  Mysteries of POLICE and CRIME Part I. A GENERAL SURVEY OF CRIME AND ITS DETECTION. Part II. JUDICIAL ERRORS. CHAPTER I. WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS. Part III. POLICE PAST AND PRESENT. CHAPTER V. EARLY POLICE: FRANCE. Part IV. CAPTAINS OF CRIME. CHAPTER XIV. SOME FAMOUS SWINDLERS. Every attempt has been made to replicate the original as printed. Some typographical errors have been corrected; a list follows the text. In certain versions of this etext, in certain browsers, clicking on an image will bring up a larger version. (etext transcriber's note) |
MYSTERIES OF POLICE
AND CRIME
WATCH HOUSE AND WATCHMEN A CENTURY AGO. (From a Contemporary Print by Rowlandson and Pugin.)
WATCH HOUSE AND WATCHMEN A CENTURY AGO.
(From a Contemporary Print by Rowlandson and Pugin.)
Mysteries
OF
Police and Crime
BY
Major ARTHUR GRIFFITHS
FORMERLY ONE OF H.M. INSPECTORS OF PRISONS; JOHN HOWARD GOLD
MEDALLIST; AUTHOR OF “MEMORIALS OF MILLBANK,” “CHRONICLES OF
NEWGATE,” ETC.
PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED
IN THREE VOLUMES
VOL. I.
SPECIAL EDITION
CASSELL AND COMPANY, Limited
LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK & MELBOURNE
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
colophon
CONTENTS.
| Part I. | |
|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Part II. | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Part III. | |
| 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 feeble Lieutenant-General of Police—The Story of the Bookseller Blaziot—Police under the Directory and the Empire—FouchÉ: His Beginnings and First Chances: A Born Police Officer: His Rise and Fall—General Savary: His Character: How he organised his Service of Spies: His humiliating Failure in the Conspiracy of General Malet—FouchÉ’s return to Power: Some Views of his Character | |
| Early Police in England—Edward I.’s Act—Elizabeth’s Act for Westminster—Acts of George II. and George III.—State of London towards the End of the Eighteenth Century—Gambling and Lottery Offices—Robberies on the River Thames—Receivers—Coiners—The Fieldings as Magistrates—The Horse Patrol—Bow Street and its Runners: Townsend, Vickery, and others—Blood Money—Tyburn Tickets—Negotiations with Thieves to recover stolen Property—Sayer—George Ruthven—Serjeant Ballantine on the Bow Street Runners compared with modern Detectives | |
| The “New Police” introduced by Peel—The System supported by the Duke of Wellington—Opposition from the Vestries—Brief Account of the Metropolitan Police: Its Uses and Services—The River Police—The City Police—Extra Police Services—The Provincial Police | |
| The Spy System under the Second Empire—The Manufacture of Dossiers—M. Andrieux receives his own on being appointed Prefect—The Clerical Police of Paris—The Sergents de Ville—The Six Central Brigades—The Cabmen of Paris, and how they are kept in Order—Stories of Honest and of Dishonest Cabmen—Detectives and Spies—Newspaper Attacks upon the Police—Their General Character | |
| Greater New York—Despotic Position of the Mayor—Constitution of the Police Force—Dr. Parkhurst’s Indictment—The Lexow Commission and its Report—Police Abuses: Blackmail, Brutality, Collusion with Criminals, Electoral Corruption, the Sale of Appointments and Promotions—Excellence of the Detective Bureau—The Black Museum of New York—The Identification Department—Effective Control of Crime | |
| Mr. Sala’s Indictment of the Russian Police—Their Wide-reaching Functions—Instances of Police Stupidity—Why Sala Avoided the Police—Von H—— and his Spoons—Herr Jerrmann’s Experiences—Perovsky, the Reforming Minister of the Interior—The Regular Police—A Rural Policeman’s Visit to a Peasant’s House—The State Police—The Third Section—Attacks upon Generals Mezentzoff and Drenteln—The “Paris Box of Pills”—Sympathisers with Nihilism: An Invaluable Ally—Leroy Beaulieu on the Police of Russia—Its Ignorance and Inadequate Pay—The Case of Vera Zassoulich—The Passport System: How it is Evaded and Abused: Its Oppressiveness | |
| The New System Compared with the Old—Early Difficulties Gradually Overcome—The Village Police in India—Discreditable Methods under the Old System—Torture, Judicial and Extra-Judicial—Native Dislike of Police Proceedings—Cases of Men Confessing to Crimes of which they were Innocent—A Mysterious Case of Theft—Trumped-up Charges of Murder—Simulating Suicide—An Infallible Test of Death—The Paternal Duties of the Police—The Native Policeman Badly Paid | |
| The Detective in Fiction and in Fact—Early Detection—Case of Lady Ivy—Thomas Chandler—Mackoull, and how he was run down by a Scots Solicitor—Vidocq: his Early Life, Police Services, and End—French Detectives generally—Amicable Relations between French and English Detectives | |
| English Detectives—Early Prejudices against them Lived Down—The late Mr. Williamson—Inspector Melville—Sir C. Howard Vincent—Dr. Anderson—Mr. Macnaghten—Mr. McWilliam and the Detectives of the City Police—A Country Detective’s Experiences—Allan Pinkerton’s first Essay in Detection—The Private Inquiry Agent and the Lengths to which he will go | |
| Part IV. | |
| Recurrence of Criminal Types—Heredity and Congenital Instinct—The Jukes and other Families of Criminals—John Hatfield—Anthelme Collet’s Amazing Career of Fraud—The Story of Pierre Cognard: Count Pontis de St. HÉlÈne: Recognised by an old Convict Comrade: Sent to the Galleys for Life—Major Semple: His many Vicissitudes in Foreign Armies: Thief and Begging-Letter Writer: Transported to Botany Bay | |
| Richard Coster—Sheridan, the American Bank Thief—Jack Canter—The Frenchman Allmayer, a typical Nineteenth Century Swindler—Paraf—The Tammany Frauds—Burton, alias Count von Havard—Dr. Vivian, a bogus Millionaire Bridegroom—Mock Clergymen: Dr. Berrington: Dr. Keatinge—Harry Benson, a Prince of Swindlers: The Scotland Yard Detectives suborned: Benson’s Adventures after his Release: Commits Suicide in the Tombs Prison—Max Shinburn and his Feats | |
| Criminal Women Worse than Criminal Men—Bell Star—Comtesse Sandor—Mother M——, the Famous Female Receiver of Stolen Goods—The “German Princess”—Jenny Diver—The Baroness de Menckwitz—Emily Lawrence—Louisa Miles—Mrs. Gordon-Baillie: Her Dashing Career: Becomes Mrs. Percival Frost: the Crofters’ Friend: Triumphal Visit to the Antipodes: Extensive Frauds on Tradesmen: Sentenced to Penal Servitude—A Viennese Impostor—Big Bertha, the “Confidence Queen” | |
