1.--_Memorandum by Mr. Henderson._
We have now arrived at a point in this extraordinary case at which
I must again direct your attention to the will of the late Mr.
Boleton. By this will 25,000_l_. was, as we have seen, bequeathed
to Miss Boleton (afterwards Mrs. Anderton), with a life interest,
after her death, to her husband. At his decease, and failing children
by his marriage with Miss Boleton, the money passed to the second
sister, whom, as I have before said, we may, I think, be justified in
identifying with the late Madame R**. It seems, at all events, clear,
both from the circumstances attending the marriage of the Baron, and
from the observation made by him at Bognor to Dr. Marsden relative to
the pecuniary loss he would have sustained by the death of his wife,
that the Baron himself believed and was prepared to maintain this
relationship, and that the various policies of assurance effected on
the life of Madame R**--to the gross amount of 25,000_l_., the exact
sum in question,--were intended to cover any risk of her death before
that of her sister. This is all that we need at present require. What
import should be attached to the degree of mystery with which the whole
affair both of the marriage and of the assurance seems to have been
so carefully surrounded will, of course, be matter for consideration
when reviewing the whole circumstances of the case. It is enough for
our present purpose that the Baron clearly looked upon his wife as the
sister of Mrs. Anderton, and calculated upon participation, through
her, in the legacy of Mr. Boleton. The lives of Mr. and Mrs. Anderton
thus alone intervened between this legacy and the Baron's family, and
we have thus established, on his part, a direct interest in their
decease.
On the death of Mrs. Anderton, under the circumstances detailed in an
earlier portion of the case, the life of her husband only now stood
in the way of Baron R**'s succession, and it is important to bear
this in mind in considering, as we are now about to do, the various
circumstances attendant on the death of that gentleman.
The chain of evidence on which hangs, as I have so often said, the sole
hypothesis by which I can account for the mysterious occurrences that
form the subject of our inquiry, is not only of a purely circumstantial
character, but also of a nature at once so delicate and so complicated
that the failure of a single link would render the remainder altogether
worthless. Unless the case can be made to stand out clearly, step
by step, in all its details, from the commencement to the end, its
isolated portions become at once a mere chaos of coincidences, singular
indeed in many respects, but not necessarily involving any considerable
element of suspicion. It is for this reason that I have, as before
stated, endeavoured to lay before you in a distinct and separate form
each particular portion of the subject. Hitherto our attention has been
entirely occupied with the death of Mrs. Anderton, and with various
attendant circumstances, the bearing of which upon that occurrence
will be more clearly shown hereafter. We have now to consider the very
singular circumstances attending the lapse of the second life--that
of Mr. Anderton--intervening, as we have seen, between Mr. Boleton's
legacy and Madame R**.
For the purpose of this inquiry, I propose adducing pretty much the
same evidence as that given at the inquests held on the bodies of Mrs.
and Mr. Anderton. The final result of the former of these inquests
was, as you are aware, a verdict of "Died from natural causes," though
the case was at first adjourned for a fortnight in order to admit of a
more searching examination of the body, during which time Mr. Anderton
remained in custody in his own house. In the latter case the jury,
after some hesitation, returned a verdict of "Temporary insanity,
brought on by extreme distress of mind at the death of his wife,
and suspicions respecting it which subsequently proved to have been
unfounded." Our present concern, however, being with the conduct of the
Baron rather than with that of Mr. Anderton, I have omitted portions
not directly bearing upon this part in the matter, and have endeavoured
to procure such additions to the evidence of Doctor Dodsworth and
others as might serve to further elucidate the subject of our inquiry.
I now therefore lay before you this portion of the case with especial
reference to its bearing upon the proceedings of Baron R**.
2.--_Doctor Dodsworth's Statement._
I was in attendance on the late Mrs. Anderton during the illness which
terminated fatally on the 12th October, 1856. I was first sent for
by Mr. Anderton, on the night of the 5th of April[1] in that year.
