James Canham Read

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James Canham Read (1855–1894) was a British bigamist and murderer known as the Southend Murderer or Prittlewell Murderer. The entire affair and aftermath is sometimes called the Southend Mystery. Friends (and lovers) called him Jimmy Read, however, he used multiple names to disguise his several relationships, and fabricated other false characters to help excuse his absences to his various partners. Given the timing of events and the publicity involved, the events may have partially influenced Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" which was released the following year.^[1]