The Notting Hill Mystery

by Charles Felix

  6.--_Pencil note found on the pillow of Mr. Anderton._

  Let no man condemn me for what I do. God knows how I have foughtagainst it. My darling! my own darling! have I not seen you night andday by my side beckoning me to come? Not while a chance remained. Notwhile there was one hope left to escape this doom of hideous disgracewhich 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 thishorrible charge. My darling--my own darling--I see you smile at thevery thought. God bless you for that smile. God pardon me for what I amabout 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 merelycorroborative of the present statement.--R. H.]

  [Footnote 4: The housemaid's deposition corroborates this part of theevidence.]

  SECTION VII.

  [Illustration.]

  1.--_Statement of Mr. Henderson._

  In the concluding portion of the evidence we have now a double objectin view. First, to lay before you the various links by which thecircumstances, already detailed, are connected into a single chain;and, secondly, to elucidate the general bearing of the whole upon theparticular case of the death of Madame R**, into which it is my moreimmediate duty to inquire. It was this apparent connection with theentire story which first led me to investigate matters otherwise quitebeyond my province, and you will, I have no doubt, after reading theevidence, concur in the propriety of my so doing.

  It is unfortunate that, in this important part of the case, aspreviously with regard to the no less important point of the suspiciouscircumstances attendant on Madame R**'s first illness at Bognor, theevidence of the principal witnesses is open to very grave question.It is not indeed, as then, that the moral character of the individualsthemselves rests under any suspicion, for, so far as I have been ableto learn, both the servant-of-all-work, and her lover, John Styles, areperfectly respectable people; whilst the young man Aldridge, thoughcertainly a foolish and perhaps rather a dissipated young fellow, hasa very fair character from the house of business in which he is nowemployed. But the evidence of the two former is, as will be seen,greatly diminished in value by the circumstances under which it wasobtained, whilst, in the latter, there is so clear a suspicion of_animus_ as cannot but throw still greater doubts upon evidence initself sufficiently questionable--and rendered yet more so by othercircumstances which will hereafter more fully appear.

  It was this man Aldridge, whose letter, as you will remember, led tothe investigation, of which the result is now before you; and hisstatement hereto annexed, that first gave substance to the suspicionsof foul play on the part of the Baron, and, in conjunction with thediscovery of the enclosed papers, subsequently induced me to extendmy inquiries to the cases of Mr. and Mrs. Anderton. I confess that,notwithstanding the doubt with which his statement is surrounded, Iam still inclined to accept it as substantially true, though possiblysomewhat coloured by personal feeling against the Baron. The point,however, has seemed to me of sufficient importance to justify theoccupying a considerable portion of this present division of thecase with such evidence as I have been able to gather respectingthe circumstances of his final ejectment, and it will be for you todetermine between the story as told himself and that of Baron R**.

  With regard to the other two witnesses who, by one of those singularcoincidences that, in criminal cases, seem so often to occur, are ableto confirm in some degree the evidence of Aldridge, there is, I think,less difficulty. They had certainly no business where they were, butthe circumstances are such as to fully acquit them of any feloniousintent, while even had such existed, it would be difficult to see howthe fact of such intent could have exercised any influence over theirpresent statements. It is moreover quite clear that there has been nocollusion upon the subject.

  I have now only to refer, in conclusion, to the fragment of paperfound in the Baron's rooms in Russell Place, and the marked copyof the "Zoist," belonging to the late Mr. Anderton, to which Mr.Morton referred in his statement[1] as having formed the subjectof discussion at Mr. Anderton's house on the evening of the 13th ofOctober, 1854. The first of these is a portion of a letter, which Ihave endeavoured, so far as possible, to complete. Admitting that Ihave done so correctly, and coupling it with the fact of the visitwhich, as I have been able to ascertain, was paid by foreign lady tothe Baron "very early in the morning" following the death of MadameR**, it appears to throw no inconsiderable light upon the extraordinarycircumstances of the death of Madame R**. The bearing of the latterupon the case will be perhaps less clear. I have no hesitation inadmitting that when the connection first suggested itself to my ownmind, I at once dismissed it as too absurd to be entertained for amoment. But I feel bound to add that the further my inquiries haveprogressed, the more strongly this apparent connection has forceditself upon me as the only clue to a maze of coincidences such as ithas never before been my lot to encounter, and that while even nowunable to accept it as a fact, I find it still more impossible tothrust it altogether on one side. I have therefore left the matterfor your decision, merely pointing out, as I have before, in theopening portion of my report, that, even admitting the influence ofthese passages upon the mind of the Baron, and the ultimate successof the plan founded upon their suggestion, that success, howeverextraordinary, may not necessarily involve, as at first appears, theadmission of those monstrous assertions of the "mesmeric" journal onwhich it was based.

