This is Auson Wells speaking from London. The Black Museum. Here in a
grihamstone structure on the Thames which houses Scotland Yard, is a warehouse of homicide,
a warehouse where everyday objects, a piece of wash, line of medicine,
bottle and electric light bulb all all are touched by murder. Here's a
telegram that's a familiar object. Usually it's his happy birthday, or congratulations on
your wedding, or will arrive ten o'clock train. This telegram was an urgent
request to die. Take this telegram, miss please, yes, sir,
Daily Star come up once four point thirty train Waterloop, Ballmouth Central. We'll
meet. Sorry sir, what is this car? Car? We'll meet today?
This telegram can be seen in the Black Museum. From the annals of
the Criminal Investigation Department of the London Police. We bring you the dramatic stories
of the crimes recorded by the objects in Scotland Yards Gallery of Death, the
Black Museum. Here we are the Black Museum, Scotland Yards, Mausoleum of
murder. Hallies, death arranged on shows and cabinets, ranked along the floor
and on the tables. Death in many disguises this oil lamp. This one
was found in Thyme. There were others before it in other places. Part
of a baited trap. A house cat leaped knocking over the lamp. Flames
flared arson and somebody dies, and such a fire arson becomes the murderer.
There's a bit of ribbon from a Christmas package, shining tinseled ribbon. A
gift unwrapped in pleasant anticipation was death Ah a telegram. There we are.
It's a slip of yellow paper with familiar type pasted and stripes across its face,
urgent summons. One day, this wire rested in a closed handbag on
a woman's lap. She was riding on a train. Response to the wire,
men sharing the seat with her smile, started a conversation. You going
all the way to Bournemouth. No, I'm getting off at Bascom. This
train do stop at Boscom, doesn't he? Well, I believe it.
I'm going through to Bournemouth themselves, So I didn't pay particular attention your holidays.
Well you know why. I'm taking a day off to see some friends
and I'm going back to Southampton to catch a ship for her business triph.
It that's been nice to have a life like that. Mine's very dull.
Oh well then might I get is that like some of the ladies, I
know, you'll find your gaiety in your heads? No, mane, it's
tovagant. I've always liked your pretty hair. Just chr chats on a train
speeding southward from London. The gentleman contributed no information about his business. The
lady didn't give her name. She did have a volunteer. I'm going down
to Bascom to cook for some people. That's what I do cook. And
the time passed. Others entered the compartment of the train at various stops and
left a little later. But that was all. And as the train slowed
from Bascom, here let meet me shirt that back looks heavy, parget down
for you. Oh please don't travel, sir, It is no trouble at
all. Here we are come. Well, it's been pleasant chatting with you
all. Good luck at the new job, and thank you sir, and
good luck on your trip. Thank you, miss big Gardens, you the
new cook for vegans and wooden neras yes, in this way please missus.
Egan told me to watch for you. I'm their chauffeur. I have the
car. It's a fair way out, you see. Oh, yes,
the telegram said the car would meet me. Is it nice working? Please?
She put her luggage in the back of the big limousine, stepped into
the front seat next to the chauffeur. The train out of the Bascom station
just as the car moved away along the road. Apparently it was a fair
ways out, as the chauffeur put it. The road wounds through the countryside.
The land seemed to grow more and more bleak. As they rolled along.
The sun dropped all of the horizon. The young woman began to feel
a little edgy. Is it much further? Seems to be getting dark.
It not only seems to be getting dark, my girl, it is getting
dark. You never told me if it's nice working out here, you won't
have any trouble. If you're nice, that is, if I'm nice.
Got the masters and mistresses ears? What I say usually goes. Anyone who's
not nice to me goes. I don't understand. You've worked before, haven't
you well? Yes, of course, have the very best of references.
In most places, it's the butler, isn't it out here? It's me.
I don't understand. Why have you left the road, because my girl,
I took you out this way for reasons of my own. Now now
I came out here for a job as cook. I get that. Come
here. I know you can't God not to me. It's someone else,
no one else, it's you, understand Now'll be good, be quiet.
That was all till the next morning. Farmer cutting across the empty fields found
that they were not quite as empty as he supposed. Here here, what's
this youth like? Miss she? She's dead? Ah? This be for
the police. The farmer made it as fast as he could the nearest telephone,
and within an hour the police had arrived. They will not I suppose
you repeat your starliarship. You're inspector gardener. Ah, well they told you
go ahead. Well I was cutting across the field. They save a few
steps, and I come on her line like that. I went for help.
