Unsolved Mysteries - Murder on Yarmouth Sands - Harold's Old Time Radio

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Transcript101 lines

[00:00]
A
This episode sponsored by She's Birdie. You lock the hotel room door, then check it again and maybe one more time, because even the nicest room can feel unfamiliar at night. That's why She's Birdie created Birdie Box With She's Birdie, you can bring peace of mind with you. Birdie Box is a portable travel door alarm for hotels, dorms, Airbnbs and anywhere you stay away from home. Just attach it to the door frame, switch it on, and if someone opens the door, Birdie Box blasts a loud siren and flashing alarm to alert you and everyone nearby. Because the best part of travel isn't worrying, it's sleeping soundly. Birdiebox from she's locking in peace of mind wherever you stay. For safer, more confident travel visit she'sbirdie.com that's S H-E-S-B I-R-Ie.com.
[01:01]
B
Unsolved mysteries. Out of deference to people who may still be living, character names in some of these true unsolved mysteries have been changed. Murder has many tongues, and there have been times when these tongues have accused falsely, as for instance, the trial and conviction of Herbert Bennett was thought by many to be a miscarriage of justice. Not that Bennett was a desirable citizen, for that he most certainly was not. But guilty of murder? Would a jury today say not guilty, where almost 40 years ago they said he must hang? If that be so, and many agree, then the murder on Yarmouth Sands stands today as one of England's unsolved mysteries. The scene is South Beach, Yarmouth, England. And the time? 6:00 clock on a summer's morning. An early morning bather strides down the tide damped sand toward the sea. South beach is deserted but for this lone figure. Not a sound breaks the stillness but the cawing of seagulls, the timeless beating of the waves on the shore. The lone bather stops turns white. His eyes start in their sockets. A cry of horror dies in his throat and turning, he runs down the beach. In a few minutes, a police inspector, a policeman and the lone bather are staring down on the body of a beautiful woman. You found her here not five minutes ago.
[03:57]
C
That's right, Inspector. Was going for me morning swim. Not a thought on my mind. I. I almost stepped on her. It was.
[04:03]
D
She's been dead most of the night, I'd say.
[04:05]
B
Some time, anyway. We'll let the medical examiner decide that.
[04:09]
C
How. How was she killed?
[04:10]
B
Strangled. Strangled with a mohair boot lace, Look. Tied in a reef knot.
[04:14]
D
No signs of a struggle either, Inspector.
[04:16]
B
No sand Isn't disturbed. Doesn't look like robbery either. Since her rings are still on her fingers.
[04:21]
D
I don't want to disturb her too much, but I can't find a single identifying mark on her clothing. Now, wait. Here's a number. A laundry tag. Number five, nine.
[04:32]
C
Nine.
[04:34]
B
You live around these parts?
[04:35]
C
Yes, Inspector, but I never saw this woman before, and this isn't a very big place.
[04:39]
B
She's from the city, all right. What are these?
[04:41]
C
Shoes?
[04:42]
D
The chance of following anything from footprints. Tide pretty near came up to her. That's true.
[04:47]
B
When you come right down to it,
[04:48]
C
there isn't a clue as to who
[04:49]
B
she is or who was with her.
[04:51]
D
No. And on top of that, you can't even trace the murder with them. Practically everyone has bought boot laces like that one around her neck at some time or another.
[04:59]
B
Nothing under her fingernails to indicate that she fought for her life.
[05:02]
D
We know that the sand isn't even disturbed.
[05:04]
B
But she could have been brought here after she was killed.
[05:07]
C
Don't forget that. If you don't need me anymore, I'll get dressed. I don't think I'll go in for my swim after all.
[05:12]
B
With nothing but the laundry mark as a clue, the Yarmouth police combed the town for someone to identify the murdered woman. Dozens of people visited the morgue, but not one could say that they knew who the woman was. Late the day following the murder, a Mrs. Rudrum went to the police to report that one of her boarders, a Mrs. Hood, had not returned to her lodgings for two days. The desk sergeant led the way to the Morgue, motioning to Mrs. Rudrum to follow him.
