Ep. 105 - The NOTORIOUS Case of Dr. Crippen

Summary

My Victorian Nightmare
Ep. 105 – The NOTORIOUS Case of Dr. Crippen
Host: Genevieve Manion
Date: July 27, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this enthralling episode, host Genevieve Manion takes listeners through the infamous 1910 murder case of Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen, a story that mesmerized Edwardian England and continues to spark debate. With her signature gothic flair, Genevieve recounts the beguiling lives and tragic destinies at the heart of the case: the disappearance of music hall singer Cora Crippen, the pursuit and sensational sea chase for her husband, the bizarre love triangle that fueled countless tabloid pages, and modern efforts to reinterpret the evidence—including controversial DNA claims. Above all, the tale centers on the perseverance of Cora’s friends, whose refusal to be silenced forced Scotland Yard into action and ultimately led to international infamy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Discovery at Hilldrop Crescent

• [04:04] The episode opens with the macabre discovery of a torso buried in the coal cellar of the Crippens’ home at 39 Hilldrop Crescent, North London.
  • Police had searched everywhere, even overturning the garden, before finding loose bricks in the cellar and digging six inches into the earth.
  • “Once they got about six inches into the dirt, the cellar filled with a putrid odor…a decaying torso wrapped in a pajama shirt that belonged to Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen.” (Genevieve, [04:29])
  • Crippen had already fled by the time the body is discovered, igniting a sensational manhunt.

2. Dr. Crippen and Cora: Victorians Out of Place

• [06:04] Crippen’s American background, training in homeopathy, and struggles with legitimacy in Victorian medical circles:
  • “He wasn’t interested in learning conventional medicine…homeopathic medicine was far more popular with middle and upper class Victorians at the time.” ([06:08])
  • Homeopathic “remedies” of the era often dangerous (e.g., wolfbane and belladonna treatments for common ailments).
• [10:29] Crippen’s first wife, Charlotte, dies young. He soon marries flamboyant music hall singer Cora (née Kunigunda Makamatsi), opposite in temperament to his former spouse.
• The couple’s fortunes wax and wane with snake oil schemes, constant moves, and Cora’s desperate bid for musical stardom.
  • “Her personality and glitz attracted her to the orbit of much more successful performers, and their proximity just made her feel like she was a failure.” ([12:19])
  • Cora embarks on public affairs, most notably with Bruce Miller.

3. Decline and Dysfunction: Affairs, Quackery, and Marital Collapse

• [14:49] Crippen loses his job to support Cora’s ambitions, while she blames him for her failures.
• [15:42] He hires a new typist, 19-year-old Ethel Le Neve. Reserved and dutiful, Ethel becomes Crippen’s lover, offering the companionship he craves.
• [16:10] The Crippens’ domestic life devolves into relentless fights, separate bedrooms, and the uncomfortable presence of male lodgers Cora welcomes for extra cash.
  • “One day Crippen came home to find his wife in bed with one of the men. And not even at this point did he yell or react angrily...” ([17:14])

4. Murder and Suspicion: The Night of Cora’s Disappearance

• [19:57] Crippen, facing divorce, quietly purchases hyoscine (a potent sedative) at a local chemist.
• On the night of January 31, 1910:
  • Cora hosts a dinner party, appears in good spirits except for a minor quarrel ([20:56]).
  • After guests depart, it’s the last time anyone sees Cora alive.
  • The next day, Crippen offers contradictory explanations to Cora’s friends.
• Ethel moves in almost immediately, and the two aggressively liquidate and wear Cora’s possessions.
  • “She was wearing Cora's signature diamond and yellow jeweled rising silver sun brooch, something she wore all the time and would never forget to pack…” ([23:19])

5. Friends Don't Give Up: The Investigation Unfolds

• Cora’s friends refuse to believe Crippen’s story she left for America, especially given no contact is received from her.
• Inspector Walter Dew at Scotland Yard is initially dismissive, viewing the complaint as meddling or the coverup of a mere affair ([25:55]). But the mounting pressure from Cora’s circle forces action.
• Crippen coolly lies when first interviewed; even invites police to lunch during the search ([27:31]).
• It’s only after Crippen’s sudden disappearance, and his efforts to disguise Ethel as a boy, that police return, search the cellar, and find the body.

6. Escape and International Pursuit: The Sea Chase

• [31:42] The murder saga rivets global audiences with a manhunt boosted by new wireless telegraphy.
• Crippen and Ethel flee aboard the SS Montrose, posing as father and son, with Ethel in disguise as a boy; their suspicious behavior is noted by the ship’s captain ([32:31]).
  • “A short man with his short son boarding his ship who were very disturbingly affectionate. They were spotted stealing kisses, holding hands.” ([32:31])
• Captain Kendall uses the ship’s wireless to alert authorities, enabling Inspector Dew to race across the Atlantic and intercept the pair before they reach Canada.
  • As Dew boards, Crippen reportedly says, “Thank God it’s over. The suspense has been too great. I couldn’t stand it any longer.” ([36:17])

7. Trial and Aftermath: Justice (or Was It?)

• [37:06] The trial begins October 18, 1910; Crippen pleads not guilty but offers no proof Cora is alive.
  • Key evidence includes the torso (showing a surgical scar matching Cora's previous operation), traces of hyoscine, and damning testimony from Bruce Miller (the alleged lover Cora supposedly ran away with).
• The jury deliberates just 27 minutes before delivering a guilty verdict.
• Crippen is executed on November 23, 1910. Ethel is acquitted, though many believe she must have known of Crippen’s actions.
  • In a notable letter, Crippen defends Ethel: “Whatever sin there was and we broke the law. It was my sin, not hers. As I face eternity…her innocence of any crime is absolute.” ([38:46])
• Ethel retreats to Canada, marries, and curiously asks to be buried with a locket containing Crippen’s photo ([39:07]).