That's soul, sir. You didn't touch anything, You didn't mess up
the ground. No, no, sir, nothing like that. All right,
give the constable your name and address. We'll call you for an egypt
Yes, sir, thank you, sir. What do you make up a
martin? One of those things? Inspector murder by person unknown after a bit
of a struggle, it looks like yes, ground's pretty well trembled. Any
idea of the time of death. Medical examiner can't see it, Sir.
My guess is sometime after seven o'clock last night. The rain stopped around six
thirty. She is not even damp, sir, very good, I judge
from the tire texts. We'll get to make up tires in the size of
the cars. You know, Yes, sir, you have her handbag,
yes, right here, so hm, Yes, we had an identity card,
Ida Matthews, Stretham, London. We can check that quickly enough.
Well, it's a telegram Daily Star come at once four point thirty train Waterloo
Bomber Central car will meet Joy Expence's paid Egan, woodmere House, Boscombe.
Yes, I've seen this sort of thing before. What are the odds,
Martin? There is no woodmere House nor any Egan hereabouts. The odds were
high. The inspector was right, no woodmere House and no Eagon. But
the telegram is a lead, and importantly for a thread to start on.
Not very many post offices in Bascom, and you send telegrams from post offices
Neihland. Detective Martin had an assignment. I'm sorry to bother you, but
this wire filed at this office, not at that office. No, no,
at the next one, but the one after that. Yes, that's
one of ours. May I see the original of the wire? Please?
Well, now I don't know hit scop and my credentials. Ah, well,
that makes it properly. And since it was proper and Detective Martin returned
to his superior with the original of the wire. Did you ever see such
atrocious handwriting, Inspector, I can't I ever have party, can't spell either?
No E in Bournemouth and expenses with a C in place of an S.
Interesting Martin, it will be a long job. Check through central post
office and guard the Bournemouth area yourself, get the originals of every wire over
the past six months that have had bad handwriting and worse spelling. It's a
long job. Patience and routine the two great strengths of the forces of law
and order, and they pay off. Sometimes it takes months, sometimes only
weeks. This time it was two weeks. A triumphant detective, I'd returned
to Inspector Gardner. We've got two more wiles and good work Martin. Here,
sir, notice this first one to the Dandre woman, no e in
Bournemouth, see an expense and a new era. Two f's in if at
this one to the domestic agency. Someone wanted a young pleasant nurse without an
a in pleasant And again the e is missing in Bournemouth. Her writing's identical,
no question about it. Put some calls to Martin. I wonder if
the Dandre woman or the young pleasant nurse ever came down this way. That
track was an easy one, not trouble at all. The Dandre woman came
down, no car. She went back a lucky lady. That one.
Apparently Priment agency was a bit more careful. The agency wrote to the return
address for more information. Name and address were fictitious, of course, of
course. All right, Martin, back to the bascom post dropice jog A
few memories, will you? I see, Miss, you filed this wire.
I did we get a lot of business through you are with that awful
handwriting. Do you remember anything about the person who gave it to you?
Well, it was a man, I know that that's something there was that.
Let me think now now it's all black. I don't try to hard,
Miss, It'll come back to you here. Let me read you the
wire Daily Star come at once four thirty train Waterloo, Bournemouth Central and something
here I can't quite make out. That's it car, car, we'll meet.
I asked him the same question. He repeated the words like that car,
car will meet. I'd know his voice anywhere. Why it was that
kind of voice? Smooth, too soft? Since she was out for me?
Do you remember the man at all? No, sir, you know
how it is. Don't look at all the people who come in here.
But I think I'm not positive, but I think you are on the chauffeur's
uniform, patience and routine were bringing results from nothing except Ida Matthew's body.
They built their evidence to a man in a chauffeur's uniform who couldn't spell,
and from the tire tracks they knew the make of tires and the length and
widths and therefore the make of the car. Within hours now every chauffeur in
the vicinity who drove a live sedan of a certain make had been called into
the police station. Now do you Aleventhop was in London? So with my
money we lost a boy in the war. Inspector and the whole family always
gets together an armist this night for that reason, So no remember the eleventh
Inspectator. I was off that night. I didn't have the car. Now
the young Master was permitted to drivers himself that night. Seeing as I was
having my regular night off, I picked up the old man, mister Dutton,
and he's a regular train, drove him home, put the car away
and locked it up. Did you have your own keid of garage? No,
sir, I always turned it into the big house after I put the
car away. That's what I did that night, sir. And after that
mature, I went into Bournemouth on the bus, had a button, went
to the cinema. You should remember all that very well. It was over
a month ago. The case we're investigating happened. I've got a great memory.