I found her suffering apparently from a slight attack of English
cholera, but was unable to ascertain any cause to which it might be
attributed. There was nothing to lead to any suspicion of poisoning,
indeed this seemed to be rendered almost impossible by the length of
time that had elapsed since the last time of taking food and that at
which the attack commenced. This was at least three or four hours;
whereas, had the symptoms arisen from the action of any poisonous
substance, they would have shown themselves much earlier. This is only
my impression from after consideration. No idea of poison occurred
to me at the time, nor should I now entertain any were I called in
to a similar case. I prescribed the usual remedies for the complaint
under which I supposed Mrs. Anderton to be suffering. They appeared to
have their effect, though not so rapidly as I should have expected.
The symptoms appeared rather to wear themselves out. I visited her
several times, as the debility which ensued seemed greater than, under
ordinary circumstances, should have followed on such an attack. About
a fortnight later she had a fresh seizure, of a very similar kind.
This time, however, the symptoms were aggravated, and accompanied by
others of a more alarming character. Of these the most conspicuous
were nausea, vomiting, violent perspiration, and increasing tendency
to diarrhoea. The patient also complained of great sinking of the
heart, and of a terrible lowness of spirits, almost amounting to a
conviction that death was at hand. In the course of another fortnight
or three weeks there was a fresh recurrence of the symptoms. The
tongue, which in the former attacks had been clammy and dry, was now
covered thickly with dirty mucus, and there was a greatly increased
flow of saliva. The condition of the tongue became greatly aggravated
as the disease progressed, the mouth and throat becoming ultimately
very sore, with great constriction of the latter. The abdomen was
distended, and very tender to the touch, the liver also being very
full and tender. Pulse low and rapid, decreasing in fulness as the
disease progressed, and reaching finally to 130 or 140; and the
depression of spirits and sinking at the heart considerably increased.
The patient appeared to be daily losing strength, and at each attack,
which seemed to return periodically at intervals of about a fortnight,
the same symptoms appeared more severely than before. Mr. Anderton
seemed to be in the deepest distress. From the time when the symptoms
first became serious, he hardly ever left her side, administering
both food and medicine with his own hand. So far as I am aware, Mrs.
Anderton took nothing of any kind from any other person throughout the
greater portion of her illness. I have heard her say this herself, in
his presence, shortly before her death. For the last few weeks she
took scarcely any nourishment, and could with difficulty swallow her
medicine. The principal cause of this difficulty lay in the extreme
nausea which followed any attempt to swallow, but it was greatly
increased by the painful and constricted state of the throat, which
was extremely rough and raw, and rendered swallowing very painful. As
the disease progressed the vomited matter became strongly coloured
with bile, and was of a strong yellow colour. The opression on the
heart also increased, until at length respiration was almost impeded.
The heart and pulses also gradually lost power, and latterly the lower
portion of the body was almost paralysed, the limbs being stiff, and
the whole frame, from the waist downward, very heavy and cold. The
patient also suffered from severe cold perspirations, as well as from
heat and irritation of the upper portion of the body, and from entire
inability to sleep. A very remarkable feature in the case was, that
notwithstanding this general sleeplessness, each fresh attack of the
malady was preceded by a sound slumber of some hours duration, from
which she appeared to be aroused by the return of the more active
symptoms of the disorder. I tried all the usual remedies indicated by
such symptoms, but without any permanent effect, and I was a good deal
perplexed by the anomalous appearance of the case, and especially by
its intermittent character, the symptoms recurring, as I have said,
with increased severity, at regular intervals of about a fortnight. I
mentioned my difficulty to Mr. Anderton, and asked if he would wish
further advice. At his urgent request I consented, though with some
hesitation, to meet Baron R**, who holds, as I was given to understand,
a regular diploma from several of the foreign Universities, but whose
practice has been of a somewhat irregular character. I first consulted
with him on the 12th July.[2]
[Dr. Dodsworth here details at some length how he became convinced of
the Baron's great skill and knowledge of chemistry, and was finally
persuaded to meet him in consultation.]
After examination of the patient, however, and some conversation as to
the nature of the symptoms and of the remedies employed, I had some
difficulty in drawing from him (the Baron) any expression of opinion.
