Thomas Barr

Forty five year old Thomas was a twice married travelling bookseller who murdered his twenty two year old wife, and his mother-in-law, Mrs Margaret Sloan, in the latter's home at Gallowgate, Glasgow, on 1st March. Barr was a widower when he remarried, but had an unhappy second marriage; they had been separated seventeen times because of his brutality. On the last occasion he followed his heavily pregnant wife to her mother's house and, when Mrs Sloan tried to prevent him entering, he beat her to death before rushing in and attacking his wife. She died in hospital after giving birth to a still born child. Barr was captured eleven days later in Aberdeenshire, trying to find work on a farm, but in the intervening period over forty tramps were taken into custody on suspicion of being the wanted man. He was taken back to Glasgow and convicted; he was hanged by William Marwood on the 31st May 1876.