The Strange Death Of Montague John Druitt

[Wickerman]

actually by 1888 people were using aniline ink. I am in the middle of designing an experiment to test out all the variables related to the ink, paper, printing method and coverings for the paper. It will take about 6-8 weeks then I will let you know.

We can't say who was using it though, we can only know what was the most common, and that was Iron Gall. There were different inks available.

[Wickerman]

There’s this one

Yes, thanks, I did have one in mind. Took some time to find it though.

Here, from the Chelmsford Chronicle of 26 Apr. 1867





The point to note is the paperwork & hand written documents were still perfectly readable.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Yes, thanks, I did have one in mind. Took some time to find it though.

Here, from the Chelmsford Chronicle of 26 Apr. 1867





The point to note is the paperwork & hand written documents were still perfectly readable.

Without seeing evidence you would assume that these kind of documents couldn’t survive in water but clearly they can.

[bernadette]

Without seeing evidence you would assume that these kind of documents couldn’t survive in water but clearly they can.

yes I have discovered that leather billfolds exactly like we have today were in use and that, in December, this billfold would have been in the pocket of a thick wool coat. Every chance of it still being legible because of so many layers of waterproof materials around the papers. I dont want to guess at it though so I am going to conduct an experiment to see what we can see. Just FYI I have spoken to someone who makes Victorian style clothing like the ubiquitous Chesterfield coat he was likely wearing and have discovered that this coat, all by itself, once saturated, weighed enough to anchor him to the floor of the river. All any rocks would do is make sure the coat didnt ebb and flow with the tide. Will have to conduct an experiment on this to ascertain the facts as well. Going to be a busy summer. You people have given me a new lease on life!

[mpriestnall]

yes I have discovered that leather billfolds exactly like we have today were in use and that, in December, this billfold would have been in the pocket of a thick wool coat. Every chance of it still being legible because of so many layers of waterproof materials around the papers. I dont want to guess at it though so I am going to conduct an experiment to see what we can see. Just FYI I have spoken to someone who makes Victorian style clothing like the ubiquitous Chesterfield coat he was likely wearing and have discovered that this coat, all by itself, once saturated, weighed enough to anchor him to the floor of the river. All any rocks would do is make sure the coat didnt ebb and flow with the tide. Will have to conduct an experiment on this to ascertain the facts as well. Going to be a busy summer. You people have given me a new lease on life!

I hope your experiments exclude actual reconstruction of MJD's fate?

[Wickerman]

yes I have discovered that leather billfolds exactly like we have today were in use and that, in December, this billfold would have been in the pocket of a thick wool coat. Every chance of it still being legible because of so many layers of waterproof materials around the papers. I dont want to guess at it though so I am going to conduct an experiment to see what we can see. Just FYI I have spoken to someone who makes Victorian style clothing like the ubiquitous Chesterfield coat he was likely wearing and have discovered that this coat, all by itself, once saturated, weighed enough to anchor him to the floor of the river. All any rocks would do is make sure the coat didnt ebb and flow with the tide. Will have to conduct an experiment on this to ascertain the facts as well. Going to be a busy summer. You people have given me a new lease on life!

The issue of the coat, always assuming it is the same type, only means the body may not have drifted far from where he went in. However, surface currents at the time are not known, and once it does sink and decomposition begins, the methane gas build-up in the body will lift it off the bottom and it will begin to float after a few days.
After all, Winslade was reported to have found a floating body, he did not lift it up from the river bed.