8. Modern Re-examination: Did Crippen Do It?

• [39:19] New DNA testing (by Michigan State University scientists) claims the body in the cellar was not Cora, nor even female.
  • “The DNA testing…has not been peer reviewed. The samples were over 100 years old and the full foundation findings have not even been published for others to see and analyze.” ([39:46])
  • The lead scientist insists, “What I care about is being right…if I had any doubts whatsoever, I would never have come out with it. The body is not Cora Crippen’s.” ([40:22])
  • However, the lack of transparency or peer review has prevented any official reconsideration of the case.
• Genevieve ponders possible alternative scenarios but notes the pajamas, the chemical trail, and the obvious motive still point to Crippen’s guilt.

9. A Story About Women Who Won’t Shut Up

• Genevieve frames the enduring lesson: the case is a testament to the tenacity and courage of Cora’s friends, whose insistence sparked action and delivered justice:
  • “So often the friends of women who would not give up, who would not shut up, who would not stop pushing have been the reasons why their friends’ killers were caught.” ([41:24])
• She highlights modern analogs—cases in which the persistence of friends and family solved cold cases or even caught serial killers.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This story is bananas.” – Genevieve on the convoluted, sensational nature of the Crippen affair ([02:46])
• “Divorce was expensive and always a publicly humiliating situation in those days. More humiliating than your wife’s public affair? Well, for Crippen, apparently.” ([14:30])
• “It is such a nightmare. Like coming home to a black cloud hanging in every room. Well, it got worse.” ([16:49])
• “Some say that he hoped the affair would keep her happy in the marriage.” ([14:22])
• On the capture: “Thank God it’s over. The suspense has been too great. I couldn’t stand it any longer.” – Dr. Crippen to Inspector Dew ([36:17])
• “Her mind was beautifully beautiful to me whatever sin there was and we broke the law. It was my sin, not hers…” – Dr. Crippen, exonerating Ethel Le Neve in a letter ([38:46])
• “But I would like to frame it above all as a story where justice was served because a woman's friends did not give up. Here is to everyone, the friends, the family, men and women who do not back down in the pursuit of justice for those they love.” ([41:59])

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Important Timestamps

• 04:04 — Discovery of the torso in the Crippens’ coal cellar
• 06:08–14:00 — Crippen’s medical background, homeopathy trends, and the dynamic with Cora
• 15:08 — Cora’s infidelity and Crippen’s crumbling career
• 16:06 — Introduction of Ethel Le Neve; affair begins
• 19:56 — Purchase of hyoscine; events leading to Cora’s murder
• 21:32 — Cora’s friends question her sudden “departure”
• 23:19 — Ethel openly wearing Cora’s jewelry; suspicions grow
• 27:31 — Police interview Crippen and initial search
• 29:36 — Police find the body
• 31:42–36:45 — The chase at sea; Crippen and Ethel’s capture
• 37:06–39:14 — Trial, verdict, executions, and aftermath
• 39:19–40:49 — Modern DNA claims and skepticism
• 41:24 — Reflection on the significance of women’s persistence in justice

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Tone & Style Notes

Genevieve brings her macabre, witty, and engaging tone to the retelling. There’s compassion for Cora, wry commentary on Victorian society’s quirks (“the only thing I’ve ever had $25,000 worth of was probably medical debt”), and a sharp eye for injustice and the importance of personal courage in fighting for the lost.

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Central Takeaway

While the Crippen case may be veiled in uncertainty and ripe for modern re-examination, at its heart is a story about the friends—and especially women—who simply refused to believe a lie, and whose voices proved as fateful for justice as the wireless telegraphy crossing the sea.

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For more Victorian dark tales, ad-free listening, and true crime extras, visit myvictoriannightmare.com.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, it's Christy from Lululemon and I'm here at the office checking out the Shake it out shorts. These have been my go tos and I kind of think of them as a middle ground between a true run short and a more playful, athletic, sporty short. They have all the performance you want for running, so a comfy liner, our lightweight swift fabric, even a pocket for your keys. But what I really like is the flowy fit and layered hem. It gives it a little bit of volume, a little bit of fun, so they feel as good on a run as they do just at coffee afterwards. You can find the Shake it out shorts in store now or [e-mail]

