murderers, and I now think there were probably at least two of them, have arrived in one of these places recently, the police should either know about it or know who will tell them, estate agents or hoteliers, those kind of people.’
March 5th 1910. 10.35 From: Inspector Devereux Metropolitan Police.
To: Ticket Offices, Union Castle HQ Southampton.
Re: Triple Murder Inquiry.
We are anxious to discover where the following passengers bought tickets for voyage from Southampton to Durban, single or return, in December last year or on the first voyage in January. Allen, Briggs, Bell, Cameron, De Villiers, Dixon, Dalrymple, Fish, Gibbons, Grant, Hughes, Jackson, Jones-Parry, King, Kruger, Lowther, Macaulay, Matfield, Middleton, Newton, Peters, Poundfoot, Randall, Smit, Steyn, Strauss, Trumper, Turnbull, Vincent, Williams, Winder.
March 5th 1910. 10.45 From: Inspector Devereux, Metropolitan Police. Same inquiry to Messrs Thomas Cook.
March 5th 1910. 11.25
Lord Powerscourt to Charles Hagberg Wright, Librarian, London Library.
Re: Place Names ending in be.
Currently engaged on triple murder inquiry. Suspect villains may have been based in West Country in a place ending in be. Have suspicious bus or train ticket found at one murder site ending in be. Villains may not wish to advertise their presence. Which villages or towns would you recommend we contact. Regards Powerscourt.
March 5th 1910. 12.45
From: Thomas Cook.
To: Inspector Devereux, Metropolitan Police.
Of 31 names sent, two bought their tickets through our West End branch. Dalrymple, Jones-Parry. Returns Southampton Durban Southampton. First Class. Regards.
March 5th^ 1910. 13.50.
From: Union Castle Ticket Office, Southampton.
To: Inspector Devereux, Metropolitan Police.
Of 31 names mentioned in your wire, seventeen purchased their tickets in England through our offices or by post: Briggs, Cameron, de Villiers, Dixon, Gibbons, Grant, Jackson, Lowther, Macaulay, Middleton, Newton, Peters, Poundfoot, Randall, Trumper, Turnbull, Williams. All return, Southampton Durban Southampton, except de Villiers and Trumper who were single, second class. All except Cameron, Gibbons, Grant, Newton first class, those four second class. Good luck. Union Castle Line.
March 5th 1910. 14.25.
From: Inspector Devereux, Metropolitan Police.
To: Inspector Paul Roos, Durban Borough Police, South Africa.
Request info on type of ticket, first or second class, and route, single or return, held by the following passengers Union Castle Cape Town or Durban — Southampton — Durban or Cape Town in the two sailings last December 1909, and first sailing Jan 1910: Allen, Bell, Fish, Hughes, King, Kruger, Matfield. Smit, Steyn, Strauss, Vincent, Winder.
March 5th 1910 15.10.
From: Charles Hagberg Wright, Librarian, London Library.
To: Lord Francis Powerscourt.
Re: Place Names ending in be.
Many place names ending in ‘be’ across West Country, mainly Devon and Dorset, virtually none in Cornwall. Many too small to be good hiding places. Have four for preliminary consideration. Boscombe, next to Bournemouth. Railway station, mineral water, pier, hotels. Ilfracombe, North Devon coast. Tourist town fed by ferries along Bristol Channel. Many hotels, houses owned by naval personnel. Railway station. Babbacombe Bay, smaller than others. Tourist area with many hotels. On coast near Torquay. Served by buses not by trains. Salcombe on its own estuary leading to Kingsbridge. Growing in importance as holiday centre with hotels, large villas for rent, etc. Sailing town, GWR bus serving Kingsbridge railway station. If these don’t work, come back for more. Regards. Good Luck, Hagberg Wright.
March 5th 1910. 15.50.
From: Inspector Devereux. Metropolitan Police.
To: HQ Devon Constabulary, HQ Dorset Constabulary.
Re: Triple Murder Inquiry.
Am looking for party of two or three foreigners, probably South African, who may be staying in one of the following resorts in your jurisdiction, Boscombe, Babbacombe Bay, Ilfracombe, Salcombe. Principal suspect over fifty years old, others probably younger. They could be staying in hotel or rented house. Probably arrived mid to late December. All extremely dangerous. Do not approach unless it can’t be avoided. Regards.
March 5th 1910. 18.15.
From Inspector Paul Roos, Durban Borough Police.
To: Inspector Devereux, Metropolitan Police.
Re: Triple Murder.
Results so far. All tickets except Bell and Fish, purchased Durban. Bell, Fish singles ex Cape Town. Families related, believed to be going to family function in Oxfordshire and tour of England. Durban passengers Hughes, King, return tickets originating London. All businessmen, known to South African authorities. Smit, Steyn, travelling return Durban Southampton Durban. Pastors with Dutch Reformed Church going to conference in Holland. Information on rest later. Regards.
March 5th 1910. 19.05.
From Inspector Galway, Torquay Police Station.
To: Inspector Devereux, Metropolitan Police.
Re: Triple Murder:
Babbacombe Bay part of our beat. No trace in hotels or guest houses there of your suspects. Regards, Galway.
March 5th 1910. 19.40.
From: Inspector Harkness, Boscombe Police Station.
To: Inspector Devereux, Metropolitan Police.
Re: Triple Murder.
All Boscombe hotels and guest houses checked. No trace of your suspects here. Sorry. Good luck.
‘I don’t think we’re going to get any more cables today,’ said Inspector Devereux, fresh from the Metropolitan Police telegraph room. ‘You should have had copies of all them,’ he went on, stretching his legs out in front of the fire in Markham Square. ‘What do you think of the news so far?’
‘Normally,’ said Lady Lucy, ‘I’m a hopeful sort of person. But here we are. We’ve eliminated most of the people travelling Durban or Cape Town to Southampton. There’s absolutely no sign of the people we’re interested in, or might be interested in if we knew who they are. Half of the place names in Devon and Dorset have reported back and there’s no sign of the suspects there either. The field is contracting all the time. What happens if we’ve got it all wrong? What happens if they’re not South African at all, if they didn’t need to come here on a great liner because they lived here already? What happens if the strange mark on the dead bodies is just a decoy, a red herring designed to throw us off the scent? What happens if we’ve got everything wrong?’
‘You’re very pessimistic this evening, Lucy,’ said Powerscourt. ‘I think it’s too soon to give up the ghost. We’re not out of the hunt yet. Let’s wait and see what news tomorrow brings.’
‘But what happens if I’m right and we’ve got everything wrong?’
‘I don’t believe we have got everything wrong, Lucy, my love. But I tell you what I would do if we were wrong.’
‘What’s that, Francis?’
‘I should present my compliments to the Honourable Company of Silkworkers and resign from this case with apologies for failure. And then I should retire completely from all investigations of every sort. Like the man in Candide, I should cultivate my garden.’