[05:41]
D
Is that the woman?
[05:42]
E
Yes. Oh, the poor soul. Let her. All right.
[05:45]
D
You're absolutely certain?
[05:47]
E
Yes. And besides, look at this. I brought it along.
[05:50]
D
One of those photographs they take on the beach. When was it taken?
[05:54]
E
Not more than three days ago.
[05:55]
D
You're certain of that?
[05:56]
E
Of course I'm certain. Didn't the poor soul come to my room and show it to me? Told me she did. That she'd had it taken that very day. And that was Friday.
[06:03]
D
And we found the body Sunday morning. Inspector. Inspector.
[06:07]
B
Yes, what is it?
[06:08]
D
Come here, quick.
[06:11]
B
Found something?
[06:11]
D
Plenty.
[06:12]
B
Look at this photograph of the murdered woman.
[06:15]
D
But it was taken only three days ago.
[06:17]
E
That's right, it is. Although I don't see what there is in that to get all excited about.
[06:21]
B
You don't? Well, look here. In the photograph, this woman is wearing a chain. Looks like a silver chain with a watch attached.
[06:27]
D
Right, sir. I noticed it. And look at the body? No chain or watch.
[06:31]
E
She was wearing that chain and watch the night she went out Saturday night.
[06:35]
B
Tell us some more. You're a perfect mine of information.
[06:38]
E
Well, I'm not one, you understand, to be asking questions on the boarders and Mrs.
[06:42]
C
Hood.
[06:42]
E
She wasn't one to be saying much about herself. But she was going out to meet a man Saturday night because she dressed herself with a lot of extra care. And something else too.
[06:51]
B
What's that?
[06:52]
E
The only mail she ever got was a couple of bluish gray envelopes from Woolwich. There was, and I remember she got one that morning. And she was excited all day. Maybe it was a letter telling her to meet somebody that night because she was seen by one of my neighbors waiting outside the station for the evening train from London.
[07:09]
D
Thanks.
[07:09]
B
Come on, Officer. This is where we go to work and go to work the police did. Every laundry in Woolwich was canvassed. Post officers were watched for bluish gray envelopes. Pawn shops came in for their share of scrutiny. But no signs of the silver chain or the watch could be found. Newspapers were loud and long in their denunciation of the police. Slowness in finding the murderer. Hints, none too veiled, were thrown out that a husband should be looked for. And all over England the main topic of conversation was the murder on Yarmouth Sands.
[07:38]
C
Terrible, that's what it is. The police are not doing their duty.
[07:40]
E
If I had anything to do with it, I'd find that woman's husband.
[07:42]
D
They say that the police know who the murder is.
[07:45]
C
The but won't make an arrest.
[07:46]
E
She'd no business going to a place like that at night, married or not.
[07:48]
D
More than likely it was someone too prominent.
[07:50]
E
If the police can't solve the mystery, let them who can solve it take their places.
[07:53]
C
A crying shame.
[07:54]
E
Scandalous.
[07:55]
C
Outrageous.
[07:55]
E
More bungling. We're not safe.
[07:57]
C
Hopeless muddling. Who'll be next?
[07:59]
B
Day after day, scathing letters to the press. Burning hot editorials. Speeches in Parliament. A perfect furore of invective. Harassing the police at every turn. Phone calls from cranks, letters from amateur detectives. Visits from maniacs who claimed that they could tell who the murderer was. But one morning at the Woolwich police station. Come in. What's this, Sergeant?
[08:22]
D
This, Inspector, is the murderer of the Yarmouth Sands mystery.
[08:26]
C
What?
[08:27]
D
Here's the evidence, sir. Name is Bennett. Murdered woman's name was not Hood. It was Bennett. Bennett here works at Woolwich Arsenal.
[08:35]
B
A lot of nonsense. I'll have you kicked off the force for this. I'm not finished. Go ahead, Sergeant.
[08:39]
D
Bennett has been going around with a woman by the name of Meadows. She thinks he's not married and he's been posing as a single man for months.
[08:46]
B
Go on.
[08:46]
D
He was at Yarmouth Saturday evening, landed on the eighth train, went to the hotel and left for London again on the first morning train.
