 Whitehall 1212 for the first time in history Scotland Yard opened its official files to bring you the true story of some of its most baffling cases Research for Whitehall 1212 is from Percy Hoskins of the London Daily Express The stories for radio are written and directed by Willis Cooper You will now hear the voice of Chief Superintendent John Davidson who is custodian of the famous black museum of Scotland Yard Many of the objects are on exhibit here in the black museum as you undoubtedly know weapons of murder They're not always knives, bludgeons, guns Murder is done with a great variety of instruments never intended for that unpleasant task These wrinkled sheets of what appears to be black blotting paper have been responsible for a great many deaths In fact, they were manufactured for that purpose and sold openly years ago It's true that most of the deaths these papers caused were perfectly legal in fact to be desired But these particular ones figured in a case of most revolting murder You see these are old-fashioned flypapers Once they were impregnated with arsenic Soaked in water and left standing about in a saucer. They furnished a working solution of pure arsenic The flies who sipped it found their way at once through the pearly gates So did them any unwary pets who sampled it and some careless people on the 20th of September 1911 a Rather shabby fat man called on inspector Oliver Peters at his office in New Scotland Yard My name is Pete Van Halts inspector. I live in Finnsbury Park Finnsbury Park, let me think that's new Holloway prison. It's just beyond Holloway Road. Yes, sir Yes. Well, what brings you here, sir? Well, sir, I To put it quite plainly My aunt is dead. I'm sorry to hear that mr. Van Halts Pete Van Halts, I'm sorry to hear about your answer, but what I My aunt was not How shall I say it? I'm sure I don't know mr. Van Halts say what? well, I Mean she was not very nice. Oh I'll be perfectly frank with you inspector Peters May I sit down? By all means sir. Thank you My aunt had money Not a great deal. I suppose in some ways, but quite a good sum and what I have always expected would be my share one day Considerable some to me you see and you didn't get it. No, I didn't Have only me and my wife Naturally, we expect to She lived with us when she died Well, no, no, I Must admit we quarreled once in a while. I see. Oh, no, no, no, you don't see I I mean that wasn't it Although we haven't seen her for nearly a year still blood is thicker than water. You're going to say exactly Exactly, I couldn't have put it better myself But this thicker than water. That's what I always tell my wife You said your aunt wasn't living with you. No, she'd gone to live with the family in tollington park That's a street tollington park in in finsbury park only a little way from where my wife and I live That's where your aunt died. Yeah, that's where she died in this fellow's house And then I wasn't even told about it till after she was dead and buried I Was the only living relation and I expected and you weren't mentioned in the will at all Yes, I was mentioned in the thing. Oh, yes. Yes. I was in it Well, then I don't understand. I was left 10 pounds and I didn't even get that And 10 pounds was all the money she had left what that was all the money she had I tell you where was the rest of it He had it. Oh this this simons this man who Her landlord the the fellow who owns the place where she was living How did he get it? I Don't know but he added. He's still got it. That's not all She left me 10 pounds But he showed me where he'd spend 11 pounds 10 shillings 10 pence apony for a funeral expenses One pound and one shilling and 10 pence apony more than my poultry legacy and since I was next of kin I had to pay it So my rich aunt dies and I am out 30 shillings 30 shillings and a hipney. What do you think of that? Well, Mr. Van Hals, I'm dreadfully sorry but can't you do anything about it? How do you know he's got the rest of her money? Well, he showed me the papers. Oh looks legal to me, but I'm sure it's not Look here inspector. I don't want it all. I want only my share, but that's the soul-surviving relative Well, it was a lot of money was it or 4,000 pounds isn't tram fare inspector 4,000 pounds 4,000 pounds Well, my best advice to you mr. Van Hals is to consult a solicitor solicitor You need to have someone look at those papers you spoke about You're sure they were signed by your aunt Why do you think I came to Scotland yard inspector? Well, my aunt may the Lord best a poor soul Had a fine marble tomb she bought for herself in Highgate It's 700 pounds for it. She always talked about being placed in it when she passed away and this fellow Simons He knew about it. My aunt was always talking about her last resting place. He knew about it. All right, you know what he did I'm sure I don't he had her buried. I Didn't even know she was dead. He had a buried in a common grave in Islington with eight other bodies Well, don't you know murderers do that That was no basis for an accusation of murder, of course But the circumstances did warrant an investigation inspector Peters thought So he paid a visit to Bertram Simons the man who had been miss hogs landlord That was the aunt's name miss hog miss Winifred hog Mr. Simons the landlord was a businessman Yes, miss Winifred hog rented the second floor of my house here some 11 months ago I'd be glad to answer any questions about her and our business