R. Michael Gordon - Murder Files from Scotland Yard and the Black Museum

Also by R. MICHAEL GORDON

The Infamous Burke and Hare: Serial Killers and Resurrectionists of Nineteenth Century Edinburgh (2009)

The Space Shuttle Program: How NASA Lost Its Way (2008)

The Poison Murders of Jack the Ripper: His Final Crimes, Trial and Execution (2008)

The Thames Torso Murders of Victorian London (2002)

Alias Jack the Ripper: Beyond the Usual Whitechapel Suspects (2001)

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To all those hardworking men and women of the London police and gatekeepers of the Black Museum who take their tradition of service back to the days of horse-drawn carriages and Londons fog-filled cobblestone streets and cool gas-lit nights. May your most difficult cases always end with case closed. Cheers to one of the finest police forces in the worldLondons Metropolitan Police, better known as the venerable Scotland Yard.

In the long history of British justice, many strong personalities come to the fore. Some have the best intentions of fighting crime and serving the public. Others, however, are just as determined to commit criminal acts, some of which would make even the strongest person reel with shock. Max Haines of the Toronto Sun wrote about British crime in an October 7, 2001, article: There is something about the British Isles that compels murderers to commit horrible acts with a certain lan, which seems to be absent in other locales. What these killers lack in volume, they make up in quality. It has always been thus.

Macabre examples of this lan may be seen in the 1837 murder of Miss Hannah Brown by James Greenacre, the Dismemberment Killer of Edgware Road; George Joseph Smith and the Brides in the Bath murders of 1915; and of course the brutal murders committed by Jack the Ripper in 18881891. Brutality, of course, was not limited to days long past, as the more recent example of Edwin Bush and his 1961 Antique Shop Murder attests. This book will examine many of these cases.

Even today, when one thinks of Scotland Yard, images come to mind of smartly dressed officers on unarmed patrol, and detectives in brown suits amid scenes of Londons fog-shrouded cobblestone streets. It is difficult not to imagine gaslights, rain-soaked streets, horse-mounted officers and police call boxes mixed in with an always moving and ever-changing population.

It is historically interesting to note that the Yard was not always as respected as it is today. The early Victorian London populace was hard up, as it would be throughout the entire Victorian period; at times the police were thought of as being just another gang but with better political connections. However, it would not take long for the people of London to realize the wisdom of having an organized and professional law enforcement arm which not only arrested the criminals but also came when called to protect the lives and property of Londoners. More often than not the police put their very lives on the line and stood their ground when others of less sterner stuff would have fled.

There would of course be some missteps, as well as out-and-out corruption, but even those problems would be openly dealt with, and with an even hand, as the vast majority of those who chose to serve were honorable, determined and diligent in their work. The worldwide reputation of the Yard would flow from them.

In addition to the cases studied, this work will take a peek into the mysterious world behind the walls and into the case files of Scotland Yards Museum of Crime, better known worldwide as the Black Museum. Never meant to be a proper museum, these two rooms nevertheless hold artifacts and files related to many of Britains most famous crimes, infamous criminals and victims. Officially, the Black Museums files are held for the research and training of officers, though civilians on occasion are allowed in.

So put on your trench coat against the cold and foggy night, turn on your bulls-eye lantern, light your pipe, grab your magnifying glass and come along for a little page-by-page visit with some of the most memorable cases from Scotland Yard and its mysterious Museum of Crime. Your theatre of the mind waits in Murder Files from Scotland Yard and the Black Museum.

History of Scotland Yard

Their basic mission would be the prevention of crime and disorder.

Scotland Yard, the popular name for the Metropolitan Police of London, is arguably the most famous law enforcement agency on Earth. It is also considered by many to be one of the finest at the job. (Apologies to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.) But even the best at times are not able to get their man, or woman. Over the years there have been spectacular successes, some of which remain government secrets in the face of modern terrorist realities. However, examples of the Yards tenacity and determination to close a case may be found in Inspector Richard Tanners 1864 pursuit of a murder suspect all the way to the United States, and in the efforts of Chief Inspector Frank Froast, who traveled to South America in pursuit of a fraud suspect. Inspector Thomas Butler (19131970) would gain fame and the nickname Gray Fox for his relentless tracking down of all 15 men who had pulled off the Great Train Robbery of August 8, 1963.

Created by Parliament with the Metropolitan Police Act of June 19, 1829, the force commenced with nighttime street patrols on September 29, 1829 (some accounts say it was September 25). Training for this work had only begun days earlier, on September 21. Uniforms included a smart tailcoat and top hat. The uniform had a distinctly civilian look to it, as the authorities wanted to avoid any impression that this was any type of military force. Set up by Sir Robert Peel, the original salaries for the new force can still be found on a handwritten memorandum dated July 20, 1829. By 1839 the police force could boast some 3,350 steady members covering an area of 700 square miles and serving a growing population of around 2,500,000.

By 1862 Scotland Yard was forming their first Rogues Gallery, using the recently perfected art of photography. Photographs of convicted prisoners held in several British prisons at the time were forwarded to the Yard by prison governors. The gallery soon included those who were held by Scotland Yard itself. However, it was not until 1901 that an official photographer was added to the police force. That gallery quickly expand, as London seemed well placed to provide a never-ending number of subjects for the file, which of course continues to this day.