[08:53]
C
You think this is evidence?
[08:54]
D
And here, Inspector, is the final link. The only thing needed to put the rope around his neck. Yes, the chain and the watch.
[09:02]
B
The sergeant spoke the truth. The Jane and the watch placed the hangman's rope around Herbert Bennett's neck. And on a cold gray morning in March the following year, Bennett walked the 13 steps that lead to eternity. But that hanging was not considered by everyone the solution to the Yarmouth Sands mystery. A great many people agreed with Bennett's attorney, the famous Marshall hall, who stated that while the jury may have accepted the watch and chain in Bennett's possession as one and the same with that in the photograph of the murdered woman, it was not the same. In just a moment you will hear a solution to the Yarmouth Sands mystery. Ladies and gentlemen, in as much as any solution must of necessity be supposition, liberties of time, place and character exist in the solution for which you have been waiting. The scene is the home of one of New Scotland Yard's most able detective inspectors. The inspector is talking to one of his friends.
[11:22]
C
No, Jim. Now that the years have rolled past and I've had more experience with circumstantial evidence, I don't believe that a jury would bring in a guilty verdict on the evidence presented at Bennett's trial.
[11:34]
B
It was rather strong evidence. Even if it was circumstantial.
[11:37]
C
I know it was. Now department fully believes that they had place motive. Now, 40 years ago, any jury would consider that a man with a criminal record and who was posing as a single man, though married, was guilty. I say that a jury would, under these conditions, consider that sufficient motive for murder there today. They wouldn't.
[11:58]
D
You think not?
[12:00]
C
I wouldn't press a charge on such a motive. The fact that a man, a married man, is in love with a woman, not his wife, is not, in my opinion, motive for murder.
[12:09]
B
Well, even allowing that, what about the chain?
[12:12]
C
That photograph is one of these things taken on metal, you know, the kind that they take at the beach for twopence. It was such a poor reproduction that the jury wasn't really satisfied and justified in using it for identification of such a small article as that chain.
[12:27]
B
And Bennett never confessed, did he?
[12:29]
C
No. He maintained his innocence up to the last. And Marshall hall always believed his client innocent. Marshall hall was one of the most brilliant legal minds of the day, besides being a shrewd judge of character. And his reputation is most certainly beyond reproach.
[12:44]
D
You certainly have sown the seeds of doubt in my mind.
[12:46]
C
You know, I've often wondered.
[12:48]
D
Yes?
[12:48]
C
What would have been the result if the inspector and the officer who discovered the body had started their investigations along different lines that morning, as they stood looking at that woman's body.
[13:00]
D
Not a sign of a struggle here at all. And her clothing isn't disarranged?
[13:03]
C
No.
[13:04]
B
Pretty obvious that she was murdered someplace else and carried here.
[13:07]
D
And look here. There's bootlace around her neck and tied with a reef knot. See the way it was slipped over her head? Tightened and knotted?
[13:12]
B
All right. Done by a sailor.
[13:14]
D
That's what you'd expect out here anyway, after dark. This place is dotted for miles with sailors and their sweethearts.
[13:19]
B
You never saw her before, did you?
[13:21]
C
No, not me. It's a stranger to Yarmouth, I'd say. Women here don't wear clothes like that.
[13:26]
B
Oh, she's from London, all right.
[13:28]
D
No identification at all. Nothing but this laundry tag.
[13:31]
B
Well, let's get back to the police station. We've got to find out who she is. But more important than that, we've got to start searching for a sailor. A big, husky fellow. Big enough to have carried this woman here after he killed her. And we, too wonder what the results would have been had the investigation not been influenced by public clamor. Perhaps the mystery of the murder on Yarmouth Sands might not have quite so much the air of an unsolved mystery.
[14:01]
D
Sam.
[14:30]
E
Sa.

Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: “Unsolved Mysteries - Murder on Yarmouth Sands”

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode Date: August 4, 2026

Main Theme

This episode revives a dramatic retelling of a real British crime—the enigmatic “Murder on Yarmouth Sands.” Set in early 20th-century England, it explores the mysterious death of a woman found on Yarmouth's beach, the subsequent murder investigation, and questions of justice and guilt that have kept the case shrouded in controversy for decades.

Episode Breakdown

1. Discovery of the Body (01:00 - 05:12)

Setting: South Beach, Yarmouth, England, early summer morning.
Incident: A bather stumbles upon the body of an unidentified, elegant woman on the sand.
Initial Investigation:
- The woman is determined to have been strangled with a mohair bootlace tied in a reef knot.
- There are no signs of struggle, no robbery (her rings are still worn), and no identification except for a laundry tag.
- Police and the witness discuss the lack of clues and speculate if she was killed elsewhere and brought to the beach.
Memorable Quote:
- Inspector: “Strangled. Strangled with a mohair boot lace. Look. Tied in a reef knot.” (04:09)
- Officer: “There isn’t a clue as to who she is or who was with her.” (04:48)

2. Establishing the Victim’s Identity (05:12 - 07:09)

Breakthrough: Mrs. Rudrum, a local boarding house owner, identifies the victim as her lodger, Mrs. Hood.
Crucial Evidence:
- A recent beach photograph confirms the woman's identity. The inspector notes a missing chain and watch visible in the photo but not with the body.
- Mrs. Rudrum mentions Mrs. Hood received strange bluish-gray envelopes from Woolwich, and was seen awaiting a train from London on the night of her disappearance, suggesting a clandestine meeting.
Notable Exchange:
- Mrs. Rudrum: “She was going out to meet a man Saturday night because she dressed herself with a lot of extra care.” (06:38)

3. Public and Press Outcry (07:09 - 08:22)

News of the murder electrifies the nation, spurring criticism of police inaction and speculation about the killer's identity. Common sentiments echo a lack of trust in the authorities’ competence and fears of scandal or cover-up.
Soundbite (“Street Voices” montage):
- “The police are not doing their duty.” (07:37)
- “If the police can’t solve the mystery, let them who can solve it take their places.” (07:50)

4. The Arrest of Herbert Bennett (08:22 - 09:01)

Suspect Identified: Police arrest Herbert Bennett, revealing that Mrs. Hood was actually his wife.
Key Evidence:
- Bennett had an affair, used a false name, fit the opportunity, and possessed the missing chain and watch.
- Despite his protestations, the possession of the chain and watch is used as the "final link."
Dramatic Quote:
- Officer: “Here, Inspector, is the final link. The only thing needed to put the rope around his neck. Yes, the chain and the watch.” (08:54)

5. Post-Trial Doubts and Speculation (09:01 - 11:21)

Bennett is Executed: Despite Bennett’s persistent claims of innocence and defense by famed solicitor Marshall Hall, he is hanged for the murder.
Lingering Questions: The narrator notes that many—especially legal experts—remained unconvinced of Bennett’s guilt due to poor quality evidence (primarily the chain's identification from a blurry photo) and the circumstantial nature of the case.

6. Retrospective Analysis: Was Justice Done? (11:21 - 14:00)

Reappraisal, Years Later: Two detectives debate whether such a conviction would stand today, given modern standards of evidence and motive.
Cultural Context: Forty years ago, a man leading a double life was automatically suspect; now, the threshold for proof of murder is higher.
Alternative Theory:
- The investigators suggest the crime might point to a local sailor (motivated by the use of a sailor’s knot and the context of the locale), not Bennett at all.
- The original investigation, influenced by media and public pressure, may have overlooked this alternative.
Thought-Provoking Quote:
- Detective: “Now that the years have rolled past... I don’t believe that a jury would bring in a guilty verdict on the evidence presented at Bennett’s trial.” (11:21)
- “What would have been the result if the inspector and the officer... had started their investigations along different lines that morning...?” (12:46)

Notable Quotes & Moments

Inspector on Crime Scene:
“Strangled with a mohair boot lace. Tied in a reef knot.” (04:09)
Mrs. Rudrum on Victim’s Mysterious Letter:
“The only mail she ever got was a couple of bluish gray envelopes from Woolwich... she was excited all day.” (06:52)
Police and Public Frustration:
“The police are not doing their duty....” (07:37)
Defense’s Reflection on Evidence:
“The photograph... was such a poor reproduction that the jury wasn’t really satisfied and justified in using it for identification.” (12:11)

Major Timestamps

01:00 – Intro & discovery of the body
05:12 – Mrs. Rudrum identifies the victim
07:09 – Surge in public and media criticism
08:22 – Arrest and accusation of Herbert Bennett
09:01 – Bennett’s trial, execution, and ongoing doubts
11:21 – Modern re-evaluation of the case and speculation on alternate suspects

Episode Takeaways

Murder on Yarmouth Sands remains a haunting, unsolved mystery, embodying themes of media pressure, the dangers of circumstantial evidence, and the shifting standards of justice.
The episode’s dramatized storytelling blends suspenseful old-time radio style with a nuanced legal and moral postscript, inviting listeners to question whether true justice was served.

