City of Dreadful Night

PROLOGUE

BRIGHTON GAZETTE, SATURDAY, 23 JUNE, 1934 GHASTLY FIND AT BRIGHTON BODY IN TRUNK WOMAN CUT TO PIECES SCOTLAND YARD’S TASK

Brighton was shocked early in the week by the news of a particularly horrible crime which came to light with the finding of the nude torso of a woman in a trunk at Brighton Central Railway Station, and the discovery of the legs in the King’s Cross Station Luggage Office.

The grim discovery was made on Sunday evening, 17th June. The trunk was forced open after there had been a complaint to the police that there was an offensive smell coming from it. The naked remains of the woman were found inside. The head, legs and arms had been sawn off. The trunk had been deposited on Wednesday, 6th June.

Clue of Letters

The remains were wrapped in brown paper and tied with window cord. On the edge of the paper, written in blue pencil, are the letters ‘ford’.

Scotland Yard was called in to deal with the ghastly affair, in conjunction with the local police. Chief Detective Inspector Donaldson and Detective Sergeant Sorrell at once came down and set to work after a long conference with the Brighton Chief Constable, Capt. W. J. Hutchinson.

It was at first thought that the woman was about forty years of age, but later Sir Bernard Spilsbury, the country’s leading forensic pathologist, gave as his opinion that she was in her twenties and certainly not more than thirty years old.

Legs found at King’s Cross

There came a startling development on Monday evening, 18th June, when detectives from Scotland Yard visited King’s Cross station and in the Left Luggage department found a suitcase which contained the legs missing from the Brighton body.

The suitcase at King’s Cross was deposited on 7th June, the day after the trunk was deposited at Brighton. The attention of an attendant at King’s Cross was drawn to the case by the odour.

The Inquest

The proceedings only lasted two minutes before Mr Charles Webb, the Deputy Coroner, adjourned the enquiry until Wednesday, 18th July, at eleven o’clock.

Mr Webb summarized the events of the past few days since the body was discovered. Referring to Sir Bernard Spilsbury’s examination of the previous day, Mr Webb said there were no marks or scars on the body by which it could be identified. The cause of death was not known.