Druitt and Monro

[rjpalmer]

I'm inclined to think any dismissal from the school would be done in person.
It would be etiquette for Mr Valentine to give Druitt the opportunity in person to explain himself.
Which suggests to me if he was dismissed, it would be done in writing, and in person, meaning Druitt was still alive on the date of his dismissal.

Good points, of course.

And Druitt being replaced by George Valentine on December 30 would have had no relevance to the inquest. Clearly, William Druitt, a solicitor who sometimes held inquests of his own, would know that. The decomposition of Druitt's body showed that Druitt had been dead for weeks before December 30th. That he was afterwards replaced by a different school master wouldn't have mattered.

In stating that Druitt had been dismissed, WHD was attempting to demonstrate his brother's mental state before he drowned himself in Chiswick/Hammersmith.

In other words, the purpose of the inquest was threefold:

(A) to identify the body (which William did).

(B) To determine the cause of death (MJD had drowned)

(C) To examine evidence of MJD's mental state to determine if it was an accidental drowning or whether it was a deliberate act while MJD was of "unsound mind."

William Druitt's statements all go to (C): evidence of his brother's mental state.

1. He felt he was going insane like his mother. 2. He had been dismissed for 'serious trouble' which contributed to his desire to die. 3. He left notes alluding to suicide.

As I see it, William Druitt's reference to the dismissal was solely due to its relevance to the purpose of the inquest. George Valentine deciding to replace him as the next term approached wouldn't have been relevant.

IMHO.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Actually, it was Kattrup who was the first on this thread to point out that the notes were undated, not Herlock, but how often are suicide notes dated?

I’d just like to point out that I wasn’t trying to make a claim that this was any kind of original idea from me.

[rjpalmer]

I’d just like to point out that I wasn’t trying to make a claim that this was any kind of original idea from me.

I realize that, Mike. My only intent was to alert George to Kattrup's earlier post, where he made a valid point. And your combined point is technically correct, of course--the notes were undated---but how often are suicide notes dated? The jury seemed to believe that they were suicide notes and thus ruled Druitt was of 'unsound mind' when he drowned himself.

Kattrup's original point, if I fully understand it, was limited to the observation that since they are undated there's no point in trying to wring out any meaning out of 'since Friday,' but it's pretty hard to ignore than November 30th was a Friday and it was the next day that Druitt reportedly bought his railway ticket to Hammersmith.

It's certainly tempting arithmetic, however uncertain it might be.