A murder gone cold

From the Journals of Dr John Watson Player A

During a quiet period in Holmes’ affairs, we heard that Ferdinand Finder had succeeded in solving the mystery in Transylvania. Tragically Miss Higginbottom of the Occult Verification Society had been killed by a Rumanian bandit. Holmes and I with Detective Inspector Hastings attended the commemoration Service in her honour in Chelsea. I saw there Madam Hsing Song and some other Chinese as well as the OVS in force. From the way they were glared at, I think Miss Higginbottom’s mother and her friends blamed them for her daughter’s death. Her ashes had been returned in a green glazed urn which was placed on a table in front of the altar. Seeing the OVS reminded me of a letter that had been sent to Holmes shortly before.  It was from Constable Timothy Lymington the village constable of Ploughstead in Norfolk.

Dear Mr Holmes ,

                              I have been Village Constable of Ploughstead in Norfolk for a year now and am very uneasy in my mind. You may know that the Honourable Jasper Coulter was murdered some months ago after the Strip Willow harvest. The Norfolk Constabulary investigated this and as a result Miss Fay Strangeholm was tried and hung in March. Well sir I have been getting these nightmares about it. In fact I would go as far as to say her ghost has come to me. She mimes to me that she was innocent and mimes these ghastly screams and I wakes up in a sweat. In the village it seems to me that there is a good many other people that had cause to do in Mr Coulter what were not investigated. I mentioned these things to my superiors in Norwich but they said ‘the jury found her guilty lad, case closed’! I heard that you was an expert detective what could weevil out facts. I don’t have much money but I reckon if you could prove the Norwich boys wrong it would add to your glory so to speak?

                                                PC Timothy Lymington

 

Holmes had passed it to me, “You will not like this one Watson. A village Constable wishes me to investigate a closed case purely for my rather uncertain glorification!”

I replied that cash paid more bills than glory any day of the week. Besides I knew that without other worthwhile cases to hand Sherlock was again seeking out Moriarty. Since the Paradys Hall affair it seemed that he had vanished from human knowledge. The Baker Street Irregulars and Holmes’ many other contacts had failed to obtain any current mention of ‘The Prof’. I say current because there were plenty of rumours of his involvement in past misdeeds. Many of the London gangs started their nefarious activities as a result of his guidance. Tolls were paid by them indirectly to Mr Archon but he too has disappeared. Pathetically it seems the gangs are keeping the toll money in hand against the day Moriarty comes back demanding them. They fear the extent of his wrath should they default. Anyway with Holmes’ permission I passed the letter to Mr Ronald Helping. He said he thought his members would be interested in it.

   Then came another two letters, which led Holmes to change his mind and take an interest in the Ploughstead murder after all. They were sent by Inspector Hastings:

Dear Holmes,

                 I enclose this letter from my cousin Mrs Flintworthy as it may give a lead in your hunt for Professor Moriarty. She thinks that the criminal elements in Norwich are being controlled by a Mr Oliver Lynn. Mr Lynn used to live in London and at one time employed the services of Mr Archon, Moriarty’s book keeper. As you know I have been trawling through past associates of the beloved Professor. Another one is the Honourable Jasper Coulter the victim in the Darbeyfield Barn case. Apparently he went to school with him! His murderess, Fay Strangeholm was a woman of low repute who had lived in Norwich. Jasper Coulter was thought to be friendly to Mr Lynn but they may have fallen out. It seems to me that one or both of them were in contact with Moriarty. It may even be that Coulter was murdered on Moriarty’s orders. In court it was alleged that Strangeholm killed Coulter because he had ruined her reputation and moved on to other women. In fact her reputation had been ruined before she met him and he had abandoned her more than a year before. I suspect that there must have been another reason. As I have informed Mrs Flintworthy, at Scotland Yard we can do nothing unless the local police call us in. Mr Lynn probably is organising the criminals in Norwich with or without Moriarty’s controlling hand but it is up to the Norfolk Constabulary to deal with him.

