The Notting Hill Mystery Page 10

  In answer to the queries forwarded at various times by Mr. Henderson,Dr. Dodsworth gives the following replies:

  1. In questioning the Baron as to his suggestion respecting thetincture of tannin, I put it plainly to him whether he had been ledto make it by any suspicion of poison. This he disclaimed with equaldirectness, but with such hesitation as convinced me that the suspicionwas really in his mind.

  2. I told the Baron that I had exhibited bark and other similarremedies, and with what success. He smiled, and turned the conversation.

  3. The Baron was not present at the _post mortem_ examination. Hewished very much to be so, but Mr. Prendergast objected so stronglythat I was obliged to refuse him. I promised, however, to let himknow by telegraph the result of the examination, which took place atBirmingham, where Mr. Prendergast was living at the time. I enclosea copy of the message sent. He offered to assist in removing theintestines, &c., from the body, but this I also declined, as Mr.Prendergast had particularly requested me to allow no one to come nearthe body after it was opened but myself and some student or surgeonfrom one of the great hospitals, to render such assistance as mightbe necessary. The caution was, I think, a very reasonable one, and Ifollowed it out strictly.

  4. The Baron certainly seemed at first, as I thought, annoyed at beingexcluded, but I attributed this to his interest in the case. He didnot make the request as to telegraphing at the time, but wrote to meafterwards on the subject.

  5. The object of Mr. Prendergast's precaution was, of course, toprevent the body from being tampered with.

  6. By tampered with I mean in such manner as to destroy the traces ofthe poison.

  7. It would, of course, be possible to manufacture traces of poisonwhere none had previously existed, but this could only be done with theview of fastening on an innocent person the guilt of a murder whichhad never been committed, and was by no means what we intended to guardagainst in the exclusion of his friends.

  8. Certainly had such a thing been successfully attempted in thisinstance, it would have rendered the case conclusive against Mr.Anderton.

  9. The other incident to which I have alluded as evincing suspicionon the part of the Baron, was as follows. We were one morning inconsultation in Mr. Anderton's room. I wished to seal a letter. TheBaron lighted a taper for me with a piece of paper which he took fromthe waste basket. As he did so, he appeared struck with something onthe paper, and untwisted it and showed it to me. There were only a fewletters on it, part having been torn off and part burned. The letterswere ... RTAR EME ... and part of what was evidently a T. Beneath wasthe upper portion of a capital P in writing. I did not, however, takemuch notice of it, and the thing passed from my mind.

  10. I have no doubt myself that the paper came from the waste basket.The Baron said so. I did not actually see him take it out, but Isaw him stoop to do so. There was nothing physically impossible inhis having taken the paper from his own pocket, but I cannot see theslightest reason for such a supposition. The only object he couldpossibly have had in such an act would have been that of throwingsuspicion on Mr. Anderton, and his whole desire evidently was toconceal the suspicions in his own mind as far as possible.

  11. The Baron gave me no other grounds for supposing that he suspectedanything. On the contrary, he was continually pointing out to me theaffection of Mr. Anderton for his wife, and especially the assiduity ofhis attendance in permitting no one else to administer either food ormedicine.

  12. The practical effect of all this was certainly, I admit, to impressupon my own mind the suspicious circumstances of the case more stronglyperhaps than if they had been pointed out in a directly hostile manner.It is impossible, however, that the Baron could have reckoned uponthis, and I feel bound to add that it seems to me exceeding the limitsof legitimate inquiry to suggest anything of the kind.

