Vere Thomas "St. Leger" Goold (2 October 1853 – 8 September 1909) was an Irish tennis player who competed for the 1879 Wimbledon All Comers' final. That year he became the first singles champion of the Irish Championships. He quickly faded from the game and in 1907 was sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island for the murder of a Swedish widow in Monte Carlo. In 1909 he died there by suicide. Career Vere Goold was born into a wealthy family. In his early life, he apparently had boxing skills as well as tennis skills. In June 1879, he became the first Irish tennis champion after defeating C.D. Barry, 8–6, 8–6 in the final. Later that summer, Vere tried his luck at the third Wimbledon Championships and made it to the All-Comers final on 15 July in which he was defeated by John Hartley, 2–6, 4–6, 2–6. A few months later, he competed in the first open tournament held at Cheltenham. He again reached the final and lost to William Renshaw, 4–6, 3–6, 6–5, 6–5, 4–6. He had a 4–1 lead in the final set. After an illness, he failed to defend his Irish title in 1880, losing out in the Challenge Round, again to William Renshaw 1–6, 4–6, 3–6. St. Leger's career went downhill, and he disappeared from the tennis scene by 1883. Personal life and murder conviction Vere Goold's life after 1883 was wasted on drink and drugs. One day, he was asked by a relative to pay a bill at a dressmaker's shop in the Bayswater area of London, that was owned by Marie Giraudin. This French lady (from most accounts), though not especially beautiful, could charm people when she wanted. It was not too difficult for her to charm Goold, who was from a prominent Irish social family. The accounts of the case are not always in tandem, but she had been married twice before, and she was a woman of expensive tastes. The dressmaker's shop was not a real success, especially as Giraudin apparently borrowed money from many of her customers. In 1891, Goold married Giraudin. The couple quickly descended into debt. They moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1897 where Marie had a dressmaking establishment before moving to Liverpool in 1903 to manage a laundry business. In 1907, Mrs Goold persuaded Vere Goold to go to the Monte Carlo Casino. She thought she had