                                                       Harold Hastings

 

Dearest Harold,

                                    Now that you are at Scotland Yard I think it possible that you might initiate some action, to alleviate the situation we find ourselves in in Norwich. As you will know for several years I have been a member of the ‘Lady’s League for the Monitoring of Servants References’. This was set up as a result of several cases of servant’s misconduct, where the references given were found to be forged! We established a series of genteel contacts in many of the villages in the North of the County. In the cases of persons seeking employment, our League categorises them as Gold for those of proven excellence, Silver for those against whom nothing is suspected, Grey for dubious characters and Black for those plainly unfit. The criterion for putting persons into these categories is entirely up to the Member of the League making them. I am afraid that some members are less lenient than others in these matters. I have become a little concerned about our Honorary Secretary Mrs Chelsea Lynn. She seems only too avid to ‘Grey or Black’ persons in the Norwich area whether they are applying for servants places or not. She is the wife of a prominent Bank Manager so it is difficult to criticise her. However Captain Charity Hill of the Salvation Army has brought this to my attention. Under the local Commander Major Juniper, her unit is devoted to the restitution and rehabilitation of women fallen into poverty and degradation in Norwich. She has told me that an unnaturally disproportionate number of ‘Fallen women’ have been domiciled or have been seasonal workers at the small village of Ploughstead. Our Member for there is Lady Anthelia Coulter who has sent Mrs Lynn many Black and Grey references. Charity Hill is particularly upset because she helped Fay Strangeholm, a Grey from Hainford , to set herself up as a rush basket maker at Ploughstead. She does not believe that Fay did murder Jasper Coulter as she thought her too docile to do such a thing. She thinks Fay was being pressured to join the night women in Norwich and framed because she would not co-operate. I can offer no definite reason why Jasper Coulter was killed but he is known to have ruined the reputations of many working class women. Despite our representations, the Norfolk Constabulary seem uninterested in dealing with these problems! I hope you can provide a solution.

                                      Your admiring Cousin Ermintrude  Flintworthy

 

“Watson! Have a look at these! I think we will answer that village policeman’s call after all! I sense a falling out amongst the thieves of Moriarty’s organisation. Who knows but that we may find some leads to his present hide away!”

So ever dutiful I packed ready for a foray into the wilds of Norfolk. I warned Holmes that Mr Helping had told me his Society were going to seek the constables ghost.

 “My Fault Watson, I admit it. I should never give you any information on matters smacking of the occult. Now I expect that they will be damnably in the way! Goodness knows what stories they may concoct about this ghost!”

 “My dear Holmes I think you do them an injustice. They admit that often their hunts for supernatural beings are in vain.”

 “It is not what they do not find, but what they claim to have found that disturb me! Watson, there are no such things as ghosts!”

 “And you a Christian! What about the Holy Ghost eh? If the good book mentions them they must surely exist!”

 “You must remind me of that when we next see one!”

Holmes then went to read up the newspaper reports of the trial and gave me a copy of The Times account.

 Ploughstead’s Darbeyfield Barn murder Case

The prosecution alleged that Miss Fay Strangeholm did

lay in wait for the Honourable Jasper Coulter within the

Darbeyfield Barn on the night of Friday 26th November.

She then stunned him with a blow to the head, and

stabbed him in the chest four times with a potato fork

resulting in his death. She then rolled him onto a potato

sack and dragged him outside to bury him in a potato pit.

Mr Coulters watch was damaged by one of the fork

prongs and stopped at 1127. At around 1145 Mrs Tillie

Tulip and Miss Agate Primfield saw Miss Strangeholm

 heading towards her home at 1 Toft Row. She acted in a

furtive manner and was coming from the direction of the

Barn. Miss Strangeholm a rush basket maker, claimed that

she had stayed at home all evening plying her craft. She

admitted that had had a ‘romantic involvement’ with the

deceased some time before. She admitted to a dispute

concerning the price and quantities of rush baskets she had

sold to him for the coming Strawberry harvest. She denied

ever seeing him that night but a key to the Darbeyfield barn

was found in her house. Unable to produce any witnesses for

her defence or even good character, the jury found her guilty!

