morning Jane was helping Mary with the housework when Johnstone entered the kitchen and without a word cut Jane’s throat with a razor.  Frank Christie tried to help her but she died in his arms.  The apparent motive for the crime was jealousy because another miner had kissed Jane.

Some neighbours who had heard Mary’s cries chased after Johnstone catching up with him in a nearby wood.  They told him that he had killed Jane, to which he replied “Thank God”.

Johnstone was tried at Perth on the 23rd of June 1908 before Lord Justice Ardwall.  The prosecution case was overwhelming.  Bizarrely the jury made a recommendation to mercy.

The gallows was erected in the prison store, a building situated near the east wall of the prison.  It had been constructed by a local joiner but the trapdoors, release mechanism and lever had been borrowed from Glasgow Corporation (presumably those used at Duke Street prison).

He was executed by John Ellis and William Willis at 8.00 a.m. on Wednesday the 19th of August 1908.  Newspaper reporters were permitted to witness the hanging.

The prison bell began to toll at 7.45 a.m. and there were a large number of spectators outside the prison in Edinburgh Road.  Johnstone was ministered to by the chaplain, the Rev. Walter Lee. 

It was reported that Edward Johnstone looked deathly pale but walked steadily to the gallows and was given a drop of 7’ 4”.  Death was instantaneous.  The black flag was flown a few minutes after 8 a.m.  (see newspaper picture). Dr. M’Naughton, the prison surgeon and Dr. Lyell certified that death had been instantaneous.

John Ellis and William Willis with Chief Constable Garrow were driven in a police car to Bridge of Earn railway station for their journeys south, to avoid the crowd that had gathered at Perth General Station to see them leave. 

A formal inquest was held at noon before Sheriff Sym and afterwards Johnstone’s body was buried within the prison in a coffin with quicklime added.

He became the first of three men to hang at Perth in the 20th century.  The other two were Alexander Edmundstone in 1909 and Stanislaw Miszka in 1948.