So, what do you do when you get your sister-in-law pregnant while your wife is also pregnant?

Well, if you're Percy Frank Nuttman, you fake your own death, nearly killing sixty people, and skip off to Leatherhead.

Percy was an engine driver on the line between Weymouth and Portland in 1899. He was also a hit with the ladies, alas.

So, he decided that rather than sort his predicament out, he'd simply fake his own death.

One December night in 1899, he set off from Weymouth as usual. His fireman was a newbie, only been in the job a few weeks, only eighteen. The fireman was diligently firing the engine and Percy just casually...jumped off the train.

At the time, trains left Weymouth station and went over Backwater Bridge. It's not there now, but it was quite big.

The assumption was that Percy had fallen from the train, into the water.

So the train goes over a crossing and the fireman realises that Percy hasn't sounded the whistle. He turns around, and Percy's gone.

And this leaves the fireman in charge of a train carrying sixty people. The brand new fireman who's been working for a few weeks.

Now, the line between Weymouth and Portland ran right along the waterside, but Portland was the terminus. The fireman had to try and stop the train or risk derailing into the water or going straight through Portland and derailing there.

Thankfully, the fireman had his wits about him. He brought the train to a halt at Rodwell station, which was a couple of miles south of Weymouth station.

Phew.

But where was Percy? All they found was his cap. The water was searched, rewards were offered. Mrs Nuttman claimed a pension.

And then rumours began to circulate. Rumours that Percy was alive and well.

The Mayor of Weymouth was not impressed, and issued a warrant for Percy's arrest. He was arrested in early April in Leatherhead, where he had grown a beard and assumed a fake name. He returned to Weymouth and was greeted from the train with loud boos from his former colleagues.

So, Percy was arrested. He claimed in the magistrate's court that he'd fallen off the train.

The arresting officer had found him shacked up with his sister-in-law, which somewhat undermined the argument

He was sent to the Assize court because of the serious nature of the crime. His trial was in July 1900. His defence was that he had tried to kill himself, failed, and then simply run away. With his sister in law.

Not exactly covering himself in glory with that defence.

The jury were unimpressed, and found him sane and guilty. He was sent to prison for six months.

But what of his...interesting home life?
His wife, Mary, hadn't known about her sister's pregnancy according to Percy. Mary had a baby herself at the end of April, although it is possible she adopted her sister's baby.

When the census was taken a year later, Percy was out of prison and living in Batcombe, working as a gardener.

Mary and the kids were living in Melcombe Regis.

Ellen, the sister, was AWOL.

But in 1911, Percy and Mary were back together in Weymouth, along with four more children. One born at the end of 1901, one in 1902, one in 1904 and one in 1907.

Mary died in 1938, Percy in 1942. He never worked for the railway again.

Ellen appears to have worked in service. She may have died in 1964, in her nineties. Her baby is untraceable, unless Mary did adopt it. It's possible the baby was stillborn and therefore not registered.

[Sources: Census and parish records. Southern Times 14th April 1900 (p.4) and 7th July 1900 (p.6)]