Thomas Weldon Atherstone (born Thomas Weldon Anderson) was originally from Liverpool, England, and became a prominent actor in the English music halls around the end of the nineteenth century. He was married to an Irish actress named Monica Kelly for a time, but the pair separated in 1900, after which Thomas took up with another actress, the American Elizabeth “Bessie” Earle, who lived in the Battersea district of London.
Bessie eventually retired from acting and became a successful drama teacher, and Thomas’s acting career went into decline, which some speculate may have fueled his resentment toward Bessie. Thomas was also convinced that Bessie was seeing another man, and there were reportedly many arguments between the couple about this suspicion.
Although Bessie and Thomas’s relationship subsequently ended, Bessie still maintained a friendship with Thomas’s son, Thomas Frederick Anderson. On July 16th, 1910, the son was visiting Bessie at her Battersea flat. The two were having dinner when they said they heard gunshots from outside. Thomas Jr. hurried down to investigate, finding a body at the base of the stairs. Upon turning this body over, he discovered that it was the remains of his father, Thomas Weldon Atherstone, who had been shot twice: once in the temple, and once in the mouth.
During the police investigation, several witnesses claimed to have seen a man jumping over a back wall shortly after the gunshots were heard. From these reports, authorities developed a theory that Thomas Atherstone may have been on the property spying on his son and his former lover, and surprised a robber who then shot him and fled.
It’s been more than a century since the well-known actor was gunned down, and as of this writing, there is little hope that the crime will ever be solved.
Crime Immemorial 