This vivid revisitation of a classic mystery both enthralls and provokes, serving as a compelling time capsule from the Golden Age of Radio—and a sober reminder of how urgent public outcry can sometimes cloud the search for truth.

Loading summary

Transcript101 lines

[00:00]
A
This episode sponsored by She's Birdie. You lock the hotel room door, then check it again and maybe one more time, because even the nicest room can feel unfamiliar at night. That's why She's Birdie created Birdie Box With She's Birdie, you can bring peace of mind with you. Birdie Box is a portable travel door alarm for hotels, dorms, Airbnbs and anywhere you stay away from home. Just attach it to the door frame, switch it on, and if someone opens the door, Birdie Box blasts a loud siren and flashing alarm to alert you and everyone nearby. Because the best part of travel isn't worrying, it's sleeping soundly. Birdiebox from she's locking in peace of mind wherever you stay. For safer, more confident travel visit she'sbirdie.com that's S H-E-S-B I-R-Ie.com.
[01:01]
B
Unsolved mysteries. Out of deference to people who may still be living, character names in some of these true unsolved mysteries have been changed. Murder has many tongues, and there have been times when these tongues have accused falsely, as for instance, the trial and conviction of Herbert Bennett was thought by many to be a miscarriage of justice. Not that Bennett was a desirable citizen, for that he most certainly was not. But guilty of murder? Would a jury today say not guilty, where almost 40 years ago they said he must hang? If that be so, and many agree, then the murder on Yarmouth Sands stands today as one of England's unsolved mysteries. The scene is South Beach, Yarmouth, England. And the time? 6:00 clock on a summer's morning. An early morning bather strides down the tide damped sand toward the sea. South beach is deserted but for this lone figure. Not a sound breaks the stillness but the cawing of seagulls, the timeless beating of the waves on the shore. The lone bather stops turns white. His eyes start in their sockets. A cry of horror dies in his throat and turning, he runs down the beach. In a few minutes, a police inspector, a policeman and the lone bather are staring down on the body of a beautiful woman. You found her here not five minutes ago.
[03:57]
C
That's right, Inspector. Was going for me morning swim. Not a thought on my mind. I. I almost stepped on her. It was.
[04:03]
D
She's been dead most of the night, I'd say.
[04:05]
B
Some time, anyway. We'll let the medical examiner decide that.
[04:09]
C
How. How was she killed?
[04:10]
B
Strangled. Strangled with a mohair boot lace, Look. Tied in a reef knot.
[04:14]
D
No signs of a struggle either, Inspector.
[04:16]
B
No sand Isn't disturbed. Doesn't look like robbery either. Since her rings are still on her fingers.
[04:21]
D
I don't want to disturb her too much, but I can't find a single identifying mark on her clothing. Now, wait. Here's a number. A laundry tag. Number five, nine.
[04:32]
C
Nine.
[04:34]
B
You live around these parts?
[04:35]
C
Yes, Inspector, but I never saw this woman before, and this isn't a very big place.
[04:39]
B
She's from the city, all right. What are these?
[04:41]
C
Shoes?
[04:42]
D
The chance of following anything from footprints. Tide pretty near came up to her. That's true.
[04:47]
B
When you come right down to it,
[04:48]
C
there isn't a clue as to who
[04:49]
B
she is or who was with her.
[04:51]
D
No. And on top of that, you can't even trace the murder with them. Practically everyone has bought boot laces like that one around her neck at some time or another.
[04:59]
B
Nothing under her fingernails to indicate that she fought for her life.
[05:02]
D
We know that the sand isn't even disturbed.
[05:04]
B
But she could have been brought here after she was killed.
[05:07]
C
Don't forget that. If you don't need me anymore, I'll get dressed. I don't think I'll go in for my swim after all.
[05:12]
B
With nothing but the laundry mark as a clue, the Yarmouth police combed the town for someone to identify the murdered woman. Dozens of people visited the morgue, but not one could say that they knew who the woman was. Late the day following the murder, a Mrs. Rudrum went to the police to report that one of her boarders, a Mrs. Hood, had not returned to her lodgings for two days. The desk sergeant led the way to the Morgue, motioning to Mrs. Rudrum to follow him.