 

Holmes forbade me to have any contact with the OVS as he hoped to beat them to Ploughstead village. So the next day we were packed and ready to depart when the second post brought us another letter from Constable Lymington. Being in some haste we did not read it until safely aboard the train.

 

 Dear Mr Holmes,

                                I am afraid that I have just been posted away to become Village Constable of Westhorpe a considerable distance from Ploughstead. I believe this has been arranged at the instigation of Sir Benjamin because of the awkward questions I have been asking. I am being replaced by PC Valance a Norwich man that I know who is not over bright I fear. However I will give a summary of my investigations so far.

   On Saturday 27th November it was reported to me by Zebedee Hanger that he had found the body of Mr Jasper Coulter. It had been hidden in the potato pit beside the Darbeyfield barn. Mr Hanger checked it because the willow stripping workers would be leaving that day and they were prone to stealing potatoes. The body lay face down half covered by the potatoes and the turves placed on top. When we got it out It’s chest was covered in congealed blood from sixteen prong penetrations. These were undoubtedly from one of the two potato forks found propped inside the barn. There were traces of smeared blood on the floor nearby. Four times had the murderer plunged it into the supine man. Later examination found a bump on the side of his head where he had been struck and almost certainly knocked unconscious. One of the prongs had struck his pocket watch stopping it at the time of eleven twenty-seven. His money, handkerchief, silver match-case and cigars were still in his pockets. Sir Benjamin sent a lad to Norwich who brought back Inspector Yale and some men of the constabulary. I told them that it had been the night of the Willow-strippers dance, held in the Ploughstead Barn. This was near to Coulter House which is where the victim lived with his brother Sir Benjamin. These dances are held for the workers both local and seasonal, at the end of each of the harvests. The seasonal workers live in two nearby huts built for them. They are supervised by the Agent Mr Wordsworth Primfield and his sister Agate Primfield. The dances have punch and a buffet meal and run from eight till midnight. Entrance and exits were controlled by Mr Jonathon Leke and his sister Ivy Leke who manned the cloak rooms. According to them the only person they could remember leaving the dance was a seasonal worker, Miss Rowena Cowl. It was a few minutes before the church clock chimed eleven. They remembered her because she was known to be Mr Jasper’s current favourite. She returned five or ten minutes afterwards. All the seasonal workers from the huts had attended the dance. Miss Cowl was questioned and said that she had had an assignation to meet Mr Jasper Coulter at the Darbeyfield Barn. On the way however, she met a local man who warned her against going there. He said that one of his daughters had done so and was now walking the Streets of Great Yarmouth! He told her that others had wound up the same, so she went back to the dance. If her story was true the times did not fit. Miss Cowl had come for the willow stripping from the nearby village of Mundham and was staying with her aunt. Her aunt too had warned against her getting involved with Mr Coulter. Miss Agate Primfield then came forward, saying that she had heard about the murder and thought she had a suspect. She had gone escorting a Mrs Tillie Tulip to retrieve an umbrella that the latter had left hidden in the village. Mrs Tulip had had too much punch and was set on the idea, as she was returning to Norwich on the morrow. Miss Agate saw Miss Fay Strangeholm walking furtively to her home from the direction of the Darbeyfield Barn. She thought nothing of it at the time but she knew Miss Strangeholm had been in a dispute with Mr Jasper. This was about money for the rush baskets that she made for strawberries. Inspector Yale went and arrested her and took her to Norwich. Then she was tried and hung and I starting seeing her ghost. I started asking around about any other enemies Mr Jasper might have had and there are hosts of them. Many were no longer in Ploughstead so I do not mention them. Neither do I mention those that were at the dance.

