The San Francisco call., 1910-09-09
.CRIPPEN CASE IS
Tame TO Others
Many Famous Murder Mysteries
Have Puzzled and BaffIed
Scotland Yard

Thirty years go London was startled
by tee discovery of the evidence of
particular atrocious crime. In 1850
there stood in Harley street the man
sion OF q retired merchant a man Of
unimpeachsble character. who had
occupied it with his family at least 90
years. In cleaning out the cellar one
day the butler came upon cask con-
- ceaIed- behind q masonry wall. Upon
being opened IL was found 10 contain
the body of a woman. A knife wound
penetrated the heart. The cask had
been filed up with quicklime, but
owing 70 the fact that the cask had
been hermetically sealed the quicklime
3 had not fulfilled its function, and the
body had been preserved to some ex-
tent. although the progress of decom-
. position had been sufficient to make
ldentifcs tion impossible, says the Pitts
burg Dispatch.
Ct even greater reputation than it does
now, was called in and an inquiry
began. SO far from bringing the MUIR
derer TO justice the police never even
ests blished the identity of the mur-
deTed woman. The merchant proved
conclusiVely that there was no link to
connect anyone IN MS household with
be found upon which 10 base the
slightest theory The murder remains
today one Of the unsolved mysteries OF
London.
Crippen's case presents little Of the
mystery that has eDvelopsJ many OF
the famous cases with which the
records Of English trial courts abound.
one OF the most celebrated CT these
cases was that of DR.. George Henry
Lamson, who accomplished the deaths
q two Of his wife's relatives to secure
their estates. Lamson had married
ward in chancery. She and her
. brothers were entitled to share in
the estate OF their mother upon COM
ing Of age or marrying Herbert John,
one OF the brothers, died ia 1879 with
ont exciting any suspicion and his
share Of the estate that would have
been his passed TO his brother and
sister, Lanson's wife.
Iu 1881 Percy John, the surviving
brother. was living at q boys school at
Wimbledon. He was about IS years old.
From the testimony that developed at
Lamson's trial Il appeared that the
&octor 5ourneyed down TO the school
ahortly before Christmas of that year
and paid his young brother-in-law
visit A DR. Bedrock, the principal of
the school, was present at the inter
view and testified as to what took
place. Dr. Lamson brought with him
some candy and cakes and he and
the boy and the principal all ate of
them Lamson in the course of the
conversation brought up the subject of
recent medical discoveries. and pro-
duced some gelstine capsules which he
. said he had obtained from America.
DR. Berbrook expressed interest in this
novel method Of taking medicine and
Lamson filed one with sugar and
swallowed II, and the principal also
swallowed one 10 test the ease with
which is could be taken.
Here. Percy, I'll fill one for you
Lsmson said, laughingly. He filed
capsule apparently from the sugar
bowl, and the boy swallowed it.
Lamson LETT Immediately after, and
IN 20 minutes the boy became i'll. He
was put 70 bed and in short time was
attacked by convulsions and died in
great agony.
A post mortem examination disclosed
traces of aconitine, an irritant vege-
table poison. and suspicion was directed
toward DR.. Lainson. Inquiry developed
that he had tried TO purchase aconitine
al = drVg store not long before. and
ne was arrested and charged with the
crime The trial was one of the most
sensational Of that generation. Ply
sicians and scientists from all over
England attended it and the estimony
was largely OF the nature that is known
IN this day as expert" A series of ex-
perinents on mice in which the animals
~ere inoculs ted with fluids extracted
from the stomach contents of the de-
ceased formed part OF the evidence Of