He appeared, however, to agree entirely in the course hitherto pursued,
and after some further conversation we separated. The consultation took
place in Mrs. Anderton's dressing-room, and in passing by the wash-hand
stand on his way out, the Baron suddenly took up a small bottle which
was standing there, and turning sharply upon me, asked "if I had
tried that?" On taking it from his hand, I found that it contained
tincture of tannin, a preparation much used for the teeth. I was
somewhat startled by the suddenness of the question, and replied in the
negative, on which the subject dropped. On my way home, however, I was
again struck by the peculiarity of the Baron's manner in putting the
question; and on thinking the matter over, the idea suddenly flashed
across me that tannic acid was the antidote to antimony, and that the
symptoms of poisoning by tartarised antimony, to which attention had
just been drawn by Professor Taylor, in the case of the Rugely murder,
closely resembled in many respects those under which Mrs. Anderton
was then suffering. At the first moment this supposition seemed to
account for all the mysterious part of the case; but on reflection the
difficulty returned, for it seemed impossible that the poison could
have been administered by any one but Mr. Anderton himself, and I
felt it still more impossible to suspect him of such an act, in face
of the evident and extreme affection existing between them. On mature
reflection, however, I determined on trying, at all events for a time,
the course suggested by the Baron, and accordingly exhibited large
doses of Peruvian bark, together with other medicines of the same kind.
My suspicions were at first increased by the improvement apparently
effected by these remedies, and I took occasion to ask Mr. Anderton,
in a casual way, in presence of the nurse and one of the servants,
whether he had any emetic tartar or antimonial wine in the house.
The manner of his reply entirely removed from my mind any idea that
either of those present at least had any knowledge of such an attempt
as seemed implied by the Baron, and on seeing that gentleman a day or
two after, I questioned him as to the true bearing of his suggestion.
He disclaimed, however, any such meaning as I had been disposed to
attribute to his words, stating, in a general way, that he had before
known great benefit to accrue from the exhibition of such medicines in
similar cases, and expressing a hope that they might be successful in
the present instance. Something, however, in his manner, and especially
the great stress laid upon careful watching of the patient's diet while
under this course of treatment, led me still to fancy that he was not
so entirely without doubt as he wished me to believe; but that, on the
contrary, his suspicions pointed towards Mr. Anderton, his friendship
for whom made him desirous of concealing them. This opinion was
confirmed by the recollection of another apparent instance of suspicion
on the part of the Baron, to which, a few days previously, however, I
had not at the time attached any importance. I accordingly continued
the bark treatment, determining, should any fresh attack occur, to take
measures for investigating the matter; for which purpose I gave private
orders to the nurse, on whom I knew that I could thoroughly depend, to
allow nothing to be removed from the room until I had myself seen the
patient. The beneficial effects of the bark continued for about ten or
twelve days, at the end of which period I was sent for hurriedly in the
middle of the night, the disease having returned with greater violence
than at any previous attack. Having done what was in my power to
alleviate the immediate pressure of the symptoms, I took an opportunity
of privately securing portions of the vomited and other matters, which
I immediately had submitted to a searching chemical analysis. No
trace, however, of antimony, arsenic, or any similar poison, could be
detected, and as the tannic acid appeared now to have lost its remedial
power, I came finally to the conclusion that its apparent efficacy
had been due to some other unknown cause, and that the suspicions of
the Baron were altogether without foundation. I continued the former
treatment, varied from time to time as experience suggested, but
without being able to arrest the progress of the disease, which I am
inclined to think must have been constitutional in its character, and
probably hereditary, as I learned from Mr. Anderton that the patient's
mother had also died of some internal disease, the exact symptoms of
which, however, he was unable to call to mind. Towards the close of the
case the patient was almost constantly delirious from debility, and the
immediate cause of death was entire prostration and exhaustion of the
system. I wished Mr. Anderton to allow a _post mortem_ examination,
with a view to discovering the true nature of the disorder, but he
seemed so extremely sensitive on the subject, and was in such a state
of nervous depression, that I forbore to press the point. The Baron
also seemed to discourage him from such an idea. Subsequently an
order came for an inquest, and I then assisted at the analysis which
followed, and which was performed by Mr. Prendergast. We found no
traces of antimony in any part of the body or its contents. The report
of Mr. Prendergast, in which I fully concurred, will show the result
of the analysis. Looking at that, and at all the circumstances of the
case, I was, and still am, convinced that Mr. Anderton was perfectly
innocent of the crime imputed.
