Known as the ‘Merry Widow of Weymouth,’ by the police who were occasionally called to end parties, Grayce Asquith was a woman who had survived a lot of loss, but had found happiness again, only to be brutally murdered and dismembered, at the age of 41.
John Lyons, the man she intended to marry, was missing, and nowhere to be found… join us as we discuss the Murder of Grayce Asquith and the disappearance of John Lyons.
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Fresh Hell Podcast 
Well done. I am currently working on a book about the Asquith murder case and can fill in the gaps, such as the cause Godfrey Asquith’s death, his original name, his son Jean later John; Grayce’s life in the aftermath of his death. I once interviewed one of the first police officers on the scene & am in possession of a confidential police report about the case. More on John Lyons, his background, his war experiences, etc., etc. I first learned about this case many years ago when I was about 7 years old, more years ago than I will admit. My parents and I were visiting my father’s aunts in Somerville, MA. I happened to be playing with my aunt’s cat when it scratched me on the nose. After my mother cleaned me up and bandaged my nose, the conversation resumed, but now I was interested — I expect that the sight of me bleeding might have prompted one of them to say, “Remember the day Uncle Henry saw them find the head in Boston Harbor?” I never forgot those words. Years later when I was writing recreations of “famous” murders in Braintree and Weymouth I managed to learn who the victim was. I also have much biographical information about Bartolini from his years in his native Italy and later. I’m writing as I’m listening — Bartolini never worked around meat. He as more of a short order cook, one of his many jobs. The police report suggests that Lyons was sitting in a chair in the living room when he was attacked. Lyons was a bond salesman. His disability wasn’t directly war related, like being wounded — he had a severe case of the influenza that damaged his heart and lungs. I have done very deep research on the case and published my first treatment of the case in the late 70s and another in the early 80s. Jealousy was the motive. She had contacted her attorney about the rape and he filed a complaint at Dedham Court. I’ve seen it. I know that one rape occurred in August. Grayce had an older brother, Lewis, who was lawyer in New York. Lyons had sisters. My first book about Weymouth murders is Beyond the Hand of God: Lust, Seduction and Murder in Massachusetts (an 1860 case). It’s available on Amazon. The Asquith book — Murder in the Birches will be out in the late summer. Many thanks for the program! Pam Blevins
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