The Horrifying Case Of Teddy Haskell

Brief Case

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Transcript

00:08before I tell you where and when we will be going in today's case I first want to

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01:24the description or by scanning the QR code on screen now let's go to early 20th

01:30century England

01:34Edwin Richard Haskell known to everyone around him as Teddy was born in Salisbury in

01:391896 when he was six years old he had tuberculosis and this led him to have his

01:45leg amputated and from then on he relied on crutches to get around losing his leg was

01:51not the only hardship Teddy faced during his childhood he also lost his father which

01:56meant that he was raised by his widowed mother Mrs. Flora Haskell in a small house in

02:02Meadow Road in Fisherton in Salisbury in the English County of Wilkeshire having to use

02:08crutches did not prevent Teddy from enjoying life he was well liked by the other

02:13children in the neighbourhoods and those who knew him described him as a happy bright and intelligent

02:17boy who was very fond of football and would take part in matches with his friends where

02:23he played as the goalkeeper Teddy had been saving money because he wanted to buy a cork

02:28leg when he finished growing many people who lived in Fisherton knew about his savings and

02:33helped him by giving him a few pennies when they could by October 1908 he had accumulated

02:39eight pounds and two shillings which he kept in the top drawer of a chest of drawers in his bedroom

02:44in the evening of Saturday the 31st of October 1908 Teddy went to bed at around nine o'clock and

02:51not

02:51long after his mother left the house and went to a nearby shop to buy some groceries she was not

02:57away

02:57from the house for very long and just after 10 o'clock Gertrude Steer a seamstress who lived two

03:04doors down from Mrs. Haskell called at the house she had been making a jacket for her and had come

03:10to let

03:10her try it on Mrs. Haskell did so and told Miss Steer that she was very pleased with the work

03:16Miss Steer stayed for only a few minutes before leaving and during her visit she noticed nothing

03:22unusual about Mrs. Haskell's manner shortly after a boy named Percy Noble who was Mrs. Haskell's nephew

03:29and lived with his parents in the house next door came to the house and tried to get inside he

03:35usually

03:35just walked in without knocking however this time the door was bolted shut he tapped on the window

03:41and could hear someone moving inside then his aunt suddenly came to the door and screamed go stop that

03:48man he has murdered my teddy Percy rushed along the path and into York Road but he could not see

03:54a man

03:54Mrs. Haskell's cries attracted the attention of other neighbors and people quickly began making their way

04:00towards the house Mr. Walter Steer who lived two doors down was among the first to arrive

04:07he saw Mrs. Haskell crying and screaming outside her front door Mr. Steer then ran along York Road

04:14but saw no suspicious man he asked two men standing outside the Duke of York pub if they had seen

04:20anyone

04:20but they replied that they had not he then went back to the house and after getting a lamp made

04:26his way

04:26to the back bedroom where he was confronted with a horrifying sight Teddy's lifeless body lay in the

04:32bed the room was not in any particular disorder but blood saturated the bed close Mr. Steer touched

04:39the boy's face and knew immediately that he was dead he then went downstairs and told the news that

04:4512 year old Teddy Haskell had been murdered to the neighbors who by now had come to the house to

04:51see

04:51exactly what had occurred police sergeant Golding soon arrived and Mrs. Haskell told him that a man

04:59had killed her son and that she first saw him when he rushed down the stairs passing her and dropping

05:04a

05:04bloodstained table knife police sergeant Golding then picked up the weapon in the passage and because it

05:10bore fingerprints he said that he would have it photographed in the hope of finding a clue since

05:16there was no light in the hallway Mrs. Haskell was only able to provide a few details about the

05:21man she said she had seen she said that he was clean shaven aged between 30 and 40 about five

05:27foot

05:28six inches tall and was wearing a dark suit without a collar or tie the mystery initially seemed almost

05:34inexplicable but Chief Constable Richardson was determined to find the man that Mrs. Haskell said

05:40she saw leave the house the crime had occurred in a district of short narrow streets and it's about

05:46half past ten on a Saturday night so the murderer could have easily escaped undetected

05:52Superintendent Stevens made sure that the roads out of Salisbury were watched and information about

05:57the murder and the mysterious man was sent to the surrounding districts crowds gathered near to Mrs.

