The Strange Case of the Red Painted Woman

This case will not be found in any of Dr Watson's tales.  It deals with a mystery in Whitechapel dealing with the succession to the peerage and the peculiar connection with the Thrallbourne Mulberry.

Umpire's notes

Plan Key

Robbers will strike against single figures, against two D6 4+ yes 3- no. Otherwise slink or run away.

  When the first  star * card is drawn the horse van starts in Flood Way moving at 6” rate. Arrives at the side gate 8 moves later, one move for Hubert and Lionel to carry bound victim into graveyard. Reginald Hazelmere will then drive the van round the circuit showing at 6” rate U1 flag. In around 20 moves he will return to pick up the SFVC party. Subsequent star cards add 2” to Van flag movement. On this night it is very dark with a thick London Particular pea-souper fog. Visibility is down to six inches with recognition at three. This increases to nine inches and recognition at six inches near the lit gas street lamps.  To conceal identities in the fog players will move flags until meeting. Lit indicates that a light is showing.   

A Start point for Sherlock Holmes in the Lilywhite Laundry (Alan)

B Start point for Rodney Spelling’s Occult Verification Society (Brian)

C Start point for Inspector Hasting’s Police (Hugh)

D Start Point for Earnest Steadyman’s Citizen’s Concerns Vigilantes. (Paul)

 

1.       Shed

2.       Big Lansdown Furniture shop closed

3.       Jones Butcher & Hodges Greengrocer

4.         Lit Queens Head Pub now shut & cleaning up. Mr Hoggit WA, Mo 5”, Fa 2/2/4, Ag –1, Th 0, Me 0, bludgeon Bst –2, Bystander, Mo 5”, Fa 2/2/4, Ag –1, Th 0, Me 0, bludgeon Bst -2

Class V, PI Dubious, Charm M +1, F +1, Coercion +1

Ned, By, Mo 5.5”, Fa 2/2/4, Ag –1, Th 0, Me 0, bludgeon Bst –2 Class IV, PI Du, Charm M +1, F 0, Coercion 0

       Mrs Ruby Elsworth, By, Mo 5”, Fa 2/3/3, Ag 0, Th 0, Me –2, Bare hands Bst –3

Class III (II) PI Respectable, Charm M +2, F 0.   

5.       House

6.       Medical Mission two nuns three male patients asleep.

7.       Doctors Doctor Mallard By, Mo 5.5”, Fa 2/3/5, Ag 0, Th 0, Me 0, B. Hnads –3

        Class VI, PI Respectable, Charm M+1 F+1, Coercion 0.

8.       Shop closed (Gamages clothiers)

9.       Shop closed 2nd Hand Clothes

10.    Shop closed Bakers

11.    Lit Grolzman’s Pawnshop Grolzman has an array of stolen watches, candlesticks, cutlery and ornaments which he is recording in his secret ledger. To recognise items D6 Police 3+ CC 5+. Grolzman Activist, Mo 5”, Fa 2/3/3, Ag 0, Th 0, Me +1, cosh Bst –3 Class IV PI Unsavoury, Charm M+1, F +1, Coercion 0 £5 – 7 – 11d. In safe £38 – 3 – 0d

12.    Houses including that of Timothy Fowler the Sexton who is out (on Card)

13.     Mrs Elbow’s Corner shop shut. Mrs Elbow in bed. By, Mo 5”, Fa 1/2/3, Ag –1, Th –1, Me –2,

 tray Bst –3 Class IV, PI Respectable, Charm M +1, F 0

14.    Oak Beams Pub closed Landlord & wife

15.    House

16.     Houses including Lit Edna Gimlet’s she is spying. By, Mo 5”, Fa 1/2/3, Ag –1, Th –2, Me –2, B. Hands Bst –3 Class IV, PI Respectable, Charm M -1, F 0

17.    Houses

18.    * Draw Card position

19.     * Draw Card position

20.    * Draw Card position

21.    * Draw Card position

22.    Shed

23.    Large Shed

24.    Stone Store building

25.    Tenement

26.    Lit Police Station Inspector Harold Hastings, Sergeant Warren (who stays in Station) PCs Wilkins & Bean. PC Legget is out on patrol. See Police Start

27.    Tenement no lights

28.    Tenement no lights

29.    Tenement no lights

30.    Lit Lilywhite Laundry & heavenly Cloud Opium Den See Holmes Start. Madam Hsing Song, Fan Flu, Tong dagger men Wun, Tu, Free & Fo-uh.