Mr Jim Edshaw Seaman caught stealing by Mr Coulter and served six months jail. Mr Hob Jukes labourer caught poaching several times and fined heavily. Gregory Ullswater labourer and poacher has his sister Gail streetwalking in Norwich due to Mr Coulter. Mr Earnest Leaven the baker, father of Bunny Leaven, streetwalking in Norwich. Edmond Pennyworth Seaman and poacher, whose sweetheart Aline Barker is streetwalking in Norwich. Also Mr Harvey Barker Basket-maker Aline’s father. Mr Joe Happenshaw moler and father of Dorcas Happenshaw, who was at the dance but whose reputation was tarnished by Mr Coulter. Mrs Nelly Henderson, whose husband left her because of Mr Coulter.(He is now at sea.) Mrs Susie Allington widow on the parish, who was refused at least two housekeeping jobs because of Mr Coulter tarnishing her reputation. Miss Jessica Clarke Shop assistant forced to have a late abortion by Jasper.      

    It is difficult to get people to talk and some are downright un-co-operative but I obtained most of this information from Miss Ivy Leke housemaid to Miss Victorine Darbeyfield. (She is known as Cross Ivy because she is cross-eyed.)

There may be others from times past but I hope this will be of assistance to you tracking down the real murderer.         

                                                                                    PC Timothy Lymington

 “It is a pity he has gone but I suppose we can carry on where he left off Holmes?” I commented being unsure as to whether he would still go to Ploughstead. “We may not have a policeman to make our questioning official. There will be children of course.”

 “Certainly Watson! To have so many suspects makes the trip something of a challenge! Especially as so long has elapsed since the body was found.  And we must bear in mind that the worthy constable may well have missed a few more. I cannot expect with any certainty that we will discover the murderer but we will give the matter a thorough investigation. Hopefully we will also find trails leading back to Moriarty anyway. As for questioning the children, since they no longer have to pay a penny a day, they will probably be at school.”

   So we arrived at Norwich railway station and after lunch took a hansom cab out to Ploughstead. It dropped us off at the Nelson Inn and smartly headed away back to Norwich. Our information was that this was the only Inn in Ploughstead so we expected to be staying there during our visit. We entered the premises and asked for accommodation. The landlord said, “Oh I am very sorry sirs but we are full up. Normally we have few guests at this time of year but we are booked for a week by some people from London. Perhaps if your business is urgent Sir Benjamin might be prepared to allow you to stay in his house. It is a fine large mansion and few in it at present. You look to be gentry like and perhaps Sir Benjamin might be glad of your company. He owns Coulter House and most of the property around here. You could leave your bags here to collect later.”

Wednesday 10th April 1892. It is 1330 and the weather is dry and fair what are you going to do?     

Sherlock Holmes Act, LEA, Mo 7”, Fa 2/3/5, Ag +2, Th +1, Me +2, revolver Bst –2.

Firing 3” 4+ Pst 0, 6” 5+ Pst 0, 11” 6+ Pst 0, 18” 7+ Pst –2, 5 rounds, Magnifying Glass

Class VI, PI Respectable, Charm M0, F+1, Coercion +1. MC £15 – 12s – 9d

Police whistle 24”, Penknife, watch, Bullseye lamp 

Dr Watson Activist, Vle, Mo 6”, Fa 2/3/5, Ag +1, Th +1, Me +1, revolver Bst –2.

Firing 3” 4+ Pst 0, 6” 5+ Pst 0, 11” 6+ Pst 0, 18” 7+ Pst –2, 5 rounds Doctors Bag 1st Aid

Class VI, PI Respectable, Charm M+1 F+2, Coercion 0. MC £13 – 10s – 8d, Watch Lamp.

Introduction

Primfield

OVS

Sir Benjamin

Umpire

Game

Player Accounts

Manor and Barn

Rules

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