[B]

hello

[C]

and welcome to My Victorian Nightmare. I'm your host, Genevieve Mannion, and I'm here to talk about mysterious deaths, morbid fascinations, disturbing stories, and otherwise spooky events from the Victorian era. Because to me, there's just something especially intriguing, creepy, and oddly comforting about horror and mayhem from the 19th century. So listener discretion is advised. Hello, friends, and welcome to this, my 105th episode. And have I got a true crime nail biter for you today. In the summer of 1910, a vibrant music hall performer named Cora Crippen vanished without a trace. Her husband, Dr. Holly Harvey Crippen, insisted that she had left him for another man and sailed to America. Everyone believed him, except for Cora's friends. They questioned every inconsistency, challenged every excuse, and refused to let Scotland Yard dismiss her disappearance. Their determination set detectives on a path to the cellar floor of a quiet London townhouse. And what they found was so horrifying, it would shock, shock the entire world. For you today, dear Listener, I will discuss the murder case of Dr. Holly Crippen, one of the most sensational murder cases in English history. We'll discuss the glitz and glamour, the torrid affairs, the astounding escape attempt by sea, and the modern scientific discoveries that

[B]

have raised serious concerns that maybe they

[C]

got the wrong guy. But first, thank you everyone who has joined the Patreon. Those of you who receive the show ad free a day early, who receive witchy content, dark poetry and true crime extras, you are the reason why my show can continue. I considered covering today's story for an

[B]

extra, but there's just so much to cover.

[C]

This story is bananas. And thank you folks who have left me comments.

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I was getting really sad that it appeared no one was leaving me comments

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on Apple podcasts for like two months,

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and then all of a sudden, a whole bunch of them appeared. All at once that had been left

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for those two months. I don't think that they appear right away when you post them.

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I have been having a very, very difficult few weeks. Folks in the fan coven know what's up. I won't go into it, but I was kind of at my wit's end for a little bit and seeing those

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beautiful comments come through gave me the ugly cry that I was desperately craving. Thank you. Please leave me comments on Spotify or Apple podc. They are my favorite things in the world and Please subscribe to the newsletter. I shared a spooky movie review and some fabulous photos of 18 year old

[B]

goth Genevieve in the last one. If you do would like to subscribe

[C]

to the newsletter or join the Patreon. You will find links in the episode Notes okay, let's discuss the murder case of Dr. Holly Crippen. My main reference for today is a prashganendran.com article by Prashganendran. All of my other sources can be found in the show Notes Our story begins in the coal cellar of a home at 39 Hilldrop Crescent in Holloway, north London on Monday 11th July 1910. Police had just turned this home upside down. Over the last few days. They dug up every rose bush in the garden. They turned over every inch of soil around the home. They picked through every corner of every room. But just as they were considering throwing in the towel, it occurred to them there may be one more stone unturned. The home had a dark, dusty space very common in homes in these days. A coal cellar. This was a small area for storing a home's coal. It would generally be delivered to a home and a merchant would shovel it through a small coal chute from outside that would then land down below into a cellar. It was an area too small to bury a full body, but they thought they would just check anyway. They shoveled out the coal and Chief Inspector Walter Dew of Scotland Yard noticed a few loose bricks. He instructed his team to start ripping up the floor and once they got about six inches into the dirt, the cellar filled with a putrid odor. They dug deeper and found a decaying torso wrapped in a pajama shirt that belonged to Dr. Howley Harvey Crippen. A warrant was immediately issued for his arrest, but he was already on the run. This episode is brought to you by Alloy Health. It's hard to tell exactly when I started my perimenopause journey.

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[B]

Mercury, which was a commonly prescribed treatment

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for syphilis and other conditions, was being proven to be nothing but a deadly poison and causing severe mouth and gum destruction organ damage. But also just like today, although people's concerns and distrust of some medical treatments were understandable, they instead would often turn to sue pseudosciences to treat their conditions. Diluted wolfsbane would be prescribed by homeopaths for sudden fever and anxiety. Wolfbane is one of the most poisonous plants in the world. No amount of this treats Anything. They would prescribe belladonna for sore throats, scarlet fever. This causes seizures and death. Overdoses were common. That is not to say that there weren't and aren't still some helpful homeopathic remedies, but many of these were simply dead in those days. Despite this, homeopathic remedies were again very popular among the middle classes. And Dr. Crippen wanted to choose the most lucrative path to a medical career. Although he was dismissed often as a quack, he was a very washed out kind of guy. Very quiet, controlled, pretty short, five three. He had piercing blue eyes behind his gold rimmed glasses that some described as cold and unfeeling, although this was likely

[B]

noted after the trial. I don't generally describe folks who are just reserved or quiet as unfeeling unless they've done something specific to earn that reputation.

[C]

He had a sandy mustache and a

[B]

silly walk, a quirk.

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He would toss his leg out randomly every few steps. When he was 25, he met a woman, a nurse, named Charlotte Bell. They met while he was doing an internship in New York City. Straight away, they hit it off and were married. In December 1887, they decided to move to San Diego, California. Here, Charlotte gave birth to a son named Holly Jr. And Crippen worked as an eye, ear and nose homeopathic specialist. Despite Crippen's notions that homeopathy would be the smartest financial career, he had trouble building a reputable practice. The family decided perhaps they could go where his specialty was more preferred. So they moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. They hoped to make a fresh start. He would open another practice. But shortly after moving there, Charlotte died of a stroke. Stroke in her early 30s. Oh, how terrible. Crippen didn't believe that he could raise his young son on his own. He was just a baby. Still, at the time, he was also still drowning in debts. So his baby son was shipped off to live with his parents. He moved back to New York and set up another medical practice there. It was here, in 1892 that he met an altogether different kind of woman. The complete opposite of his first quiet and reserved wife. He met his polar opposite, a woman whose original name was Kunigunda Makamatsi, but now she went by Cora Turner. She earned a modest living as a music hall singer, but she was flamboyant, rather boisterous, eccentric. She loved to dress in bright, beautiful clothing that she could not easily afford. She was curvy, dark eyed and had a commanding personality. And the doctor was smitten and she was equally delighted with him. Opposites do tend to attract. Only six weeks after meeting, they were married. Within two years, Crippen was still not successful. He gave up on working as a homeopathic doctor and teamed up with another homeopath in New York who sold mail

[B]

order snake oil in newspapers for everything

[C]

from STDs to tuberculosis. Crippen helped James Munion mix the remedies, which were mostly sugar and water. Kore would also help out with the business as well in her spare time.

