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APPENDIX A.
CAPTAIN KENDALL'S MESSAGE.
(From the Daily Mail, July 31, 1910.)
The man on board the "Montrose," supposed to be Crippen, answers all the descriptions given in the police report, as does also his companion, Miss Le Neve. I discovered them two hours after leaving Antwerp, but did not telegraph to my owners until I had found out good clues. I conversed with both, and at the same time took keen observations of all points, and felt quite confident as to their identity.
They booked their passage in Brussels as Mr. John Robinson and Master Robinson, and came on board at Antwerp in brown suits, soft grey hats, and white canvas shoes. They had no baggage except a small handbag bought on the Continent. My suspicion was aroused by seeing them on the deck beside a boat. Le Neve squeezed Crippen's hand immoderately. It seemed to me unnatural for two males, so I suspected them at once.
I was well posted as to the crime, so got on the scent at once. I said nothing to the officers till the following morning, when I took my chief officer into my confidence. He then detected the same suspicious circumstances as myself. I warned him that it must be kept absolutely quiet, as it was too good a thing to lose, so we made a lot of them, and kept them smiling.
During lunch I examined both their hats. Crippen's was stamped "Jackson, Boulevard le Nord." Le Neve's hat bore no name, but it was packed round the rim with paper to make it fit. Le Neve has the manner and appearance of a very refined, modest girl. She does not speak much, but always wears a pleasant smile. She seems thoroughly under his thumb, and he will not leave her for a moment. Her suit is anything but a good fit. Her trousers are very tight about the hips, and are split a bit down the back and secured with large safety pins.
You will notice I did not arrest them. The course I am pursuing is the best, as they have no suspicion, and, with so many passengers, it prevents any excitement. They have been under strict observation all the voyage, as if they smelt a rat, he might do something rash. I have not noticed a revolver in his hip pocket. He continually shaves his upper lip, and his beard is growing nicely. I often see him stroking it and seeming pleased, looking more like a farmer every day. The mark on the nose cause through wearing spectacles has not worn off since coming on board.
He sits about on the deck reading, or pretending to read, and both seem to be thoroughly enjoying all their meals. They have not been seasick, and I have discussed various parts of the world with him. He knows Toronto, Detroit, and California well, and says he is going to take his boy to California for his health (meaning Miss Le Neve). Has in conversation used several medical terms. Crippen says that when the ship arrives he will go to Detroit by boat, if possible, as he prefers it. The books he has been most interested in have been:
- "Pickwick Papers"
- "Nebo the Nailer" (S. B. Gould).
- "Metropolis"
- "A Name to Conjure With"
And he is now busy reading "The Four Just Men" which is all about a murder in London and £1,000 reward.
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When my suspicions were aroused as to Crippen's identity I quietly collected all the English papers on the ship which mentioned anything of the murder, and I warned the chief officer to collect any he might see. This being done, I considered the road was clear. I told Crippen a story to make him laugh heartily, to see if he would open his mouth wide enough for me to ascertain if he had false teeth. This ruse was successful.
All the "boy's" manners at table when I was watching him were most ladylike, handling knife and fork, and taking fruit off dishes with two fingers. Crippen kept cracking nuts for her, and giving her half his salad, and was always paying her the most marked attention.
During the evening of July 25, which they spent in the saloon, enjoying songs and music, he was quite interested, and spoke to me next morning, saying how one song, "We All Walked Into the Shop," had been drumming in his head all night, and how his boy had enjoyed it, and had laughed heartily when they retired to their room. In the course of one conversation he spoke about American drinks, and said that Selfridge's was the only decent place in London to get them at.
On two or three occasions when walking on the deck I called after him by his assumed name, Mr. Robinson, and he took no notice. I repeated it, and it was only owing to the presence of mind of Miss Le Neve that he turned round. He apologised for not hearing me, saying that the cold weather had made him deaf. One night he did not appear at the concert in the saloon, and he made an apology to me next morning, saying he wanted to come but the young fellow did not feel well, and would not let him come, and he did not like to be left alone. During the day he would often look at the track chart which shows the ship's position, and count the number of days remaining to the end of the passage.
He would often sit on deck and look up aloft at the wireless aerial, and listen to the cracking electric spark messages being sent by the Marconi operator. He said, "What a wonderful invention it is! " He said one day that, according to our present rate of steaming, he ought to be in Detroit on Tuesday, August 2.
At times both would sit and appear to be in deep thought. Though Le Neve does not show signs of distress, and is, perhaps, ignorant of the crime committed, she appears to be a girl with a very weak will. She has to follow him everywhere. If he looks at her she gives him an endearing smile, as though she were under his hypnotic influence.
Crippen was very restless on sighting Belle Isle, and asked where we stopped for the pilot, how he came off, how far from the pilot station to Quebec, and said he would be glad when we arrived, as he was anxious to get to Detroit. I had them both in my room talking over various things connected with the United States, mostly about San Francisco. Crippen says he does not suppose he would know it now, as he had not been there since he was eighteen years of age, but how he loved California, and said he thought of settling down on a nice fruit farm there. Throughout the whole conversation Le Neve never spoke, but gave the usual laugh of response to anything funny, and looked as though she would like to give vent to her feelings.
(Signed) KENDALL, Commander.