The Possible Murder of Georgina Byrne

[Pierre]

Some leading questions for you here, Oscar.

Why did he have the parcel in his hand?

Why did he hand it over to the policeman?

Why did he say he was the husband?

Why did he say he would get help?

Why did he not do so?

Why was he not at the inquest?

You dear boy Pierre

OK, so no reply from you.

Then, having been drinking the bottle of MNWR, I will answer the questions for you.

Why did he have the parcel in his hand?

Because he had taken it from Mrs Byrne.

Why did he hand it over to the policeman?

Because it belonged to Mrs Byrne.

Why did he say he was the husband?

Because that was an explanation as to why he had the parcel in his possession when the police showed up.

Why did he say he would get help?

Because that was the method, i.e. lying, to get away from the site.

Why did he not do so?

Because he used a lie to get away from the site.

Why was he not at the inquest?

Because he had lied to get away from the site.

Yes, Oscar?

And the bottle of MNWR is cheap and it is easy to use. Mr Nelson was right.

[Pierre]

I thought so my dear boy, I thought so.

Really? So why have you not tried it?

[David Orsam]

Yes. I have been drinking

I thought so my dear boy, I thought so.

[Pierre]

My dear boy, have you been drinking?

Yes. I have been drinking a bottle of MNWR.

[David Orsam]

Some leading questions for you here, Oscar.

Why did he have the parcel in his hand?

Why did he hand it over to the policeman?

Why did he say he was the husband?

Why did he say he would get help?

Why did he not do so?

Why was he not at the inquest?

You dear boy Pierre

My dear boy, have you been drinking?

[Pierre]

It's not the vanishing act I'm complaining about. It's the fact that he said he was going to go for a doctor. Then did not do so. This might have meant a long delay while Duffin waited for him to return before it was decided to take Mrs Byrne to a hospital. In short, his lie might have meant there was no chance of saving her life when there might have otherwise have been a chance.

Some leading questions for you here, Oscar.

Why did he have the parcel in his hand?

Why did he hand it over to the policeman?

Why did he say he was the husband?

Why did he say he would get help?

Why did he not do so?

Why was he not at the inquest?

You dear boy Pierre

[John G]

As for the deceased I did a little bit of preliminary work in Ancestry.

Her maiden name was Nelson and she married John Byrne in circa 1877 (unconfirmed).

At the time of her death she was living at 42A Broad Street in Canterbury.

She had a son, Reginald John Matthew Byrne (born 1882) and she left a personal estate of just over £138.

Equivalent of about £16700 today: http://inflation.stephenmorley.org

[curious]

Sure but how could he have known what had happened to her at the time? Or whether there was a chance she could survive if she received urgent medical attention?

Well, it is entirely possible he was just a cad -- on numerous levels.

curious

[John G]

Seems like an attempted robbery, as the "victim" had a substantial amount of money on her person. For instance, £2 10s (£2.50) in gold, at 1888 values, would be worth over £300 today: http://inflation.stephenmorley.org

[David Orsam]

For a massive heart attack or aneurysm there's little to nothing that can be done even with today's medical advances.

Sure but how could he have known what had happened to her at the time? Or whether there was a chance she could survive if she received urgent medical attention?

[curious]

It's not the vanishing act I'm complaining about. It's the fact that he said he was going to go for a doctor. Then did not do so. This might have meant a long delay while Duffin waited for him to return before it was decided to take Mrs Byrne to a hospital. In short, his lie might have meant there was no chance of saving her life when there might have otherwise have been a chance.

Gotcha.

You've already wondered about Duffin's account of things and his strict adherence to the truth. I wonder if it is possible in some cases, certain things might have been "glossed over" officially?

For a massive heart attack or aneurysm there's little to nothing that can be done even with today's medical advances.

curious

[David Orsam]

David, I suggest that the top-hatted gentlemen's vanishing act was not necessarily reprehensible. It is possible that staying to make an official statement might have destroyed her reputation. Once someone was on the scene to take care of her, his vanishing might have been the kindest thing he could have done.

It's not the vanishing act I'm complaining about. It's the fact that he said he was going to go for a doctor. Then did not do so. This might have meant a long delay while Duffin waited for him to return before it was decided to take Mrs Byrne to a hospital. In short, his lie might have meant there was no chance of saving her life when there might have otherwise have been a chance.

[curious]

I wish I knew.

Well, it appears she left work at 2 p.m. and died about 9 hours later.

She was working so was probably not prostituting herself. She could afford nice clothes and had gold on her. The gold watch and chain were on her person, along with a bracelet, so she was wearing jewelry, meaning she was not poor and not strictly in mourning. As someone already said because of the addition of mauve to her black.

Because she did not have an overnight case with her when she died, she was not on her way to her sister's straight from Canterbury. Besides, Blackfriars is quite a distance from Chelsea where the maiden sister lived. If she came into London for an overnight, she originally had more with her than was on her body. So, she had left her belongings somewhere earlier.

From Canterbury to either Blackfriars or Chelsea by train -- by today's schedule -- is less than two hours.

Because she had a parcel with "new shoes" and they were from a shop in Canterbury, she could have gone shopping after work. However, why did she still have the shoes with her and not the rest of her belongings?

If she were on her way to her sister's, why was she walking in Blackfriars? Why not in a cab at that hour of the night or on her way to the train station? Maybe they were?

David, I suggest that the top-hatted gentlemen's vanishing act was not necessarily reprehensible. It is possible that staying to make an official statement might have destroyed her reputation. Once someone was on the scene to take care of her, his vanishing might have been the kindest thing he could have done.

curious

[David Orsam]

I wish I knew.

[curious]

No, because her movements that night were investigated at the inquest. This is from the Times report of her father's evidence:

"He did not know her object in being in London, but could only surmise that she intended to pay a visit to her sister. She left Canterbury on Saturday afternoon, but he knew nothing of her subsequent movements. By the Coroner - She had several friends in London, but he was not aware that she saw any on Saturday."

According to the same report, Duffin, in his evidence, said that the parcel contained "a pair of new boots". That suggests to me that they were not being used for dancing.

It was also stated, incidentally, that "The woman was taken to St Thomas's Hospital, but died on the way". So it wasn't impossible she could have been saved, making Top Hat man's behaviour all the more reprehensible.

So, what do you think was going on?

curious