Denis Gordon Glanville

Birth, Marriage and Death information

     Denis Gordon Glanville was born on 30 October 1898 at Streatham, SRY, ENG; registered Wandsworth.
     He was baptized on 26 November 1898 at St Leonards church, Streatham, SRY, ENG.
     He died on 3 July 1918 at Capetown, Cape Province, RSA, (when age calculated as 19); Recorded age 19 years, 8 months, 3 days. Cause of death : found dead - killed by some person or persons.

Article in Poverty Bay Herald (New Zealand), transcribed:
MURDERED BANK CLERK
TRIAL OF DARGIN - CRIMINAL LAW.
     CAPETOWN, Nov. 17. The trial of Percy Dargin.- on a charge of having murdered Denis Gordon Glanville, a junior clerk in the Standard Bank, Capetown, in July last, opened at the Criminal Sessions on Monday. Exercising his option under the new law, the, accused elected to be tried without a jury. The judge thereupon appointed two magistrates to sit with him as assessors.
     SYDNEY, Nov. 18. In July last the body of Denis Gordon Glanville, a junior clerk in the Standard Bank, was discovered in the bush in the suburbs of Capetown. He had been shockingly injured about the head and his throat was cut. An investigation led to the arrest of a fellow- clerk, Percy Dargin, who denied all knowledge of the crime. The preliminary examination into the circumstances of Glanville's death was opened on August 21. Dargin, who is 43, stated he was born in New South Wales. The consensus of opinion amongst criminal lawyers in Sydney is that the South African departure, by which a prisoner may elect to be tried by a judge and assessors, without a jury, is dangerous. They point out that there is no precedent in England or Australasia, and assert that the responsibility imposed upon a judge is altogether too much in determining, upon the facts, whether a man has been guilty of murder. Under English criminal law the judge is the interpreter of the law and the jury of the facts. For many hundreds of years trial by jury in criminal cases on that basis has been regarded as the palladium of British justice. Assessors in Australia assist in Marine Court inquiries, and the judge of commercial causes sits without a jury, and in the District Court a litigant may elect to have the cause tried with or without a jury, but that principle has never been extended to criminal courts, which invariably impanel a jury of 12. ln some of the Pacific Islands a judge, **** assessor sit on criminal cases, but that is primarily due to the fact that it is most difficult to secure intelligent jurors from the native races
Another transcription:
MURDER OF A BANK CLER
MYSTERIOUS LETTERS
CAPETOWN, August 23.
     A sensation has been caused in connection with the murder of Denis Gordon Glanville, a junior clerk of the Standard Bank, whose body was discovered in the bush in the suburbs of Capetown in July. He had been shockingly injured about the head, and his throat had been cut.
     In July an investigation led to the arrest of fellow-clerk, Percy Dargin, aged 43, married, described as a native of New South Wales.
The mysterious feature of the affair is that Glanville was lured to the spot where he met his death by a letter, which is now missing. He also received a letter in March threatening that he would be shot, while he was previously lured to another suburb late at night, also by a letter.
     Dargin, when charged, denied all knowledge of the crime.
     At the inquest, Glanville's mother testified that she suspected Dargin of writing the letter which lured Glanville to the scene of the crime.
Other evidence showed that Dargin appeared jealous of Glanville's friends. He followed Glanville wherever he went, and Glanville had complained of being followed by Dargin. He also had said that while wrestling on the pier Dargin nearly pushed him into the sea.
     The preliminary examination into the circumstances of the crime was opened today.
Glanville's mother gave evidence that her son was of a bright and happy disposition, and that he had musical and literary tastes. Occasionally he took singing lessons from Dargin's wife, being friends of Dargin's family.
     Glanville's sister testified to the belief that Denis was in love with Miss Nancy Ulmston, whose name was found on the letter that lured Glanville to the Bishopcourt Woods. Miss Ulmston was actually up county when the letter was written.
     A journalist read notes of an interview with Dargin, who recounted a conversation he had with Glanville concerning the letter. Glanville said that he was sure the handwriting was genuine, to which Dargin replied that one could not be sure of any girl's handwriting. Dargin further stated that the letter told Glanville that the girl was a the next house to Bishopcourt, adding that he knew the place, which was awfully lonely and thickly wooded.
     The evidence presented no new features, being mainly a repetition of that given at the inquest concerning the relations between the two men, in connections with which it stated that they had not been on such good terms as usual for a period at the beginning of the year.
     The hearing was adjourned.