"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2697, 22 November 1905, Page 74

"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

(Specially written for the Witness Ladies' Page.)

TOPICS TO DATE.

Among the crimes of this great city every now and again a murder stands out in boldness and horror so prominently that the attention of all London is rivet ted. And for the last 12 days the newspapers have been eagerly scanned for any fresh light upon the mystery of a murder which seems almost incredible in this stage of security to the woman -who travels without escort — not into barbarous wastes, but from one part of civilised London to the other, or to- its suburbs. More than once or twice women have entered trains in the' ordinaiy manner, among the ordinary travellers f-om one public station to another, and have been found when the train • arrived at its destination to have been brutally murdered without any apparent reason. And more than* once all the genius of Scotland Yard has failed to track the murderer. i But there never has been a' more amazing mystery of the railway than that which attends the murder of Miss Mary Money, who on the Sunday evening of the 24th September left- Lavender Hill Dairy, -where she -was employed in the office, and lived with other young ladies in the house, and took, about 9 o'clock, a train to Brighton. At 11 o'clock her dead body was found in Mersham tunnel, still warm. ( It is not a lonely route ; the train, by \ which Miss Money travelled started from : London Bridge, and Victoria, Clapham Junction, were stations on the way. Miss Money left her employer's home in good health and spirits, told her girl friend and companion in business that she would not be long, and after 7 set out. Her girl friend described how she was dressed — a long silk gauzy scarf hanging over her shoulders, which was later used as a gag, stuffed into her mouth, and in her hand she carried her handkerchief and a small black silk purse. She is described as a handsome girl, in no way coquettish ; selfreliant and pleasant ; a girl who was worth a man's winning, and whom more than one man had desired to marry, for in the police investigations every friendship has been traced, and the whereabouts of the few intimate friends with whom it was supposed she might have been in company. But all that has been traced is that she went into a sweet shop' near the dairy residence and, buying, chocolates, remarked that she W£(s going by a certain train, which evidently ' she look' to Victoria, from where, at 9.10, she left for Brighton. The police have diligently followed up- every clue, but nothing in her private life, no correspondence, no hint of friend or relative,^ lias shown any reason why she should or should not leave her business home and go out on that particular evening. The members of the London, Brighton, and South Coast rail- _ way detective- police, spite their inquiries, have been baffled. In the tunnel, which is narrow, blood smears, where the head of the victim had struck, denoted where she had either leaped or jumped from the train, and the train being reconstructed from the original cars was taken on an experimental and gruesome journey at the original speed through the tunnel, and at the fatal spot a "dummy" of the size and weight of Miss Money was thrown from the window to prove where — without the living impetus of a spring — she would hit. ( The railway company have been desirous , to prove that- it was a case of suicide, for it is a monstrous conclusion that an in- . offensive and innocent woman is not safe , in a railway train, travelling on the evening of a Christian Sabbath, among Christians, from one civilised town to another. The remains have been under the examination of scientists, arid, from the bruises on the body, it is considered that there was , a terrific struggle before death, and that j after being thrown from the train she was killed by a train passing over her. A curious feature is the part that a clairvoyant has been called upon to play in the unravelling of the mystery, and which, to s-ay the least, after the late raid ' by the press upon clairvoyants, is inconsistent. I give the facts as they are, without personal prejudice for or against. Mr Yon Bou v g, the well-known clairvoyant, who a few years ago, when all other attempts failed in discovering the body of Mr Foxwell, the missing stockbroker, 6aw in a vision where the body was, has given the Pall Mall Gazette his impressions of the murder, from a "reading" of a white kid glove that was on the iead girl's hand : — "It has got a dreadful feeling," Mr Yon Boiwg declared after touching it for a n't:n.ent, and turning it inside out. " I get a raoeii terrible sensation -.nth it — a sensation as of a terrific shock. She was certainly murdered, this poor girl; it was no suicide. " There is net the slightest doubt alsio that when sho got out that nighf she had something on her mind, and I feel that she went cut of her way for some Teason to get to her destination, and that it was not ui.tii she goit to Croydon that she entered the tram in which she met her deaih. Although waa worried about siomeihipg, she did not anticipate what was about to happen, nor aid she leahs® that sLe had reached in her life the hour of extreme peril. "To me it looks." continued Mr Yon Boigg, pmtuig the glovo to his forehead, "as though sh3_ me-t some _man :n a carriage. While she was oa the platform she was alor?. Th& man ska met appears to be someone she knew, and ye-t she did not know him intimately. I get a rather peculiar personality with her, a man of medium build and height, upright, but rather slight m figure, and of very good appearance — a man with rather a long white fa-ce', and young, not more than twenty-five or twenty-six. Whether the man was the nun. who actually committed tho murder I cannot say; I do not got him strong enough for that. A TERRIFIC STRUGGLE " The murder must have been well planned, and I feel that the pocn- girl must have gone out of h>er way to meet it — tiiat is to i