[B]

I've read some of those kinds of advertisements in the Illustrated Police News. They're such a hoot. Like God, herpes and syphilis. Forget about it. Send me 5 cents and I'll send you the God's honest cure. They're hilarious. It's equally hilarious and horrifying that it is just as unregulated an industry as it always was. You can buy quote unquote treatments for

[C]

all kinds of things on Amazon that have been subject to zero regulation. Anyway. Despite the fact that this snake oil business didn't bring in a ton of cash, Crippen was still enchanted with his wife and wanted to shower her with as much expensive clothes and jewelry as she wanted. And as luck would have it, the snake oil business was starting to pick up and his partner offered him his very own snake oil branch in London. They were expanding the operation and he gleefully accepted, as did Cora. She believed that she would maybe find new work herself in London's popular vaudeville stages. They took a ship from New York to London and reportedly Cora developed a flirting habit. And Crippen noticed that she couldn't keep her eyes on him the entire voyage there. Apart from being being a snake oil aficionado, Crippen now became his wife's manager. He was booking her at theaters all over London. She sang opera and performed other vaudeville acts. She was making about £3 a week, which would be roughly about £450 today. Not very much, but still more than she was making in New York. There she would go weeks without making a single penny. Despite the fact that she was doing better here in London, her stardom was not catching fire. Some of the most popular performers in her wheelhouse were up to $100 a week, and she was still just making three. Her personality and glitz attracted her to the orbit of much more successful performers, and their proximity just made her feel like she was a failure. She began to drink heavily to deal with the feelings of inadequacy and mediocrity. But she blamed Crippen for Her trouble, she blamed him for not finding her better gigs.

[B]

But it wasn't for lack of trying.

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He worked so hard at trying to find her work that he neglected his own business so much that he was fired from Manag Snake Oil branch in London. They were both now in dire straits. Crippen did his best to find other kinds of work, while Cora did her best to find someone to have an affair with. And she did. A man named Bruce Miller. He was a touring musician from the United States that she met while he was in London. Their affair was quite public. He knew that she was married, but he would come to her home in broad daylight while Crippen was out looking for work. When he left to return to America, he sent her gifts and love letters. It's said that Crippen knew that his wife was having the affair, but he just dealt with it, hoping it would placate her. Divorce was expensive and always a publicly humiliating situation in these days. More humiliating than your wife's public affair? Well, for Crippen, apparently. Some say that he hoped the affair would keep her happy in the marriage. Despite her working less and less and work still hard to come by, she's still dressed in ritzy clothing and jewelry. It's unclear if Crippen bought these for her in an attempt to win her back or if she was just. Just spending what little money they had all on her own. Eventually, Crippen was lucky to find a position as a tooth specialist.

[B]

He had no dental training whatsoever, but unlike today there are no homeopathic dentists. You need to have a license to perform dental surgery today, but you didn't. Then he joined Dr. Gilbert Rylance at

[C]

Yale Tooth Specialists on New Oxford street in London. He also created a quack remedy for hearing loss. A plaster of sorts that you can

[B]

stick behind your ears.

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He started selling this to people who were hard of hearing. He actually patented this and he sold the patent to manufacturers to make and sell the stuff for him.

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So good for him, I guess.

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His career was on the mend. So much so that he could now hire an assistant, a 19 year old typist named Ethel Le Neve. She was short, quiet, reserved, professional, uncomplaining, just like him and the complete opposite of his wife. And he started to think, wow, I made a terrible mistake. I should have just married a woman as boring as I was. This is great.

[B]

What was I thinking? So they started having an affair.

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By September 1905, Crippen and Cora barely spoke to one another. But they moved into a three story nine room home at 39 Hilldrop Crescent in Holloway, North London. When they did speak, they fought. But mostly Cora yelled at Holly and Holly got yelled at. They slept in different bedrooms, which, which

[B]

I think is a great idea. If I were ever to get married again, I would absolutely insist on having my own bed.

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But it doesn't sound like it was

[B]

for the sake of being able to

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starfish and have a good night's sleep for the Crippens. Hawley would later say that at this stage of his marriage, she would come and go as she pleased. Her life did not interest him at all. But he was very miserable and lonely, despite the relationship that he forged with his young mistress. God, what a depressing life. Living with someone that you used to love but don't anymore. It is such a nightmare. Like coming home to a black cloud hanging in every room.

[B]

Well, it got worse.

[C]

Cora, without consulting him, started offering rooms

[B]

in the house to male lodgers.