  3.--_Statement of Mrs Edwards._

  I am a sick nurse. I was in attendance on poor Mrs. Anderton allthrough her sickness. The poor lady was greatly cast down. She wasexpecting her death for weeks before it came. She seemed to think therewas a doom on her. I do not think she had any suspicion that she wasbeing poisoned. I am sure poor dear lady, no one would ever think ofpoisoning her, everybody loved her too much. Mr. Anderton was dotinglyfond of her. I never saw so good a husband in my life. I could havedone anything for him, he was so good to his poor wife. I don't thinkhe hardly ever left her. I used to be vexed sometimes because I saidhe would not let me do anything for her. I mean he would not let megive her her slops or her physic. She took nothing but slops the bestpart of the time. She couldn't feel to relish anything at all, and meatmade her vomit. For the last two months or better I don't think shetook anything from anybody, excepting it was from Mr. Anderton himself.He used to bring her her physic as regular as the clock struck, andeverything from the kitchen was took first into his room if he wasn'twith the mistress, and he would carry it to her himself. He used tohave rare work sometimes to get her to take anything. I am sure shewouldn't have done it poor lady for any one but him. Not the last fewweeks. She was so very sick and ill, and everything seemed to turn uponher stomach. Mr. Anderton always slept on a mattress in the mistress'sroom so as to be within call. The mattress was put on the floor by theside of the bed, and nobody could have got to the bed without wakinghim. He was a very light sleeper. The least little sound used to wakehim, and I often told him he was going the way to kill himself, andthen what would our poor lady do. Once or twice I persuaded him to goout for a bit, and then he always insisted on my not leaving the roomwhile he was away. Even when he was in his study he always made mestay with the lady, and if I wanted to go out for anything, I was toring for him. Mrs. Anderton was never left without one or other of usfor an hour until the last six weeks, when she grew so bad, anothernurse had to be got. Then we three did the same way between us. Wewere obliged to take her because I was getting quite knocked tip. However Mr. Anderton kept up the way he did, I cannot think or say, buthe broke down altogether when the mistress died. I don't think afterthat the poor gentleman was ever quite right in his head. I rememberthe doctor asking him one day whether he had any tartar emetic in thehouse. He said no, but he would get some if it was wanted. Nothing morepassed at the time, so far as I know. It was brought to my mind againby something which happened after the poor lady's death. It was nothingvery particular, only I found in her room a piece of paper with "TartarEmetic" printed on it. That was all that was printed, but the word"Poison" was written under it. I kept the paper and showed it to theBaron. I don't know why I did so; I suppose because he was in the houseat the time. Afterwards I showed it to the lawyer, and he took chargeof it. I had no particular suspicion, none at all. I can't tell why Itook it up. I did it without thinking, quite promiscuous like. I didn'tshow it to master because he was too ill to be worried. That was theonly reason.

  The above is the evidence I gave at the inquest. I have nothing moreto add. I am quite sure that Mr. and Mrs. Anderton were very fond ofeach other. I never saw two people so affectionate like. The Baronwas very fond of both of them. I don't think Mrs. Anderton liked himmuch. She seemed to have a sort of dread of him. I don't know why; shenever said so. The Baron used often to call on Mr. Anderton, to seethe doctor, but, so far as I know, he only saw the mistress once. Ithink he knew she did not like him, and kept away on purpose. He wasa very kind-hearted gentleman. He was always particularly polite andcivil-spoken to me. He used often to talk to me about master doting soon mistress. He used to speak about his always giving her her physicand things. I remember one day his saying it wouldn't be very easy togive her anything unwholesome without his knowing of it, or somethingof that sort. He seemed as if he never could say enough in praise ofmaster, and I am sure he deserved it. I took him the paper I foundjust like I might have taken it to master if he had been well enough.He was in the house at the time. He had been in the poor lady's roomwith Dr. Dodsworth just before, and had stayed in the parlour to writesomething. He sent me into the room to see if he had left his glovethere. It was
in looking for it that I saw the paper. It was lying justunder the bed when I stooped down to look for the glove. I took it upat first, thinking how careless it was to have left it there when theroom was put straight after the poor lady died, and then I saw whatwas written upon it. The glove was lying on the floor close to it.There was no vallance to the bed, it had been taken off for the sake ofsweetness. I forget exactly what the Baron said when I showed him thepaper. It was something that made me think I might get into troubleabout it. That was why I showed it to the lawyer. My brother had beento him once before about some money that ought to have come to us. Hetook the paper to the magistrates, and that was how the inquest cameabout. I was very angry about it, and so was the Baron. He asked me howI could have been so foolish. I don't know what made me think of takingit to him. I think it was something the Baron said. He did not adviseme to do it. He did not advise me anything, but I think he wanted me toburn it. I offered it to him, but he said he was afraid, or somethingof that kind, and I think that was what put it into my head to ask thelawyer about it.

  4.--_Memorandum by Mr. Henderson._

  The statement of the other nurse, herewith enclosed, merelycorroborates that of Mrs. Edwards, with respect to such matters as camewithin her cognisance. I have therefore not thought it necessary toinsert it here.

  Mr. Prendergast's report, also enclosed, is somewhat lengthy, and of apurely technical character. It is to the following effect:

  1. That, on examination, the body of the late Mrs. Anderton presentedin all respects the precise appearance which would be exhibited in acase of poisoning by antimony.

  2. It was nevertheless possible to account for these appearances, asthe result of chronic _gastritis_, or _gastro enteritis_, though insome respects not such as either of those diseases would be expected topresent.

  3. The strictest and most thorough examination entirely failed inshowing the very slightest trace of either antimony or arsenic; eitherin the contents of the various organs, or in the tissues.

  4. A portion of the medicine last taken by the deceased was alsoexamined, but equally without result.

  5. From the lengthened period over which the poisoning, if any,must have extended, and the small doses in which it must have beenadministered, it is scarcely possible but that, had such really beenthe case, some traces of it must have been found in the tissues, thoughnot perhaps in the contents of the stomach, &c.