relations any I deem proper, sir Your name is Peter. Inspector Peters. Yes, sir. Who sent you here? I was not sent here by anyone, mr. Simons I came here in the course of my duties as a member of the criminal investigation department. Have a chair. Thank you now What would you like to know about miss hog? Well, sir with your van house send you here. I think I told you sir that nobody sent me here Oh, yes, that's right, but van house has been complaining to you about me has me mr. Van house has spoken to me, sir Yes, I would like to what did he say? I don't think that. Oh, yes, it has he's accusing me. I met our mr. Van house inspector May I ask you a few questions mr. Simons? He's disappointed May I ask you may ask any questions you wish well then I'll answer the ones I feel are proper I've said this woman lived in my house for 11 months. I can give you the exact period I don't want 11 months less one two Six days to the time she died Her weekly rent for the entire second floor. This house was 15 shillings and six months, which I think was a extraordinary chief Don't you now what else? You had other financial arrangements with miss hog. I understand. I did Would you care to say anything about them, sir? I don't think it's any of your business, but I see no reason to No reason whatever It's purely a business arrangement. I'm a businessman inspector. I'm sure you are sir miss hog was let me say suspicious of the finances of the present government The Lloyd George budget for example caused a great deal of trepidation a great many people seem to share that trepidation I'm sure I don't sir. I've never had cause to fear for the soundness of the British Empire I wasn't suggesting she suggested to me that she would be willing to turn over to me such bond Securities and money's as she possessed She did yes What she wanted was security Freedom from worry. She said she asked me if I if I'd be willing to pay her an annuity for life in return for what monies and security she possessed And you agree I did that and she made over all her assets to me, but I'll show you the papers Yes, but is anything wrong inspector? I Don't seem to find a record of your agreement to pay her this annuity you speak of three pounds a week Let me see. I'm sure I had it Yes, but but what the these seem to be your records of payments to miss hog. That's what they are 10 15 20 30 weeks of three pounds per week until the 8th of September the day she died I Don't see any record of her having received the payments, mr. Simons, and is there a record of the whole transaction I mean a signed agreement between you two there is not Miss hog didn't wish to have any further Agreements in writing. I mean about the matter of the year. I well I think she didn't wish other people to know she was receiving an annuity This is most extraordinary mr. Simons tears, isn't it? Yes Miss hog was not very much of a business woman. You see obviously she was not But you're a business man aren't you mr. Simons? There's nothing wrong about that These appear to be in legal form But I'm not prepared to say what mr. Van Hal's or a court of equity would be likely to say to it It's legal. All right What about miss hogs will then I had several copies typed up? I Was a witness to it? Here's the will it's essentially what mr. Van Hal said He was bequeathed some of 10 pounds by his aunt 10 pounds. Yes, I see And here's the undertaker's bill 11 pounds 10 shillings and temp and safe me I advance this amount of the undertaker Leaving mr. Van Hal's in your debt in the sum of 31 shillings and a hip he paid me. Yes, we What's this? Huh? Oh? That's the undertaker's original bill sign paid by him Yeah, that's what I'm looking at. What's this item? Remitted to mr. Simons one pound one shilling F. Anderson. That's the undertaker's signature. No, no the item oh Commission commission 10% I gave him the business. He paid me for it You made a profit. Yes on the funeral. Of course. What's wrong with that? I'm a businessman Yes Why did you have miss hog buried in a common grave mr. Simons? Because it was cheaper partly yes But did you see her death certificate? Of course not let me show it to you What about the tomb she owned in Hygge it? Yeah, why wasn't she buried there looked at the death certificate inspector? See here cause of death Epidemic diarrhea Epidemic diarrhea sirs a contagious disease Isn't it better to bury that kind of a corpse in a grave with half a dozen other victims of the same and not risk passing the disease onto healthy people? Answer me that sir Well, I'm not a fool inspector You're too squeamish young man You think I'm a heartless person because I'm not ashamed to take my profit, don't you? Well, that's your opinion But I assure you sir that I'm not a fool not by any manner of means inspector. I'm not a fool Now is there anything else you want to know? You can't prove anything by an interview like that Some of our solstice here at Scotland Yard say there are people who can smell the crime Inspector Oliver Peters was that kind of man It took an extraordinary amount of sniffing though before his nose pointed in the right direction I suppose it was Van House who gave him the suggestion He came into Peters office to inquire what had occurred and Peters told him I Don't like it at all then house. I can't say anything at all, sir, but I'm I Mean I believe he treated my aunt very bad. They are I don't know what he did to her But what's that? Well, when