In answer to the queries forwarded at various times by Mr. Henderson,
Dr. Dodsworth gives the following replies:
1. In questioning the Baron as to his suggestion respecting the
tincture of tannin, I put it plainly to him whether he had been led
to make it by any suspicion of poison. This he disclaimed with equal
directness, but with such hesitation as convinced me that the suspicion
was really in his mind.
2. I told the Baron that I had exhibited bark and other similar
remedies, and with what success. He smiled, and turned the conversation.
3. The Baron was not present at the _post mortem_ examination. He
wished very much to be so, but Mr. Prendergast objected so strongly
that I was obliged to refuse him. I promised, however, to let him
know by telegraph the result of the examination, which took place at
Birmingham, where Mr. Prendergast was living at the time. I enclose
a copy of the message sent. He offered to assist in removing the
intestines, &c., from the body, but this I also declined, as Mr.
Prendergast had particularly requested me to allow no one to come near
the body after it was opened but myself and some student or surgeon
from one of the great hospitals, to render such assistance as might
be necessary. The caution was, I think, a very reasonable one, and I
followed it out strictly.
4. The Baron certainly seemed at first, as I thought, annoyed at being
excluded, but I attributed this to his interest in the case. He did
not make the request as to telegraphing at the time, but wrote to me
afterwards on the subject.
5. The object of Mr. Prendergast's precaution was, of course, to
prevent the body from being tampered with.
6. By tampered with I mean in such manner as to destroy the traces of
the poison.
7. It would, of course, be possible to manufacture traces of poison
where none had previously existed, but this could only be done with the
view of fastening on an innocent person the guilt of a murder which
had never been committed, and was by no means what we intended to guard
against in the exclusion of his friends.
8. Certainly had such a thing been successfully attempted in this
instance, it would have rendered the case conclusive against Mr.
Anderton.
9. The other incident to which I have alluded as evincing suspicion
on the part of the Baron, was as follows. We were one morning in
consultation in Mr. Anderton's room. I wished to seal a letter. The
Baron lighted a taper for me with a piece of paper which he took from
the waste basket. As he did so, he appeared struck with something on
the paper, and untwisted it and showed it to me. There were only a few
letters on it, part having been torn off and part burned. The letters
were ... RTAR EME ... and part of what was evidently a T. Beneath was
the upper portion of a capital P in writing. I did not, however, take
much notice of it, and the thing passed from my mind.
10. I have no doubt myself that the paper came from the waste basket.
The Baron said so. I did not actually see him take it out, but I
saw him stoop to do so. There was nothing physically impossible in
his having taken the paper from his own pocket, but I cannot see the
slightest reason for such a supposition. The only object he could
possibly have had in such an act would have been that of throwing
suspicion on Mr. Anderton, and his whole desire evidently was to
conceal the suspicions in his own mind as far as possible.
11. The Baron gave me no other grounds for supposing that he suspected
anything. On the contrary, he was continually pointing out to me the
affection of Mr. Anderton for his wife, and especially the assiduity of
his attendance in permitting no one else to administer either food or
medicine.
12. The practical effect of all this was certainly, I admit, to impress
upon my own mind the suspicious circumstances of the case more strongly
perhaps than if they had been pointed out in a directly hostile manner.
It is impossible, however, that the Baron could have reckoned upon
this, and I feel bound to add that it seems to me exceeding the limits
of legitimate inquiry to suggest anything of the kind.
