Woman Constable Elizabeth Ann McCance testified that she was on duty in plain clothes in
It is believed it was then that Robert bought the file with which he stabbed Pearl Gamble some ten hours later. Later evidence, from a book found with puncture marks in McGladdery’s home (Mickey Spillane’s The Long Wait) intimated that the crime was coldly premeditated and he had practiced his stabbing skills with such a tool on the book.
McGladdery’s companion was William James Copeland (22) of Talbot Street Newry employed in Damolly Spinning Company. He said that on Friday 27 January he was in
‘I tried it a couple of times and then put it back in the cardboard box. I did not see it slip when Robbie was using it but I did say that if it slipped it would knock your head off’. McGladdery was later to tell detectives that cuts and bruising evident on his face were the result of this expander slipping when he was practising with it.
They walked to town and did a bit of a pub crawl,
‘When we got to the dance I gave McGladdery 5/- to pay for both of us in. I danced with a girl I knew. McGladdery danced too. Between dances he and McGladdery met and stood together. He saw McGladdery dance with Pearl Gamble and he thought it was the third or fourth dance from the end. He only saw Robert dance once with
…………. more later ……….