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PART ONE — EUROPE.

In June 1881, the stationmaster at Balcombe, Sussex, sent a telegram down the line. It read: ‘Man found dead this afternoon in tunnel here. Name on papers “I. Gold”. He is now lying here. Reply quick.’ The man was Isaac Gold (1817–81) and he had apparently been thrown off the London to Brighton express train.

Earlier that day, a strange man had got off the train at Preston Park station in Brighton, his clothes covered in blood and a gold watch sticking out of his shoe. He claimed he had been robbed and was lucky to escape. His story did not make sense; his wounds were superficial and he seemed keen to get away. Having first been questioned by railway staff, he was then taken to a police station and interrogated. At this stage, the police had not heard about the mysterious body in the tunnel so they assumed the unconvincing story was a cover for an attempt to commit suicide, and let him go. However, once news of Gold’s body arrived, the police realized their mistake and put out a description of 21-year-old Percy Lefroy Mapleton (1860–81). It was quite precise, noting: ‘very thin, sickly appearance, scratches on throat, wounds on head, probably clean shaved, low felt hat,

Le. the wanted poster issued by the cid following the murder of isaac gold. this was the first ever such poster to include

a sketch of the suspect.—————Right. a contemporary press gallery sketch of the trial of percy lefroy mapleton at maidstone assizes, featuring all the key protagonists. mapleton

was convicted of murder.

london to brighton train, balcombe tunnel.

 une .

englandlondon.

PERCY LEFROYMAPLETON.× Isaac Frederick Gold.

weapon. pistol & knife.

typology. property crime.

policing. composite portrait.

black coat, teeth much discoloured’. The wanted poster also featured an artist’s impression of the suspect, the first time this was ever used in England.

The inquest into Gold’s death recorded a verdict of wilful murder and Mapleton became the number one suspect. On 8 July, detectives tracked him down to a house in Stepney, which he had given his employer as a forwarding address. There, he was arrested by none other than Detective Inspector Donald Swanson (1848–1924), who went on to oversee the police attempt to capture the elusive Whitechapel murderer in 1888. Swanson had more success with the ‘railway murder’ of 1881. Investigations had discovered that a man fitting the description had recently pawned a pistol and had sold some counterfeit coins. The victim, Gold, had been a coin dealer, and so the police now had a motive for the killing: robbery.

Tried at Maidstone Assizes, Mapleton was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. He denied his crime and told the judge, ‘The day will come when you will know that you have murdered me.’ William Marwood (1818–83) hanged him on 29 November at Lewes Prison. •