3.--_Statement of Mrs Edwards._
I am a sick nurse. I was in attendance on poor Mrs. Anderton all
through her sickness. The poor lady was greatly cast down. She was
expecting her death for weeks before it came. She seemed to think there
was a doom on her. I do not think she had any suspicion that she was
being poisoned. I am sure poor dear lady, no one would ever think of
poisoning her, everybody loved her too much. Mr. Anderton was dotingly
fond of her. I never saw so good a husband in my life. I could have
done anything for him, he was so good to his poor wife. I don't think
he hardly ever left her. I used to be vexed sometimes because I said
he would not let me do anything for her. I mean he would not let me
give her her slops or her physic. She took nothing but slops the best
part of the time. She couldn't feel to relish anything at all, and meat
made her vomit. For the last two months or better I don't think she
took anything from anybody, excepting it was from Mr. Anderton himself.
He used to bring her her physic as regular as the clock struck, and
everything from the kitchen was took first into his room if he wasn't
with the mistress, and he would carry it to her himself. He used to
have rare work sometimes to get her to take anything. I am sure she
wouldn't have done it poor lady for any one but him. Not the last few
weeks. She was so very sick and ill, and everything seemed to turn upon
her stomach. Mr. Anderton always slept on a mattress in the mistress's
room so as to be within call. The mattress was put on the floor by the
side of the bed, and nobody could have got to the bed without waking
him. He was a very light sleeper. The least little sound used to wake
him, and I often told him he was going the way to kill himself, and
then what would our poor lady do. Once or twice I persuaded him to go
out for a bit, and then he always insisted on my not leaving the room
while he was away. Even when he was in his study he always made me
stay with the lady, and if I wanted to go out for anything, I was to
ring for him. Mrs. Anderton was never left without one or other of us
for an hour until the last six weeks, when she grew so bad, another
nurse had to be got. Then we three did the same way between us. We
were obliged to take her because I was getting quite knocked tip. How
ever Mr. Anderton kept up the way he did, I cannot think or say, but
he broke down altogether when the mistress died. I don't think after
that the poor gentleman was ever quite right in his head. I remember
the doctor asking him one day whether he had any tartar emetic in the
house. He said no, but he would get some if it was wanted. Nothing more
passed at the time, so far as I know. It was brought to my mind again
by something which happened after the poor lady's death. It was nothing
very particular, only I found in her room a piece of paper with "Tartar
Emetic" printed on it. That was all that was printed, but the word
"Poison" was written under it. I kept the paper and showed it to the
Baron. I don't know why I did so; I suppose because he was in the house
at the time. Afterwards I showed it to the lawyer, and he took charge
of it. I had no particular suspicion, none at all. I can't tell why I
took it up. I did it without thinking, quite promiscuous like. I didn't
show it to master because he was too ill to be worried. That was the
only reason.
The above is the evidence I gave at the inquest. I have nothing more
to add. I am quite sure that Mr. and Mrs. Anderton were very fond of
each other. I never saw two people so affectionate like. The Baron
was very fond of both of them. I don't think Mrs. Anderton liked him
much. She seemed to have a sort of dread of him. I don't know why; she
never said so. The Baron used often to call on Mr. Anderton, to see
the doctor, but, so far as I know, he only saw the mistress once. I
think he knew she did not like him, and kept away on purpose. He was
a very kind-hearted gentleman. He was always particularly polite and
civil-spoken to me. He used often to talk to me about master doting so
on mistress. He used to speak about his always giving her her physic
and things. I remember one day his saying it wouldn't be very easy to
give her anything unwholesome without his knowing of it, or something
of that sort. He seemed as if he never could say enough in praise of
master, and I am sure he deserved it. I took him the paper I found
just like I might have taken it to master if he had been well enough.
He was in the house at the time. He had been in the poor lady's room
with Dr. Dodsworth just before, and had stayed in the parlour to write
something. He sent me into the room to see if he had left his glove
there. It was in looking for it that I saw the paper. It was lying just
under the bed when I stooped down to look for the glove. I took it up
at first, thinking how careless it was to have left it there when the
room was put straight after the poor lady died, and then I saw what
was written upon it. The glove was lying on the floor close to it.