  With these observations, I now submit to your consideration theconcluding portion of the evidence, after which it will only benecessary for me to take a brief review of the whole case beforeleaving it finally in your hands.

  2.--_Statement of Mrs. Jackson._

  My name is Mary Jackson. I live in Goswell Street, City Road. I am amonthly and sick-nurse. In June, 1856, I was engaged to nurse MadameR**. I was recommended to the Baron by Dr. Marsden, who lodged in thesame house. I have often nursed for him. Madame R** was not very ill.I don't think she was ill enough to require a nurse. Of course shewas the better for one--everybody always is--but she could have donewithout one. I came by the Baron's wish. He was anxious like. The poorgentleman was very fond of his wife. I never saw such a good husband.I am sure no other husband would have done what he did, and she socold to him. I don't think she cared about him at all. She hardly everspoke to him unless it was when he spoke first. She never spoke much.She always seemed frightened; especially when the Baron was there. Shecertainly seemed to be afraid of him, but I can't tell why. He wasalways kind to her. He was the nicest and most civil-spoken gentlemanI ever knew. It was not that he was not particular. Quite the reverse.I wish all husbands were half so particular, and then nurses wouldn'tso often get into trouble. Everything used to be done like clockwork.Every morning he used to give me a paper what was to be given in theday. I mean medicine and food. A list of everything, with the time itwas to be taken. Everything used to be ready, and I used to give itregular. No one else ever used to give anything. _The Baron never gaveanything himself_. Never at all. I am quite sure of that. He used tosay that it was nurse's business, and so it is. He often said he hadseen so much sickness he had learned never to interfere with the nurse,and I only wish all other gentlemen would do the same. He used to bevery particular about the physic. We always have the bottles for ourperquisite. We get a shilling a dozen for them all round if they areclean. The Baron objected to this. He allowed me a shilling a dozeninstead. The bottles were all put away in a cupboard. They never usedto be quite emptied. The Baron always made a point of having fresh inbefore the old was quite finished. He said he always liked to havethem to refer to in case of accident or mistake. He was a very carefulgentleman. I nursed Madame R** every day until her recovery. I am quitecertain that, during the hours I was there, nothing was ever given toher but what passed through my hands.

