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TRIAL NOTES: The Crippens' £600
MARION LOUISA CURNOW, manageress, Munyon's Remedies, Albion House.
For some time before and up to November, 1909, prisoner was manager at £3 a week. Between that time and January 31 of this year he was agent on commission and no salary.
On 1 February, on becoming manageress in his place, his connection with us ceased on that day.
I generally spoke to Mrs. Crippen when she came into the office. I did not know her well. About the end of February I heard through the telephone that she was away from London. I spoke to prisoner about it and he said, 'She has gone for a trip to America'.
I heard at Easter time that she was dead. I asked prisoner, who had been away, if he had enjoyed his holiday, and he said as well as he could under the circumstances. I said, 'Then it is true that Mrs. Crippen is dead?' He bowed his head.
Miss Le Neve was employed in the same building with the Yale Tooth Specialists. I do not know where she was at Easter time. On February 3, I changed some small notes for prisoner. On February 9, I changed for prisoner this £100 note (Exhibit 52), which bears my endorsement.
At the beginning of March he asked me to put two envelopes, one marked 'Dr. Crippen' and the other 'Dr. Crippen Personal' in our safe, and I put them there.
About 4 or 4.30 p.m. on July 8 he asked me if anybody knew I had anything of his in the safe, and I said 'No'. He said, 'If anyone should ask you, say nothing, and if anything happens to me please give what you have there to Miss Le Neve.' I said, 'All right.'
I opened them on July 11 and, in one, I found nine deposit notes on the Charing Cross Bank amounting in all to £600, and some other papers, and in the other I found some jewellery.
EDGAR BRETT, Assistant Manager, Charing Cross Bank, Bedford Street, Strand.
On September 20, 1903, a current account was opened in the joint names of 'Belle Elmore and H. H. Crippen, Store Street, Tottenham Court Road'
(Certified copy produced).
On January 31, 1910, it was in debit £2 7s. 8d. and on the next day that was increased to £2 13s. 11d. On that day £17 13s. 9d. was paid in in cash and on February 3 another £40 was paid in, in cash. For the rest of the time the account remained in credit. On June 30 there was a credit balance of £37 19s. 4d., which continued to July 11, when we honoured a cheque for £37.
On March 15, 1906, a deposit account was opened in the joint names of 'Belle Elmore and H. H. Crippen' with a payment in of £250.
(Certified copy produced.)
That could be drawn out by one signature, but we should want the authority of the other.
On September 20, 1906, £50 was paid in in the sole name of Belle Elmore and on May 27 another £100. Eventually £600 was paid in - £270 in the two names and £330 in Belle Elmore's name. That money bore interest at 7 per cent, and was subject to a twelve months' notice of withdrawal, which we got on December 15, 1909, signed by Belle Elmore only, which notwithstanding that we accepted; on the expiry of the notice we should have paid without prisoner's signature.
He has never attempted to draw any money out or to raise any loan upon it.