There was no vallance to the bed, it had been taken off for the sake of
sweetness. I forget exactly what the Baron said when I showed him the
paper. It was something that made me think I might get into trouble
about it. That was why I showed it to the lawyer. My brother had been
to him once before about some money that ought to have come to us. He
took the paper to the magistrates, and that was how the inquest came
about. I was very angry about it, and so was the Baron. He asked me how
I could have been so foolish. I don't know what made me think of taking
it to him. I think it was something the Baron said. He did not advise
me to do it. He did not advise me anything, but I think he wanted me to
burn it. I offered it to him, but he said he was afraid, or something
of that kind, and I think that was what put it into my head to ask the
lawyer about it.
4.--_Memorandum by Mr. Henderson._
The statement of the other nurse, herewith enclosed, merely
corroborates that of Mrs. Edwards, with respect to such matters as came
within her cognisance. I have therefore not thought it necessary to
insert it here.
Mr. Prendergast's report, also enclosed, is somewhat lengthy, and of a
purely technical character. It is to the following effect:
1. That, on examination, the body of the late Mrs. Anderton presented
in all respects the precise appearance which would be exhibited in a
case of poisoning by antimony.
2. It was nevertheless possible to account for these appearances, as
the result of chronic _gastritis_, or _gastro enteritis_, though in
some respects not such as either of those diseases would be expected to
present.
3. The strictest and most thorough examination entirely failed in
showing the very slightest trace of either antimony or arsenic; either
in the contents of the various organs, or in the tissues.
4. A portion of the medicine last taken by the deceased was also
examined, but equally without result.
5. From the lengthened period over which the poisoning, if any,
must have extended, and the small doses in which it must have been
administered, it is scarcely possible but that, had such really been
the case, some traces of it must have been found in the tissues, though
not perhaps in the contents of the stomach, &c.
6. In a case of poisoning also, the symptoms would have recurred
in their severest form within a short period of taking the food or
medicine in which it had been administered. In this case, however,
they appear to have uniformly shown themselves at a late period of the
night, and several hours after either food or medicine had been taken.
7. It is therefore concluded that, notwithstanding the suspicious
appearance of the body on dissection, death is to be attributed not to
poison, but to an abnormal form of chronic _gastro enteritis_, for the
peculiar symptoms of which the exceptional constitution of the deceased
may in some degree account.
5.--_Statement of Police-Sergeant, Edward Reading._
I am a sergeant on the detective staff of the Metropolitan Police.
In October, 1856, I was on duty at Notting Hill. I was employed to
watch a gentleman by the name of Anderton. He was in custody on a
coroner's warrant for the murder of his lady, but couldn't be removed
on account of being ill. I was put in the house to prevent his escape.
I did not stay in his room. I did at first, but it seemed of no use;
so I spoke to our superintendent, and got leave from him to stop in
the outer-room. I did this to make things pleasant. I always try to
make things as pleasant as I can, compatible with duty, specially when
it's a gentleman. It comes harder on them than on the regular hands,
because they are not so much used to it. In this case prisoner seemed
to take on terribly. He was very weak and ill--too ill seemingly to
get out of bed. He used to lie with his eyes fixed upon one corner of
the room muttering sometimes to himself, but I couldn't tell what. He
never spoke to any one. The only time he spoke was once, to ask me to
let him see the body. I hadn't the heart to say no; but I went with him
and kept at the door. He could hardly totter along, he was so weakly.
After about half-an-hour, I thought it was all very quiet, and looked
in. He was lying on the floor in a dead faint, and I carried him back.