06:03Haskell's house and men carrying sticks and lanterns formed search parties the searches continued far into the

06:10early hours of Sunday morning but by dawn there was still no sign of anyone matching the man's description

06:15the police had questioned one or two potential suspects but none could be connected with the crime

06:21that morning the Chief Constable of the County of Wiltshire visited the scene and with little progress in

06:27resolving the crime contacted Scotland Yard to seek their assistance with the investigation

06:32by the afternoon Chief Inspector Drew from Scotland Yard's Criminal Investigation Department

06:38had arrived in Salisbury despite the extensive search and the attention given to the supposed stranger

06:44in the house the police could find no trace of him and as the investigation continued the mystery

06:50surrounding the man became increasingly more difficult to explain there was also the question of young

06:55Teddy's savings only part of the money was found to be missing and although robbery had been

07:00considered as a possible motive the circumstances did not provide a convincing explanation for why

07:06anyone would have committed such a terrible crime throughout Monday the 2nd of November Mrs.

07:11Haskell was in a state of collapse but it was practically impossible to get any coherent statement from her

07:17the police also maintained a rigid silence and by the evening the public was still without any

07:23definite news as to whether any clue had been obtained which could lead to the arrest of the murderer

07:29however people had begun to realize that the police inquiries were being confined more or less to the

07:34scene of the tragedy rather than the streets nearby and many rumors started to circulate about exactly

07:41what had happened in the house at 40 Meadow Road two days earlier on Tuesday the 3rd of November an

07:48inquest was opened at 10 a.m. and the jury were taken to Meadow Road to see the scene of

07:52the crime and view the body

07:54the coroner however only took formal evidence of identification and then on the application of the

07:59chief constable the inquest was adjourned until the following week however that night the investigation

08:05took a dramatic turn at about 10 30 a motor car arrived at Mrs. Haskell's home and superintendent

08:14Dyer and superintendent Stevens entered her house and produced a warrant for her arrest on the charge of

08:20murdering her son when the warrant was read to her Mrs. Haskell looked shocked and cried oh no before

08:28being taken to the police station when the people of Salisbury heard that the murder boy's mother had

08:33been arrested the news came as a great shock until then most of the public attention had been focused

08:39upon the mysterious man that Mrs. Haskell said had escaped from her house the police however had reached

08:45the conclusion that the stranger had not been found because he never actually existed Mrs. Flora Haskell

08:52was brought before the magistrate where the charge was formally read the hearing itself was brief and

08:58she was remanded while the investigation continued the inquest became a lengthy affair being adjourned and

09:04then resumed over eight different days as the evidence surrounding Teddy's death and the circumstances

09:11described by Mrs. Haskell were examined in great detail particular attention was given to Mrs. Haskell's

09:17clothing blood had been found on both her blouse and skirts and an explanation was required for how it had

09:23got there she maintained that it had come from a knife that had been thrown at her by a man

09:28who she said had

09:29murdered her son expert evidence however given by Professor Augustus J. Pepper an advisor to the home office told the

09:37inquest that the blood marks on Mrs. Haskell's blouse had been caused by blood traveling upwards and he did not

09:43believe that the marks on either her blouse or her skirts would have been produced by a knife being thrown

09:49at her.

09:50Other evidence was heard about people who had been in or around Meadow Road on the night of the murder.

09:55Some witnesses said that they had not seen an unknown man while others said that they had seen someone lurking

10:00around

10:01but did not pay them much attention. One witness named Mr. Francis Samuel Leitz told the inquest that he had

10:08seen

10:08a man leave the house and walked towards him followed by a woman who appeared to be crying.

10:13He said he heard her say something about a man who had killed her Teddy.

10:18There was also evidence that the man had spoken to Teddy in the street three days before his death.

