MORE ABOUT THE CRIPPEN CHASE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7225, 6 September 1910, Page 1

MORE ABOUT THE CRIPPEN CHASE

CAMDEN KOiD SENSATION FACT AND FICTION IN THE MUEDLH MYSTEEA'."OLD QUEBEC.” moil OUE SPECIAL COKBESroNDENT. , LONDON, July 29. "Writers cf romances must feel that the newspapers of to-day are tailing their occupation from them. The stones ot real life served up in lhc dluly P’*' 08 * outvie the imagination of the novelist in. dramatic interest. Take the stoiy of the Cripprn chase, which has held the attention of the world for the past three weeks. The flight of Crippen, the discovery in the collar, the hue awl cry, the wireless messages, the ocean pur-, su't, constitutes a drama of real life before which the efforts of the romancer tecem.s laboured indeed. Not that all the ‘'facts” about the Crippen chase arc real. Iheio has be n a good deal of fiction intermingled with the truth in this week's records of the great pursuit. One ot the fauuday papeis came out with a long and circumstantial account ot the identification of Crippen at sea. A steward had noticed that an eyebrow of one of the male passengers had slipped a little out of place, thus revealing the fact that it was false. Hus led him to ooaervo the passenger and his boy companion, with the result that they were identified as Crippen and Miss to "Neve. And it all happened on the s.s. Sardinian. It was quite a thrilling store The only defect in it was that it was untrue. The suspects were not on board the Sardinian at all, but on the Montrosel , Later in the week another London paper published a sensational and not very creditable story of the arrest of Crippen in mid-ocean, and an alleged "confession.” by Miss Lo Novo. this story, .which appears to have originated in Canada, and may have been published in good faith by the London paper, is now declared to be a fabrication from begining to end. NINE DAYS IN BRUSSELS.

The story of the anxious life of the hunted “ father and son ” during the nine days which preceded the sailing of the Montrose from Antwerp has been disclosed-this week by the investigations 'of'newspaper reporters. . ' . «Mr and. Master Eobinson arrived in Brussels on July 10th, the day after the flight of Crippen and Miss Le Is eve from London. They stayed at a small hotel in the Eue.de Brabant, bringing with them a small suit-case only., they signed the book as follows; John Eobinson, merchant, aged 55, born in Canada, living in "Quebec, arrived from Vienna. Eobinson, son of the above, no profession, aged 16, born in Canada., living in, Quebec, arrived from Vicuna. The man wrote in a hand sloping backwards, which was evidently intended to disguise his writing. Ho was wearing a grey suit, the trousers of which were rather frayed at the bottom. The “boy” had a. dark brown check suit, a waistcoat and trousers, botu of which were, rather short, black stockings and laced shoes with grey canvas uppers. Thu man seemed to be m the fifties and the “boy” to be seventeen or eighteen But it was soon suspected that “he”’was a girl from the shape of “his” hands and body- ;• They engaged a small room on the i first floor, tiie landlady says, at Gs a day ! for both, with breakfast included. Miss Le Neve, if it were she, never I spoke, and apnea red distressed and cm--1 barrassed. Crippen. said she was deaf, but nevertheless he spoke to her in lish, and once or twice she said Lou jour!” to the children. . They breakfasted about 10 o clock, then took a little walk, and afterwards returned to their room, where they stayed till the evening. Then they wou d take a second stroll and then go to bed. “ OLD'QUEBEC.” “After two days,” tho landlady lold the reporters, " my husband and 1 agreed i that iho ‘ bov of sixteen; was a girl i'J ; diwuise. ‘Bo' wore girls shoes and had a girl’s figure. „ “Did von not hear her speakshe never spoke aloud once all tnc time we had her Her father explained that sho was stone deaf, but he, ua-, stupid enough to carry on long whispered conversations with her -Now, uc always thought deaf people had to bo Ell “ U \gaiu t ’ it seemed funny that she always had her hands in her pockets At last one day they dined hcie, and we saw that her hands were beanti.nl and white, with welLkopt nails-a woman’s hand quite obviously. Me never saw her hair, for she always wore a. rather large straw "hat, which concealed it We called her Tilmc,’ and nicknamed him ‘ Old Quebec,’ because he was alwivs savin", 'Mv son is ill and must travel. Wc will io to Rotterdam. and thence back to Quebec/ ** We noticed that h© read our newspapers eagerly, but he never gave them to his ‘son’ to read. He always ietived to his room when some customer came in. or if he was surprised he spoke to the girl and tool: her to a daik corner or turned her face so that it was in the shadow. He was usually cool, but he appeared unexpectedly at tames and rushed to his room. He never loft tho girl alone one minute. Mc- thought him a profe-ssor who had eloped with a girl pupil in disguise. “After a few days he became more cheerful and ever, tried to flirt with the maid. On Saturday, July 16th, .the bay bought some grey canvas shoes and a grev felt hat, which thca-woro with the rim. turned down, over tbo On Sunday night he said, 'We leave tomorrow. Tam very sorry. He for drinks for us all, and retired with his silent pale ‘son.’ On Monday morning, July ISth, after hearty handshakes, the two 'left us with a small valise." The landlord struck the table with his fist, and said, "If only we'had known it was Crippen ! To think I shook hands ; with him. and then think of the X 250 j reward! I curse ‘Old Quebec’!”