Clyde Whittle – Too slow on the draw?

In 1921, the Whittle family of Hobart received quite a shock when the following letter appeared in their local newspaper;

To the Editor of The Mercury

Sir, I ask you to publish the death of Thomas Clyde Whittle. who lost his life in a gambling hall at Hurango, Mexico. He was working for me, and went over into Mexico. As I do not know of any relations to write to, I request you to publish my letter so that his folks will know of his death. He met his death at the hands of a gambler whom he caught cheating at cards, and who was quicker on the draw than Whittle. But his friends strung up the gambler. And his friends send their deepest sympathy to his relations, whoever they may be.

Yours etc,

FRED C. MOORE

Foreman, Base Valley Cow Co,.

Walnut Wells, New Mexico

Chihuahua – Chihuahua, Mexico, May 13, 1921

Naturally this story was picked by papers around the country, particularly as the victim’s  older brother John was very well known. He had been awarded the Victoria Cross in WWI.

In early January the following year the whole story was revealed to have been a fraud, perpetrated by Whittle himself. His relatives had sent frantic inquiries to the US, but police there were unable to trace a person called Fred Moore, nor could they locate  the address on the letter to The Mercury.  Apparently the Base Valley Cow Company was a figment of  Clyde Whittle’s fertile  imagination.  And why had he carried out  this cruel hoax?  Well, it was a distraction, to cover the fact that he had been in a Californian gaol, for burglary.

The family had finally  received a letter from Whittle  in which he had the nerve to criticize them for not writing to him! He said he had been in the US army, and  told them he would be home soon.

The real reason he was returning home was that he had no option. He had been deported, after serving only twelve months of a four year sentence.

This was by no means the first time the hoaxer had caused trouble for his long suffering  family.

Thomas, usually known as   Clyde, was the youngest of seven Whittle boys. He had served in WWI,  joining up in 1915  at eighteen. As he admitted on his attestation papers, he had been in trouble at the Claremont Training Camp, and unfortunately his army record  never improved.

Private Clyde Whittle

In 1916 he was court-martialled;

Twelve months later, after weeks of hearing nothing from her son, Catherine Whittle received a strange letter from England;

In fact, Private Whittle  was in Wandsworth gaol, court martialled at Plymouth  for stealing from a fellow soldier and using insulting language to  his senior officer.  He was sentenced to nine months hard labour.

Thanks to the diplomatic Father Cashman, his  widowed mother was spared the truth.

Catherine died ten  days  after peace was declared, while three of her sons, including Clyde, were still  overseas.

Meanwhile, Private Whittle was undergoing a civil trial in London for ‘inflicting gross personal violence’ on prison officers at Wandsworth.

After serving  another nine months hard labour  he was sent home aboard the troopship Suevic.  He was  dishonourably discharged on November 9, 1919. One of his long suffering siblings  inquired about her brother’s war medals on his behalf and  was notified that he would not be receiving any.

Source – A.I.F. Service Files.

Within a few weeks Clive Whittle had left Australia again, hence those misadventures in Mexico…sorry, California!

When Whittle  was deported from the United States  his  criminal career continued, both in Tasmania and New South Wales. The following ‘mug shots’ were published in  the NSW Police Gazette in July 1930.