THE STORY OF CRIPPENS' LIFE

Evening Star, Issue 14513, 3 November 1910, Page 3

THE STORY OF CRIPPENS' LIFE

AS TOLD BY HIMSELF. The statement was read out to tho Court by Inspector Dow, a long document covering several foolscap pages. It began: “I am forty-eight years of ago. After being questioned by Chief-Inspec-tor Dew as to the statements made by mo that my wife is dead, I desire to make a voluntary statement to clear the whole matter up. I was born in America in 1862, my father’s name being Augustus Crippen, a dry goods merchant. My mother is now dead. My son is married, and lives at Los Angelos, California. I was educated first at Coldwater, Indiana. I stayed at the University in Michigan until I was twenty, and then continued my education at Cleveland College, where I took the degree of M.D. I came to England in 1883, and attended various hospitals to see operations.”

Tho statement went on to give particulars of the various places iu which Crippen had resided from that year nntil the date of his arrest. In 1885 he returned to the United States, and became assistant to Dr Turner at Detroit. Then he went to Now York, and gained a diploma for ear and eyo work. Returning to Detroit, he became an assistant to Dr Turner, and from thence went to San Diego, where ho practised as an eyo and ear specialist for about two years. Before going to San Diego he was married in Now York to Charlotte BelL He had one child by his first wife, a boy, who was bora in 1887 or 1888. The statement continued;

“My first wife died iu 1890 or 1891. We were then living at Salt Lake City, whore 1 was practising as an eye and ear specialist. . . After her death my sou went to live with his grandmother until she died. 1 went to Brooklyn after this. About 1893, when I was with Dr Jeffrey, 1 met Bello Elmore, who was being attended by the doctor. Her name at this time was Cora Turner. I forget where she was living; she was living alone. She was only seventeen. She was living under tho protection of a man named C. C. Lincoln, a stove manufacturer, of Water street, New York. She had been living with him, and ho had given up his house and taken rooms for her, paying all expenses. I took her to several places for some time, as I was very fond of her. Ouo day she told mo of her resolve to run away from the man Lincoln. I thereupon told her that I would marry her. Two days after we were married at a minister’s house in Jersey City in 1893. Her father was a Russian Polo and her mother a German. In 1899 my wife, who had a good voice, went to New York and had her voice trained, with tho idea of going in for grand opera. I paid the expenses. . . . 1 came to England alone in April, 1900. Some time afterwards she wrote that she was giving up her lessons, and was going in for music-hall sketches. To this I objected, but she insisted, and when she came to England she went on tho music-hall stage. She gave a sketch at the Old Marylehone Music Hall, but it was a failure, and she gave it up. She did not make anytliing at it. She would bo two weeks away and six weeks at homo. It is quite four years since she performed. When I returned from a visit to America I found that she had been singing at smoking concerts for payment. She told mo that Brace Miller, an American music-hall artist, had been taking her about—that he was fond of her and she was fond of him. She gave way to the most ungovernable temper, and seemed to think that I was not good enough for her. She boasted of a man in a good position who used to make a fuss of her. I never saw tho man Bruce Miller. Ho list'd to call when I was out, and take her out in tho evening. Although wo were apparently happy, there were frequent occasions when she got into most violent tempers, and threatened she would leave mo, saying that sho had a man to go to in New York.” The statement further said that about four years ago, iu consequence of those frequent outbursts, lie (Crippen) ceased to cohabit with her. Two years ago sho became secretary of the Music-hall Ladies’ Guild. He never interfered with her movements. Sho wont in and out as she liked and did as sho liked. Sho said that if she did leave him she would go right out of his life, and he would never see or hear of her again. Tho statement continued: “ After Mr and Mrs Martinetti had left ns on the night of January 31, my wife abused mo for the lack of attention to Mr Martinetti. Sho said: ‘ I shall leave you to-morrow and never come back to you again.’ She had often said that before, and I took little notice of it; but when I returned home the next afternoon she had gone. ... I put the death advertisement in the ‘ Era ’ to stop people from asking questions. So far as I know she did not die, and is still alive. My belief is that she has gone to Chicago to join Bruce Miller. I bought her all her j jewellery; so far as I know she never had any money or jewellery sent to her. Whatever I have said about her death is wrong, and I am giving this as an explanation. So far as I know sho did | not die, and is still alive. I have received no cablegram to say that sho is ill, and it is not true that sho was cremated at San Francisco.”