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To make some extra money of her own, she took in four German lodgers. Crippen did not speak German and they would all speak in their native languages to each other and his wife. One day Crippen came home to find his wife in bed with one of the men. And not even at this point did he yell or react angrily. The man who she was now having an affair with in his own home, a man named Richard Elrich, would later say that she would yell at him, blaming him for why she was sleeping

[B]

with the men in their house.

[C]

And he said that Crippen would simply stand there, no emotion, never losing his temper. He would just absorb her screaming and remain calm while being blamed for her affairs.

[B]

But for once in his life, he

[C]

did eventually gently put his foot down and all of the men were to leave the house, which they did happily.

[B]

It wasn't a super cool situation in

[C]

that house, generally speaking for any of them. Ethel, Crippen's mistress, was desperately trying to convince him to leave Cora and to marry her. But he insisted that societal shame regarding divorce would be the end of him and his career. But Ethel kept up the pressure. She was his lover and only real confidant, it seemed. I'm not trying to build sympathy for

[B]

Crippen, by the way.

[C]

Honestly, he should have left his wife. He was more concerned with his reputation than his own misery. There are so many stories about men like this that stay in horrible marriages because their concerns for how it would look or the difficulty if they got divorced outweighs everything else. Mild mannered, soft spoken men like John List or Chris Watts Men who could have just left their wives, but instead chose to annihilate their entire families. Cora found out about his affair and

[B]

had the gall to chastise him about it while continuing to have affairs of her own.

[C]

She called Ethel, the little typewriter. Cora threatened to leave him and started withdrawing money from her own savings, which she had, which was rare in those days. Married women having their own savings, but also began withdrawing half of the money from their joint bank account. She began pulling out £270. That's roughly £40,000 today. In these days you couldn't in most cases just pull out that much money all in one go. You couldn't, like, get a cashier's check. You had to give a bank notice to begin withdrawing that money. Over time, she had already started the process. Holly Crippen discovered this and rather than just give Cora what she wanted, give her a divorce and be done with all of it. He instead went to the local chemist and purchased five grains of crystallized hyoscine hydrobromide.

[B]

He said it was for anxiety.

[C]

This is actually currently used in motion sickness medications. This wasn't like arsenic or other concerning chemicals that one would be asked to sign for at the chemist. And he knew this chemist. He would often fill bulk orders of

[B]

cocaine and belladonna for him, two common ingredients in homeopathic remedies of the day

[C]

that he would often prepare. So the chemist had no reason whatsoever to believe that anything nefarious was afoot. The only problem was that they didn't have any in stock. So the chemist had to order the hyosine hydrobromide and as such, there was a record of the purchase. Crippen returned two days later to collect it. On the night of January 31, 1910, Cora invited a few friends over for dinner and drinks. It's a little strange to me that both Cora and Holly were at this point in their marriage entertaining together at home. I would imagine she would invite her friends and not include him. But he was included. And her friends would later describe her as being very jolly that evening, except for a little altercation when she snapped a Crippen for not helping one of her more elderly friends up the stairs. When he began to feel strangely ill. He went upstairs to the bathroom and Crippen didn't offer to help. This caused a bit of a scene in front of the folks there. The night came to a close, the friends left, and they would be the last people to see Cora alive. The day after the dinner party, Crippen stopped by the house of these friends, their last name were Martinetti. He wanted to make sure Paul Martinetti was okay. He was the one who made a sudden beeline for the bathroom the night before. They said he was doing much better. When they asked about Cora, who was looking a little gray about the gills as they were leaving, he said, oh, she's all right. Just wanted to be sure that Paul was doing better. Later that day, Ethel Le Neve came into work and found a note from Holly. It said simply, be has gone to America. Shall be in later. We can arrange for a pleasant little evening. End quote. Another of Cora's stage names was Belle Amour. That was what the be stood for. Very strange that she didn't tell anyone at all that she was going to the States. And after a few days, Ethel took a letter from Crippen to the Music Hall Ladies Guild where Cora spent a good deal of her time. They had begun asking where she went and the letter that Ethel brought explained that Cora had a sick relative in the States and she had to make a last minute trip there. But don't worry, she's safe and sound. Within only a few days, Ethel moved into the house with Crippen. He even pawned a good deal of Cora's belongings. She had done diamonds and rubies. And he collected what would have been

[B]

the equivalent to about $25,000 worth. God, imagine having $25,000 worth of jewelry. I think the. The only thing that I've ever had $25,000 worth of was probably medical debt. Ethel was living her dream.

[C]

Finally she had her man to herself. And she apparently, supposedly, allegedly didn't even question any more about Crippen's wife's situation. Situation.

[B]

Which is weird considering he was pawning everything that she owned.

[C]

They brazenly began wafting about town together. They even went to an event held by the Music Hall Ladies Guild where Cora spent a lot of her time.

[B]

They walked arm in arm and ran

[C]

into a number of Cora's friends. These friends couldn't help but notice that Ethel was wearing Cora's clothes. And everyone noticed that she was wearing Cora's signature diamond and yellow jeweled rising silver son brooch, something she wore all the time and would never forget to pack. Not even for a trip to take care of a sick relative. She wore it almost every single day. Friends asked for an address so that they could write to Cora, and Holly said that he didn't know any address.

