Dear Boss

[mariab]

Neilson of Wealdstone

Pertaining to the unnamed PI agency, there's a rumour circulating about a “Neilson of Wealdstone“ mentioned in the SB ledgers.

Lynn, a small highjack as I'm in a hurry (conducting research for Rob here in Lyon): I'm ordering the AFs from N.Y. (I'll pay), and Michael (and possibly 2 more people) will conduct the search. You're only required to scan the AFs and send them over to Michael on a CD-ROM. Would that be OK? I'll email you when I find a minute.

This has ZILCH to do with the “Dear Boss“ letter, but since Lynn's the capo di tutti i capi AKA the big boss in the AF translation project, maybe it fits after all...

[mariab]

That would indicate that the transcriber was not Piggott. (Heh-heh)

So Piggot was a tidy transcriber? :-)

[lynn cates]

original

Hello All. The original "Dear Boss" is (I think) reproduced on pp. 16 & 17 of "Letters from Hell."

Although difficult to read the letter itself, the margin shift is hardly noticeable on the first side; some shift to right on back.

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

craftsman

Hello Maria. Yes, he was a good craftsman and had even saved a request letter from Davitt many years before. He used that as a copy from which to work on the Davitt forgeries.

Your proposal above is sound.

Cheers.
LC

[mariab]

Thanks Lynn.

Your proposal above is sound.

Sound and not indecent.

[Steven Russell]

Hello All. Oops. The "Dear Boss" here on Casebook seems to be the police facsimile. If so, and given it is hand written and not a photograph, the margin wandering may be on behalf of the transcriber.

Cheers.
LC

Hello, Lynn.
The version of Dear Boss on here and the one in LFH are obviously the same document. The one in the book appears faded, has picked up some more creases, and has a small piece missing. But they are clearly the same document photographed at different times.

Best wishes,
Steve.

[lynn cates]

Indeed?

Hello Steven. Are you serious? The one on pp. 16 & 17 (LFH) is in disrepair, as you say, but the margins are quite different. The facsimile (Casebook) contains different folds (business envelope) compared to the original (small envelope). It is also a good deal neater.

Cheers.
LC

[TradeName]

There are some reports that Kirby got mixed up in the investigation of the Cronin murder. Not sure how true these stories are.

The Salt Lake Herald, September 17, 1889, Page 1, Col 1

THE CRONIN PLOT

Some Startling and Sensational Developments

CHICAGO, Sept 10.-- The Globe has a story of
the sensational results said to have been
obtained by the prosecution in the Cronin
case by sending two detectives to Canada to
hunt for J T Kirby who represented the
London Times in Chicago last year.

The Globe says Kirby met with Le
Caron here before the latter left for the old
country and made an attempt to carry on
his work of a spy after he left but made a
sorry failure of his undertaking. He got
acquainted with Dr. Cronin and was frequently
seen in his company at the Sherman
house and at Hannah Hoggs place on
Randolph street. Kirby is a Canadian and
as such knew Dr Cronin long before the
latter came to Chicago It was in this way
that he readily got into communication
with Cronin and was enabled to associate
with him from day to day
without arousing the doctors suspicion.
Since Kirby left Chicago he has not been
seen by any one in Europe or America. He
knew his danger and has not gone abroad
in the open light of day. However it is
known that he succeeded in reaching his
home in Niagara village, Ontario where it
is said he is now in hiding. The Chicago
detectives have reached his ear and persuaded
him to talk. He has told a most
rightful story of the conspiracy to murder
Cronin and says that he was shocked by being
asked to assist in the murderous enterprise.
He says that when he learned
Dr. Cronin was be removed last fall he
Hastened out of Chicago fearing he might
be detected.

From the information given by Kirby,
who has cleared his skirts to the satisfaction
of the Chicago police of complicity in
the murder, several arrests are about to be
made in Chicago. He has fully cleared up
the whole plot which was entered into to
show that Dr. Cronin had gone to Europe
and was murdered there. He was the man
who telegraphed Long from Hamilton, Ont.,
when the latter lost track of his mythical
Dr. Cronin in Toronto. He knew of all the
arrangements in Chicago for the murder of
Cronin and assisted in perfecting those
arrangements by communicating between Le
Caron and the Northside camp which
passed through him. Kirby has given the
Chicago police a long story of the conspiracy
to murder Cronin and so far as can
mow be learned it not only implicates the
persons now on trial for their lives but
fully a dozen others. Some of the latter
are well-known Northside citizens. These
are all under police surveillance and will be
attested within a few days, It is said that
four of them are already in custody.

Kirby is a loud-mouthed Canadian of
some thirty-five years of age. He was
born in Canada near London Ont and
new Cronin long before he left that place
to come to Chicago. He was sent here by
the London Times on the recommendation
of Sir Charles Tapper of the Dominion
government who knew very well that
Kirby by his intimate acquaintance with
Cronin from boyhood was well qualified
for the task desired of him.

It is said that valuable information was
given bv Cronin to Le Caron and Kirby,
each in turn, as to workings of thus
Clan-na-Gael In the United States. This
information was not given to injure the
cause of Ireland but to get even with his
enemies in the Clan-na-Gael camp, but it
was used to convince certain Clan-na-Gael
men that Cronin ought to be removed.

Kirby's story is relied upon by the police
and arrests are about to be made accordingly.
The officers or one of them who
visited Canada to see Kirby arrived home
Saturday night, He was in conversation
with General Superintendent Hubbard
until 1 o'clock yesterday.

The Salt Lake Herald, September 18, 1889, Page 1, Col 3

CRONIN'S MURDER

Revelations About Le Carons Knowledge of It

CHICAGO, Sept 17.-- Dr Cronin was slain
through the machinations of Le Caron and
the latter's successor, Kirby. Such at
least is the bit of the information which the
Glolic of this city claims to possess.