He never spoke again, but lay just as I have said. Of course I took
every precaution. Prisoner's room had two doors, one opening on the
landing, and the other into the room where I stopped. I locked up the
outer-door and put three or four screws into it from the outside. The
window was too high to break out at, but our men used to keep an eye
upon it from the street. At night I used to lock the door of my room
and stick open the door between the two. I was relieved occasionally by
Sergeant Walsh,[3] but I mostly preferred seeing to it myself. I like
to keep my own work in my own hands, and this was a very interesting
case. When I first took charge I made a careful examination of the
premises and of all papers, and the like. I found nothing to criminate
the prisoner. I found a journal of the lady who was murdered, with a
note at the end in his handwriting; but so far as it went they seemed
to be on very good terms. I found also a lot of prescriptions and notes
referring to her illness, but no papers like that found by the nurse,
nor any traces of powders or drugs of any kind. I went with the nurse
into the bed-room of the murdered party, and made her point out the
exact spot where the paper was found. According to what she said it was
lying just under the bed on the right-hand side. The glove was lying
close to it, but not under the bed. Somehow I didn't quite feel as if
it was all on the square. I thought the business of the paper looked
rather queer. It didn't seem quite feasible like. I have known a thing
of that sort by way of a plant before now, so I thought I'd just go on
asking questions. That's always my way. I ask all kinds of questions
about every thing, feeling my way like. I generally find something turn
up that way before I have done. Something turned up this time. I don't
know that it was much--perhaps not. I have my own opinion about that.
This is how it was. After more questions of one kind and another, I got
to something that led me to ask the nurse which side of the bed Mr.
Anderton usually went to give the lady food and physic. She and the
other servants all agreed that, being naturally left-handed like, he
always went to the _left_ hand side of the bed, so as he could get to
feed her with a spoon. He was very bad with his right hand. Couldn't
handle a spoon with it no more than some of us could with the left.
Nurse said she had seen him try once or twice, which he always spilled
everything. I mean of course with his right hand. He was handy enough
with his left. When I heard this I began to suspect we might be on a
false scent. This is the way I looked at it. The glove, as I told you,
was lying on the floor by the right side of the bed, so as anybody
who dropped it must have been standing on that side which it's the
natural side to go to as being nearest the door. The paper was close
to it, just under the same side of the bed. Now I took it as pretty
clear prisoner hadn't put that paper there for the purpose, but if he'd
done it at all, he had dropped it by accident in giving the stuff. I
fancy, too, he'd naturally be particularly careful in giving that sort
of stuff not to spill it about the place, so he'd be pretty well sure
to take his best hand to it. In that case he'd have dropped it on the
left hand side of the bed--not the right. Still, of course it might
have got blown across, or, for the matter of that, kicked, though that
was not very likely, as the bed was a wide one, and put in a sort of
recess like, quite out of any sort of draught. So I thought I'd have
another look at the place, and, poking about under the bed, I found
a long narrow box, which the servants told me was full of bows and
arrows, and hadn't been moved out of its place since they first came
to the house. It took up the whole length of the bed within a foot or
so, and lay right along the middle on the floor. There was a mark along
the floor that showed how long it had been there. A bit of paper like
that never could have got blown light over that without touching it
if there had been ever such a draught. When I'd got so far, I fancied
things began to look very queer, so I got the bed shifted out of its
place altogether. The coffin was in the way, and I got that moved to
one side of the room, and pulled the bed right clear of the box. As we
shifted the coffin I thought I saw some thing like a piece of paper
under the flannel shroud. I said nothing at the time, but waited till
the undertaker's men were out of the room and I was alone. I then
opened the shroud and found a small folded paper. It was put just under
the hands, which were crossed over the bosom of the corpse. I opened it
and found a lock of hair, which I saw directly was Mr. Anderton's, and
there were a few words in writing which I copied down in my note-book,
and then I put the hair and the paper and all back where I found them.
The writing was, "Pray for me, darling, pray for me." I knew the hand
at once for Mr. Anderton's. His writing is very remarkable, by reason,
I suppose, of being so left-handed. Of course that wasn't evidence,
but somehow I got an idea out of it that a man wouldn't go on in that
way with his wife just after he'd been and murdered her. It struck me
that that would be against nature, leastways if he was in his right
mind. After I had finished with the coffin I took a look at the box.
As I expected, the top was covered ever so thick with dust, and it was
pretty clear that, at all events, the bit of paper had never lain atop
of it. I put a piece just like it on to try and blew it off again, and
it made a great mark and got all dirty. The paper picked up by the
nurse was quite clean, or very nearly so. Putting all this together
I came pretty nigh a conclusion that, at all events, it wasn't Mr.