[05:41]
D
Is that the woman?
[05:42]
E
Yes. Oh, the poor soul. Let her. All right.
[05:45]
D
You're absolutely certain?
[05:47]
E
Yes. And besides, look at this. I brought it along.
[05:50]
D
One of those photographs they take on the beach. When was it taken?
[05:54]
E
Not more than three days ago.
[05:55]
D
You're certain of that?
[05:56]
E
Of course I'm certain. Didn't the poor soul come to my room and show it to me? Told me she did. That she'd had it taken that very day. And that was Friday.
[06:03]
D
And we found the body Sunday morning. Inspector. Inspector.
[06:07]
B
Yes, what is it?
[06:08]
D
Come here, quick.
[06:11]
B
Found something?
[06:11]
D
Plenty.
[06:12]
B
Look at this photograph of the murdered woman.
[06:15]
D
But it was taken only three days ago.
[06:17]
E
That's right, it is. Although I don't see what there is in that to get all excited about.
[06:21]
B
You don't? Well, look here. In the photograph, this woman is wearing a chain. Looks like a silver chain with a watch attached.
[06:27]
D
Right, sir. I noticed it. And look at the body? No chain or watch.
[06:31]
E
She was wearing that chain and watch the night she went out Saturday night.
[06:35]
B
Tell us some more. You're a perfect mine of information.
[06:38]
E
Well, I'm not one, you understand, to be asking questions on the boarders and Mrs.
[06:42]
C
Hood.
[06:42]
E
She wasn't one to be saying much about herself. But she was going out to meet a man Saturday night because she dressed herself with a lot of extra care. And something else too.
[06:51]
B
What's that?
[06:52]
E
The only mail she ever got was a couple of bluish gray envelopes from Woolwich. There was, and I remember she got one that morning. And she was excited all day. Maybe it was a letter telling her to meet somebody that night because she was seen by one of my neighbors waiting outside the station for the evening train from London.
[07:09]
D
Thanks.
[07:09]
B
Come on, Officer. This is where we go to work and go to work the police did. Every laundry in Woolwich was canvassed. Post officers were watched for bluish gray envelopes. Pawn shops came in for their share of scrutiny. But no signs of the silver chain or the watch could be found. Newspapers were loud and long in their denunciation of the police. Slowness in finding the murderer. Hints, none too veiled, were thrown out that a husband should be looked for. And all over England the main topic of conversation was the murder on Yarmouth Sands.
[07:38]
C
Terrible, that's what it is. The police are not doing their duty.
[07:40]
E
If I had anything to do with it, I'd find that woman's husband.
[07:42]
D
They say that the police know who the murder is.
[07:45]
C
The but won't make an arrest.
[07:46]
E
She'd no business going to a place like that at night, married or not.
[07:48]
D
More than likely it was someone too prominent.
[07:50]
E
If the police can't solve the mystery, let them who can solve it take their places.
[07:53]
C
A crying shame.
[07:54]
E
Scandalous.
[07:55]
C
Outrageous.
[07:55]
E
More bungling. We're not safe.
[07:57]
C
Hopeless muddling. Who'll be next?
[07:59]
B
Day after day, scathing letters to the press. Burning hot editorials. Speeches in Parliament. A perfect furore of invective. Harassing the police at every turn. Phone calls from cranks, letters from amateur detectives. Visits from maniacs who claimed that they could tell who the murderer was. But one morning at the Woolwich police station. Come in. What's this, Sergeant?
[08:22]
D
This, Inspector, is the murderer of the Yarmouth Sands mystery.
[08:26]
C
What?
[08:27]
D
Here's the evidence, sir. Name is Bennett. Murdered woman's name was not Hood. It was Bennett. Bennett here works at Woolwich Arsenal.
[08:35]
B
A lot of nonsense. I'll have you kicked off the force for this. I'm not finished. Go ahead, Sergeant.
[08:39]
D
Bennett has been going around with a woman by the name of Meadows. She thinks he's not married and he's been posing as a single man for months.
[08:46]
B
Go on.
[08:46]
D
He was at Yarmouth Saturday evening, landed on the eighth train, went to the hotel and left for London again on the first morning train.