 Madam Song LEA, Ac, Mo 4”, Fa 1/2/2, Ag -2, Th 0, Me -3, dagger Pst –1, Charm M +2, F 0 Coercion +1                   

Fan Flu, In, Mo 5”, Fa 2/2/2, Ag +1, Th 0, Me -2, Fan Bst  -2, Charm M +2, F 0

Tong Man WA, Mo 6”, Fa 2/3/3, Ag +1, Th 0, Me +1, dagger Pst –1, Charm –2, Coercion +2

31.    Water tower

32.    Ironing room

33.    Clothes drying shed

34.    Hot wash chamber

35.    Cold wash chamber

36.     Edelbaum’s Corner shop/delicatessen closed

37.    * Draw Card position

38.    * Draw Card position

39.    * Draw Card position

40.    Methodist Church locked

41.    Tenement

42.      Estate Agents with Church Commissioner Josiah Flint’s Flat above. Locked & no lights. Flint By, Mo 5.5” Fa 2/2/2, Ag 0, Th 0, Me +1, Derenger Bst –3, 2 rounds, 3” 4+ st 0, 6” 5+, st –1, 11” 6+ st –2

       Class IV PI Unsavoury, Charm M-1, F -1, Coercion +2 Cash Box £87 – 13 – 11d

43.    Lit Red Rose Pub with loud singing staff & a dozen rowdy customers.

44.     Rene Café Lit upstairs Madame Ginny Palette’s room by the hour. Nests of  Portia & Dulcie.      Ginny By, Mo 4.5”, Fa 1/3/3, Ag 0, Th –1, Me –1, 2 barrelled  pistol Bst –2, lamp dagger Pst –1 Pistol 2 shots, missfires on  1-,  3” 5+ Pst +1, 6” 6+ Pst +1. Class II (I) Unsavoury, Charm M+2, F 0 Casket ££ - 7 –1d.  

45.    Houses

46.    St. Radegunds ruined Church. Two straw mattresses in crypt. In the Graveyard is Mad Maeve Fowler by her brother to frighten any intruders. Maeve WA, Mo 4.5”, Fa 2/2/2, Ag 0, Th 0, Me -2, Bare hands –3 appears & Screams, Fright value FV3 test for ADT   

47.    Sextons Hut. Tools and one mattress

48.     Main Haunting party lurking. Bentwick dressed as the ghost of  the bride Cicely Turner appears in Plague Way, FV 2. Bentwick WA, Mo 6”, Fa 2/2/2, Ag +1, Th +1, Me 0, bare hands –3, Class IV PI Du, Charm M0. Green & Hollings dressed in 18th century clothes FV 0 Bentwick WA, Mo 6”, Fa 2/2/2, Ag +1, Th +1, Me 0, bare hands –3, Class IV PI Du, Charm M0.

49.    Cricket pavilion unlocked. Has Bentwick, Green & Holling’s chool uniforms.

50.    * Draw Card position

51.    * Draw Card position

52.    * Draw Card position

53.    * Draw Card position

54.    Claypit miscellaneous Warehouse

55.     Lit Gatehouse with Tash Rowley Night watchmen & two mastiffs Tash WA, Mo 6”, Fa 2/3/3 Ag +1, Th 0, Me +1 truncheon Bst –1, Class IV, PI Respectable, Charm M-1 F 0, Coercion –1. Controls dogs within 12”. Mastiff FV 2, Mo 7”, Me –1 Pst –2.

56.    Shed

57.    Shed

58.    Shed

59.    Furniture Warehouse

60.    Shed

61.     Lit Henderson’s Roofers & Slaters. Bertram Cup and Yale Berry forging half-crowns! They are expecting Frank Ogget to bring tin ingots and Silly Susan to take away some stock for delivery. Bertram WA Mo 5”, Fa 2/2/4, Ag 0, Th 0, Me 0, cup molten lead Bst –3, thrown m. lead 2” 4+ Pst +1, 

Class 111, PI Unsavoury, Charm M 0, F 0, Coercion +1. Yale Lea Ac, Mo 5”, Fa 2/2/4, Ag 0, Th 0, Me 0, bare hands –3. Throw bag of moulds 2” 4+ Bst –2. Class 1V, PI Unsavoury, Charm M 0, F 0, Coercion +1. They have  15 cast half crowns but no other money.

62.    Claypit miscellaneous Warehouse.

63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68 = Bonus * Draw Card positions

Reginald Hazelmere, LEA, Activist, Mo 6”, Fa 2/3/5, Ag +1, Th +1, Me +1, Cosh Bst -3.

Class VII, PI Dubious, Charm M+1 F+2, Coercion +2.

Hubert Hare Activist, Mo 6”, Fa 2/3/5, Ag +1, Th +1, Me +1, Tome Bst -3.

Class VII, PI Dubious, Charm M 0 F+1, Coercion +1.

Lionel Lessing Activist, Mo 6”, Fa 2/3/5, Ag 0, Th +1, Me +1, Dagger Pst -1.

Class VII, PI Dubious, Charm M 0 F 0, Coercion +1.

 

Felicity Hazelmere Bystander, Mo 5”, Fa 1/2/3, Ag –1, Th –1, Me –2, B.Hands –3

Class VI, PI Respectable, Charm M 0, F 0. Bound and gagged.

 

Van 6” move apart from 8” moves when * cards drawn. Reginald is not wearing his robes but they are lying within the van. In the van is a sack containing six black candles in simple holders, a flask of chloroform, rags, a SFVC stamp and a flagon of red dye. 

