Читать книгу Murder Maps - Drew Gray - Страница 47

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1COLDWATER, MICHIGAN. the city in which hawley harvey crippen was born.

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PART ONE — EUROPE.

Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen (1862–1910) was an unlikely murderer. Quiet and mild-mannered, he was ‘a most pleasant fellow’ according to his executioner. Despite this, he is credited with perhaps the most celebrated murder of the early 20th century, a murder that garnered almost as many newspaper columns as Jack the Ripper. The man who ‘caught’ Crippen – Chief Inspector Walter Dew (1863–1947) – retired soon afterwards, this case bookending a career that had begun in 1888 in Whitechapel and ended in 1910 in north London.

In July 1910, Dew called at the Crippen house at 39 Hilldrop Crescent, Islington, north London, to enquire after Cora Crippen (1872–1910), who had disappeared. Cora (also known by her stage name Belle Elmore) was a colourful character and her marriage to Hawley was far from perfect. She was a dominating personality and Hawley sought love

in the company of his demure secretary Ethel Le Neve (1883–1967). In January 1910, the morning after a dinner party with friends, Mrs Crippen vanished. Hawley said she had gone abroad, and then reported she had died of an illness. Her friends’ suspicions were raised when Ethel was seen out wearing Cora’s jewelry. Dew interviewed Crippen, who admitted his relationship with Ethel and said he had made up the story about Cora’s death to avoid the shame of her leaving him. Dew found him plausible but had doubts, and when he visited him a few days later 39 Hilldrop Crescent was deserted: Crippen and Le Neve had fled. By running away, Crippen seemed to be implicating himself in his wife’s disappearance, but since there was no body and nothing to tie Crippen to any harm that might have befallen Cora all he could do was issue a description of Cora and hope she turned up.

39 hilldrop crescent, islington.

anuary 0.

englandlondon.

HAWLEY HARVEY CRIPPEN.× Cora Crippen.

weapon.poison.

typology. domestic.

policing. radiotelegraphy.

39 HILLDROP CRESCENT, LONDON. the house where

cora crippen was murdered.

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hawley crippen returns to england aboard the

ss megantic

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crowds wait on the harbourside for the return

of the murderer.

hawley crippen walks down the gangplank of

the

ss megantic

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hawley crippen accompanied

by a policeman.