[08:53]
C
You think this is evidence?
[08:54]
D
And here, Inspector, is the final link. The only thing needed to put the rope around his neck. Yes, the chain and the watch.
[09:02]
B
The sergeant spoke the truth. The Jane and the watch placed the hangman's rope around Herbert Bennett's neck. And on a cold gray morning in March the following year, Bennett walked the 13 steps that lead to eternity. But that hanging was not considered by everyone the solution to the Yarmouth Sands mystery. A great many people agreed with Bennett's attorney, the famous Marshall hall, who stated that while the jury may have accepted the watch and chain in Bennett's possession as one and the same with that in the photograph of the murdered woman, it was not the same. In just a moment you will hear a solution to the Yarmouth Sands mystery. Ladies and gentlemen, in as much as any solution must of necessity be supposition, liberties of time, place and character exist in the solution for which you have been waiting. The scene is the home of one of New Scotland Yard's most able detective inspectors. The inspector is talking to one of his friends.
[11:22]
C
No, Jim. Now that the years have rolled past and I've had more experience with circumstantial evidence, I don't believe that a jury would bring in a guilty verdict on the evidence presented at Bennett's trial.
[11:34]
B
It was rather strong evidence. Even if it was circumstantial.
[11:37]
C
I know it was. Now department fully believes that they had place motive. Now, 40 years ago, any jury would consider that a man with a criminal record and who was posing as a single man, though married, was guilty. I say that a jury would, under these conditions, consider that sufficient motive for murder there today. They wouldn't.
[11:58]
D
You think not?
[12:00]
C
I wouldn't press a charge on such a motive. The fact that a man, a married man, is in love with a woman, not his wife, is not, in my opinion, motive for murder.
[12:09]
B
Well, even allowing that, what about the chain?
[12:12]
C
That photograph is one of these things taken on metal, you know, the kind that they take at the beach for twopence. It was such a poor reproduction that the jury wasn't really satisfied and justified in using it for identification of such a small article as that chain.
[12:27]
B
And Bennett never confessed, did he?
[12:29]
C
No. He maintained his innocence up to the last. And Marshall hall always believed his client innocent. Marshall hall was one of the most brilliant legal minds of the day, besides being a shrewd judge of character. And his reputation is most certainly beyond reproach.
[12:44]
D
You certainly have sown the seeds of doubt in my mind.
[12:46]
C
You know, I've often wondered.
[12:48]
D
Yes?
[12:48]
C
What would have been the result if the inspector and the officer who discovered the body had started their investigations along different lines that morning, as they stood looking at that woman's body.
[13:00]
D
Not a sign of a struggle here at all. And her clothing isn't disarranged?
[13:03]
C
No.
[13:04]
B
Pretty obvious that she was murdered someplace else and carried here.
[13:07]
D
And look here. There's bootlace around her neck and tied with a reef knot. See the way it was slipped over her head? Tightened and knotted?
[13:12]
B
All right. Done by a sailor.
[13:14]
D
That's what you'd expect out here anyway, after dark. This place is dotted for miles with sailors and their sweethearts.
[13:19]
B
You never saw her before, did you?
[13:21]
C
No, not me. It's a stranger to Yarmouth, I'd say. Women here don't wear clothes like that.
[13:26]
B
Oh, she's from London, all right.
[13:28]
D
No identification at all. Nothing but this laundry tag.
[13:31]
B
Well, let's get back to the police station. We've got to find out who she is. But more important than that, we've got to start searching for a sailor. A big, husky fellow. Big enough to have carried this woman here after he killed her. And we, too wonder what the results would have been had the investigation not been influenced by public clamor. Perhaps the mystery of the murder on Yarmouth Sands might not have quite so much the air of an unsolved mystery.
[14:01]
D
Sam.
[14:30]
E
Sa.