 

Police Start

Report: At 105pm 31st October Mrs Ruby Elsworth barmaid at the Queens head in Mire lane called at the Station. She said “Please come quick as Mr Hoggit has caught a man paying with one of them forged half crowns! Mr Hoggit and Ned has him held fast but he has been struggling something awful!” Sergeant Warren dispatched Constables Wilkins and Bean to bring the suspect in.

 At 1021 pm the Constables brought in the suspect with Mr Hoggit proprietor of the Queens Head. The latter confirmed that the accused had tried to pay for a pint of porter with a coin which his scales revealed to be overweight. Like other the other forgeries it was dated 1882. Mr Hoggit with his barman then, after a considerable struggle made a citizen’s arrest. They held the man until the barmaid fetched the two constables. The accused claimed he had been arrested wrongfully as he did not know the coin was forged. A search revealed that the man had three more forged half crowns on his person! Sergeant Warren duly consigned him to the cells.

 

    Name of accused Morgan Blight a 27 year old Docker. He lives with his brother Norman and his wife Griselda at 17 Portland Street Millwall.

    He claims he won the four half-crowns playing billiards with some men at the Bellview Billiard Saloon  in Whitechapel High Street. This cannot be verified at present as the Saloon closed at ten pm.

    Mr Blight demands to be released! He asks how you can prove that he knew the coins were forgeries?

 

Morgan By, Mo 6”, Fa 2/2/4, Ag 0, Th +1, Me +1, Fists, Bst –3, Class III, PI Dubious, Charm M -1, F 0, Coercion +1 £0 – 18 – 9d apart from the four forged Half crowns.

What decisions will you take regarding this and the other matter for tonight?

 

Holmes Start

You intend to buy a guinea’s worth of opium from her and ask such questions about the area and its underworld doings as you think desirable. Why has she moved here for instance? What does she know about organised vice in Whitechapel? You have a theory that Professor Moriarty was the brains behind the Jack the Ripper murders. You think that they were publicity stunts terrorising non-organised harlots off the streets. (Most of the murders took place two years ago in 1888.) You also believe that Moriarty was behind last year’s docker’s strike. The increase form five to six pence an hour rate, has vastly increased the wealth of the area businesses including organised vice!

     After a polite exchange of courtesies and the purchase of a guinea’s worth of Mandarin Grade Opium you start to question Madam Hsing Song.

     She has moved here because she thinks it pointless confining the business to the Chinese of China Town. She wishes to sell opium to the English. Chinese laundries are famous for their thoroughness and though mainly a cover, it is good to have a respectable business.

     The nearby Lord Knowe’s Gentlemen’s Finishing School is a good target with great possibilities for spreading the opium habit throughout the land. The pupils will doubtless be impressed to hear that the illustrious detective Sherlock Holmes is a customer!

     She knows little about organised vice in the East End as it is not an enterprise that the Hsing Tong is engaged in. The Hsing Tong only employ Chinese! Though she is more enlightened, her brother Hsing Hi has very high moral objections to Chinese girls having relations with you red haired barbarians! She finds your theories about Jack the Ripper and the docker’s strike most interesting.

     She has heard of Professor Moriarty but does not know where he is based at present.

On local criminal activity she knows that Grolzmann of the Pawnshop, deals in stolen goods. The Rene Café is a brothel and other harlots operate near the Oak Beams Inn. There is a forger of half crown pieces in the Whitechapel area and some have been passed in her establishment!

      If you give an indication she will admit that her men have captured Eric & will free him.     

 When you try to collect Watson it takes you AvD –2 moves as he has become fascinated by the Fan Dancers act!   

 Eric’s Report

Well Guv, I caught the omnibus to Whitechapel like you said. I come in the St. Radegunds Road way. There were two toughs lurking there but they didn’t worry me none. I was just passing Bogey lane when I sees a piece hurrying two peelers towards me. So I stops and see them go into the Queens Head Pub. An old regular piece it was, I reckon she were a barmaid for she did not come out again. The peelers and a gent came out a hauling this tough in cuffs. I heard him say ‘How was I to know! I’ll have you up for false arrest!’ And the peeler replied ‘Tell it to the sergeant, he always likes a laugh!’ And they all went off to the police station. I turned to carry on and there were two fancy pieces that must have been watching the peelers too. One said ‘Skip off our pitch sonny!’ So remembering your orders Guv I didn’t sauce them none and just carried on down the road. The shops were mostly shut but there was a light on in the pawn shop. I tried the graveyard gate but it was locked. I did not linger as the fancy pierces were heading back my way. The Oak Beams pub seemed shut so I headed along High Wall Lane. The side gate to the Graveyard was also shut and I didn’t see no vehicles around. It was spooky as no lights were lit except at the place at the end. The roofers depot that was.  There was no lights in Plague way either, the first being at the other end of Bogey Lane. Edelbaum’s Corner shop was shut but there was two fancy pieces lurking in front of it. There was singing coming from the Red Rose Pub across the road. Lights was on above the Café next door. I reckon that is where the fancy pieces take their gents. I went on along Bogey Lane and lurked in front of the laundry. I was wondering if I had time to make another circuit when these two chinks jumped me. They was wearing felt slippers, so what with the singing being so loud, I did not hear them coming! I aint told them nuffink!   

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