The Arrest of Goudie
P: Mitchell & Kenyon. UK 1901

“Sagar Mitchell, James Kenyon and their company Mitchell & Kenyon (founded in 1897) would be very minor footnotes in British film history were it not for the miraculous preservation and discovery of 800 of the company’s nitrate negatives, discovered in 1994 in the basement of a building formerly owned by the company.
Operating from Blackburn, Lancashire, they specialised in ‘local films for local people’, and marketed and shown in fairgrounds on the promise that customers might see themselves on the screen. To this end, they made dozens of ‘factory gate’ films (with the aim of maximising the number of clearly visible people), as well as records of other events taking place across the north of England: sporting fixtures, marches, parades, street scenes, and so on. They also shot dramatised re-enactments of then-current events such as the Boer War and the Boxer Rebellion.
The Arrest of Goudie (1901) is regarded as the world’s first crime reconstruction on film, and was screened only three days after the real Thomas Goudie was arrested for fraud. A typical Mitchell & Kenyon programme would consist of two hours’ worth of films, often enhanced by a live-performance element such as a spoken commentary or sound effects. The number of films produced began to decline from 1907, and the last known example dates from 1913, although the company remained in business until 1922. After Kenyon’s death, Mitchell carefully stored the company’s negatives in three large metal drums, which helped preserve them in remarkable condition.”
BFI Education

“Bootle banker Thomas Peterson Goudie was arrested for colossal frauds on the Bank of Liverpool on December 2, 1901. (…) The original black and white footage was shown at the Prince of Wales Theatre in Liverpool just three days after Goudie was detained. His path to criminality is said to have stemmed from occasionally betting on horses, which set him on the path to destruction. By November 1899 he was behind with rent, owing money to a lender. He forged a cheque in the hope of paying off debts – using the remainder to win back money to replace the deficit at the bank. One of the accounts in Goudie’s charge belonged to Robert William Hudson, the son of the founder of Hudson’s Soap manufacturers. Hudson drew cheques for vast amounts and Goudie chose this as the cover for his crimes.

By October 1900, Goudie had stolen £2,100 and was drawing up another cheque for £600. He spent a few days at Newmarket races, where he lost £543. The pattern would continue as his gambling addiction grew. On November 21, 1901 Goudie was confronted by the bank after they found irregularities with his ledgers. After the initial conversation, Goudie went to ‘fetch a book’, and never returned. Lodging with a couple, Charles and Elizabeth Harding in Berry Street, Bootle, Goudie was arrested after suspicions were raised about his behaviour. Mrs Harding went to Bootle police station and after 10 days on the run, Goudie was arrested. His trial lasted five days and Goudie received 10 years with hard labour.”
Liverpool Echo

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