Chapter XVII: The Crippen Case

In 1883 an American named Hawley Harvey Crippen came to England to attend various hospitals for the purpose of seeing operations. He was born at Coldwater, Michigan, U.S.A., in 1862, where he was educated at the Homœopathic College at Cleveland, and took a degree as Doctor of Medicine. After being in England some months, he returned to the States as an assistant to a Dr. Porter, of Detroit, but later he specialized in the eye and ear, and after his marriage he went to live in New York.

It was here in 1893, after the death of his wife, he first met Cora Turner, whom he eventually married, and removed to Saint Louis, where he started practice as a physician and optician. Cora Turner was the daughter of a Russian Pole and a German mother, and her real name was Makamotsky. A woman of extravagant tastes, who delighted in jewellery and dress, she seems to have been fascinated by Crippen. Possessing a fine voice, it was her ambition to go on the operatic stage, and Crippen, at this time having been offered a post as physician to Munyon’s Remedies Company, removed to New York, where he paid for the training of his wife’s voice; but when it was completed, it was found she had no chance of singing in opera.

Crippen was transferred by the Company first to Philadelphia and then to Toronto, where he managed Munyon’s business. About 1900 he was sent to England in charge of the Company’s branch, but leaving them he became physician to what was known as the Drouet Institute. He left the Institute to become medical adviser to a company known as “The Aural Treatment and Sovereign Remedy Company.” This also appears to have failed, and he went back to Munyon’s Remedies Co., where he acted as manager till he took on the business as agent. At the same time he was running a business called the “Gayle Teeth Specialists Company,” in which he had a partner named Rylands, but the head-quarters of his “Aural Remedies” was at Craven House, Kingsway. Here a Miss Ethel Le Neve was employed as a typist and clerk, and to her Crippen seems to have confided his domestic trials and found in her a sympathizer.

When the Crippens came to London they took a house at 39 Hilldrop Crescent, Kentish Town, where Mrs. Crippen had the assistance of a charwoman to help her in the housework. After they had settled down, Mrs. Crippen wanted to go on the music-hall stage, and her husband paid a fee on several occasions so that she might have a trial turn at minor music halls. In spite of an attractive personality, elaborate dresses, and a pleasant, clear voice, she could not get a sympathetic hearing, proving that she had no stage talent whatever. She was known on the stage as Belle Elmore, and being bitterly disappointed at her inability to get engagements, she became nervous and irritable and subject to fits of violent temper.

Crippen’s domestic infelicities were commonly known to his friends, before whom his wife would openly abuse him, often for the most trivial occurrences. His home affairs went from bad to worse, and his wife gave him continual uneasiness and trouble. On several occasions she threatened to leave him and go off with another man with whom she had become intimate.

On January 31, 1910, in the afternoon, Crippen called upon two friends and invited them to his house for the evening to have a game of cards. They agreed, and came to dinner, Mrs. Crippen preparing the meal and helping to serve it, there being no servant present. Apparently husband and wife were on quite good terms, and their guests departed about one o’clock in the morning, leaving Crippen and his wife alone in the house.

This was the last time Mrs. Crippen was seen alive.

On February 2 there was a meeting of the Committee of the Music Hall Ladies’ Guild, of which Mrs. Crippen was the honorary treasurer, and a regular attendant, but this time she did not put in an appearance. To explain her absence, Miss Le Neve came to the meeting, bringing with her two letters. One was addressed to Miss May, the secretary of the Guild, and stated the illness of a near relative had called Mrs. Crippen to America at a few hours’ notice, and tendering her resignation. This was signed “Belle Elmore, per pro H. H. C.”

The other letter, which was addressed to the Committee of the Music Hall Ladies’ Guild, was similar in purport, and repeated her resignation of the honorary treasurership, and enclosed a cheque-book and deposit-book for the immediate use of her successor. The letter concluded by saying, “I hope some months later to be with you, and in the meantime wish the Guild every success.” This was also signed “Belle Elmore,” although the letter was obviously in her husband’s writing.