The Globe yesterday says about the time
Le Caron (Beach) reached England, T. J.
Kirby, a native Scotch Canadian, landed in
London England with letters of recommendation
from Sir Charles Tupper, of the
Canadian government, for the London
Times. Kirby was accepted to undertake a
mission to the United States and he received
his instructions from Le Caron. He
came to Chicago and got into communication
here with Cronin and most of the latter's
enemies. He was seen with Cronin a
dozen times and is known to have made
the acquaintance of most of the Camp 20
men. It was Kirby who made it appear
that Dr. Cronin was a friend of Le Caron
and when the later testified before the
Parnell commission concerning his United
States confederates, he made it plain that
Cronin was one of them. Kirby's conduct
here was calculated to strengthen that
belief.

In giving his testimony before the Parnell
commission Le Caron (Beach) stated
that other British spies in America could
be produced to sustain his evidence. The
names of these he refused to give but from
the knowledge that certain persons in Chicago
had of Kirby's relations to Dr. Cronin
it was concluded that Cronin had been the
source of Le Caron's information. This
was probably true. But Cronin, it is
claimed, gave up the information as one
Gael would confide with another and not
as a spy or an informer. After Le Caron
(Beach) gave his testimony before the Parnell
commission he went in hiding at Paris
and it is said wrote Dr Cronin the letter
below and which the Globe prints in facsimile
of the original handwriting. According
to the Globe the police are now
through Kirby in possession of the full
story of the conspiracy. The following is
the letter:

"15 Rue de Livque Paris April 22 1889,
--Dear Cronin You know by this time as
well as I do that a court of your clan
has condemned you. I regret this. I
believe you innocent, but you know the
circumstances. Men of desperate resolution
are coming against you. My dear fellow,
you have known mo long enough to know
that I desire no harm to come to you.
Retract and safe yourself. This you can
do and make your enemies friends, and I
think the cause in the end will lose nothing.
I know that you are just as true as myself to
the nationalist cause but my connection
with you has convinced the circle otherwise.
I cannot control my position and
although I know you to be innocent, I
can not prevent injury to you; I am powerless.
Make peace with them and remember what
I told you when I left Chicago I am confident
no one can stay your fate but yourself.
Yours, etc., BEACH."

[Steven Russell]

Hello, Lynn.
Perhaps I should have made myself clearer. The writing is exactly the same on the two pictures of the document so one cannot be a transcript of the other.

They are in very different states of repair as you point out. What I am saying we have is either the original (LFH) and a photograph of the original taken when it was in better shape; or two photographs of the same original taken at different times.

Best wishes,
Steve.

[lynn cates]

Sullivan

Hello Trade. Thanks for posting this.

Yes, the murder of Dr. Cronin was orchestrated, it seems, by Alexander Sullivan, former Clan-na-Gael chief and founder of the break away "Triangle" faction.

Cronin was hacked up with an ice hatchet. Seems that Davitt was a friend to Sullivan and did not recognise him for what he was. According to Campbell, Cronin's fate was sealed when Davitt saw Cronin's name associated with the people on "the other side" at the Parnell Commission.

Davitt sat down with Sir Edward Jenkinson just before the Commission met in October. Apparently, Sir Ed gave Davitt, his old enemy, some information in return for a guarantee to keep his mouth shut about Frank Millen and the Jubilee Dynamite Plot.

Note the timing--MJK died 3 weeks later.

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

comparison

Hello Steven. Very well. But I think I'll do another comparison to convince myself. The one in LFH is so dim that I can hardly discern it.

Is the margin shift in the Casebook copy due to the position when photographed?

Cheers.
LC

[Steven Russell]

I believe so. Check the picture in Letters from Hell with a magnifying glass and compare with the picture on here. No one could possibly have made such an exact copy of the text.

Best wishes,
Steve.

[lynn cates]

creasing

Hello Steven. Thanks.

I notice you described the creases. You are right. The neat copy looks like it is folded twice--as if for a modern day business envelope. The faded copy has very different, irregular creases. I suppose there is no chance that either was a copy of the other?

Do we know about the original creasing? Was it ever described?

Cheers.
LC

[Steven Russell]

Hello, Lynn.

It looks very much like the images on here are cropped versions of the Met. facsimile of Dear Boss and the later postcard as shown on pp 138-139 of Scotland Yard Investigates (paperback). The folds and discolouration around them match. These (the folds) were clearly made after the facsimile document was produced and do not correspond to folds on the actual letter.

I'm not sure about exactly how this facsimile was made but it has to be basically photographic in nature since the detail is such a perfect match. The Times of 6th October 1888 says of the facsimilies posted by the police for the public, "The exact colour of the ink and the smears of blood are reproduced..." Not sure how this was achieved since colour photography was not available at that time. The image in SYI is in black and white.

The images in Letters from Hell (and The Ultimate) are of the actual letter which has clearly been rather "in the wars" since the facsimile was made. It has picked up multiple creases and tears and what looks like an attempted repair. It also appears to be mounted on card. Bear in mind the whereabouts of the original were unknown for many years until it was returned anonymously around centenary time. I suppose we should be grateful it has survived at all.
Anyway, this is the original and therefore properly reflects the margins, which is what started us off on this! Hope that helps.

Best wishes,
Steve.

PS The shape of the envelope suggests it was originally folded into quarters.

[lynn cates]

thanks

Hello Steven. You make some excellent points. Colour reproduction would be difficult.

I also think you are correct that the faded copy's folds match the envelope. I am curious, however, that those folds were not reproduced on the other copy. Too bad that I am not a photography expert.

However, I do have some photography students in my online classes. Perhaps I can chat them up for advice?

Thanks.

Cheers.
LC