1952-06-21 — Page 11

BL

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 1952.

THE CASE BOOK OF DRE HORTIC

DR J. B. FIRTH

NO. 1 IN A NEW SERIES OF BRAIN-TESTERS

I

YOUR SLIP IS

SHOWING, SONIA

MET Sonian, Lon- tout-Crime

Queen, in a low cafe. (a basement, in

fact) off

Tottenham Court Road.

Here, the svelte. slont- eyed seductress babbled on

shady [1

nook

in

while

dopt-traffickers and con-

men passed by and peered

in

to

pay

Sonia's beauty,

Abscu

homage

to

cut-mindedly: she slipped 11 handful of

hashish in mistake for cocaine Into her cup of cocoa and plunged

dressed into

Story.

an

fully

her fordid

"I was He more

Innocent

child

the

Ume," she said, "the only con- victions I'd tad

being merel

e ly

for larceny. Boitering anc Jetting my hair down in hub-

than

"V

m.

good

died at 9-15° Adorable She was.. and de.

voted. Never fair to her- self."

Shafts of bright May aunshine came through the lounge window as Dr Robert George Clements sat in his flat overlooking Southport's colourful promenade gar- dens, and, turning over the pages of his red, leather- bound diary to May 27, 1947, wrote that Inst tribute to his wife.

Amy Victoria Clements had died less than an hour before in a local nursing home, and, for the fourth time in his life, the 67-year- old doctor had become a widower,

The

Fourth

Mrs Clements

Today wo publish the first of a new series tolling the inside stories of famous crimes taken from the -case Look of Dr. Firth, Director of the "Home Office

Forensic Laboratory at Preston, England, ma

The first caso is the murder of Amy Clomonts by her doctor husband, at Southport, · Lancashire, Dr Clemonts killed himtolf by an infection of morphing soon after the polies had stoppad his wife's “fuñozol. Vital evidence in the cùso come from 'a tiny portion of spinal cord.

Dr J. B. Firth, who was born at Stockport in the county of Lancashira, has played a major rõlo in solv ing most of the big murder mystorios of the north-west of England duting the pasteloven years. He is recognised as one of the great authorities on forensic sclonco...

of

The stories are told by Ken Compston,

+

Mrs

the only organs through which. Dr Firth could prove the truo cause of Mrs. Clements' death.

Evén

of the portion Clements' spinal cord, when it was placed on the slender balanco In Dr Firth's Inborntory, weighted only 12 grammes; barely half an ource.

Only atmall amounts could be spared for Individual tests, for Dr Firth and Mr E. Pedley, who worked unceasingly hour after tour in the laboratory, might have to eliminate · scores of poisons belare reaching their inal conclusions.

In one experiment alone a test tubd had to stand 18 hours before the find reactions could be judged.

Every day, in the red-bricked single-storey building in Jordan Street, Dr Firth worked on. For 16 days Southport Borough police and the Coroner had been waiting the one roport Lipon which the whole fase rested. THE COLOURS

THEN it came......a colour change. Blue to purple...then to violet. From this and other

any

Among their friends in Southport "Bertie" Clements and his wife seemed a devoted couple.. Every day for months, on, which Dr Firth made the the mysteriousnesses of the tests Dr Firth knew that Mra the leaves of that gold- case the "last Més 1st Mis Clements.

Clements had died from edged expensive personal Clements" a calise éclebra., The doctor was full of morphine.

had re-

Without indignation when he had to tell

records of diary, the doctor

For a man who had suffered.. his frienis. the following day previous case to guide him, it was corded the medical

con such a grievous loss Dr Clements that Mr C. Bolton, the South difficult to

Interpret the full dition of "V," as he

seemed very composed He West Lancashire coroner, had significance of his findings. her affectionately.

spent the morning of "V" death ugcided to hold an inquest on his In less than a quarter of an Many of the notes were from a tumour on the Urain. To

telling friends that she had died wife.

buhee of the spinal cord he had found .✡ milligrammes of trivial matters, of walks two specially

of close friends he

morphine....a mere pin head. round the marine lake and added the rather private in- occasional car rides.

formation that post-inorteta. was to be held.

TABLETS

called

Even then it seemed, that the 'octor's luck was going to re

tablets hud been

But, one thing was certain, It malfi. Dr. Janies Montague proved to him beyond doubt that Houston, a young pathologist at Mrs Clements had taken more Southport Infirmary, after con- than a fatal dose. Quarter grain The debonair Irisli doctor must ducting the private post-mortem morphine have been well pleased which, examination, had destroyed the slipped into the IN that very room a few later, he was able to say that brain and nearly all the ether, which Mrs Clements thought she

days later Dr J. B. Firth **" had died from myeloid vital organs that Dr Firth would' was

rare form of blood require to prove the police theory tablets. But the presence of so

harmless taking began his search into the disease,

that poisoned.