10:23Apparently the man had asked where he lived and whether he had a brother or sister before giving him two

10:29pence.

10:29Again this man's identity had not been established.

10:33The police also investigated a man named Alfred Mould who had proposed marriage to Mrs. Haskell seven months earlier.

10:40He worked on the ships so two detectives traveled to Plymouth and boarded the steamship Adriatic to speak to him.

10:47However after this he was not regarded as a suspect because he had been away at sea when Teddy was

10:52murdered.

10:53People in Salisbury who had also met Alfred Mould commented that he was a nice man

10:58who had treated Teddy very well and seemed very happy to help support him if he married Mrs. Haskell.

11:04As the evidence accumulated the case continued to present the same problem.

11:09There appeared to be no clear motive for Teddy's death as the inquest was repeatedly adjourned and resumed.

11:15The court appearances started to place a considerable strain on Mrs. Haskell

11:19and during the proceedings she sometimes cried and often fainted.

11:23A woman named Matilda Shepard told the court that Mrs. Haskell had told her

11:28that if she had done the terrible crime she was unable to remember it.

11:32The inquest finally concluded on the 27th of November but the jury were unable to agree upon the basic facts.

11:39They accepted the time and place of Teddy's death, the cause of death and that he had been murdered.

11:44What they could not agree on was who had committed the crime.

11:48Salisbury City Coroner, Mr. Buchanan Smith, indicated that if they could not agree on the identity of the killer

11:54he would record an open verdict, meaning that Teddy had been murdered by a person or persons unknown.

12:00The jury foreman, however, told him that they would not accept this.

12:04The jurors then retired again and spent another hour considering the evidence.

12:09This time when they returned, the foreman announced that they believed that Mrs. Haskell had committed the murder.

12:15They went further and said that from the evidence they had heard about her character,

12:20they believed she had killed Teddy while suffering from temporary insanity.

12:24The coroner immediately told them that they had no right to conclude that Mrs. Haskell was insane.

12:29The inquest had therefore failed to produce a simple answer to the mystery.

12:34Instead, the evidence had turned suspicion away from the unknown man and towards the boy's own mother.

12:39Following the inquest, Mrs. Flora Haskell was committed to stand trial for the murder of her son.

12:47The trial of Mrs. Flora Haskell opened in February 1909, before Mr. Justice Ridley.

12:54The prosecution was led by Mr. Foots, while Mrs. Haskell was defended by Mr. Goddard.

12:59When the charges were formally read, Mrs. Haskell entered a plea of not guilty.

13:05A large crowd had gathered outside the courtroom, which consisted of mostly women,

13:10and all of them hoped to be omitted in order to see the proceedings.

13:13Many of those who managed to secure a place had brought sandwiches with them,

13:17so they would not have to leave the court for lunch.

13:20Mrs. Haskell tried to remain composed, but she wept when the details of her son's life were discussed.

13:25The prosecution conceded that there was no evident motive or rational explanation for the crime,

13:31but argued that Mrs. Haskell had committed it during a sudden and extraordinary psychological episode.

13:38Several witnesses were called to establish what had happened on the night of Teddy's death.

13:42Mrs. Manning recalled a previous conversation in which Mrs. Haskell had mentioned a marriage proposal.

13:48She said that Mrs. Haskell had told her that her priority was always caring for her son.

13:5216-year-old Percy Noble described arriving at the house and hearing a sudden thumping sound followed by a scream.

14:00He said that shortly afterwards Mrs. Haskell opened the door in a frantic state,

14:05pleading for help and urging him to find a doctor and telling him to chase the fleeing intruder.

14:10Other neighbours confirmed hearing her screams outside, although none claimed to have seen the mysterious man.

14:17Walter Steer said that after searching the neighbourhoods, he returned to the house and found the boy lying dead in

14:24his bed.

14:25The prosecution also examined the circumstances inside Forty Meadow Road.

14:30A dairyman named Thomas Rawlings testified that he had seen bloodstains on the kitchen tablecloth,

14:36which was then brought into court and displayed to the jury.