say, she went faither that nigM than she had any intention of going when she iirsij set out, and she went, it seems to me, aft the instigation of the man I have described. " There nmct hsve been other persons in tho carriage at firs*, or before Mids Money entered it, as I get other conditions besides tars and the man's. She was ccrtaiiuy thrown out. of the tram, and I feel there was a terrific struggle, lasting some minutes'. Tho man had great difficulty in throwing her oat, and I don't think she was dead at ihe time, although I feei that sho had lost consciousness. " I should like to arrive at a motive, Mr Yon Bc-urg continued. "I don't get it wag a love tragedy, or a tragedy of impulse. It was a cold-blooded, determined! deed, not one that was done in a moment of passion. " I think there wr>s robbery at the 'bottom of it, and yet, at the same time, the man, who murd'exed her does not appear to me lto be altogether a- stranger. I wonder 11 there was anything for anyone to be gained by her death?" DEED PLANNED. Mr Ton Bourg made a further statement lo the Pall Mall Gazette representative " a few dsys 'later. He was quite positive that Miss JVTon«y met tor deaitb after leaving Crovdon, and that sho never reechwt Hedhill, "for he had the strongest, impression that the man she mot intended to got rid of her going down the lino. I " There must hare been a strong motive," iha went on. " I am quite certain Hie deed' ■' was planned; it was an absolutely intentional thing. And yet it is an extraordinary cireum-stance that the person who did avray\ with her did not know her very well. He seems to have come from the centre or scixth>-east of London, and to have gone oa with the train beyond Redhill. "All I air afraid of is that it will be some time before the mystery is iinraveKed. I have not, as in the ca.se of Mr Foxwell, the same nieains- of getting a clue to ihe place where he may be found. You see, I have no article thafe ho has even vrosn. All I can tell definitely is that Miss Money was murdered— iiitentional'y murdered — by a man rot a stranger to her, after the fiercest! struggle that can ever have taken place in a railway carriage — a struggle &o fierce that, but for the fact that the young woman waa wearing gloves at the time, and was thus har-dioapped in the fight, ii would have been impassible to get her out of the train." The level-headed police take no notice of "impressions" — actual facts count only with them ; — and the case being handedl from the railway detectives to Scotland Yard is being diligently' 'pursued. ' How • far the clairvoyant is right- has yet to be * proved, but yet another vision of his is ' ' here recorded : — An extraordinary stoi-y of a vision of 'ho nmrdor of, Miss Money was published in tho Pall Mall Gazette* on Saitarduy, on theauthority of a special representative. Thiit journal, while having every belief in, tho " good faith, of their representative, did 1 not accept an.v responsibility for his narrative, which was as follows: — The identical crystal in which Mr Yon , Boxirg, the clairvoyant, was able to trace some years ago the missing London stockbroker, Mr Foxwell, was on Saturday morning wrapped m an article of clothing recently worn by Miss Money, and the wholet scene of the crime was presented, incident by incident, although in rough outline, as in a vision. The vision, was eieen in the most unmistakable niann'&r by two close relatives of Miss Money, a man and a woman, and by Mr Yon Bourg. The following is my record of the circumstances: — "JSTow look and tell me what you see," said Mr -Yon Bourg to the man, holding the crystal in his hand l . , " I isiee nothing yet," was the answer. , "Look a little longer; you may see some- ' thing." ] " Yes," s i aid fhe man after a moment oe ' two, " I see a - tunnel ; I see two pepole ' cca'tecf in a railway carriage, one a man, tho other a woman. I don't see any more." " Let the lady look to see if she can see anyone," I suggested. The lady now took her turn by Mr Yon Bourg's side. " I &oe a hat and .som|. thing dark," sue said. " There are a man and ac j woman; they are talking; he is placing j his hand on her shoulder. Now they fall on one side. Oh! now the door opens 1 , something dark falls on*. It's gone. Now. tho door is shut, and the man stand's alone."' ' The witness was extremely affected by tins vivid &cene. '' Yes," Mr Yon Bourg ! lemaiked, ''you have seen the actual incident of the murder." FLIGHT OF THE MUEDEEEB. Xow the man looked again. " I can still see the .'arriage," he said, " and I can see tho shadow of someone. . I can see the figure of the woman again most disrtin&tly, and al-"o that of the man. They are too faant, however, to be recognised, and now iho vision fades away." " That man," says Mr Yon Bourg, talcing up ihe movement of the scene, " does net) 1 get out of the caa-riage a.t Redhili. Look. I see a signal-box and light streaming from 1 it. The lines separate, saul the man rides off on a cycle. He is bending over the handles', riding furiously. He goes back to the railway." "Do you see him also?" our representative asked the' other relative of Miss Money. "Yes. I sea the figure cycling distinctly. I see him! bending forward, going quickly, but I " cannot recognise him ; he looks down too much." " That man who is cycling " said! Mr. Yon Bcurg, "is the man with, the long pale face, whose description I have given, you." Here Miss Moneys male relative described the man's movements. "I see this man going back to the tunnel again. It looks as though he us sitting on the top of the turnel, watching. He is actually looking into it." The s-cene was described as being most vivid. For some days every attempt at a clue was baffled, her most intimate friend with, whom she the oftenest went out was proved to be miles away at the time. Then a signalman volunteered the information that as ths train was running past his box he saw a man and a woman struggling in one of the compartments, but he could not identify them, as the vision was gone in a flash. A gentleman, waiting on the Victoria platform to meet. his son noticed a young lady whom, from the photograph, he identified as Miss Money meet a young man, whom he de- , scribed as dressed in a grey jacket suit,

