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William Miller

Age: 19

Sex: male

Date: 28 Jun 1906

Place: Overnewton Street, Glasgow

William Miller was shot by one of four Post Office burglars that he had been chasing.

One of the burglars thought to have been the murderer was later found in a restaurant by the police and when they went in to arrest him there was a scuffle and the burglar pulled out a revolver which went off and shot him in the head.

The burglar was then taken to hospital but later died. He was identified by a pursuer as the man that had fired the revolver at William Miller.

William Miller was a lamplighter. He had been extinguishing lamps in Argyle Street when he noticed that a branch of the Post Office had been entered. He raised the alarm and four burglars rushed out and made off.

William Miller and a constable then chased the burglars and then one of them turned and fired a revolver at William Miller hitting him in the head. The burglars then got clear away.

Eight people were later arrested on suspicion.

It was said that William Miller had been extinguishing lamps at 2.10am on the Thursday morning when he saw the men breaking into a newsagent’s shop and a Post Office in Argyle Street near Regent Moray Street just opposite the art galleries. He then went off to get a police constable in Dumbarton Street and they went back together and when they were between Regent Moray Street and Blantyre Street in Old Dumbarton Road they saw the four men standing together near Arthur Street. When they saw the police advancing the four men ran off and as they were passing Blackie Street one of them turned southward and William Miller followed him whilst another police man turned into Arthur Street which was parallel to Blackie Street with the intention of intercepting the man whilst the other constable chased the other three men.

When the police constable got to the corner of Overnewton Street he heard a shot and when he went into Overnewton Street he found William Miller lying on the street shot through the head.

When the police later went to the restaurant at 8am they found the suspect at work as a cook in his working garb and told him that they wanted him to accompany them to the police office in connection with an attempted shop breaking and he was arrested on suspicion. He was said to have taken the matter with perfect calmness and merely asked that he might be permitted to get his cap which the officers agreed to. However, when he bent down to a small press, instead of his cap he pulled out a revolver which he held in his right hand with it directed in a backward position over his left shoulder. The police then closed with him and in the struggle a shot was heard and the man fell to the floor with a bullet in his head.

It was said that it was not known whether he was attempting to commit suicide or to shoot the police officers but it was thought the latter.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Belfast News-Letter - Friday 29 June 1906

see Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser - Friday 29 June 1906

see North Devon Journal - Thursday 05 July 1906

see Dundee Courier - Friday 29 June 1906

see Edinburgh Evening News - Friday 29 June 1906