I was at his house there in Islington the day before I came to see you yes Well, I saw the room she lived in he showed it to me nice room It was filthy it was I don't believe he took any care of her at all flies well a Sycrum though fly papers cheap enough well there there were sauces in the room with the fly papers in them There's three or four of them, but all the water had dried up and there was nothing but the dried up poison papers left And I saw that they were poison what The poison papers were all dried up me Did I say something? I'll be back in a few minutes Peters was in Basil Pearson's office in two jumps Basil Pearson was the famous home office pathologist. He died last year This was 40 years ago remember Peters had a question to ask Sorry to burst in when you like this bezel what's chasing you look here You're familiar with the symptoms of this epidemic diarrhea aren't you of course Afraid you've got it old boy Of course not what I'd like you to answer me is are the symptoms anything like the symptoms of arsenic poisoning arsenic What's in flight papers in it? Yes, of course Yes under certain circumstances if a person was suffering from this epidemic thing Presence of arsenic might not be suspected Patients dead of course and buried No one less arsenic or poisoning was suspected There's enough similarity to warrant certifying that guess was caused by the epidemic thing good Now is there enough arsenic in flight paper to cause death under certain circumstances? You can identify arsenic in a dead body too. Can't you mean the body has not been dead too long in Lethal quantities you mean yes Well, it's not generally too difficult How much is a lethal quantity? Oh I have grains are upward you planning on murdering someone I shouldn't recommend arsenic How long after death can you find arsenic in a body of basil? Good time. I should say How long is this one about two weeks? I think that's not long at all Why post mortem for me. I'd rather hope to get away for a holiday tomorrow It won't take you long to do a p.m. Basil. Come on all boy. Well Got the papers. I'll have them for you by tomorrow All right Where is it? Islington that dreary place is linked in cemetery to be quite honest Well, thank heavens arsonic acts as a preservative. I'll give you a hand. Just get me the papers. Oh boy Shouldn't even pack a kit bag until I see the papers, you know And by the by is it a he or she she I'll go and see if I can get George Redmond to give me the papers at once Thanks ever so much. Don't fret too much if you won't let you have them at once Why she can't get away There is a small mortuary near Holloway prison, which is not far away from Islington cemetery There's a laboratory there too. Not a very complete one, but Basil Pearson said it would be satisfactory They found the arsenic an orphaned I'd say the body contains a fatal quantity of arsenic. Good. I think so I said remember I Have to take these samples of tissue and what not and check them quantitatively first, but I think so But arsenic is present How about whatever it was she was supposed to have died of doesn't look like it from the inside here Might have looked that way in an ordinary examination Obviously our cynical poisoning now that we know the arsenic's here Inspector Peters went back to see mr. Simons the businessman Mr. Simons didn't seem to be very excited and that rather puzzled inspector Peters But he tried not to be obvious about it What's so hilarious may I ask oh you look funny. Oh, do I Have you been out with it by a clever criminal, isn't it? I don't think I have no or pardon me for laughing But you did look funny What can I do for you inspector? Are you agreeable to answering a few questions mr. Simons? Oh, you're a very inquisitive man I am well, I'll give you the same answer. I gave you before I'll answer such questions as I think are proper Thank you go ahead Very well Well begin inspector Very well. Oh stop saying very well and ask it questions Very well, where did the arsenic come from that was found in Miss Hogs's body? What arsenic? You didn't know that a large quantity of arsenic was found in her body. No, I didn't it was How did he get there? I doubt it was an accident mr. Simons. Well, how could it get there? Arsene I don't believe it. I can assure you it's there That's what killed her Where could she have got arsenic? I wonder to Work in one by arsenic at a chemist shop. I fancy Not without a poison certificate Are they certain it's arsenic Basil Pearson says so I've heard of him haven't I nearly everyone in England has he's um, I mean, he's what do you call him up? He's home office pathologist knows all about poison. Yes if he says there's poison in her body He's pretty certain to be right if he says so there's no question about it and he says so yes He says there was enough poison in Miss Hogs body to kill her. Yes huh Has Miss Hogs sick room been cleaned yet, mr. Simons, huh? Oh, I'm sorry to say it hasn't it has been fumigated though. Otherwise nothing's been changed Oh, no, I was going to sell the bedstead in the mattress. You are a businessman. Yes, that's right Have you any objections to taking me there to the sick room? Yes, of course. Why? Why the germs the microbes she died there. She died of our cynical poisoning. Oh, that's right. That's right. So he said Will you take me to a room? Mm-hmm. If you insist, I'm afraid I do insist mr. Simons Well, I'm not at all sure I want to go