Poison bottles, pill machines and a pair of glasses belonging to the notorious Dr Crippen go up for sale
11 November 2014Darren Boyle , Mail online.
Harvey Crippen was found guilty of murdering his wife Cora in 1910
Some artifacts owned by Dr Crippen are being auctioned next month
Among the items up for sale are his glasses as well as some poison bottles
Forensic experts believe Dr Crippen may not have murdered his wife
DNA tests on samples of the body recovered from 1910 are those of a man
Pill-making machines and a pair of glasses thought to have belonged to notorious poisoner Dr Crippen are to go under the hammer next week.
Northamptonshire-based auction house JP Humbert is also offering poison bottles recovered from the workplace of Hawley Harvey Crippen, who was hanged at London's Pentonville Prison in 1910 for murdering his wife, Cora.
A brooch thought to have been owned by Cora is also on sale at the auction in Towcester on Wednesday November 19.
Dr Hawley Crippen, was hanged in Pentonville Prison London in 1910 after he murdered his wife Cora,
Dr Crippen was a homeopathic doctor who made his fortune selling pills and potions containing nothing more than just sugar and alcohol although he was found guilty of killing his wife with the deadly poison hyoscine
Crippen, who was born in the United States, is believed to have used hyoscine to kill Cora at his London home before attempting to flee to Canada.
Commenting ahead of the sale, auctioneer Jonathan Humbert predicted that the lots may emulate the success of other recently-sold items linked to well-known criminal names.
Mr Humbert said: 'The items were removed from Crippen's work address at Albion House, New Oxford Street, where he was medical advisor to a dental practice.'
'Whilst crime doesn't pay, people are paying large sums of money for crime-related items.'
As well as the artifacts believed to have been owned by Dr Crippen, copies of the New York Times and Los Angeles Express covering the story are also going up for sale.
Mr Humbert added: 'The items were removed from Crippen's work address at Albion House, New Oxford Street, London where he was medical advisor to a dental practise and latterly a franchisee of Munyons.
'It was here that he ordered five grains of the poison Hyoscine from a nearby chemist.'
The items, believed to have been owned by Dr Crippen were recovered from his London work address.
DR CRIPPEN, EVIL MURDERER OR VICTIM OF A MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE?
Investigators recovered headless corpse from a shallow grave inside Dr Crippen's basement, but DNA evidence has since proved it was a man
American born Dr Harvey Crippen moved to Holloway in north London with his second wife Cora. She disappeared following a party at the couple's house in January 1910.
Friends of Mrs Crippen became suspicious after seeing Crippen's mistress, who moved into the house, wearing her clothes and jewellery.
An initial search by Scotland Yard found no evidence of any foul play, however, Dr Crippen fled with his mistress to Canada.
After he disappeared, Scotland Yard conducted three further searches of the property where they recovered human remains.
Crippen and his mistress were travelling on the SS Montrose when the captain of the vessel, who was keeping up-to-date with the news on the newly installed wireless, telegraphed Scotland Yard.
Crippen's mistress, Ethel Le Neve, was travelling disguised as a young boy.
An inspected boarded a faster vessel and raced Crippen across the Atlantic, arresting him upon his arrival in Canada.
Had he boarded a vessel to New York, he would have probably escaped punishment.
Crippen was returned to the Old Bailey where he was found guilty of murder after less than 30 minutes and hanged in Pentonville Prison in Novembe 1910.
The human remains recovered by Scotland Yard were badly decomposed and more than 100 years after their recovery, it is believed that the bones belonged to a man.
Attempts have been made by distant relatives of Dr Crippen to exonerate him, however his body remains inside the walls of Pentonville Prison.
A study reported in the Journal of Forensic Science in America by scientist David Foran said: 'Based on genealogical and DNA research, the tissue used to convict Dr Crippen was not that of Cora.
‘Further DNA testing showed the tissue was male. All we can say scientifically is, the tissue did not come from Cora.
‘One possibility is that Crippen murdered someone else and those were the remains discovered. Another possibility is that the celebrated investigators planted the evidence.’
Several unusual artifacts believed to have been owned by Dr Crippen are being sold by auction
Among the items for sale are some original US newspapers covering the story from July 1910
Dr Crippen made his fortune as a homeopath selling pills and potions to gullible patients
