Vere St. Leger Goold facts for kids
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Goold, in 1879
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| Full name | Vere Thomas Goold |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom |
| Born | 2 October 1853 Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland |
| Died | 8 September 1909 (aged 55) Île du Diable, French Guiana |
| Singles | |
| Career titles | 6 |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | F (1879) |
Vere Thomas "St. Leger" Goold (2 October 1853 – 8 September 1909) was an Irish tennis player who competed for the 1879 Wimbledon All Comers' final. That year he became the first singles champion of the Irish Championships. He quickly faded from the game and in 1907 was sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island for the murder of a Swedish widow in Monte Carlo. He died there in 1909 .
Career
Vere Goold was born into a wealthy family. In his early life, he apparently had boxing skills as well as tennis skills. In June 1879, he became the first Irish tennis champion after defeating C.D. Barry, 8–6, 8–6 in the final. Later that summer, Vere tried his luck at the third Wimbledon Championships and made it to the All-Comers final on 15 July in which he was defeated by John Hartley, 2–6, 4–6, 2–6.
A few months later, he competed in the first open tournament held at Cheltenham. He again reached the final and lost to William Renshaw, 4–6, 3–6, 6–5, 6–5, 4–6. He had a 4–1 lead in the final set.
After an illness, he failed to defend his Irish title in 1880, losing out in the Challenge Round, again to William Renshaw 1–6, 4–6, 3–6. St. Leger's career went downhill, and he disappeared from the tennis scene by 1883.
Personal life and murder conviction
One day, he was asked by a relative to pay a bill at a dressmaker's shop in the Bayswater area of London, that was owned by Marie Giraudin. This French lady (from most accounts), though not especially beautiful, could charm people when she wanted. It was not too difficult for her to charm Goold, who was from a prominent Irish social family. The accounts of the case are not always in tandem, but she had been married twice before, and she was a woman of expensive tastes. The dressmaker's shop was not a real success, especially as Giraudin apparently borrowed money from many of her customers.
In 1891, Goold married Giraudin. The couple quickly descended into debt. They moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1897 where Marie had a dressmaking establishment before moving to Liverpool in 1903 to manage a laundry business.
In 1907, Mrs Goold persuaded Vere Goold to go to the Monte Carlo Casino. She thought she had a winning method for the gambling tables. They took with them her niece Isabelle Giraudin. They also used the titles of "Sir" Vere and "Lady" Goold, which they claimed they were entitled to use. According to a book by Charles Kingston, their system did not work, but Leonard Gribble's account suggests that it worked for at least a couple of days or a week. However, the Goolds soon were without funds. At the casino, they met a wealthy Swedish woman, Emma Levin, the widow of a Stockholm broker. Mrs Levin already had a friend named Madame Castellazi accompanying her, but soon the widow had Mrs. Goold as well. The two "hangers-on" detested each other, and finally had a public dispute in the casino.
At this point, the sources on the case vary again. Either Marie Goold or her husband Vere Goold borrowed £40 from Madame Levin, and she wanted it repaid. Kingston makes it seem that, when confronting Marie Goold, the widow saw what a dangerous person the latter was. Gribble suggests that the demand to Vere Goold for repayment played into Marie Goold's scheme to murder the widow for the purposes of theft (of her cash and jewels). On 4 August 1907, Madame Levin went to their hotel to collect the debt before she left Monte Carlo. Madame Castellazi was waiting for her at Madame Levin's hotel, and when she did not come by midnight, she went to the police. They went to the hotel of the Goolds. Vere and Marie Goold had left for Marseille, but they left Isabelle behind (explaining that Mr Goold had to see a doctor there). Bloodstains were found in the suite as well as some items, such as a saw and a hammer, with blood on them.
Vere Goold apparently loved Marie Goold deeply. He confessed that he was the murderer. However the relative strengths of character of the two came out in the course of the trial, which attracted great attention. Marie Goold was sentenced to death, and Vere Goold was sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. However, Mrs. Goold's sentence was reduced to life imprisonment. Vere Goold died on 8 September 1909, within a year of arriving at Devil's Island. Marie Goold died of typhoid fever in a Montpellier jail in 1914.
Grand Slam finals
Singles (1 runner-up)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1879 | Wimbledon | Grass |  John Hartley |
2–6, 4–6, 1–6 |
