The murderous tennis player

Vere Thomas Goold, better known as “St. Leger,” was not only a brilliant tennis player, but also a treacherous murderer. Goold was born on October 2, 1853, in Clonmel, the sixth of seven children of George Ignatius Goold, a justice of the peace and magistrate of Waterford, and his wife Clara, daughter of Major General James Webber-Smith. Goold grew up in a wealthy and respected family, studied at Trinity College, and later enjoyed a meteoric career as a high-ranking civil servant. He was appointed secretary of the Municipal Boundaries Commission. Despite his professional commitments, he enjoyed a string of successes as an Irish tennis player on the courts in the second half of the 19th century. He was so successful as a tennis player that he won the first Irish Open. But why did this talented tennis player become a murderer? Perhaps it helps to take a look at Goold’s career and personal life. Thanks to his wealthy family, Goold had the opportunity to try his hand at tennis. At that time, tennis was only for the upper class, where prestige and status were important. Goold was extremely talented and known for his deadly backhand. In 1878, he became a member of the Fitz William Lawn Tennis Club. Not only did he organize club tournaments, he was also involved in founding the first Irish Open, which he won against C.D. Barry in the final. This was an impressive achievement and cemented his place in tennis history. But Goold’s fame was not to last long. Just a few weeks after his triumph on Irish soil, he took part in the legendary Wimbledon Championships, where he reached the final. He faced Pastor John Hartley on July 15, 1879, and suffered a bitter defeat. Although Goold was considered the favorite, he had drunk too much the night before, which cost him the victory. Despite this setback, Goold continued his efforts and competed in other tournaments. However, when he lost his title at the Irish Open in 1880, his star began to fade in the following years. Goold finally ended his tennis career in 1883. After retiring from tennis, Goold fell into a downward spiral marked by alcohol and drug abuse. During this time, he met Marie Giraudin, a twice-widowed French woman who was not only known for her extravagant lifestyle but also suffered from addiction problems herself. On August 22, 1891, the two were married at St. Mary of the Angeles Church in Paddington. The couple took up residence in a furnished villa in London’s posh West End. However, their extravagant lifestyle quickly led to debt, and they were no longer able to pay the rent on the villa. When their landlord insisted on the outstanding rent payments, they sold the villa’s furniture and settled in Montreal, where Marie opened a dressmaking business. The business flourished, but financial difficulties persisted due to Goold’s addiction problems, so in 1903 they moved to Liverpool to run a laundry. The problems that plagued Goold were exacerbated by his relationship with Marie. She seemed to play a decisive role in his future fate. In 1907, she persuaded him to visit the casino in Monte Carlo, as she was convinced she had discovered a profitable method of gambling. Together with her niece Isabelle Giraudin, they set off to try their luck. It was in Monte Carlo that tragedy struck. The Goolds quickly immersed themselves in the gambling scene, but their money soon ran out. While at the casino, they met a wealthy Danish widow named Emma Levin and her companion Madame Castellazi. The widow Emma Levin lent the couple money as well as jewelry. But once again, the couple gambled everything away at the roulette table. On August 4, 1907, during an attempt by Madame Levin to collect an outstanding loan from Goold, the unimaginable happened. The controversy between the Goolds and Emma Levin escalated, and the circumstances leading up to the murder remain unclear to this day. Some reports suggest that Marie Goold was behind the murder, while others portray Goold himself as the main culprit. After Emma Levin arrived at the Goolds’ hotel, a violent argument ensued. The couple knocked Emma Levin down, gagged her, stabbed her to death with a knife, and then dismembered her body to pack it into a suitcase. Shortly afterwards, the couple secretly disappeared to Marseille with the suitcase, leaving Isabelle behind. It didn’t take long for Emma Levin’s loyal companion, Madame Castellazi, to notice her absence and alert the police. The police discovered traces of blood in the Goolds’ suite, as well as several blood-stained objects, including a dagger and a butcher’s knife. Meanwhile, the Goolds quickly came under suspicion at the Marseille train station when station employee Louis Pons noticed not only the foul smell coming from their luggage, but also the blood dripping from it. After the Goolds explained that it was chopped-up chickens they wanted to transport to London, he alerted the police. When they opened the suitcase, they found a corpse cut into over 100 small pieces, which was later identified as the missing Emma Levin. The couple was arrested on the spot. On December 2, 1907, the trial of the Goolds for the joint murder of Emma Levin began. The trial of the Goolds caused a great stir and attracted public attention. Vere Goold eventually confessed to the murder, which complicated his defense strategy. It turned out that Marie Goold was an overpowering personality who more or less took control of the situation during the trial. While Marie was sentenced to death, Goold was sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island in French Guiana. This sentence was tantamount to a death sentence, as the living conditions there were catastrophic. In addition to diseases such as malaria and yellow fever, the island was surrounded by a jungle with dangerous animals and waters infested with sharks. But that was not all, as the prison guards were corrupt and would simply murder prisoners for money. Goold’s wife Marie, on the other hand, had hit the jackpot, as her death sentence by guillotine was commuted to life imprisonment a month later. Marie died of typhus in a prison in Montpellier in 1914. Vere Thomas Goold, on the other hand, died by suicide on September 8, 1909, less than a year after his arrival on Devil’s Island. Not only was he plagued by nightmares, but he also suffered from alcohol and opium withdrawal symptoms. The story of Vere Thomas “St. Leger” Goold is a tragic tale of the ups and downs of a man who once enjoyed the heights of tennis life, only to plunge into the abyss of criminal activity. The contrast between his sporting success and the grim end of his life is shocking and reminds us how quickly luck and fame can be lost. Goold may be nothing more than a name in the history books today, but his life story offers a fascinating and tragic lesson about the impermanence of life. Incidentally, Goold has been accorded a dubious honor, as he remains the only Wimbledon finalist to have been convicted of murder.