The reading of the letters took the members of the Committee by surprise. A few days afterwards a friend of Mrs. Crippen, who was very fond of her, met Dr. Crippen and asked him more particularly about his wife’s journey, but could gain nothing very definite in reply. Shortly afterwards this lady again saw Crippen, who informed her that he had that morning heard from his wife who stated she had been rather ill, having something the matter with her lungs.

About the last week in February, there was a dinner given by the Music Hall Artists’ Benevolent Fund. Dr. Crippen attended it, accompanied by Miss Le Neve, and it was noticed that she was wearing a brooch that several persons recognized as one they had often seen Mrs. Crippen wearing. During dinner, a lady member of the Guild asked Crippen some details of his wife’s whereabouts, and he told her that she was then up in the mountains in the wilds of California.

As time went on her friends still continued to make inquiries about her mysterious disappearance, and on March 21 a letter was received by Mr. and Mrs. Martinetti from Crippen, in which he said he had been upset by serious news about his wife, having received a cable that she was dangerously ill with double pneumonia. A day or two later, meeting Mrs Martinetti, he said he was expecting a cable at any time saying his wife was dead. On March 23 he sent a telegram to Mrs. Martinetti saying he had heard his wife was dead. Three days later he inserted an announcement of the death in the _Era_ and gave notice to his landlord that he would be leaving the house in Hilldrop Crescent on June 24.

Mrs. Crippen’s friends still continued puzzled about her mysterious disappearance and her supposed death, and a Mr. Nash, who was connected with the music-hall profession, on returning from America, where he had been on a visit, interviewed Crippen. He was evidently dissatisfied with Crippen’s replies to his questions respecting the disappearance of his wife, and he went to Scotland Yard, placing his suspicions before Inspector Dew.

After exhaustive inquiries with a view if possible of finding Mrs. Crippen or some trace of her, the inspector decided to see Crippen himself, and to find out if he could obtain some information. He called at Hilldrop Crescent on July 18, about 10 in the morning, and saw Miss Le Neve, who was there with a young French servant girl. The inspector asked where he could find Crippen, and Miss Le Neve was unable to give him any information, but she gave him his business address at Albion House in Oxford Street. Inspector Dew went there and saw Crippen, and asked him what light he could throw on the supposed death of his wife. Crippen replied, “Well, I suppose I had better tell the truth. All my stories about her illness and death are untrue; so far as I know she is not dead at all.”

He then made a long detailed statement to the inspector, which he committed to writing and signed.

In this statement, which began with an account of his career from the time he was born, he said that his wife had often threatened to leave him, saying she would go out of his life and he would never hear from her again. On the night that their friends came to dinner they had a quarrel after they left, and she said, “I shall leave you to-morrow and you will not hear from me again.”

“She told me,” he stated, “that I was to arrange to cover up any scandal from our mutual friends; I went to business next morning and on returning home between five and six o’clock I found she had gone. I then wrote the letters to the Guild secretary, and realizing this would not be sufficient to explain her not coming back, I added she was ill with pneumonia and afterwards that she had died in California.

“When my wife went away I cannot say whether she took anything with her. She took some of her jewellery, I know, but she left her rings behind. I do not know what clothes she took away. It is true that I was at the Benevolent Fund dinner at the Criterion with Miss Le Neve, and she wore the brooch left behind. She also wore my wife’s furs. After I told them my wife was dead, Miss Le Neve and I went to Dieppe for five days. My belief is that my wife has gone to Chicago to join Bruce Miller, a man whom she knew and who, I believe, had speculated and made money.”

Crippen signed this statement and Inspector Dew said, “That is all very well, but your wife has got to be found,” and suggested an advertisement in the newspapers and discussed with Crippen the form of it. They drew up an advertisement between them, as follows:—

“Makamotsky. Will Belle Elmore communicate with H. H. C. or authorities at once. Serious trouble from your absence. Twenty-five dollars for communicating her whereabouts to ——”

The address was left open for Crippen to decide upon.

