"hash" was a weekly paper, owned by one american, edited by another, and conducted on strictly american principles. it mostly consisted of sharp, incisive paragraphs, strongly epigrammatic in their phraseology, and attention was drawn to these by startling sensational headings. the staff of this journal comprised two men besides the editor, and there was a good deal of paste and scissors work in connection with the production of a number. as to the name hash, it requires some explanation.
the word "hash" is used in america to designate a certain dish much in favour with lodging-house keepers in the land of the free, wherein all the unconsidered trifles left over from the six dinners of the week are made into a savoury stew to serve for the seventh, and, being highly spiced and deftly concocted, is apt to deceive an inexperienced novice in lodging-house cookery, inasmuch as he deems it a dish formed of new ingredients, a mistaken view, as can be seen from the foregoing explanation.
the proprietor of hash, therefore, did in a literary sense that which is often done in a culinary one, for, by stealing items of news from other sources and making them into spicy little paragraphs, he succeeded in producing a very readable paper, much in favour with londoners.
if there was any new scandal, or shocking occurrence, hash was sure to have a bright and witty description of it, and consequently sold capitally. it was in this paper that the following items of interest were told to the public a week after the discovery of the body in jermyn street:
"high jinks in high life.
"they're at it again. when will the british aristocracy learn that they must not covet their neighbour's wife? another elopement has taken place, which will, doubtless, end as usual in the divorce court. same old game.
"last monday lady b---- left her home and went off with lord c---- an intimate friend of the lady's husband. it generally is the intimate friend who is on the racket.
"the guilty couple have sailed in a yacht for foreign climes, and the indignant husband, sir r---- b---- is inquiring for their whereabouts. if he calls at our office, we will lend him articles of warfare, and do our best to put him on the track. there is nothing new or original about this comedy--they all do it. it's getting a trifle monotonous, and we should suggest something new in the elopement line--a mother-in-law, for instance. good old mother-in-law!
"when the pursuing husband comes up with the flying lovers, we will give a report of the inquest."
in the same number of hash a longer article appeared, headed:
the piccadilly puzzle.
cain was an amateur in the art of murder, but then he had no one to copy from, so his clumsiness must be excused. the crime of jermyn street, however, is an admirable example how civilization can improve the difficult art of taking life in a skilful manner. the whole affair is quite dramatic, so we will divide this tragedy into acts, and place it before our readers.
act i.--scene, jermyn street; foggy morning; half-past two.
enter spencer ellersby on his way to hotel from ball. in dense fog he mistakes his hotel--goes up wrong steps; there finds dead body of woman. utters a cry of horror--cue for policeman, who enters; views body by lantern light--sealskin jacket, silk dress, fair hair, beautiful face--sounds whistle; enter other policemen, who exeunt with body in one direction, while spencer ellersby goes off in the other.
act ii.--scene, hospital. present, inspector, policeman, and doctor.
doctor examines body--finds no evidence of violence, except slight discoloured mark on one side of neck--opinion of inspector that something, chain probably, has been wrenched off by assassin--is also of opinion that death could not have been thus caused. doctor says death is caused by blood-poisoning--evidence being, swollen condition of body, protruding tongue, discolouration of skin--thinks it must be poison--makes minute examination--finds on neck slight scratch just on jugular vein, greatly inflamed--is of opinion that assassin has wounded victim in neck with poisoned dagger or knife. inspector takes description of body for purpose of having hand-bills printed to distribute about city--exeunt omnes with body to morgue.
act iii. is so long that we will drop the dramatic style and tell it in our own fashion. our special reporter was at the inquest, and the following are the result of his inquiries:
the body of the deceased was examined by the jury, and the following articles of clothing were put in evidence:
1. sealskin jacket. 2. silk dress. gloves. 3. under linen (not marked). 4. hat (brown and blue velvet intertwined, clasped with silver crescent).
evidence of spencer ellersby:
independent gentleman. been travelling for some years, and only returned to england a month ago. was at countess of kerstoke's ball on monday last left at a few minutes past two o'clock--walked along piccadilly; met a friend in st. james's street--spoke to him for a few moments. when he left him, met policeman, who guided him through fog to jermyn street--left policeman and went up steps, thinking it was guelph hotel--found there body of deceased--called policeman, and body was taken to hospital. does not know deceased in any way.
evidence of constable batter:
corroboration of evidence of former witness.
