Charles Bravo: Choose Your Own Verdict

[GUT]

Mrs Cox looks good for it.

[sdreid]

Mrs. Cox has always been my #1 as well.

[Rosella]

Yes, I voted for Mrs Cox. She has been my suspect in this intriguing case for a long time. I've never thought of Florence as being the killer, and the fact that when the maid dashed in Florence's room to ask for help Mrs Cox was sitting there dressed and ready to go did it for me. So I'm among the majority!

[ColdCaseJury]

Latest Verdict

The current Cold Case Jury verdict in the Bravo Case (Poisoning at the Priory) is that 90% think it was murder (rather than suicide or misadventure), with 60% believing that Mrs Cox poisoned Charles Bravo.

This may change has more votes are polled.

[belinda]

This is recent but very much debated

https://theghostinmymachine.wordpress.com/2014/07/23/unresolved-the-strange-disappearance-of-the-beaumont-children/

[Mayerling]

"Sergent" Belinda and "Chief Inspector" Jeff

Thanks for the heads-up. I've ordered a second-hand book on the case to see if it could make a Cold Case Jury story. On the surface, it is perfect. What cold case could start better than a shark coughing up an arm? The only thing I need to see is whether there is enough mystery, e.g. suspects, to make it something to put before the Cold Case Jury.

Antony

Best of luck on all your future work. Can't really think of any Australian homicide cases than what I mentioned. Only other one I can think of that is of any interest is probably a myth - Harold Lasseter and his huge "reef of gold", which he may have made up but came to believe in.

Jeff

[ColdCaseJury]

"Sergent" Belinda and "Chief Inspector" Jeff

Thanks for the heads-up. I've ordered a second-hand book on the case to see if it could make a Cold Case Jury story. On the surface, it is perfect. What cold case could start better than a shark coughing up an arm? The only thing I need to see is whether there is enough mystery, e.g. suspects, to make it something to put before the Cold Case Jury.

Antony

[belinda]

The Shark Arm Mystery

http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/shark_arm_murder_1935

[Mayerling]

Forgive my ignorance, but I am unaware of this case! Is it possible to provide a few details?

Antony Matthew Brown
Author Poisoning at the Priory
www.coldcasejury.com

I am sorry, but I may have messed up the name. It occurred around 1935 and a dead shark was found with the leg of a man in it's stomach. I believe they never identified the victim. I can't recall how but I believe it was shown it was a homicide, with the body conveniently disposed of by the shark.

It was in the waters of Sydney harbor.

Jeff

[ColdCaseJury]

I forgot the "Shark Island" Case of the 1930s.

Forgive my ignorance, but I am unaware of this case! Is it possible to provide a few details?

Antony Matthew Brown
Author Poisoning at the Priory

https://www.coldcasejury.com

[Rosella]

Yes, and Evelyn Foster! What a mystery her death was! Was she killed by her mystery passenger or was it an accident that went terribly wrong. I really hope that is one of ColdCase's future projects.

[Mayerling]

I forgot the "Shark Island" Case of the 1930s.

[Rosella]

There are several of those that you've mentioned ColdCase, that I am really looking forward to. I've always been especially intrigued by the Harry Oakes case with its interference in the investigation by the Duke of Windsor.

The disappearance of Shirley Collins in Melbourne, with her body eventually found in the driveway of a deserted home, battered to death, has always been a mystery I should like to see investigated again. It isn't pre 1950's as it occurred in 1953, but it is an interesting case. A shy young teenager, on her way to her first party, took a train, and disappeared.

[belinda]

Belinda, Google Analytics informed me that there had been a referral from this site. Being curious, I visited the site and then tracked down the forum and then you!

George Henry Storrs will be a future case. Next in line will be Edmund Geoffrey, arguably Britain's oldest cold case from 1678. After that its Julia Wallace - possibly the best Agatha Christie story not written by her (you know what I mean!). I'm also intrigued by Adelaide Bartlett, Evelyn Foster, Steinie Morrison, Sir Harry Oakes, possibly Rattenbury and also Maybrick. Plus Kennedy and Lizzy Borden too.

If you have any good Aussie cold cases I would be delighted to hear of them (I really interested in pre-1950 cases).

My purpose in joining casebook is to research the ripper. There are SO many theories and suspects, I will be asking casebook posters for their hottest suspect and their best long shot in due course!

Antony Matthew Brown
Author Poisoning at the Priory
www.coldcasejury.com

That's interesting. I can't think of any pre 1950 cases but this one is very interesting and still gets interest

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogle%E2%80%93Chandler_case

You'll find plenty of hot Ripper suspects here!

[ColdCaseJury]

Hi Antony:

Julian Fellows suggested in his A Most Mysterious Murder series that Charles was poisoning Florence but only to quell her alcohol problem, not to kill her, and that he took the poison by accident, confusing it with his epsom salt.

I have also read a theory that posits that Mrs. Cox and/or Florence were poisoning Charles, again not to kill him but to make him sick enough not to be continually getting Florence pregnant, and likewise accidentally gave a little too much on this last occasion.

Stan, Julian Fellowes followed Yseult Bridges' theory almost to the letter. But as I explain in my book, it has some issues. Would Charles actually keep tartar emetic in a similar container to Epsom salts and so near to each other? Why would he then not tell anyone about the accident? He could have easy said that he was keeping tartar emetic to cure his wife of her drinking habit - no one would have been aghast. Why did he shout for hot water - a weak emetic - when he knew he had ingested a strong one - tartar emetic? And so on.

As for the second theory, why did Flo-Cox feel the need to give him a dose on the night of 18 April 1876 when Charles was already going to bed quite ill after the horse had bolted. And why get the dose so spectacularly wrong that night? Also, why wasn't Charles being sick, if they were applying him with tartar emetic? And so on.

Each of the four main theories has explanatory holes. In my judgement the most likely theory is the one that has the fewest and/or smallest. After going through the evidence, and reconstructing events according to each theory, I then ask the reader to vote.

Antony Matthew Brown
Author Poisoning at the Priory

https://www.coldcasejury.com