Anderton as had dropped the paper there. The sides of the box were also
dusty, but there were marks on them like as if a brush or a broom had
brushed against them. I put the box and the bed back into their places,
and went down to question the housemaid.[4] I found that she had put
the room tidy the day Mrs. Anderton died, and had passed a short
hair-broom under the bed as there were several things lying about. She
said she was quite sure there was no bit of paper there then, as she
had stooped down and looked under. I tried with the same broom, and you
couldn't reach the box without stooping, as she said. I then inquired
who had been in the room between the time of the death and the finding
of the paper. No one had been there but the nurse, the doctor, the
housemaid, and Baron R**. I was determined to hunt it out if possible.
I questioned the nurse and the housemaid--on the quiet, not to excite
suspicion--but felt pretty clear they knew nothing more about it; and
when next Baron R** came I sounded him about different points. He did
not seem to know that Mr. Anderton was so left-handed, nor could I get
any information from him on the subject. He didn't seem at first to
see what I was driving at, and, of course, I didn't mean he should,
but after a while I saw he had struck out the same idea as I had about
the place where the paper was found, though I had not meant to let him
into that. He seemed quite struck of a heap by it. I fancied at the
moment that he turned regularly pale, but he was just blowing his nose
with a large yellow silk handkerchief, and I could not be sure. He said
nothing to me of what he had guessed, nor did I to him. I like to keep
those things as quiet as I can, particularly from parties' friends. I
have not been able to get any further clue, but I am convinced that
something is to be made out of that paper business yet. I generally
know a scent when I get on one, and my notion is that I am on one now.
I did not see the Baron again till the evening before Mr. Anderton
made away with himself. He came then in a great hurry, and insisted on
seeing the prisoner. I said I would ask, but did not expect he could,
as Mr. Anderton would see or speak to no one. He seemed to be in a sad
state, partly with exhaustion after waiting on his wife so long, and
partly with the worry of having this hanging over him He was a very
sensitive gentleman, and seemed to take it more to heart than any one
I ever saw. He wouldn't see any one, not even his lawyer. When I told
him about the Baron, however, he said he might come in, and they were
together half-an-hour or more. I did not hear anything that passed.
When the Baron came out he took me on one side and told me everything
was all right, and his friend was sure to get off. He said he was quite
overpowered with the good news, and particularly begged that he might
not be disturbed by any one, as he thought he could sleep now. He had
hardly slept a wink all the time. I promised not to disturb him, and
he lay quite quiet all night. I peeped in once or twice to make sure
he was there, but did not speak. I noticed a faint smell like peaches
once, but did not think anything of it. In the morning I went in to
take him his breakfast, and found him dead and quite cold. In his hand
was a little bottle which had contained prussic acid, and which had
evidently come out of a pocket medicine chest that lay on the bed. I
gave the alarm, and the divisional surgeon was sent for, but he was
stone dead. At about nine o'clock the Baron's servant came round to
know whether he had left a pocket medicine chest the night before. I
questioned the servant, and found the Baron had given him a list of the
places where he had been, and that he had asked at several already. The
medicine chest wanted, proved to be the one found in Mr. Anderton's
room. On the pillow I found also a piece of paper in Mr. Anderton's
handwriting, of which I enclose a copy.
6.--_Pencil note found on the pillow of Mr. Anderton._
Let no man condemn me for what I do. God knows how I have fought
against it. My darling! my own darling! have I not seen you night and
day by my side beckoning me to come? Not while a chance remained. Not
while there was one hope left to escape this doom of hideous disgrace
which dogs me to the death. No, darling, my honour--_your husband's_
honour before all. It is over now. No chance--no hope--only ignominy,
shame, death. I come, darling. _You_ know whether I am guilty of this
horrible charge. My darling--my own darling--I see you smile at the
very thought. God bless you for that smile. God pardon me for what I am
about to do. God reunite us, darling.
[Footnote 1: Compare Section III., 3, &c.]
[Footnote 2: Vide Section V., 5.]
[Footnote 3: The evidence of Sergeant Walsh is enclosed, but is merely
corroborative of the present statement.--R. H.]
[Footnote 4: The housemaid's deposition corroborates this part of the
evidence.]