James Gillies

Overview

Station House of Horrors

James Gillies
Gillies after his fall from the bridge
Biographical Information
Real Name	James Gillies
Aliases	Gillian James
Hometown	Toronto, Ontario
Home country	Dominion of Canada
Homeworld	Earth
Multiverse	Murdoch Mysteries Multiverse
Birth	14 July 1876
Physical Information
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Hair colour	Red
Unusual features	Facial scarring
Chronological / Political Information
Citizenship	Canadian
Fictional Information
Created by	Carol Hay
Portrayed by	Michael Hay
First Appearance	Big Murderer on Campus
Final Appearance	The Devil Inside

“	He's a master manipulator, and he relishes in the exercise of his ability.	”
–Dr. Julia Ogden, 1901

James Gillies (b. 14 July 1876 - d. early 20th century) was a Canadian criminal of the early 20th century. In 1896, he attempted to commit the "perfect crime" with his compatriot, Robert Perry. Their crime was swiftly solved by Detective William Murdoch of the Toronto Constabulary, leading Gillies into a violent and obsessive grudge that would last for the rest of his life.

Gillies targeted newly-arrived British physics Professor Samuel Bennett and killed him with a gun mounted to the underside of a carriage. After Murdoch questioned, another professor who had had a contentious relationship with Bennett, Gillies and Perry inserted themselves into the investigation, feigning support for Murdoch while attempting to throw him off the trail. Routine investigation led Murdoch to suspect them both, and he opted to focus his efforts on Perry, whom he saw as a weaker link. Murdoch eventually tricked Perry into believing Gillies had tried to murder him, which convinced him to expose their plot.

After Perry received two years in prison in exchange for testifying against Gillies, the latter was held in Kingston Penitentiary until the date of his supposed execution on 4 October 1899. In reality, Gillies had faked his death by convincing terminally ill prison guard Robert Shoucair to be hanged in his place. Having assumed Shoucair's identity, Gillies escaped the noose and began disguising himself as a woman, Gillian James, to facilitate stalking Detective Murdoch. He bought talking dolls to record his voice on and leave clues while also unsettling the detective. He kidnapped young girl Veronica Bowden and left a talking doll in her place to get Murdoch's attention; he killed Robert Perry as another clue to his identity. At the site of his false grave, he left a miniature casket with a doll with Dr. Julia Ogden's voice recording on it to show Murdoch he had kidnapped her. Fortunately, Murdoch and Alexander Graham Bell were able to isolate the sound of a church's sprinkler system and deduce Dr. Ogden had been buried alive in the same cemetery, saving her life. Murdoch promised to watch Gillies hang personally. While Gillies' prisoner transport wagon was crossing the Rouge River in Durham County, it overturned, allowing Gillies to escape. The local police failed to recover his body and Murdoch assumed him to be alive. In 1900, Gillies returned, murdering Ogden's then-spouse Darcy Garland to pin it on her and send her to the gallows. He placed Murdoch inside a trap to force him to make the choice between killing himself or letting Ogden die. Murdoch managed to outwit Gillies and contact the Constabulary, who captured Gillies and freed Murdoch from the deathtrap.

In 1901, Gillies was again scheduled to be hanged. He spread a rumour in the Don Jail that he'd bribed the hangman $20,000; after the execution was moved to Kingston, Gillies spread the rumour that the money would be on the train that would take him there. He instructed his solicitor to remove that amount of money from his account to lend credence to the rumours. In actuality, he'd used the money to lure a woman and her son to board the train the night of his transport so that he could use her as a false hostage. On the night of the trip, multiple criminals boarded the train in an attempt to steal the money, and Gillies was able to play on the paranoia of his guards about threats both known and imagined. At a scheduled time, he wounded the woman as a distraction and escaped the train. After kissing Detective Murdoch, he leapt off a bridge into a shallow but swift river. Murdoch attempted to follow, but landed in a tree and fell unconscious. When he was awoken the next morning, Gillies had escaped, though all but Murdoch assumed him dead. After this, Dr. Leslie Garland, brother of Darcy, began impersonating Gillies in a series of threatening letters to intimidate Dr. Ogden and prevent her from associating with Murdoch. A body was found in the river with injuries matching those that Gillies had been known to have had, and he was presumed deceased.

Years later, a man claiming to be possessed by the Devil was arrested for murder. In reality, Gillies had implanted an device to transmit wireless audio beneath the man's skin to use him as his representative to torment Murdoch and Ogden and goad them into murdering him after years of physical pain and suffering caused by his escape. After Murdoch found Gillies lurking in the detective's own home, threatening to murder the infant Roland Connor, he quickly subdued the criminal. Murdoch finally got his wish to watch Gillies hang, and Ogden her wish to dissect his brain.

Weapons and Abilities

Inherent Abilities

• Intelligence: Gillies possessed a higher-than-average intellect for people of the time. (TV: Big Murderer on Campus, et al)

Notes

Behind the Scenes

• Gillies was played by Canadian actor Michael Seater.

Appearances

• Murdoch Mysteries
  • Big Murderer on Campus (first appearance)
  • Murdoch in Toyland
  • Crime & Punishment
  • The Murdoch Trap
  • Murdoch Ahoy (mentioned)
  • A Midnight Train to Kingston
  • Unfinished Business (mentioned)
  • The Murdoch Sting (mentioned)
  • Friday the 13th, 1901 (mentioned)
  • The Spy Who Came up to the Cold (mentioned)
  • Kung Fu Crabtree (mentioned)
  • The Devil Inside (final appearance)

Links

• James Gillies on the Murdoch Mysteries Wiki