  6. In a case of poisoning also, the symptoms would have recurredin their severest form within a short period of taking the food ormedicine in which it had been administered. In this case, however,they appear to have uniformly shown themselves at a late period of thenight, and several hours after either food or medicine had been taken.

  7. It is therefore concluded that, notwithstanding the suspiciousappearance of the body on dissection, death is to be attributed not topoison, but to an abnormal form of chronic _gastro enteritis_, for thepeculiar symptoms of which the exceptional constitution of the deceasedmay in some degree account.

  5.--_Statement of Police-Sergeant, Edward Reading._

  I am a sergeant on the detective staff of the Metropolitan Police.In October, 1856, I was on duty at Notting Hill. I was employed towatch a gentleman by the name of Anderton. He was in custody on acoroner's warrant for the murder of his lady, but couldn't be removedon account of being ill. I was put in the house to prevent his escape.I did not stay in his room. I did at first, but it seemed of no use;so I spoke to our superintendent, and got leave from him to stop inthe outer-room. I did this to make things pleasant. I always try tomake things as pleasant as I can, compatible with duty, specially whenit's a gentleman. It comes harder on them than on the regular hands,because they are not so much used to it. In this case prisoner seemedto take on terribly. He was very weak and ill--too ill seemingly toget out of bed. He used to lie with his eyes fixed upon one corner ofthe room muttering sometimes to himself, but I couldn't tell what. Henever spoke to any one. The only time he spoke was once, to ask me tolet him see the body. I hadn't the heart to say no; but I went with himand kept at the door. He could hardly totter along, he was so weakly.After about half-an-hour, I thought it was all very quiet, and lookedin. He was lying on the floor in a dead faint, and I carried him back.He never spoke again, but lay just as I have said. Of course I tookevery precaution. Prisoner's room had two doors, one opening on thelanding, and the other into the room where I stopped. I locked up theouter-door and put three or four screws into it from the outside. Thewindow was too high to break out at, but our men used to keep an eyeupon it from the street. At night I used to lock the door of my roomand stick open the door between the two. I was relieved occasionally bySergeant Walsh,[3] but I mostly preferred seeing to it myself. I liketo keep my own work in my own hands, and this was a very interestingcase. When I first took charge I made a careful examination of thepremises and of all papers, and the like. I found nothing to criminatethe prisoner. I found a journal of the lady who was murdered, with anote at the end in his handwriting; but so far as it went they seemedto be on very good terms. I found also a lot of prescriptions and notesreferring to her illness, but no papers like that found by the nurse,nor any traces of powders or drugs of any kind. I went with the nurseinto the bed-room of the murdered party, and made her point out theexact spot where the paper was found. According to what she said it waslying just under the bed on the right-hand side. The glove was lyingclose to it, but not under the bed. Somehow I didn't quite feel as ifit was all on the square. I thought the business of the paper lookedrather queer. It didn't seem quite feasible like. I have known a thingof that sort by way of a plant before now, so I thought I'd just go onasking questions. That's always my way. I ask all kinds of questionsabout every thing, feeling my way like. I generally find something turnup that way before I have done. Something turned up this time. I don'tknow that it was much--perhaps not. I have my own opinion about that.This is how it was. After more questions of one kind and another, I gotto something that led me to ask the nurse which side of the bed Mr.Anderton usually went to give the lady food and physic. She and theother servants all agreed that, being naturally left-handed like, healways went to the _left_ hand side of the bed, so as he could get tofeed her with a spoon. He was very bad with his right hand. Couldn'thandle a spoon with it no more than some of us could with the left.Nurse said she had seen him try once or twice, which he always spilledeverything. I mean of course with his right hand. He was handy enoughwith his left. When I heard this I began to suspect we might be on afalse scent. This is the way I looked at it. The glove, as I told you,was lying on the floor by the right side of the bed, so as anybodywho dropped it must have been standing on that side which it's thenatural side to go to as being nearest the door. The paper was closeto it, just under the same side of the bed. Now I took it as prettyclear prisoner hadn't put that paper there for the purpose, but if he'ddone it at all, he had dropped it by accident in giving the stuff. Ifancy, too, he'd naturally be particularly careful in giving that sortof stuff not to spill it about the place, so he'd be pretty well sureto take his best hand to it. In that case he'd have dropped it on theleft hand side of the bed--not the right. Still, of course it mighthave got blown across, or, for the matter of that, kicked, though thatwas not very likely, as the bed was a wide one, and put in a sort ofrecess like, quite out of any sort of draught. So I thought I'd haveanother look at the place, and, poking about under the bed, I founda long narrow box, which the servants told me was full of bows andarrows, and hadn't been moved out of its place since they first cameto the house. It took up the whole length of the bed within a foot orso, and lay right along the middle on the floor. There was a mark alongthe floor that showed how long it had been there. A bit of paper likethat never could have got blown light over that without touching itif there had been ever such a draught. When I'd got so far, I fanciedthings began to look very queer, so I got the bed shifted out of itsplace altogether. The coffin was in the way, and I got that moved toone side of the room, and pulled the bed right c
