SCOTLAND YARD RELICS

Northern Advocate, 17 February 1926, Page 8

SCOTLAND YARD RELICS

INSPECTION BY PRINCE. MANY GRIM MEMENTOES, Scotland Yard revealed, some of its closest secrets and displayed grim relics of famous crimes to the Prince of Wales recently. The Prince-spent two hours at the Yard, and shook hands with nearly all its most celebrated detectives. He surprised some of them by his knowledge of the methods of criminals. For example, the Yard expected to spring a surprise on the Prince by showing him some of the paraphernalia used by card sharpers and swindlers—loaded dice, fake'd roulette boards, and marked cards—but the Prince laughingly retorted, “I know all about these things! ’* Ono of his questions when he was being piloted through the maze of rooms was: “Where’s the Flying Squad? ” The squad was out on a bandit-chasing expedition. General Sir William Horwood, the commissioner, personally conducted the Prince round the"■ building, and explained the working of the great police machine which he controls. After the Prince had shaken hands with the; “Big Five,” he explored the fingerprint department, where the. prints of half a million of the world’s criminals are stored. He was keenly interested in this department. The- Prince then visited the photographic studio, where photographs of criminals are copied, and spent half an hour in the Black Museum, Scotland Yard's storehouse of criminal relics and souvenirs.

He was shown the rope which hanged Charles Peace, and the cords which the notorious Reading baby farmer, Mrs. Dyer, tied around her little victims’ necks. He was also shown some redink -postcards associated with the Jaek-the-Ripper crimes, and souvenirs of Neil Cream, the poisoner. A collapsible ladder used by Charles Peace, the tell-tale fragment of a pajama suit which sent Dr. Crippen to the scaffold, and relies of Patrick Mahon's Crime at the Crumbles, were other exhibits which he saw, and one of them caused him to shudder. “Thanks very much —it's all been most'awfully interesting!’’ the Prince called out as he entered his motor ear.