The devil rum has played a major role in many a murder case. Certainly, Chrissie Gall’s alcoholism caused her death. Whether her life ended by means of murder or suicide is another matter.

Chrissie was the daughter of a shoemaker in Glasgow, Scotland. One of six children, she was forced, for financial reasons, to leave school at age 14 and obtain employment as a domestic.

For years, Chrissie worked to help support her family. When she was 21, she was employed by the Queen family. It was while thus employed that she met 24-year-old Peter Queen.

Peter had been married at age 10 to a young girl who was an alcoholic. After two years of marriage, Mrs. Queen was placed in an institution. The couple never lived together from that time on.

Peter fell in love with Chrissie. When she left his parents’ employ to take care of her own seriously ill mother, he often called on her. After her mother’s death, she stayed on to take care of her father.

Chrissie was a pretty girl of average intelligence. There is little doubt that, as Peter loved her, she in turn loved him dearly. Strangely, for one so young, Peter had fallen in love for the second time with a girl who was addicted to alcohol. Peter, who didn’t drink, was kind to Chrissie and always treated her with affection.

Three years after the death of his wife. Mr. Gall moved in with one of his other daughters and Chrissie left home. Peter saw to it that she was comfortably placed in rooms at the home of a personal friend, James Burns.

By this time, Chrissie was drinking every day and was intoxicated half her waking hours. Three months later, Peter moved in with her and they lived together as husband and wife.

The year was 1931. Peter was 30, Chrissie, 27. Peter was still a married man. Chrissie was extremely sensitive to the situation and went out of her way to make sure none of her relatives knew she was living with a married man. She often said that this guilty knowledge had driven her to drink.

The drinking continued. Mr. and Mrs. Burns were sympathetic of Chrissie’s condition and often had long talks with her in an attempt to get her to stop drinking. Chrissie always promised that she wouldn’t drink any more, but always returned to the bottle.

She often threatened to commit suicide. Throughout it all, Peter was an understanding companion and lover.

In the summer of 1931, Chrissie turned the gas on in the kitchen and retired for the night in a drunken stupor. It was only by good fortune that Mrs. Burns managed to save both their lives.

Shortly after this incident, Peter and Chrissie moved to their own home at 533 Dunbarton Rd. Her family was still under the impression that she was a domestic. They had no idea she was living with Peter Queen.

Chrissie continued to drink heavily. Peter came to the conclusion that a change of scenery would do Chrissie some good. He made arrangements for her to vacation in Aberdeen with her young niece Nessie. Peter felt that Chrissie would have to look after the little girl and that keeping busy might assist her in staying away from alcohol.

On Thursday, Nov. 19, Chrissie met her brother Bert. The two went pub crawling and Chrissie proceeded to get very drunk. When she returned to the house on Dunbarton Rd. with her brother, a worried Peter was waiting up for her.

For the first time Chrissie had brought a member of her family to her home. Drunk as she was, she was able to tell Peter to please let on it was his aunt’s house. Peter went along with Chrissie, and her brother left the house believing she was a domestic to Peter’s aunt. He would never see his sister alive again.

Next day, Chrissie woke up and proceeded to drink all day. That evening, two friends, Mr. and Mrs. Johnston, visited and found Chrissie in bed.

They stayed some time and helped Peter feed her some sandwiches and tea. The Johnstons left at 10:45 p.m. Four hours and 15 minutes later, at 3 a.m., Peter Queen rushed into a Glasgow police station and informed police that Chrissie was dead.

Police officers entered Chrissie’s bedroom. She lay dead in her bed with the bedding pulled up. A rope, tied in a half knot, was around her neck. Her upper denture was still in place. Chrissie was dressed in her nightclothes.

The rope, which proved to be part of a clothesline, was removed by a police officer, who would later say the knot was very tight. The bedroom itself was eerie, in that nothing was disturbed. There was no sign of a struggle.

An autopsy indicated the obvious, that death was due to strangulation. Within two hours, Peter Queen was taken into custody and charged with murder.

When charged, he said only, “I have nothing to say.”

Peter Queen’s murder trial began on Jan. 5, 1932. A police officer took the witness stand and stated that when Peter first reported Chrissie’s death in the police station he had said, “My wife is dead. I think I have killed her”

The Johnstons were the last people, other than Peter, to have seen Chrissie alive. Mrs. Johnston told the court that in her opinion, when they had left, Chrissie had been totally intoxicated. Mr. Johnston didn’t quite agree. He thought she was only slightly drunk.

Unfortunately, the pathologists who performed the autopsy neglected to examine the stomach contents or blood for alcohol. The evidence concerning Chrissie’s condition was of prime importance to the Crown, who were attempting to prove the woman was so helpless she could have been strangled without

offering any resistance, accounting for the undisturbed state of the death scene.

Peter Queen testified in his own behalf. He stated he and Chrissie had chatted for some time after the Johnstons had departed. Chrissie had been extremely worried whether her brother Bert had swallowed the story about her being a domestic for Peter’s aunt.

Because Chrissie had been so weak from heavy drinking, he told her he had called a doctor who would be visiting with her the follow morning, Chrissie had told him to fetch their very best pillowslips in anticipation of the doctor’s visit.

Peter said he went to fetch the pillowslips, but couldn’t find them. He called out to Chrissie. When she didn’t reply, he figured she had slumbered off.

He sat down and smoked a cigarette. After about 15 minutes, he prepared to go to bed. It was then that he re-entered the bedroom and found Chrissie with the rope around her neck.

Peter shook Chrissie and then rushed from the house to the police station. He disagreed as to what he had said to the police officer. Peter swore he had said, “My wife is dead. Don’t think I have killed her.”

This statement is only one word different from the police officer’s version, but the one word makes a world of difference to the meaning.

An expert testifying for the defence said Chrissie had definitely managed to strangle herself. He had examined the rope and said that because of its texture, it would have stayed firmly fastened around Chrissie’s neck even after she lost consciousness and her hands had fallen away.

It was the defence’s contention that Chrissie had strangled herself while Peter was searching for the pillowslips. The Crown believed Peter had wrapped the rope around Chrissie’s neck, thereby ridding himself of a woman suffering from both depression and alcoholism.

After two hours deliberation, the Scottish jury found Peter guilty of murder with a recommendation for mercy. Peter was sentenced to death, but three days later this sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

Peter spent more than 20 years in prison before being released. He returned to Glasgow and created a new life for himself. None of his new friends knew his true identity. Peter Queen died in May, 1958. To this day, many believe that he was wrongfully convicted.