in that room inspector. Why not? Well, are you afraid to look at the flypaper mr. Simons? Flypaper the flypaper that the room is full of the flypaper that contains arsenic The flypaper that can be bought at any shop without a poison certificate mr. Simons flypaper. That's it flypaper That's what it was. That's right. Why I bought that flypaper myself Poor miss Hogs. She was so uncomfortable with all the heat, you know and the flies there was something awful Poor woman. She was suffering so I've no doubt and she said to me the very day before she died It was she said to me Go and fetch me some packets of that black flypaper you soak in water and the flies drink it and they die She begged me poison. I know it's poison arsenic Arsenic, and she gave me the money she gave me six months I remember and when I got to the chemist shop They had only one thrupe any packet of the stuff and I bought that and brought it home I hope you remember to give her the change mr. Simons. Eh, I Jove it's too late now You put the poison flypaper out. Yes, of course. Do you think I have no bowels of compassion at all? There were six sheets of the stuff that I could find only four sources or things for containers though You still have the other two sheets here in the house cause waste not want not quite right mr. Simons quite right Now, how do you suppose the arsenic got from the flypaper into miss hogs's body? Why why was very hard? Yes, and uh miss hog drank a great deal of water. Yes Go on miss Simons. Well, could she have drunk off the poison water and the sources all of it Well, if there's arsenic in our body, there is well then Well then Mr. Simons, I Must attain you on suspicion of having caused the death of winnifred hog. Oh No You can't and I warn you that anything you say will be taken down and writing and maybe use as evidence But When I inspect the Peters brought the remains of the thriftly packet of arsenic of flypapers to Basil Pearson Pearson shook his head. No good Oliver. What's no good? The man practically confessed. No good old boy Wasn't it arsenic after all? Of course. It's arsenic. No question. That's what killed her. Basil. I don't understand you You say I say it wasn't the arsenic from these flypapers Look here at the envelope that came in yes the label read it and down here that fine trend I see that you read it our cynical content three tenths of a grain per sheet That's right six sheets six times three tenths one and eight tenths grain a whole packet will kill flies perhaps for a human being Do you know how much arsenic the standard marsh test indicates was in her body? No more than seven grains Four times as much as a whole packet of these papers contains You couldn't be wrong. Did you ever know me to be wrong? I don't think anyone ever knew Basil Pearson to be wrong His death last year left a great void in the world of Scotland yard at least He was as nearly indispensable as any man has ever been It looked for a while as if Inspector Oliver Peters had dropped a most frightful brick that might do him Irreparable harm in the CID He had committed an unpardonable sin. He had jumped too quickly Simons had gambled cleverly knowing that the story of the flypapers would certainly be disproved in open court He hoped clearing him completely But he gambled too confidently Before the preliminary hearing I accompanied Oliver Peters to Simon's house in Tollington Park. I Well remember what we found There was nothing of any importance in the sick room where Miss Hargit died But in a dustbin in the cellar. I Can still hear Oliver Peters boys when he found them John John look here. Look what I found. Oh, I hurry to see They looked like wrinkled sheets of blotting paper to me, but when Basil Pearson saw them You're right Oliver 27 28 29 30 sheets of the same kind of flypapers see the names stamped on them. They're the same kind all right each one of them contained How much let's see the label from the other packet? Let's see it Oliver our cynical content three tenths of a grain per sheet and when all 30 of these sheets have been soaked clean 30 times three tenths 90 tenths Nine full grains enough to kill an elephant Basil. Well enough to have killed a hog at least our boy Little hanging and so I did The jury at Simon's trial at Old Bailey believed he'd made the concoction of 30 sheets of flypaper and fed it to Miss Hub and so they sentenced him to hang Oh, and by the way, these are the same sheets of flypaper. I showed you when we started to talk I Must put them back in the file. They've done their part Good afternoon Here today on Whitehall one two one two in the order of their appearance were Harvey Hayes Lester Fletcher Winston Ross Horace Brayham and Carl Harvard Lionel Rico speaking Whitehall one two one two is written and directed by Willis Cooper Forest rangers do a good job in protecting the woodlands of our nation But even if we had many times the present number of forest rangers, they couldn't prevent all of the fires that threaten our forests Anytime you're out in the fields in the woods. You should be your own forest ranger Crush out cigarettes cigar and pipe ashes break matches and two after using them drown all campfires Always follow these simple rules yourself and insist that others follow them, too Remember, it's up to all of us to protect our forests against fire So don't be careless for a moment Remember the risk is far too great This is NBC the national broadcasting company