Arthur Elder - terror of 1900s Glasgow

My Uncle Alan was up today for a visit. Previously mentioned, he's my Dad's uncle and the family's professional historian. Anyway, he was telling us a bit about the family history. And it turns out one of my nearish ancestors was a rather known Glasgow crook!

The man in question is Arthur Elder, though perhaps I guess was born Arthur Steel as that was his father's name. Arthur's parents Willie Steel and Lizzie Elder were linked to the Baptist Church in Paisley, thus were 'of the manse'. Willie and Lizzie are my great-great grandparents. Arthur was thus the brother of my great grandfather, Richard Steel, who has been described to me as Grandad Steel. Amelia, or Milly was his wife.

Anyway, the family background now described, lets get to Great-great-great Uncle Arthur. He was the second son of Willie and Lizzie, and meant to be a medical student. However, unbeknownst to his father, Arthur dropped out and became a professional con-man. He spent a year in the Highlands posing as a doctor, in the Loch Carron area. For services rendered, he received a gold fob watch from the community to 'Dr Cameron'. He apparently did quite well. But of course, he was jailed for pretending to be a doctor. The police apparently found him hiding in the attic of his aunts house in Linwood.

Arthur's undoing came one day in Glasgow in 1910. He had gone into a binocular shop, borrowing a pair of binoculars to try out. After collecting said binoculars, he strolled round the corner to a pawn shop in Cambridge Street and tried to sell the binoculars. The shop owner cottoned on, managing to alert the police while keeping Arthur talking. He was duly arrested and taken down to the station in Oxford Street.

At the time, a suspects pockets could only be turned out after being formally charged. So whilst getting his particulars taken at the front desk, and still to be charged, Arthur went into his pocket and brought out a revolver. He shot one officer in the arm and made a break for it. Eventually he was cornered, so he turned the gun on himself.

One of Arthur's sisters, telling my aunt Evelyn about it all, refused to marry and have children in order to breed the criminal element out of the family.

She may have been a bit over-cautious, as her great nephew went on to join Strathclyde Police. That folks, would be my Dad!

There is some info on Arthur at the Police Museum in Glasgow. I've sent an email to the curator for some info.