On Crippen’s invitation, Inspector Dew made a search of the house in Hilldrop Crescent, but found nothing of a suspicious nature. The next morning Crippen arrived at his place of business a little earlier than usual, and his clerk remarked on his worried appearance. Crippen said that he had been bothered, as there was a little scandal. He told him that he was going away, and that if anything happened to him the clerk must deal with the letters. He then sent him out to purchase a suit of boy’s clothes, and about 11.30 Miss Le Neve came to the office, where she changed her clothes for the boy’s suit purchased by the clerk, and left the office without anyone noticing her, disguised as a boy. Crippen then saw the manageress of Munyon’s Company and asked her to change him a cheque for £37, showing his pass-book at the Charing Cross Bank, where he had a balance to that amount. He produced a cheque signed Belle Elmore, the account being in their joint names, and the manageress gave him cash in exchange.

This occurred on July 9, and from that date Crippen and Miss Le Neve disappeared. On July 11 Inspector Dew again went to Hilldrop Crescent to have a further interview with Crippen and Miss Le Neve, and found they had gone. He then began a systematic search of the premises, and on the 13th his suspicions were aroused by something he saw on the floor leading to the cellar. He decided to examine it more carefully, and finding some bricks which appeared to be loose, he decided to take up the floor. The result was, that he discovered what were obviously human remains, and sent for the divisional sergeant of police. The remains were as far as possible uncovered, but not removed, and on July 14 they were examined by Mr. Pepper, at whose request they were removed to the mortuary for closer examination. The remains having been buried in quicklime were found to be in a fairly good state of preservation, most of the internal organs, such as the heart, the spleen, intestines and stomach being intact. The extraordinary part of the matter was, that no bones were found, and the head, hands and feet were missing. It was apparent that the individual who had carried out the evisceration had done everything possible to prevent identification as regards the body. Some things, however, were forgotten, such as portions of articles of clothing, and some hair done up in curling pins, some strands of which were fully eight inches long, proving they belonged to a female.

Another point noticed was, that the hair had been bleached. The articles of clothing showed the arm-piece of a suit of pyjamas, and separately, the right back portion of the jacket of a similar suit, with the maker’s name on it. The woman’s clothing consisted of a camisole. The name on the pyjamas was discovered to be the same as on those which Crippen wore and which were found in his box.

Following this discovery, a warrant was issued on July 16 for the arrest of Crippen and Miss Le Neve.

The scene now changes to the Atlantic. On July 20 the steamship _Montrose_ sailed from Antwerp bound for Quebec, and among the passengers who embarked at that port were a Mr. Robinson and his son. They mixed freely with the passengers on the ship, but circumstances arose when they were a few days out, to cause the captain to make particular observation of the son, and from certain characteristics, he began to doubt his sex. Communicating his suspicions to two of the passengers, they soon confirmed his belief that Mr. Robinson junior was, in fact, a girl.

Suspecting something was wrong, on July 22 the captain sent a wireless message asking the police to follow and board his ship, as he was convinced that Mr. Robinson and his son were the Dr. Crippen and Ethel Le Neve who were being sought for by the police. It was probably the first time that wireless telegraphy had been used in connection with suspected criminals.

The day after the receipt of the message, Inspector Dew and Sergeant Mitchell sailed from Liverpool in the s.s. _Laurentic_, which overtook the _Montrose_ at sea. During the voyage, Crippen had become very friendly with the quartermaster of the ship, and a couple of days before the vessel was due at Quebec, the quartermaster gave him a hint that the Canadian police were on his track. It is said an arrangement was made between them, in order to avoid the police on landing, that Crippen should be concealed among the cargo, and at an appointed hour there should be a splash in the water as if some one had fallen or jumped overboard, while in the cabin a tell-tale message was to be found. It was thought that no one would think of searching the cargo for the missing man, and thus the fugitive was to get clear away, Miss Le Neve in the meanwhile being advised of an address where she might join him afterwards if all went well.

All Crippen’s arrangements, however, were upset by Inspector Dew boarding the s.s. _Montrose_ at Farther Point, Quebec. The inspector saw Crippen pacing the deck near the captain’s cabin. “Good morning, Dr. Crippen,” he remarked. “Good morning, Mr. Dew,” replied Crippen. Dew then told him he would be arrested for the murder and mutilation of his wife, Cora Crippen, in London, on February 2. Miss Le Neve, who was still dressed in her suit of boy’s clothes, was also arrested. A written card, evidently intended for Miss Le Neve, was found on Crippen. It was in his handwriting and said that he could not stand the horrors he had gone through. There was nothing bright ahead and he had made up his mind to jump overboard that night.