Well how is it unspelling? I wouldn't know. I never tested it.
Let's test it right now. Take this pad and pencil and write the
words I asked you. I know you were smart and we shouldn't have let
the newspapers publish those wires. Not one of these cheps spills those words wrong,
and their handwriting doesn't match. Nothing. As it's too bad Inspector to
draw a blank when it looks so good for a bit. That's about it,
Martin. For once we've drawn a blank completely. But that was not
to be the end. Fate was to play a hand, and one of
the strongest cards in that hand turned out to be the telegram. Yes,
this same telegram that can be seen today in the Black Museum. Arson Wells
will be back with you in just a moment, And now we continue with
the Black Museum, starring Awesome Wells. They'd drawn a blank, but carefully
built up points which should have led to a vicious killer lead nowhere. The
full and tragic story of Idam Matthews seemed headed directly for the unsolved file at
Scotland yarnd. How do account for what happened next? Chance, stupidity,
the intelligence to capitalize on a tiny fact. It really doesn't matter. What
does matter is that one morning at the post office in Bascon, how many
steps for this package? Miss? I just put it on the scale.
I take care now it's mark French. I don't even see that. I
see it. It'll be one and three, right you are, Thank you?
Miss Jimmy Quick Please, where's he going? Good fellow in the show
for suit? Where's he going get to the window. I can't leave the
cage quick. Yeah, he's getting a little a car grace there, get
the number whatever for wait l K nine O five four twenty four. Ex
husband knows you elimen he a'm ridiculous. That's the man who sent the telegram,
the one the coppers was so interesting. I know his voice anywhere?
Yeah, you take over. I'm going to telephone that nast detective. A
chance, a coincidence. The young man might have taken that package, the
girl might have forgotten the voice. Neither of these things happened, and a
new lead was developed for the yard. Mitchell drives that car Inspector John Mitchell,
owner is done. We had Mitchell in his writing, doesn't mentionine his
spelling's fine. Well, the girl swears he's the man Martin. Can you
picture a British jury hanging a man because a girl remembered his voice? No
such things are. But the points were added to the Ida Matthews file and
held waiting their use. Patience and more patience and more results. Depect the
gardeners beging this is Sidney Harris. I'm told her that I want to give
my information to you. It's on the Matthews case. You see, I
rode down to Bosco on the train with her. Sydney Harris received a warm
welcome at Scotland. Sit down, mister Harris, thank you. If I
may ask, what took this a lot? I was out of the country,
Inspector. I returned just yesterday. Go on, mister Harris, will
you see my business takes me abroad quite a bit. I had the opportunity
to spend a night with some friends of mine in Bournemouth before I sailed the
next day. That's how it happened that I was on the train. The
Matthews woman was in my compartment. We talked a bitter I commented on our
Harold, just passing the time. I'd never have thought of it again,
I suppose if my ship had sailed on time, but it didn't. The
steward brought aboard some late papers which came out while we werestled in Southampton.
I saw them after we've been at sea for a few hours. There was
this woman's picture and the story I understand. And now, mister Harris,
what information do you have which may be of help to us? The luggage
rack on the car, Inspector. It was a large gray sedan. How
did you happen to notice it? I watched across to the station platform.
I saw a man meet in a sofa's uniform. I wanted to enter this
car. Now it happens, Inspector, that I design auto bodies. The
Luggies wrec attracted my attention. It doesn't belong to that make of car.
It's been specially fitted. You're a very observed man, mister Harris, for
which our deepest appreciation. At one point, mister Harris, among these ladies'
hats on the desk, which one would you say was miss Matthews or this
one' sir, that, mister Harris, is the hat we found beside Ida
Matthew's body. At last someone to establish that Ida Matthews had been mat bess
chauffeur at the buscon station. Which chauffeur. Yes, that's the car,
the gray one, LK nine oh five to four. That's the Luggies wreck.