[B]

She didn't tell him before she left

[C]

in ever such a hurry. He said that she was somewhere in the Deep wilds of California when they continued to inquire if he had heard anything from her. And after weeks and weeks of no postcards or communications from her at all, he said, oh, she had fallen ill in America herself. That's likely the reason why she didn't write back. They didn't believe him. One day, Mrs. Martinetti, who was equally concerned about Cora, received a postcard, not from Cora, but from Crippen, saying that Cora had died in America and he will be gone for a week to tend to the arrangements there.

[B]

Only he went to France with Emma

[C]

Bethel for a week, and they signed their hotel register as Mr. And Mrs. Crippen. An obituary was published in the theatrical newspapers and he returned to London to find a flood of condolences and concerns. Some loved her so much that they wanted to travel to America and pay respects to her family and visit her grave. But he told them, oh, she was cremated in California and not buried. To her friends, this is what officially blew his cover. She had very close friends in London, and they knew that she had no family at all in California. She did have a few family members in New York, but was also raised Catholic, and her family would have never approved a cremation, especially when he said that she had simply died of pneumonia, not a disfiguring tragedy of some kind. They were now more than just suspicious. They believe believed he had killed her. One of her friends reported her disappearance to the police. The inspector who was assigned to the case, Chief Inspector Walter Dew of Scotland Yard, had worked on the Jack the Ripper cases just a few years ago. He was a seasoned detective, and when Cora's friend explained the situation, he was at first not buying that anything was strange at all. He dismissed it as an overly concerned friend, maybe upset that her friend's husband found himself another younger lady so close quickly. He also believed, at worst this may be a case of a woman running off with a lover and a husband trying to cover that up. But that wasn't a crime. He told her friend to simply keep her ear to the ground. But more and more friends kept coming to the station to report that their friend was missing. There were two who had just done a music hall tour of America, and they inquired with folks in California who knew Cora. If they knew where she was buried and they had heard nothing of her death at all, and even if she was there, she would have contacted them. Finally, Inspector Du was starting to get a sense that there was something else going on here. So he decided to interview Crippen himself. Crippen Cool as a cucumber, said detective, you got me. I have not been telling the truth. Turns out my wife left me. She ran away with a man named Bruce Miller, a man numerous folks knew that she had had an affair with at some point that had had moved to the United States. She had emptied her bank accounts and off she went. He told the detective that she said, I shall leave you tomorrow and you'll never hear from me again. She'd said this so often I didn't take much notice of it. But she did say one thing she had never said before. That I was to arrange to cover up any scandal with our friends in

[B]

the guild the best way I could.

[C]

End quote. He said that he did indeed invent the story of her death to keep the scandal secret.

[B]

Secret.

[C]

The police asked why.

[B]

She left what appeared to be all

[C]

of her clothing, he said without a twitch. She said that she wanted to leave with nothing that reminded her of him.

[B]

The interview lasted a few hours.

[C]

They even stopped to have lunch with Crippen at a local Italian restaurant. He had answers to every single question. He even allowed them to search their home. He said, search up and down. All you'll find are the remnants of my broken marriage. The police found nothing, but there were a few places that they didn't check. They informed Crippen that nothing appeared to be out of place, but he should contact his wife and tell her to contact them asap.

[B]

He said, good idea.

[C]

I'll write a request that she return to London to put everyone's mind at ease. And I'll have it published in every newspaper from California to London.

[B]

He wrote it right then and there,

[C]

but he did not have it sent anywhere once they left the next day, Detective Dew re read some of Crippen's statements. They all seemed to make sense at the time, but now while reading over them, he noticed a good deal of them contradicted each other. He appeared to not have his own story straight. So he went back to Crippen's house to see if he could get some clarification. He knocked on the door, but no one. He went straight to his place of work, the Yale tooth specialists. And his business partner said, oh, Crippen.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

He said he was gonna go on a long sea voyage. Won't be back for at least a month. This detective also somehow discovered that Crippen had earlier that day purchased clothing for a boy. He realized that Crippen was likely trying to make a run for it and he was likely taking his mistress with

[B]

him, who he would be Disguising as. As a boy, I never would have put those dots together myself. He had enough of a reason to

[C]

believe that Crippen now murdered his wife and was likely going to try to flee the country. With both he and his mistress disguised, the manhunt was on. Detective Dew told his men to go back to the Crippen home and told them to take a sledgehammer to the cellar. After destroying what sounded like a lovely rose garden, they found a decomposing bottle body in the coal cellar. Although they only found a torso, they did not find a head, limbs or legs. The torso had been covered in lime

[B]

instead of quicklime, which for those aspiring murderers out there is a very bad idea.

[C]

Regular lime acts as a preservative, whereas quicklime makes bodies decompose faster. So the remains were pretty well preserved.

[B]

Oops.

[C]

Coroners Joseph Pepper and Dr. Bernard Spisberry concluded that the torso was a well built female. And they noted a scar on the abdomen that they believed indicated the removal of an ovary. Cora Crippen had had this exact surgery a few years earlier. And traces of hyosine were found in the body. There was enough to kill someone within 12 hours of ingesting. There were a few other pieces of evidence found near the torso. A metal hair curler with a piece of hair that was dark brown at the roots, but blonde at the tips. Cora had recently used peroxide to bleach her naturally brown hair. The pajama top that the torso was found wrapped in from a set of male pajamas. It had the name of the store where it was purchased. Jones Brothers of Holloway. The detective inquired if a pair of

[B]

pajamas was ever purchased by a Dr.