'tend wearing a bowler hat ; and, again, ■at a restaurant ■ it has been shown that on one or two. afternoons each week Miss Money had tea there with ±the same de- ' scription of a man, evidently a gentlejnan, from his speech and, manners. The young ladies who were Miss • Moneys" most intimate companions declare "her tc be one of the sweetest girls they have ever i known, whose life seemed free from any sort of secret ; and at her mother's home,, which in her holidays she had lately visited, it was not thought that she was troubled. However, nobody eeems to have known her friend with whom she regularly took tea, and with • whom ■it was " supposed she started her fatal journey. At. present the police are "very - reticent, but have traced the man with -whom she was -seen on the platform, and he — apparently - unconsciously —is being watched. ' A "few more days, it is . ■ expected, will throw new light on the dreadful tragedy. Meanwhile there has r .been a great- outcry, against the dangers •women run in travelling alone, and there is a clamour -for corndpr carriages. It is contended that thousands of women are compelled to, go in andout of London and the /great commercial towns .every day, and the . indignities, and even assaults to ■which* they^ ar.e often subjected are not generally ' known, for -they are very diffi- - dent -sensitive - about- coming under public discussion, and the fathers and husbands and brothers "are ignorant of the danger their , women-folk are exposed to, and resent- their intrusion into a smoking ■compartment^ . as a boldness, when the women' are really-^-as their letters to the press are stating — asking for protection. After, such a tragedy as that of Sunday ' week it' is really- pitiful "to see the panic .among travelling women. They run along the "platforms, peering into the carriages, and avoiding- any" that are empty, preferring- the suffocation of an over-crowded ■compartment to *a solitary journey with ' ■ the fear of an- undesirable conxpanion jumping aboard. If there were not -such • " tragic reason it would really be funny ,- to see how women avoid the* carriage - where one man " is seated, alone. Many would- as soon enter a lion's den. ~ And nervous women often suffer agonies when^ tliey .find themselves left alone with a~ quiet paterfamilias," a natural and inoffensive protector of their sex, who ■wouldn't hurt a hair of their head. One such, more observant perhaps than somej said to me the other" day : "I ■ have frequently seen such - fear in the face -of -woman-when left-alone with me in a-com-partment that I have [deliberately absorbed myself in the" scenery or "gone to sleep to Reassure hei,or left the compartment altogether." '„ , ' - - ..The new corridor trains of the electric .railways are doubly -welcome, and women are' asking that until one .by one corridor -trains -take the -place of the compartment . trains, which will doubtless .be done as ' the old carriage^ wear out, those ,. compartments may be reserved for ladies only. The. autumn opera season opened with great -brilliapcv at Oovent Garden last night, and Melba received a. magnificent reception, being at- her best in "La Boieme." Signor de Marcii almost rivalled lier in the" purity and power of his voice. The audience" was 1 a marvellous one for ©0 early in the autumn -season, the great •house being packed, and, as is usual,' pre- ' sented a magnificent" spectacle of jewels and dresses. \ The Erince and Princess of Wales were present' in the royal box, attracting much notice on this, one of theirlast public appearances before leaving for India. The Princess was beautifully ' - dressed in a gown of white crepe ? n<l lace, and "wore > dog-collar of diamonds ■ and -pearls, and diamonds in her hair. ..Jewels were gleaming in all the boxes and circles. The" di'esses defied description, -but some which -drew special attention -were worn by beautiful women "who are followers -of the new dress reform — the '.'Nature cure," — and looked exceedingly charming in their white Greek robes, with jewelled girdles and sandalled feet. The Queen has not returned from her visit' to Copenhagen, nor^he King from Scotland, where he has been shooting and reviewing the soldiers, and paying country liouee . visits, but both King" and Queen will be home to. say good-bye to the " Prince and Princess of Wales before they, leave for India. Lucky Prince and I'rin- 1 cess, fo be leaving England with the swat' lows; and these have been going for weeks now. The winter is making' itself felt sooner" than usual this year, und those -who know prophesy a hard winter, for, they say the birds never make a mistake, and the Arctic sea-birds and others which , come to settle down on -these shores for- - the winter have arrived fully a month before iheir time.- In a- delicious article „on bird We, Walter Raymond has the following : — .-As from a social function, so from the rich festivity of summer, there sre ecm© who d«parfc^eaily. They are not the least in importance^'v/ho do this. " " -, . The cuckoo now, blase old rascal, with never a family care in the world, ho slunk away early m August without even ,90 much as saying " Grood-bya." Should -you later cLanoe to -oatch sighit of one on the wing, it is Hit . 0, callow, inexperienced creature „ npt so very^long away from the foster-norse. Such;; a one, will stay another • month or even '.two, just^as w© a,l!, both men and maid's, 'icveel to see the dance cut when we were yxuDg. ■''And then the nightingale, pessionate genius of . ih& moonlight, with its sorrowful I tale of a happy love. H« san§ to tie-, and \ in wonder we applauded. Ho ceased; and ft ,we pointed him out to each other, flitting $ without ostentation, from twig to twig j\\among the bushes. But he left vs — like l6ome shy c-tlebrity, who only comes to sing, 'find, when his work is done, retires. " The pretty redsfcaits, too, went early. Ah! Ibut they are a charming family. They fn&k ifcheir laiLs and have coquiettish ways, yet clearly' love old walls.. So half their time ii|iey " spend in flirting, and the remaind'ar 'in" antiquarian research, with an eye^ to piokr - i3g up an odd beetle or so as well. 1 do 1 ; aot know why they went early. Probably \ tfbeW were going somewhere else. \ "Tb-day the sties are barren as I look up "? into' the cloudless blue, deep on the horizon, |.Trat melting overhead into the gentler sunVlight of a rate September noon Not a wing Tfia3h.es to and fro. The heavens are like 'inid-ooean, lonely and becaJined, without ■& £ail in % view. For the sand-martins -'efF tfcsir caveis in the sandy banks and crumbling \ \