Crippen and Miss Le Neve were brought back to England by Inspector Dew on the s.s. _Megantic_, and they landed at Liverpool on August 27, and were taken to London. A great crowd had assembled at Euston Station, where the prisoners had a hostile reception, being greeted with groans and hisses. On August 29 they were charged at Bow Street, and committed for trial at the Central Criminal Court, one on the charge of murder, and the other as being accessory after the fact.

At the trial of Crippen it transpired that on January 19 he had purchased at a pharmacy in New Oxford Street five grains of hyoscine hydrobromide, for which he signed the poison register, stating it was required for making homœopathic preparations. At this shop Crippen had previously purchased a number of drugs such as cocaine, morphine, and mercury, and was well known there. He had also written prescriptions which had been prepared for him.

Mr. Augustus Pepper, surgeon to St. Mary’s Hospital, gave the result of his examination, and in his opinion, he concluded that the remains were undoubtedly those of a woman, adding that the person who removed the various organs showed considerable dexterity. The remains were buried very soon after death, and approximately they had been in the ground from four to eight months. On a portion of the body found there was a scar, the result of an operation which it was discovered Mrs. Crippen had undergone some time ago. This was important as evidence of identification. He had examined the hair which was found in the curler, and said that the longest was eight inches long and the shortest two and a half inches. It showed signs of having been artificially dealt with, and was partially bleached, but the natural colour of the hair was probably a dark brown. The very lightest portion was a pale yellow.

Dr. Marshall, who assisted Mr. Pepper, stated that there was no evidence at all that suggested the remains were those of a male. What little evidence there was pointed to their being those of a female. He was of the opinion that the scar was the result of an operation, and his impression was there were also marks of stitches.

Dr. B. H. Spilsbury, pathologist of St. Mary’s Hospital, who was called for the prosecution, stated he had made a microscopical examination of this piece of skin, and confirmed the opinion that it was undoubtedly an old scar which had been stretched.

Dr. W. H. Willcox, senior analyst to the Home Office, gave evidence as to the examination of the organs of the body found. He stated that he had tested the extracts he had made from the organs physiologically, and in each case got complete paralysis of the pupil of the eye. He also made chemical tests in the case of the liver and intestine, and he concluded that hyoscine was present, corresponding approximately to one-thirtieth of a grain in the whole stomach. He also found an amount of alkaloid corresponding to one-fortieth of a grain in the whole of the kidney, and an amount corresponding approximately to one-seventh of a grain in the intestines, and in the liver approximately an amount of one-twelfth of a grain. He believed the alkaloid found to be hyoscine, and the total amount to be two-sevenths of a grain approximately. In his opinion there must have been present in the whole body more than half a grain, and the probable fatal dose of hyoscine hydrobromide would be from one-quarter to one half a grain. It was not commonly prescribed, and was chiefly used in sedatives in such conditions as mania and meningitis, in doses from one two-hundredth to one hundredth of a grain. He was of the opinion it had been administered by the mouth and not as an injection, because of the large amount found in the intestines. He believed the cause of death was poison by hyoscine or a salt of hyoscine.

The counsel for the prisoner suggested that alkaloidal substances resembling atropine or hyoscamine had been met with in decomposed meat, but Dr. Willcox negatived the suggestion.

Dr. Luff, scientific adviser to the Home Office, said he had followed Dr. Willcox’s tests in evidence, and he agreed that the poison found was undoubtedly hyoscine. During seventeen years’ experience he had always tested for animal alkaloids in toxicological cases, and before that he had conducted a long series of investigations for animal alkaloids, but only on one occasion had he come across them, and that was in some putrefied meat. It was quite impossible that hyoscine could be mistaken for an animal mydriadic alkaloid under Vitali’s test.