evidence of dr. fanton:
examined body of deceased--well nourished. deceased had evidently been in good health. should say she had been dead at time of examination about three hours. death appeared to have been caused by paralysis. the blood was disorganised, therefore he judged deceased had been poisoned, and disorganisation was caused by action of virus. the veins were congested--lungs full of blood, congealed and of a dark colour. the face was swollen, and of a dark purple appearance--tongue also protruded. small wound on neck over jugular vein, in itself not sufficient to cause death. thought from all appearances that the assassin had inflicted wound with poisoned dagger or knife, hence appearance of body. if a powerful poison, it would act in a very short time, as the blood in jugular vein went straight to the heart. poison would act in about ten minutes--if deceased had been excited, in even a shorter time.
this closed the evidence.
inspector said all inquiries had been made to find name of deceased, but no clue had as yet been obtained. the case had been placed in the hands of detective dowker who was present.
coroner summed up.
woman had been found dead--proved by evidence of policeman batter and mr. ellersby.
death had been caused by poison--proved by evidence of dr. fanton.
poison administered through wound in neck by means of dagger, knife, or lancet. no evidence to show who had inflicted wound.
jury would please return verdict in accordance with evidence.
the jury consulted for a few minutes and returned verdict. that deceased had come to her death by violence by the hand of some person or persons unknown.
this is the whole statement of the case which we have entitled the piccadilly puzzle, and we will now make our comments thereon.
in the first place from all appearances the deceased was evidently a lady and not a street walker. we know that many street walkers are ladies who have fallen into that state of degradation, but this unknown woman was not one of them in our opinion, for as far as we can learn she bore no marks of dissipation, which such a life would inevitably cause. again, if she had been an habitué of the streets she would have been known to the police, but none of them were able to identify her. true, her face had been swollen and disfigured by the action of the poison so that in any case it would have been difficult to recognize the features, still her dress and figure might lead to identification, but no result had been arrived at. the deceased, therefore, to all appearances was a lady. jermyn street is not a particularly busy thoroughfare at any time, and after eleven o'clock it is comparatively deserted, therefore the assassin must have decoyed his victim there to accomplish his crime in safety. he might have had an appointment to meet her, and while talking to her in the doorway, had he embraced her, might doubtless have wounded her with the poisonous weapon. she would only feel a pin-prick, and then he could watch the poison do its work. she would become confused and then giddy, entertaining no idea that she carried death in her veins. then passing into a comatose state she would sink to the ground in a dying condition. her companion had then probably left her, satisfied that she could not call out. there seems to have been a great deal of devilish ingenuity about the committal of the crime, and this brings us to the consideration as to the position in life held by the assassin.
we hold that he is a gentleman, or at least an educated man, possibly a medical man, a medical student, or a dilettante in toxicology. a common assassin would have decoyed his victim into a house and murdered her in a more brutal manner, by cutting her throat or battering her head with a poker, but this strange assassin, secure in the possession of a weapon more deadly, engages his unhappy victim in confidential talk, and whilst embracing her causes her death in a sure manner. it is a judas-like crime, the kiss of friendship and the heart of treachery, therefore we say the criminal who possesses these refined and fiendish instincts must be an educated man, and also one who must have no little knowledge of poisons to employ the subtle drug he did. the nature of the poison cannot be discovered, as the simple scratch corrupted the blood and there are no local signs to tell what kind was employed. as to the motive of the crime, it may have been love, it may have been jealousy, perhaps robbery; as no money or jewellery were found on the body, and there was a mark on the neck as though a chain had been roughly wrenched off. what we have set forth is mere conjecture, for the assassin may be a woman, but we think this improbable. no woman would have the nerve to commit such a crime in the open street--true the assassin, was favoured by the fog which hid his or her crime behind an impenetrable veil, but still the risk was enormous.
but be the assassin man or woman there is no doubt we have in our midst a human fiend who, possessed of a deadly weapon, namely, a poisoned dagger, can commit crimes with impunity? a slight scratch given in a certain portion of the body and the victim is doomed. who is to point out the assassin, unless he or she is actually seen committing the crime. we have not yet heard the end of the piccadilly puzzle, but it will take all the acumen and ingenuity of the london detective to trace this secret assassin, and our only dread is lest some other victim may fall before his or her terrible weapon.
but though the assassin of this unknown woman may escape the consequences of this crime, sooner or later he will thirst again for blood, and the second time he may not be so fortunate. let him remember
tho' the mills of god grind slowly, they grind exceeding small.
