| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
Usually known as Dr Crippen, Hawley Harvey Crippen, was an Englishman of American origin. He was born in Michigan in 1862 and hanged in Pentonville, England on November 23rd, 1910 for murdering his wife. In 1885 he became a doctor and started working for a pharmaceutical company. His second wife was Kunigunde Mackamotzi, who went by the name of Belle Elmore. In 1900, Crippen and his spouse moved to England. Unfortunately for him, his American medical qualification was insufficient to obtain a doctor's position in the UK. The couple moved to 39 Hilldrop Crescent, where they had lodgers to compensate Crippen's rather measly income. Early 1910 Belle disappeared. Hawley Crippen told everyone she had returned to the United States. Meanwhile, his lover, Ethel le Neve had moved into Hilldrop Crescent openly wearing Belle's clothes and jewellery. The police were informed of Belle's disappearance, the house was searched but nothing was found. Crippen and le Neve fled to AntwerpGuildhouses in the Grote Markt Antwerp ( Dutch: Antwerpen French: Anvers is a city and a municipality in the province of Antwerp (and its capital), in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. On January 1st, 2004 Antwerp had a total population of 45, where they took the SS Montrose to CanadaCanada historically the Dominion of Canada is the second-largest, and northernmost, country in the world. It is a decentralized federation of 10 provinces and 3 territories, governed as a constitutional monarchy, and formed in 1867 through an act of Confe. Their disappearance led Scotland YardOther uses of this term include Scotland Yard (band), Scotland Yard board game New Scotland Yard often referred to as simply Scotland Yard or The Yard is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service responsible for policing Greater London (although to do another search of the house, and this time they found the remains of a human body in the basement. Sir Bernard SpilsburySir Bernard Spilsbury (1877-1947) was a famous British pathologist. His cases include the Brides in the Bath Murders, the Dr Crippen case, Brighton trunk murders, Podmore Case and The Vera Page Case. Bernard Spillsbury was born in Leamington Hastings, War found traces of hyoscine, a calming drug. Mrs. Crippen had to be identified from a piece of skin from her belly, because her head, limbs and skeleton were never recovered. Crippen and le Neve fled across the Atlantic on the SS Montrose, with le Neve disguised as a boy. Unfortunately for them, the captain of the ship was keeping abreast of the news by wireless and recognised the couple. He contacted the British authorities and Crippen and le Neve were arrested as they alighted the SS Montrose on July 31st 1910. They were tried separately in Old Bailey. Dr Crippen was found guilty of murder and hanged in November. Ethel le Neve was acquitted.
There remains considerable controversy over whether Dr Crippen had in fact murdered his wife. One theory is that it was an accidental overdose which he had covered up. In 1981 Hugh Rhys Rankin was claimed to have met Ethel le Neve in 1930 in Australia. At that occasion, she is said to have told him that Crippen murdered his wife because she had syphilis.