Mr. Tobin, who defended Crippen, contended that the alkaloid found by Dr. Willcox in the remains might have been traced to an animal alkaloid produced after death as the result of putrefaction. He dwelt on the fact of the lack of motive Crippen had for the suggested crime; and that although he had purchased five grains of hyoscine hydrobromide, he had signed his name in the poison register, although there was no need for him to have done so. He bought the drug in January when he was still agent for Munyon’s Remedies, for the purpose of making it into a liquid and using it in the form of the tiny homœopathic tablets which he sold in bottles of three hundred each, to patients. He said that although no obligation rested upon Dr. Crippen to go into the witness-box, he chose to go of his own accord, and he would call him.

Crippen was taken through the story of his life by the examining counsel, and coming to the question of his purchase of drugs he said he always made up the preparations he sold, and had bought considerable quantities of different poisons, such as aconite, belladonna and _Rhus tox_. He had frequently used hyoscine in making his homœopathic preparations in extremely minute doses. He admitted purchasing the hyoscine and explained how he used it, by first dissolving it in alcohol, then saturating a certain amount of small disks or tablets, two of which would equal ¹⁄₃₆₀₀th part of a grain. He used it in nervous diseases.

Crippen, examined by the Lord Chief Justice, said he took no steps to find out where his wife had gone to, up to July 8. For three hours he stood the fire of cross-examination by Mr. Muir, the leading counsel for the Crown, and from beginning to end appeared to be utterly devoid of emotion or anything in the least approaching it, nor did he ever lose his self-possession or show the slightest sign of being ruffled.

During the trial Mr. Bruce Miller, whose name had been mentioned by Crippen in connection with his wife, was called, and swore that he had not seen Mrs. Crippen since she left America in 1904.

The Lord Chief Justice, in his summing up of the case, impressed upon the jury that they must be satisfied by the whole of the evidence that the Crown had made out their case, and if not, the prisoner was entitled to the benefit of the doubt. The crime of murder charged against Crippen was that he wilfully and intentionally killed his wife by poison, and then mutilated the body and buried the remains in the cellar at 39 Hilldrop Crescent, in order to conceal his crime. There was no question here of suggesting that it was by some other means or by some other method or agency that Crippen had caused the death of his wife, and it involved two questions: first, whether the remains found in the house were those of the body of Cora Crippen; if they were not, there was an end of the case; if they were the remains of this woman, then it was a question, was her death occasioned by the wilful act of her husband? These were the two issues upon which the jury must concentrate their attention.

After exactly half an hour’s absence the jury returned and declared they unanimously found the prisoner guilty of wilful murder, and Crippen was sentenced to death.

The following morning the trial of Miss Le Neve took place, she being indicted upon the charge of being accessory after the fact of the wilful murder of Cora Crippen. No witnesses were called for the case, and after some formal proceedings the jury found a verdict of acquittal.

The case was brought before the Court of Criminal Appeal, but the appeal was dismissed, and Crippen was executed at Pentonville Prison on November 23, 1910. It is said he made no confession of his crime.

Thus ended the trial of one who was described by Lord Alverstone as an extraordinary man. Throughout the trial he never showed a symptom of concern or trace of emotion or fear; he appeared to be never at a loss for a word or explanation, and showed remarkable self-possession all through, the only argument his counsel could adduce in his defence. But after all this is one of the salient characteristics of poisoners. In Crippen’s case we have a man possessing some medical knowledge; who had deliberately chosen a little-known poison to carry out his evil design. He had probably prepared and planned the deed at least a fortnight before it was committed, and then eviscerated the remains of his victim to try and baffle the ablest investigators. He evidently thought his escape from justice sure. But the Nemesis which dogs the footsteps of all poisoners followed those of Crippen, and he made three fatal mistakes. First in burying a portion of the suit of pyjamas belonging to himself with the remains; second, although he destroyed the major parts of the body to prevent identification, he left the very remains which contained traces of the poison by which he murdered his victim; and third, and most remarkable of all, he forgot to remove the portion of the body containing the scar, which ultimately established beyond all doubt the identity of the remains as those of Cora Crippen, his wife.

This case is noteworthy as being the first on record in which hyoscine was used for criminal poisoning in this country. The presence of the alkaloid was clearly demonstrated, although the remains had been buried for six months.