[C]

Crippen, and they confirmed that indeed he had bought a pair of pajamas from them.

[B]

Isn't it kinda weird that there were records of who bought pajamas in those days? It seems like some pretty tedious and unnecessary paperwork to me. Maybe he put it on store credit. That did exist back then. Sorry, that just stuck with me when researching. I wonder what else. They kept records of people buying back then.

[C]

I thought it was just like poisons,

[B]

but no, it was also PJs.

[C]

While police were gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses for a trial that would hopefully happen once Crippen was caught. The story of Cora's murder was splashed across front pages of every newspaper in England and around the world. A glamorous actress murdered by a philandering husband with a young mistress now on the run was the kindest of story that sold like hotcakes. And with A plea for folks to be on the lookout because this man and his mistress may be disguised as a young boy. And they could turn up anywhere.

[B]

Really got folks invested in the story.

[C]

Articles like Crippen possibly seen here, possibly seen there would keep people buying new editions of papers every single day. And reports of sightings in the thousands flooded into Scotland Yard. People were followed and reported all over the world. One poor chap who also happened to be about 5 3, had a mustache and had blue eyes in North London was chased by a mob before being rescued by police. Another man, a minister all the way in New York, was dragged into a police station. People thought that it was Crippen wearing a disguise. But no, he was just some poor Lutheran minister. And then on July 9, 1910, the captain of the SS Montrose and a number of his crew noticed something strange. A short man with his short son

[B]

boarding his ship who were very disturbingly affectionate. They were spotted stealing kisses, holding hands.

[C]

The captain also noticed that the boy was trying to deepen his very female sounding voice. His clothes were ill fitting.

[B]

The pants were ripped down the back and pinned together.

[C]

Almost as if these boys pants were pulled over a female form. The mustacheless man who was being handsy

[B]

with his son was also bumping into everything. He wasn't wearing glasses and appeared as though he really should.

[C]

He appeared to be blind as a bat.

[B]

This guy with the bright blue eyes

[C]

was not wearing his glasses. The captain had just read in the

[B]

papers the story about Crippen just that day.

[C]

And took note that his mistress may

[B]

be disguised as a boy. And I love this captain. He decided to investigate this man and his quote unquote son said that their

[C]

last name was Robinson.

[B]

So the captain a number of times called out on the deck hey there Robinson. And the man never looked his way.

[C]

The captain had one of the papers on the ship with him.

[B]

And there were actually photographs of the

[C]

two of them in the papers. They did do their best to make themselves scarce. So the Captain corporations cordially invited the

[B]

two of them to have dinner with

[C]

him in the Captain's quarters.

[B]

He wanted to get a closer look. Young master Robinson kept it real quiet.

[C]

Barely said a word at dinner and kept his eyes low. But the captain noticed very ladylike table manners and a particularly careful attention to table setting etiquette for a 16 year

[B]

old dude with pants that were pinned together.

[C]

1910 gave birth to some of the first wireless technology. And messages could now be sent from ships to shore by means of wireless telegraph telegraphy signals. So he sent a little message to the ship's owners in Liverpool and told

[B]

them that their ship may be carrying the fugitives. Somehow these messages made their way not only to police, but reporters. And little did Crippen know, the whole world now knew what ship he was on. And papers were reporting on the honestly amazing drama unfolding on the sea. I would be so excited to know when they landed and how they got caught. The entire world was gripped.

[C]

I wonder if they could feel it,

[B]

like if the entire world was giddily awaiting my demise. I feel like I'd picked that up somehow. I'm really good at knowing when people are mad at me or just thinking

[C]

people are mad at me.

[B]

I'm really good at making up in my head that people are mad at me.

[C]

And I have been right at times,

[B]

but it's usually because I did something stupid. Maybe it's not me being psychic so much as a general mental awaiting her inevitable angry phone call. Anyway, the captain was sending daily updates about the pair, how they were trying to lay low, what a bad job they were doing that they were making

[C]

out in the shadows. And the public ate it up. The second the very first communication reached Scotland Yard, Detective Dew made like a banana and split. He hopped on a much faster ship, the Laurentic.

[B]

He tried to disguise himself as well. He checked into the boat as Mr. Dewhurst, but the British press were three steps ahead of him the entire way.

[C]

They tracked his entire move and also

[B]

had the captain of that ship sending

[C]

daily details of the cat gaining on the mice. How close was he now?

[B]

On the morning of July 31, the

[C]

SS Montrose had not yet made it to Canada, although they were in Canadian waters and the Lorientic pulled right up

[B]

next to the Montrose.

[C]

A rowboat approached the ship and a rope ladder was launched. The captain of the boat made his way to the deck to welcome them. He knew exactly where Crippen was standing. They climbed up and were directed right to him. Crippen recognized Inspector Du straight away. He didn't try to run. The detective said simply, good morning, Dr. Crippen. Do you remember me? And Crippen replied, thank God it's over. The suspense has been too great. I couldn't stand it any longer. Ethel was back in their cabin. The inspector knocked on the door. She answered. She took one look at him, screamed, and fainted.

[B]

Funny enough, there was another boat full of reporters who were granted the right to come aboard and cover the arrest, which they did ever so gleefully.

[C]

The pair were easily extradited to England. Canada was part of great Britain at the time.