I was talking about. But the handwriting and the spelling. Ask the
licensed Bureau for Mitchell's application for the driver's license. I want to see the
handwriting on it. Within a day, the application lay on the inspector's desk.
Decided with the originals of the wires with the misspelled words. Well,
Martin, not much doubt about it, as there inspector, the experts will
testify for us, Martin. But I'm satisfied. Get your hat. We're
going to pick up Mitchell. Well Martin, what kept jump? I saw
his room, Sir, and spoke with mister Dutton. Mitchell must have got
the wind up. He's gone. But I found this in his room,
the key duplicate key to the garage. Mitchell had access to the car Edit
II. He wanted to use it, and mister Dutton tells me he was
on the verge of calling us, but I walked in. Mitchell is paying
the expenses of his little trip with forged checks. That does it, Martin.
Let's get back to the office now. The fast interlocking network of police
authorities and police communications went into action all across and up and down England.
The teletypes carried the message bornmous to all stations General alarm for one John Mitchell,
age about forty two five feet eight inches tall, weightd about one hundred
and sixty five pounds, hair, brown eyes, blue distinctive suppose, low
pitched voice, wanted for forgery and murder. The word was out somewhere in
England. A policeman would recognize John Mitchell. And the policeman did inspect your
gardener speaking this is super didn't con and ready, inspector. We have this
John Mitchell for you picked him up when he tried to get a drop to
gearage. He has a mechanic. John Mitchell was brought back to Vuscan.
But the job wasn't done even yet. After all, when the charge is
murdered, the plea of not guilty is mandatory. There must be a trial
and there must be attorneys for the defensive man is to be presumed innocent and
to prove and guilty. Therefore, the case had to be air tight,
foolproof. No loopholes were a smart defense. Guns now get missed. When
you walk into this room, there'll be a dozen men there where their backs
turned towards you. You're walking backwards yourself, so there'll be no chance of
your seeing even the becks of their heads sort of blind peltasts. Yes,
without benefit of blindfold. You ready now as ready as our lepathy. Let's
go who here? These may have been briefed Martin, Yes, sir,
they know what to do. They're to read the words on the cards.
I've good, very well, you can begin, all right. You car
car will meet, next car, car will meet, next car, car
will meet, next peers car, car will meet, and the next car
car will meet. That's him, that's the voice. I know it.
Anyway. They were ready now, they felt to give the Crown its chance
to avenge the untimely and brutal death of one of its subjects. The prosecutor
was confident. The defense was bold. Time and again, despite the experts,
despite the weight of evidence, the defense managed to throw what seemed a
reasonable doubt on the guilt of John Mitchell. A climactic moment came when Mitchell
himself was on the witness stand. The prosecutor faced the prisoner, mister Mitchell,
we're about to go back to school. We shall have a spelling lesson.
I'm ready ask the way will you spell? If I if? If
we shall be more difficult, if we go along, will be good enough
to spell expense ax p e n Is he very good? Mister Mitchell?
Who learned your lesson? Well? And then please spell Bournemouth bo you r
in em o uta? Well, well fine, just fine, and pleasant,
mister Mitchell, how do you spell pleasant? P L S E N
T. I see pleasant, just like a present. That's right, But
it isn't right, mister Mitchell. Pleasant is spelt with an A, but
you didn't spell it with an a today, Nor did you spell it with
an a when you wrote the telegram asking for a pleasant young nurse. And
what was your plan, mister Mitchell? Did you want to murder a nurse
the way you murdered? I don't mat views. Perhaps in that terrible moment,
as he stood in the dark at the Old Bailey, the mind of
John Mitchell may have turned to that other moment, when all unsuspecting he wrote
out that fateful telegram, the self same telegram that can be seen to day
in the Black Museum. It might be said that John Mitchell was hanged by
a missing letter A in the word pleasant. Be that as it may.
Circumstances caught up with this gentleman one morning at eight o'clock, and he passed
from this world because of a set of coincidences which fitted together in the minds
of alert detectives in Scotland yard. If Mitchell had known how to spell correctly,
if Harris had not been a keen eyed designer of automobiles, if Harris
had not taken a trip when he did, if Marge, the post office
clerk, had not been struck by Mitchell's voice. But it's no matter now.
Now the telegram was to be found in its customary place in Scotland Yard,
in the Black Museum. And now until we meet next time in the
same place, I tell you another story about the Black Museum. I remain
as always, will be game for yours. M hmmm,