leukemia,

battle from

Mrs Clements had been much mo cord to the penell- at a cafe FIRST TIME

That night he was nut pt a

where occasionally he and his

lives. of Dr and Mra Clements. On n mantel- piece, just where she had private dinner party put it, he picked up from wife had dined. among dozens of other

Throughout the day messages bottles, the "pheno- of sympathy had been arriving barbitone tablets" which from medical men, members of Mrs Clements had been the church where he attended taking to help her sleep. services and other friends. Soon Systematically he went he would have his son and other relatives, already on their way through the contents of the to Southport for the funeral, to flat, hunting for anything comfort him. that might give him the slightest clue to her ill- NEW LIFE

Педвед.

siceping like spinal

led Dr Firth to believe that probably as his wife lay dozing under the effect of the sleeping tablets Dr Clements THERE was nothing the famous had plunged a hypodermie into forensic scientist could take her back to end the life of his as a substitute for the stomach "adorable" wife. and its contents, but the spinal

Dr Clements corda cylinder-like plees of murdered his three previous material barely as thick as a a wives is a

is a matter for 'speculation, lady's little finger might give but the Coroner's jury at South- the same response to the expert- port returned a verdict on the menis he would have made upon evidence of Dr Firth and Dr the brain and other organs. Grace that he murdered the last Mrs Clements and then com- mitted fèlo de - 52 murder).

Never before had the spinal cord been used to prove the administration of poison. to a was dead person. But it was not the

Firth had had to break new

the doctor Occasionally, holiday. ALREADY

supervising the clearing up makers streaming across of fat one of the life secrets of first time in his career that Dr

his wife-looking ground. to the arrival of a housekeeper and-a new-style life.

Ru Morgue's the promenade to the beach, husband and

slightly-bullt doctor as overdraft...

by ERNEST DUDLEY

She patted her raven tresses, eplied like an enormous main- spring_around her head,

She windled her Mona Lisa smile.

When

Parlslun parasite

+

named Ru (short for Rupert) Morque got me into his clutches

I was a wax in his eruel, sup- ple fingers.

"I thought," Sonia went on, "he only wanted me to become

a dancer with A troupo of Abominable Showgirls. Instead, he forced me to help him rob The Grand National Alatree.

Волк,

down

A huge fear trickled Sonia's coulful nose. It drop- ed holly into her cocoa, wak- a fence at the next table. references forged by

Ink with

three raps came at the front

duor.

I

"Putting on my mink wrap,

caught glimpses of the hé

brought articles nearer to the window for inspection.

At his home in Birkdale that night Dr Firth spent much time thinking of the articles he had collected, but

I answered them. It was Ru.it was many hours later let him in, and he went to that he received from Dr work On the safe deposit W. H. Grace, the Home Youll,"

Quickly Ru filled with bank- notes a plain van walling out of spinal side.

"Then he tied me up and gagged me (with a gag he'd American borrowed from an

radio show on the short wave). He left me. The caretaker, who I'd taken core should be out at the time, found me some the ume later and fetched police.

ney fairground fakir Ragged and

Sonia

overpowered by

But, as he worked, Licutenant- Colonel Mighsil, Chief Constable of Southport, and senior officers the genial old man was fast be- were spinning the web into which coming entangled.

An anonymolts postcard in 1939 had arrived an hour or so too late for the police to stop the cremation of the doctor's third

..

Back in his laboratory, It was a comparatively easy task for him to prove that Dr Clements killed himself by an Injection of morphine soon after the pellee for evidente had stopped his wife's funeral, of thorphine had been found

in the hypodermic syringe put down by the doctor as he lay dying in his chair:

It was even more, simple tu establish that young Dr Houston

Office pathologist, the piece wife, reputed to have died from had poisoned. hithsol! with cancer. 'Now, nothing could cyanide after throwing away de- through prevent a full investigation into cidentally what he believed were

cord

TEST PILOT

the 'world's

NE

iskiest jobs is that of

by JAMES STUART

•

ice-cool brain in emer-

·

Navy's air arm.

The Navy's airmen, who every day of the week land their aeroplanes un the decks of carriers, take their work for granted.

When the police questioned the experimental test-pilot. me I told them how I'd been

In the aircraft industry an three masked men, I described auch men as John Cunning- gency." con- how I'd struggled and failed ham, "Bill" Pegg, "Jock"

False Bryce, Neville Duke, "Mike" speed aeroplane safely to the week I was taking his mind off Sonia let another teardrop Lithgow and "Bob" Bea- ground after it had been out of young Scottish pilot.

Phil, a from tinued, "I the bank manager. Within

Felixstowe,"cretary to, to get myself free and

Д

his work and he was taking me off to morning coffee and cakes. The

"

the alarm

fall. "Which was

mad

the

a

But a

a lot of the developments Many men who brought a high- 10 noval flying have been due to

"infalle

patience" of this

control would think only of their About 2,000 times he has landed where mont have the task of tak narrow escope. But the test aircraft on carrier decks, nearly made a silly slip." she moaning up ed. "I gave the whole

new types for the pilot must memorke what went always to carry out some test or show

did The Crime, Queert passed away. D

Arst time and

to get out afterwards wrong, what he

other. It and Ru Morgue was sent

was Brown who put of the trouble and what other the her

down." nervously stirring

aircraft, twin-engined cocoa

Grat of finding out what the Info chocolate mousse

moves he

have as the BONIA'S BLIP

might

medo. a Mosquito, on to the deck of is showing in aeroplanes can do.