  3.--_Sta
tement of Mrs. Ellis._

  My name is Jane Ellis. I am a sick-nurse, and live in Goodge Street,Tottenham Court Road. In about the end of July, 1856, I was engaged asnight nurse to Madame R**. Perhaps she did not exactly require one. Shewas ill, but she could help herself. At times she was very ill. It wasmuch more comfortable for her, and she could afford it. Baron R** neverseemed to spare anything for her. She was generally worst at night. Theworst attacks used to come on about every fortnight. It was generallyon a Saturday. I took turn and turn about with Mrs. Jackson. She tookthe day work, and I took the night. I used to come at ten o'clock, andleave at breakfast time. During that time I was never out of the room.It was the Baron's particular desire. When I first came he made it acondition that I should never leave the room, and never go to sleep.He was the most particular gentleman I ever nursed for. I have nothingwhatever to say against him. Quite the contrary. He was always civiland pleasant spoken, and behaved most handsome, as a gentleman shoulddo. He was uncommon fond of the lady. She didn't seem to care muchabout him. She was ill, poor soul, and could not care about any body.She seemed quite frightened like. When the Baron came into the room sheused to follow him about with her eyes, as if she was afraid of him.I never heard him say an unkind word. Other times she would lie quitequiet, and not speak a word for hours. She seemed afraid of everybody.If I moved about the room, I could see her eyes following me about andwatching me everywhere. I think it was part of her complaint. The Baronwas most attentive. I never saw such an attentive husband. He used tolie in the next room. It opened into the bedroom, and he always hadthe door wide open. He was a wonderfully light sleeper. If either ofus spoke a word, he would be in the room directly, to ask what was thematter. I couldn't even move across the room but what he would hear it.He was a wonderful man. He seemed to live almost without sleep. I thinkit must have been the meat did it. He used to eat enormous quantitiesof meat. I never saw a man eat so much. When I first came he used tojoke with me about it. Madame R** was not so bad then, and we used totalk sometimes. He told me it was because he was a mesmeriser. I don'tbelieve in mesmerism. I told him so. He didn't say anything; he onlylaughed. One night he offered to send me to sleep. That was when I hadbeen there about a week. I said he might try if he could. He lookedhard at me, ever so long, and made some odd motions with his hands. Idid go to sleep. I don't believe it was mesmerism. Of course not. Ithink it was looking at his eyes. I told him so. He asked if he shoulddo it again. He did it once more. That was the night after. I went tosleep then almost directly. Of course I knew it was not mesmerism, butI couldn't help it. He did not talk about it any more. He only saidthat I must take care not to go to sleep of my own accord. I did dropasleep three or four times after that. That was not from anything theBaron did. He was not in the room at the time. He must have been inthe next room. I suppose the door was open. It always was. The firsttime I went to sleep was about a week after we had talked about themesmerism. It was on a Saturday night, or Friday. I am not quite surewhich. It was one of the nights when Madame R** was so ill. She hadgone to sleep at about eleven o'clock. She seemed very well then. Shewas sleeping quite quiet. I suppose I must have dropped off. I wasawoke by her moaning in her sleep. That was about one o'clock. She soonwoke up in great pain, and had a very bad attack. The Baron came intothe room just as I awoke. Something woke him, and he came in directly.He told me what it was that woke him. It was me snoring. He said so.I fell asleep again a fortnight after in the same way. The Baron wasnot there. Madame R** was asleep. She had not slept for many nights. Imust have dropped off in a doze hearing her so nicely asleep. The Baronwoke me. That was at about one o'clock. He was very much displeased. Hetold me Madame R** had been walking in her sleep and might have killedherself. He said she went into the kitchen. I am certain that waswhere he said. I can swear it. He asked what I had taken for supper,and tasted what was left of the beer. He seemed very much vexed anddisturbed. I was very sorry, and promised to be very careful anothertime. I never had such a thing happen in any other case, and I toldhim so. He said he would look over it that time, but it must neverhappen again. He went up-stairs afterwards. I think it was to speak tosomebody. He said somebody had seen her, I think. Madame R** was illthat night. She began to moan while we were talking, and had a very badattack. The Baron said she must have caught cold, and I am afraid shedid. I determined to be particularly careful for the time to come. Iwas very careful for some time, particularly when she was asleep. Shehardly slept at all for two weeks, but when she did I was very careful.At the end of that time I must have fallen asleep again. I was hardlyaware of it. I know I must have been asleep, because when I looked atthe clock it was two hours later than I thought. Madame R** was illagain that night. I was very much vexed. I began to think somebody wasplaying tricks upon me. It was so strange, coming every fortnight. Idid not tell the Baron. I know it was wrong, but I was afraid. Nextfortnight I was on the look out. Madame R** went to sleep again. I wasdetermined not to go to sleep. I thought somebody must have playedtricks with the beer, so I wouldn't drink it. I ate no supper anddrank nothing but some strong green tea I made for myself. I was quitesure the tea must keep me awake. It did not. I awoke with a great startabout one o'clock, and found Madame R** bad again as usual. I was verymuch bothered about it. I made up my mind to tell the Baron if ithappened again. It did happen again, but I did not tell him. Madame R**was so bad then I was really afraid, and, after that, it never happenedagain, and she got well. I know I ought to have told the Baron. I amvery sorry I did not. Such a thing never happened to me before. Ofcourse I have slept in a sick-room before, but not when it was againstorders. I was there about three months. I dropped asleep in that way, Ithink, six times, but I am not quite sure. It was always while MadameR** was asleep. She was always bad afterwards. I did not say anythingto her about it, or about her walking. The Baron particularly desiredI would not. He said it would frighten her. He never asked me againwhether I had been asleep, or I would have told him. I was really goingto tell him once or twice, but something always happened to stop me. Ican swear that nothing of the kind ever happened to me before. Theremust have been something wrong. I have sick-nursed twenty years, andhave the best characters from many doctors and patients.[2]

  4.--_Statement of Mr. Westmacott._

  "London, 20th September, 1857.

  "SIR,

  "I have the honour to inform you that in compliance with your requestI have submitted to the most careful and searching examination andanalysis the contents of three dozen and seven (43) medicine phialsforwarded by you for that purpose.