Crippen to be Exhumed?

[Robert]

Hi Silver

There is a file at the NA, I don't know what's in it.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=5939264&CATLN=6&Highlight=%2CKIRKDALE%2CPRISON&accessmethod=0

[silverstealth]

Hi Silver

There is a file at the NA, I don't know what's in it.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/c...accessmethod=0

Much appreciated Robert..

[Ally]

Everybody, let's murder Anna. You know she deserves it.

[Archaic]

If you are going to disappear and start a new life with another man
you can't take your old things with you in case of recognition and also the new man would supply new jewels.

You can't take them with you if you're dead, either.

(sorry, I couldn't resist )

As for the letter supposedly written by Cora, apparently Scotland Yard analyzed the handwriting and it bears no resemblance to hers.

I'm not sure who they think wrote it; maybe it was just a hoax by a stranger.

-Wouldn't it be interesting if it was written by Evelyn?

Best regards, Archaic

[Celesta]

As for the letter supposedly written by Cora, apparently Scotland Yard analyzed the handwriting and it bears no resemblance to hers.

I'm not sure who they think wrote it; maybe it was just a hoax by a stranger.

Archy, it was the same one who wrote the Christmas card to MJK's relative in Ireland in December of 1888.

[Celesta]

I saw a programme on this a while back.
They had a group of lodgers in the house,and she was friendly with all of them,but took up with one in particular...and they used to make love while Crippen listened to them,while doing the chores his Mrs had told him to do,while she was busy.
I felt quite sorry for him whereas before the programme started I had him down as the baddie...he was henpecked and humiliated...If he did murder her,she deserved it...IMHO.

Hiddy-ho Anna, What a picture you paint. Makes him sound a bit like HH Holmes, doesn't it? The listening part, I mean. Cora was a pain. Or so we're led to believe.

[belinda]

You can't take them with you if you're dead, either.

(sorry, I couldn't resist )

As for the letter supposedly written by Cora, apparently Scotland Yard analyzed the handwriting and it bears no resemblance to hers.

I'm not sure who they think wrote it; maybe it was just a hoax by a stranger.

-Wouldn't it be interesting if it was written by Evelyn?

Best regards, Archaic

Tell that to the Pharoahs

According to the programme I saw there were two letters have they done anything about the second one

[Archaic]

The Letter

Hi, Belinda.
Yeah, the pharaohs did do pretty well for themselves.

I thought there was only one letter sent to Crippen in prison signed "Cora", but perhaps I am mistaken. I'm sure Jon, Debra or Chris would know.

What I found most interesting was that the letter was actually signed "Cora", because if the writer truly was Cora,
and she was callously gloating over the knowledge that her husband was about to be unjustly hung for her murder,
then I would think she'd at least be smart enough to NOT sign her name and tell the world she was still living.

... It seems a bit obvious, doesn't it?

Writing a letter, signing her name, and having her identity be believed was the surest way to defeat her own stated goal: enjoying the ghastly spectacle of her husband's unjust execution.

Apparently someone tried to claim that the handwriting on the letter didn't match Cora's because she had sneakily dictated it to her boyfriend,
who actually penned it, but that strikes me as awfully silly- why bother to "disguise" your handwriting if you are going to be so dumb as to sign your real name?

When a man is in prison on Death Row, it's a no-brainer that his mail is going to pass through the hands of numerous prison officials before it ever reaches him, but I guess poor dumb "Cora" thought nobody would notice?

A signature wasn't even necessary for her husband to be able to instantly recognize the sender as his own wife.
It seems to me that any couple that has been together for 18 years would know one another's handwriting at a glance and have numerous little nicknames, code words, inside jokes, etc- so WHY would she feel a need to sign her letter "Cora"?

I think it was either a "hoax" letter by a bored idiotic, or it was a clumsy attempt by someone not terribly clever to save Crippen's life- or at least to postpone his death.

I was about to sign off when I just heard an old Tom Jones song playing in my head, though with slightly altered lyrics:
"Take a letter, Maria,
Address it from my wife..."

Best regards, Archaic

[belinda]

These don't sound like the letters in the Documentary I saw but I need to watch it again to be sure
And I don't think they were sent to Crippen but directly to the police

What I do remember is that they were never given to Crippens Lawyer and Crippen never saw them.One of them was last seen in Winston Churchills pocket before it resurfaced!

The name of the programme I saw was The Last Secret Of Doctor Crippen

How about King Tut then?

Accident or Murder

[Archaic]

Crippen File, UK National Archives

How about King Tut then?

Accident or Murder

Ooh, that is a good question- I love Egyptology! When I was a little girl I found an old 1930's book at the library called 'The Lost Queen of Egypt' by Lucile Morison. It was a wonderful novel about Tutankhamun's wife Ankhesenamun, their life together, and the circumstances surrounding his mysterious death. I was already very interested but that book that got me hooked on Ancient Egypt for life! (I bet Celesta has read it. )
I recently saw it listed on Amazon, though unfortunately unavailable, and was amazed at the number of readers who left comments saying that they'd had the same wonderful experience with it as a kid, and how they wished they could find a copy today.

-But I know once I go off on that happy tangent I'll never get back to the poor unglamorous Dr. Crippen, so I'm trying to restrain myself.


Here is the Crippen File on the UK National Archives website.

If you skip down to # 86 in the Sub-File you'll see the letter which was sent to Crippen at Pentonville. It's listed as follows:
86. Governor, Pentonville Prison submits letter purporting to come from prisoner's wife and asks instructions.

CRIPPEN FILE: http://yourarchives.nationalarchives...n_and_Murderer

Belinda, is the documentary you saw the American one that was shown as part of the PBS series 'Secrets of the Dead'? It's now available for free viewing online; I recently put a link to it on the other Crippen thread called 'Crippen Documentary.'

I haven't yet seen the British documentary which preceded it but I would like to; does anybody knows if it's available?

The U.S. show was quite interesting, but in my opinion the Testrail team conducted a noticeably biased investigation.
(I understand this is generally frowned upon in scientific circles.)

> By the way, there is really terrific stuff on the other Crippen thread; I think you'll be impressed. A number of people contributed important items discovered during their own research, and they're the real 'Crippen experts' around here.

Have fun & best regards, Archaic

[The Grave Maurice]

If he did murder her, she deserved it...IMHO.

Anna, I'm sure you don't mean that. No one deserves it.

[anna]

Hi The Grave Maurice,

You're right,I didn't mean it...typed it without thinking..and when I came back to change it,my time on the edit button had run out.

ANNA.x

[Celesta]

Hi Anna, done that many times myself!


I feel the outrage and then shoot my mouth off. I don't do it as much as I used to though.

[belinda]

I saw the English one made in about 2005 or 2006.

I'm going to have to track down a copy of that Egyptian book

I'll see if I can find some details

Hi Celesta and Anna I feel the outrage too

This is it, I think

http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/797507

[Celesta]

Hi Belinda,

Well, I made it sound like I don't still feel the outrage. I do still feel it! I just shut up more often than I used to.

Thanks for the link.