[B]

If they had actually tried to flee to America, it would have taken a much longer time to extradite them.

[C]

But they were sent right back. His trial began on October 18, 1910. He pled not guilty but could provide no evidence that Cora was alive. And on top of the dramatic fleeing, the body found in his cellar and the fact that the same chemical that he had bought just days before was found to kill the person in his floor, the most damning piece of evidence was the testimony of Mr. Bruce Miller, the man Crippen said ran away with his wife. He came all the way from America to testify that he had not seen her in years. Crippen's lawyers tried to suggest that the body could have been put there by the previous owner. They had only lived in the house for six months and the coroner testified that the body could have been between six and eight months old. Although the pajamas that the torso was wrapped in was purchased only if a few months before. The trial lasted only five days and after only 27 minutes the jury delivered the verdict of guilty murder in the first degree. His execution was set for 23rd November 1910. Ethel was tried separately as an accomplice but she was acquitted. However, the public wasn't having it. How could she not at least know what he had done? This compelled Crippen to write a public statement that read, quote, her mind was beautifully beautiful to me whatever sin there was and we broke the law. It was my sin, not hers. As I face eternity, I say that Ethel Le Neve has loved me as few women love men and that her innocence of any crime is absolute. Crippen never confessed to the murder. He was hanged in Pentonville Prison and his final request was that a photograph of Ethel and her letters be buried with him a few days before the execution. Execution Chief Inspector Dew retired. What a career. Ethel moved to Canada and changed her name. She married and had two children. Her husband, Stanley Smith, died before she did.

[B]

But, and this is an interesting detail,

[C]

she asked that she be buried with

[B]

a locket with Crippen's photo inside.

[C]

Not even a photo of the father of her children.

[B]

The distinguished Captain Henry Kendall received an award for finding them and delivered delivering

[C]

them to the police. He received 250 pounds, which would be about $30,000 today. Now, if you search for information about the Crippen case, you will find most results are about how newly discovered DNA evidence has proven that the body found in the coal cellar was not female. Furthermore, it was tested against a number of descendants of Cora and the DNA does not match.

[B]

Now, being that I've been fooled before by the overwhelming reports that they caught Jack the Ripper by tying DNA evidence

[C]

to Kozminski two years ago, they didn't.

[B]

I was extra cautious here when digging

[C]

through the new reports of exoneration of Crippin through DNA evidence. The DNA testing that was done by forensic scientists at Michigan State University has not been peer reviewed. The samples were over 100 years old and the full foundation findings have not even been published for others to see and analyze.

[B]

It's literally only the word of these

[C]

scientists that they discovered this body was not female. Although Mr. Foran, the lead scientist in the DNA testing, said, I don't really care one way or another whether the body was Cora Crippen's. I have no interest in clearing Crippen's name. What I care about is being right. We tested and tested and tested, tested, and if I had any doubts whatsoever, I would never have come out with it. The body is not Cora Crippen's. End quote. But again, we don't have any information or peer reviewed studies to confirm that. And as such, all attempts to get the case reopened or appealed or Crippen exonerated have been denied. The evidence is not seen as strong enough to do so, no matter what. Whether or not the body was Cora, someone was murdered in that house and, and wrapped in pajamas that belonged to Holly Crippen while he lived there. Some have suggested that the pajamas were actually planted there by police, but there is no evidence to prove that.

[B]

Perhaps in some very bizarre twist, if

[C]

we're gonna go with the DNA evidence being correct, that it was really a male, maybe she did run off with someone, maybe not the man that he thought she ran off with. And perhaps some somebody knew and he eliminated a witness. Perhaps one of the men who she was also having an affair with in the house came back. Or perhaps he murdered his wife in the coldest of blood. And the DNA scientists made a mistake. Cora's funeral was not organized by Crippens or even Cora's family. Once the coroner released her presumed body for burial, the Music Hall Tall Ladies Guild ensured that she received a proper burial. Her funeral was not a massive event. It was private. It was they who were responsible for the investigations starting in the first place and their tenacity that wouldn't allow her disappearance to be dismissed. So often the friends of women who would not give up, who would not shut up, who would not stop pushing have been the reasons why their friends killers were caught. Sheila Wysocki, the best friend of Angela Samoda, who was murdered in 1984, relentlessly refused to allow her friend's case to go cold. She became a licensed private investigator, convinced authorities to test preserved evidence, and kept pushing until the evidence identified Andrew Belladia, who was convicted in 2008. The Friends of Sara, as they were known, gained access access to their murdered friends social media accounts and hunted down her killer themselves. Khalil Wheeler Weaver was not only found guilty of their friend Sarah Butler's murder, but others as well. Sarah's friends caught a serial killer There are a lot of ways to frame the story of Dr. Crippen's murder case. A story of incredible detective work. A story of how even sensationalist news reporting helped catch a killer. A story about the revolutionality of wireless technology. But I would like to frame it above all as a story where justice was served because a woman's friends did not give up. Here is to everyone, the friends, the family, men and women who do not back down in the pursuit of justice for those they love. If you enjoyed this podcast and would like to hear more, please rate the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Leave me comments because I love them so much and for ad free listening, True crime extras, dark poetry and witchy content. Join the patreon@the myvictoriannightmare.com Be kind to yourselves and I will see you in your nightmares.