Lieut commander Brown said: "The night for Rụ Mor- the picture of how the police

carrier in 1944. For this he was sketches such case. "The gue's coup' arrived. Ï

found her. But if you are

pilot

given the MBE. The following Wus

In the RAF and the Navy may take four desperate but dis- year he mad working late, and was alone

the first deck land not sure you've got the officers whose names seldom tinctly different courses of action ing in an

made at the bank, Midnight and solution is on Page 10.

even faster Hernot hit the headlines do much disastrous situation in a matter, the Navy began to look to jota he before he recovers from a twin-engined fighter, and when the same work-evaluating of seconds. Later in the peace- made the first jet deck landing the usefulness of new aero- ful aftermath of reflection, he in a Vampire. These, two feats planes to the Services, and should be able readily to recall won him the OBE. Anding now uses for exist- the line of action he took, but the really great test pilot will ing aircraft.

also recollect the details of the

AS WITH US HUMANS

SO WITH APES-

THE WIFE IS STILL THE BOSS

By CHAPMAN PINCHER

THE doctors who are ported the behaviour of male and "You can easily fool a malo the minds of Britain's chimp, but you cannot fool a toughest, criminals were female," he sold. advised to practise "Male chimps which love to chimpanzees.

T responsible for probing fontale chimps.

not.

"A female will deliberately to mors than IDO paychiatrists be affectionate just to get near

The knowledge, they gain other three unsuccessful attempts guca back to the aircraft which may reveal something scientists and on to the far more important," he says. squadron pilota. The test pilots are the men who turn theory into practice.

What kind of qualities are needed for such a job?

for the war,

Lieut.

IEUT-COMMANDER BROWN won the Air Force Cross in 1947 for hid, research flights in high-speed fighters and in slow- hoverplanes. Two years later he carried out the Navy's Arst experiments with the rather

B commander Brown--who has hush-hush Lexible rubber deck

Die Royal

Narrow escopes? He reports

probably made more catapult landing on it with an aircraft launches than any other pilot in without an under-carriage. This The answer comes from the world-might today have work which may revolutionise one of the world's most ex- been a school teacher. He left atrcraft carriers won him the perienced test

Edinburgh University with a King's Commendation, the Navy's pilota, Master of Arts degree, and when Boyd Trophy and the silver on scate the life out of a frightened 8 1-year - old · Lieut the war started was in Germany medal of the Aeronautical

man, will sit quietly and pretend commander Eric Melrose as a student teacher. He es

Society, escaped to notice you if you square Brown, Chief Test Pilot of authorities could intern him,; ed Service Cross for Professor D. O. Hebb, ond of

frum

He also holds the Dlitinguish Germany before the the world's greatest authorities up to them.

the Royal Navy.

his wartime came home, and with some ex- operational flying. on the mind of the ape, lectured

of weekend flying at perience

clubs,

the Fleet rather casually, talking of lesta Joined feeds her.

with carrier decks arrester hooks: "I am convinced," he The professor's centre for criminal psychology have shown that though the gays, that the qualities dighiors, covering our Atlantie pletely in half, leaving the rear

soon flying naval I have had aircraft break com

metais, I am convinced that boss the finale generally got tost pilot are endowed by at Bascombe Down, the Govern... to the front half with him in It "After five years of expect male chimp scems to be the necessary In a first class convoys against nir attack, Brown half firmly attached to an

became a test piliot in 1943, firat arrester wire!!. What happ

happened caged apes are comparable to a her way, prison population of human

the males and big bluffere nature and not Indoctrinat mentairerafii, experimental, he leaves to the imaginatiola. beings" the professor, Bild,

As proof of overall aularity more skiful in dealing with a qualities are a keen analy ment at Farnborough, and a common occurrence to the he said. "The female in fired by man. The essential atation near Salisbury, and then? And in the "good old days of it the loyal Airetatt Establish fabric-covered aeroplanks. it was between ape and human minds.soehl altuation which cannot tical mind, infinite patience, Since then he has carried out whole of the tail: alight when the alight, fair-haired; profesiar, be solved by brute force N who comes from Montreal, Curti London Express Service) lightning-like reactions, and all kinds of air tests for the testing rocket-assisted take oth

and scientists at the Maudsley trough to bite the hand that Hospital, 6.E., Fathed research

experiments

flying

Air

HO WILS

(self-

NEXT SATURDAY: ..

The clue of the willow herb that led to the conviction of Walter Graham Rowland for the murder of a woman On

Manchester biltz site.

*

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