Evening star., 1923-06-24

Gus at the bar. cross-examined her
artfuIIy and persistently. with t.e
firm belief that she knew all about
the murder. Never once, however, did
he trap her into any admission.
From my point of view the psy-
chology of the girl was extremely
interesting. Just little Cockney
girl, from a family of humble class
and means. she had astonishing and
unusual qualities. 1t is characteristic
Of her that when she was staying
in Brussels with Crippen, disguised
as boy-and a remarkably good
looking boy she ppeared-becausa
she knew that Crippen was wanted
by the law for some old thing or
other" which she didn't bother to
find out, she spent most of her time
visiting the art galleries and mu
seums of the Belgian capital Shr
had regarded the whole episode as
great lark until at Halifax detec-
tives came aboard and arrested the
fugitives on. charge of murder
She admitted TO me that putting, tw"
and two together. little incidents that
had seemed trivial at the time, and
remembering queer words spoken by
Crippen-"the doctor" as she called
him-she had no doubt now of his
guilt. But, as she also admitted, that
made no difference TO her love for
him. He was mad when he did II"
she said "and he was mad for me
! That was the extraordinary thing
that deep, sincere and passionate love
between the little weak eyed. middle
prett! little Cockney girl.
! ! read Crippen's love letters, writ
ten to Ethel lie Neve from prison
immensely long letters, written on
prison paper in a neat little writing
without a blot or fault. All toiG.
there We're 10000 words of them--as
long as a novel-and they We're sur
prising in their good style, their
| beauty of expression. their resigna-
tion to death
These two people from the squalor
of a London suburb might have beer
medieval lovers in Italy OF Boca ccio's
time, when murder for loves SAX
was lightly done.
X X s 4
TN a little restaurant in Soho ] ss
i with Ethel le Neve, day after day.
while all the journalists of England
were searching for her. Many time
she was go gay that it was impossible
! TO believe that she had escaped the
I hangmans rope by no great distance
| and that her lover was a little blear-
eyed man lying under sentence of
/ death. Yet that gayety of hers was
not affected or forced. 1t bubbled out
I Of bar or if.lr nd
sense of humor, which had not beet
! killed by the frightful thing tha
! cvershadowed her When that shad-
( ow fell upon her spirit again, she use8
! TO weep, but never for long.
I Her last request to me was that
should have DR.. Crippen's photograph
made into a miniature which she
/ could wear concealed upon her breast
/ On the morning of his execution she
put on black for him, and wished thar
! she might have died with him on III.
! scaffold
/ l am certain, the police Were,
/ that she was guiltless of all know
4 edge and participation in the murde"
of Mrs. Crippen, but she seemed a.
! careless OF that crime as any woman
:. of the Borgias when a rival was
moved from her path of love. Some
/ old strain of passionate blood haG
I thrust up again in this London typist
j girl, whose name of lie Neve might
! hold the clue. if we knew her family
history, to this secret of her person
ality.
! ] was glad TO see the last of her,
/ having written down her tale. be
cause that was not the kind of jour
| Ealism which appealed TO my in
stincts or ideals, and 1 sickened a
! the squalor of the whole story of love
and murder as I sat with Ethel Ie
/ Neve in friendly discourse. not with
out pity for this girl whose life hal
4 been ruined by her folly. and VIII"
would be forever haunted by the
! grim tragedy of Crippen's crime.
I Copyright 1923, by Sir Phillip Gibbs. -At
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