Mysteries
OF
Police   and   Crime

PAGE

Crime Distinguished from Law-breaking—The General Liability to Crime—Preventive Agencies—Plan of the Work—Different Types of Murders and Robberies—Crime Developed by Civilisation—The Police the Shield and Buckler of Society—Difficulty of Disappearing under Modern Conditions—The Press an Aid to the Police: the Cases of Courvoisier, Müller, and Lefroy—The Importance of Small Clues—“Man Measurement” and Finger-Prints—Strong Scents as Clues—Victims of Blind Chance: the Cases of Troppmann and Peace—Superstitions of Criminals—Dogs and other Animals as Adjuncts to the Police—Australian Blacks as Trackers: Instances of their Almost Superhuman Skill—How Criminals give themselves Away: the Murder of M. Delahache, the Stepney Murder, and other Instances—Cases in which there is Strong but not Sufficient Evidence: the Great Coram Street and Burdell Murders: the Probable Identity of “Jack the Ripper”—Undiscovered Murders: the Rupprecht, Mary Rogers, Nathan, and other Cases: Similar Cases in India: the Button Crescent Murder: the Murder of Lieutenant Roper—The Balance in Favour of the Police

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CHAPTER I.

Wrongful Convictions.

Judge Cambo, of Malta—The D’Anglades—The Murder of Lady Mazel—Execution of William Shaw for the Murder of his Daughter—The Sailmaker of Deal and the alleged Murder of a Boatswain—Brunell, the Innkeeper—Du Moulin, the Victim of a Gang of Coiners—The Famous Calas Case at Toulouse—Gross Perversion of Justice at Nuremberg—The Blue Dragoon

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CHAPTER II.

Cases of Disputed or Mistaken Identity.

Lesurques and the Robbery of the Lyons Mail—The Champignelles Mystery—Judge Garrow’s Story—An Imposition practised at York Assizes—A Husband claimed by Two Wives—A Milwaukee Mystery—A Scottish Case—The Kingswood Rectory Murder—The Cannon Street Murder—A Narrow Escape

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CHAPTER III.

Problematical Errors.

Captain Donellan and the Poisoning of Sir Theodosius Boughton: Donellan’s Suspicious Conduct: Evidence of John Hunter, the great Surgeon: Sir James Stephen’s View: Corroborative Story from his Father—The Lafarge Case: Madame Lafarge and the Cakes: Doctors differ as to Presence of Arsenic in the Remains: Possible Guilt of Denis Barbier: Madame Lafarge’s Condemnation: Pardoned by Napoleon III.—Charge against Madame Lafarge of stealing a School Friend’s Jewels: Her Defence: Conviction—Madeleine Smith charged with Poisoning her Fiancé: “Not Proven”: the Latest Facts—The Wharton-Ketchum Case in Baltimore, U.S.A.—The Story of the Perrys

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CHAPTER IV.

Police Mistakes.

The Saffron Hill Murder: Narrow Escape of Pellizioni: Two Men in Newgate for the same Offence—The Murder of Constable Cock—The Edlingham Burglary: Arrest, Trial, and Conviction of Brannagan and Murphy: Severity of Judge Manisty: A new Trial: Brannagan and Murphy Pardoned and Compensated: Survivors of the Police Prosecutors put on their Trial, but Acquitted—Lord Cochrane’s Case: His Tardy Rehabilitation

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CHAPTER V.

Early Police: France.

Origin of Police—Definitions—First Police in France—Charles V.—Louis XIV.—The Lieutenant-General of Police: His Functions and Powers—La Reynie: His Energetic Measures against Crime: As a Censor of the Press: His Steps to Check Gambling and Cheating at Games of Chance—La Reynie’s Successors: the D’Argensons, Hérault, D’Ombréval, Berryer—The Famous de Sartines—Two Instances of his Omniscience—Lenoir and Espionage—De Crosne, the last and most