hollows some little time ago, aild since then have departed on thei. flight, whither I cuinot tell. Those lound i'de-s in the soft c'iffs and cuttings, where all the summer through we saw them come and go, reach, it may be, twe arms' lengths into the sand. They tunnel the same size ac the entrance .11 the way, but terminate in a small •chamber, in which is the nest. Yet these clever little engineers remove every grain m their beaks, and if they come upon a reck half-way then work is in vain. They were the earliest lo come to us in spring. And that first swallow, that did not make a summer, was a sand-martin after all.

And not only are the biids gone, but .all the glory from the landscape. The petals have dropped from the flowers, the sumptuousness of colour from the creepers and from the autumn gold, from horizon to horizon the grey mists creep, touching with chill fingers the reds and browns and scarlet and purple that have faded in the rain. An early winter ! The words fall sadly and with foreboding for many, for it means extra need of food, of light, of fire, and alas, with too many, less money to procure what is needful.. But to those who have no anxiety the sound of the muffin bell is very pleasant in the street, and the first fire an event of "pleasure, meaning the cosy reunion of "friends, the afternoon callers, and chit-chat which the summer months interrupt. Among the topics which are interesting British women jus* now is that which was .started in the press by "A Gambler's -Wife." She, according to her own showing, is a lady who has to appear in society during the London season and to visit country houses ; her husband is inheritor of an income sufficient to meet all their demands to keep his establishment decently, to clothe; and educate his children according to the recognised standards. But "A Gambler's Wife" declares that owing to her husband's fatal passion for turf speculation they were more miserably poor than honest artisans, for their establishment, the education of their sons, the clothes they wore, the wages of maids ard men who served them, the outfitters and dressmakers were all unpaid. "'A Gambler's Wife," it seems, told a tale which is the story -of hundreds of others, foi sim'ilai tales came thick ,and fast — women whose lives and the lives of their children, should be secured against care, and happy -in a hopeful future, were blighted. r by the- men who gambled away "the security of. wife.' and children. ''."Then came in answer the declaration. of the - men that in the present time as often as a woman has occasion to blame a man for gambling, 'so almost as ofteD do. the "men have occasion to blame women for their bridge gambling. "The' Walls of Jericho" put upon the stage a living picture of this "bridge"' mania among the -women of to-day;. And if all the husbands of folly-ridden, wives were- as splendid as this hero from the Antipodes women would relinquish thedr folly for his love.