lear of the box. As weshifted the coffin I thought I saw some thing like a piece of paperunder the flannel shroud. I said nothing at the time, but waited tillthe undertaker's men were out of the room and I was alone. I thenopened the shroud and found a small folded paper. It was put just underthe hands, which were crossed over the bosom of the corpse. I opened itand found a lock of hair, which I saw directly was Mr. Anderton's, andthere were a few words in writing which I copied down in my note-book,and then I put the hair and the paper and all back where I found them.The writing was, "Pray for me, darling, pray for me." I knew the handat once for Mr. Anderton's. His writing is very remarkable, by reason,I suppose, of being so left-handed. Of course that wasn't evidence,but somehow I got an idea out of it that a man wouldn't go on in thatway with his wife just after he'd been and murdered her. It struck methat that would be against nature, leastways if he was in his rightmind. After I had finished with the coffin I took a look at the box.As I expected, the top was covered ever so thick with dust, and it waspretty clear that, at all events, the bit of paper had never lain atopof it. I put a piece just like it on to try and blew it off again, andit made a great mark and got all dirty. The paper picked up by thenurse was quite clean, or very nearly so. Putting all this togetherI came pretty nigh a conclusion that, at all events, it wasn't Mr.Anderton as had dropped the paper there. The sides of the box were alsodusty, but there were marks on them like as if a brush or a broom hadbrushed against them. I put the box and the bed back into their places,and went down to question the housemaid.[4] I found that she had putthe room tidy the day Mrs. Anderton died, and had passed a shorthair-broom under the bed as there were several things lying about. Shesaid she was quite sure there was no bit of paper there then, as shehad stooped down and looked under. I tried with the same broom, and youcouldn't reach the box without stooping, as she said. I then inquiredwho had been in the room between the time of the death and the findingof the paper. No one had been there but the nurse, the doctor, thehousemaid, and Baron R**. I was determined to hunt it out if possible.I questioned the nurse and the housemaid--on the quiet, not to excitesuspicion--but felt pretty clear they knew nothing more about it; andwhen next Baron R** came I sounded him about different points. He didnot seem to know that Mr. Anderton was so left-handed, nor could I getany information from him on the subject. He didn't seem at first tosee what I was driving at, and, of course, I didn't mean he should,but after a while I saw he had struck out the same idea as I had aboutthe place where the paper was found, though I had not meant to let himinto that. He seemed quite struck of a heap by it. I fancied at themoment that he turned regularly pale, but he was just blowing his nosewith a large yellow silk handkerchief, and I could not be sure. He saidnothing to me of what he had guessed, nor did I to him. I like to keepthose things as quiet as I can, particularly from parties' friends. Ihave not been able to get any further clue, but I am convinced thatsomething is to be made out of that paper business yet. I generallyknow a scent when I get on one, and my notion is that I am on one now.I did not see the Baron again till the evening before Mr. Andertonmade away with himself. He came then in a great hurry, and insisted onseeing the prisoner. I said I would ask, but did not expect he could,as Mr. Anderton would see or speak to no one. He seemed to be in a sadstate, partly with exhaustion after waiting on his wife so long, andpartly with the worry of having this hanging over him He was a verysensitive gentleman, and seemed to take it more to heart than any oneI ever saw. He wouldn't see any one, not even his lawyer. When I toldhim about the Baron, however, he said he might come in, and they weretogether half-an-hour or more. I did not hear anything that passed.When the Baron came out he took me on one side and told me everythingwas all right, and his friend was sure to get off. He said he was quiteoverpowered with the good news, and particularly begged that he mightnot be disturbed by any one, as he thought he could sleep now. He hadhardly slept a wink all the time. I promised not to disturb him, andhe lay quite quiet all night. I peeped in once or twice to make surehe was there, but did not speak. I noticed a faint smell like peachesonce, but did not think anything of it. In the morning I went in totake him his breakfast, and found him dead and quite cold. In his handwas a little bottle which had contained prussic acid, and which hadevidently come out of a pocket medicine chest that lay on the bed. Igave the alarm, and the divisional surgeon was sent for, but he wasstone dead. At about nine o'clock the Baron's servant came round toknow whether he had left a pocket medicine chest the night before. Iquestioned the servant, and found the Baron had given him a list of theplaces where he had been, and that he had asked at several already. Themedicine chest wanted, proved to be the one found in Mr. Anderton'sroom. On the pillow I found also a piece of paper in Mr. Anderton'shandwriting, of which I enclose a copy.