14:38Another neighbour named Mr. Sweetman said that Mrs. Haskell had told him that her poor little Teddy had been murdered

14:45and that he had noticed a scratch on her hand.

14:48In Mrs. Haskell's statement, she had said that Teddy's money was always put in a chest of drawers,

14:53but only three pounds ten shillings was found.

14:56The chief constable of Salisbury produced the chest of drawers in court

15:00and pointed out the broken lock on top of the left drawer, where the money had apparently been kept.

15:05He also said that blood was found in the passage, however one of his officers had allowed the floor to

15:11be washed,

15:12an action which the judge heavily criticised.

15:15Dr. Wilkes described the fatal wound to Teddy's throat and a defensive injury to his hand.

15:20He stated that the boy was probably unable to see the attacker or make any noise that could have been

15:26heard downstairs.

15:27Dr. Kemp said that he found no knife marks on the skirts

15:30and believed that the spots on Mrs. Haskell's blouse had come from blood spray from the throat.

15:36Home office expert Professor Pepper repeated the evidence that he had presented at the inquest.

15:42The defence called witnesses who spoke of Mrs. Haskell's good character,

15:46describing her as a devoted mother and a respectable woman.

15:50Mr. Foot, in addressing the jury, concentrated on Percy Noble's evidence,

15:55that he had distinctly heard a chair being moved before Mrs. Haskell came to the door.

15:59He said if her account of a man running downstairs and throwing a knife at her were true,

16:04she could not have pushed the chair back at the moment the boy heard it.

16:08But if Mrs. Haskell had committed the crime, she might have come downstairs and sat on the chair

16:13before hearing the knock at the door.

16:16He claimed that on hearing it, she would have known that it had to be answered

16:20and could naturally have put down the knife she was holding.

16:23Mr. Goddard, for the defence, warned the jury against asking themselves

16:27if the prisoner did not do it.

16:30Who did?

16:31He said that the question could only lead to dangerous speculation,

16:34and their duty was to decide whether Mrs. Haskell was responsible for Teddy's death,

16:39not to determine who else might have committed the crime.

16:42As Mr. Goddard described Mrs. Haskell's devotion to her son,

16:46she again began to cry.

16:48Mr. Goddard argued that if there was no motive,

16:51then the crime must have been committed by a maniac and asked whether there was anything

16:55in Mrs. Haskell's character or behaviour to suggest that she might be one.

17:00Then, looking at the jury, he said that Mrs. Haskell's conduct throughout the trial

17:05was not that of a guilty woman.

17:07In summing up, Justice Ridley commented on the absence of a motive,

17:11but told the jury that there was no suggestion that Mrs. Haskell was insane.

17:16The jury then retired to consider the verdict.

17:18After three hours of deliberation, however,

17:21they were unable to agree whether Mrs. Haskell was innocent or guilty.

17:25They were then discharged, leaving the case without a conclusion,

17:29and meaning that Mrs. Flora Haskell would have to face a second trial.

17:35The second trial began on Thursday, the 1st of April, 1909,

17:39and the witnesses were the same as those called for the first trial two months earlier.

17:44After three days of testimony,

17:46the jury retired to consider their verdict.

17:49They did so for one hour and twenty minutes,

17:51before returning and informing the courts

17:54that they found the defendant,

17:5634-year-old Flora Haskell,

17:59not guilty of the murder of her 12-year-old son, Teddy.

18:02On hearing the verdict,

18:04Mrs. Haskell burst into tears,

18:06and as she left the dock,

18:07she kissed her brothers.

18:09Outside the court,

18:10cheers greeted her departure.

18:12For Mrs. Haskell,

18:14the verdict brought an end to the criminal proceedings,

18:17but it did not provide an answer to the question

18:19that had remained at the centre of the case from the beginning.

18:22Teddy had been killed in his own home,

18:25at 40 Meadow Road,

18:26soon after going upstairs to bed,

18:29on the 31st of October, 1908.

18:31Yet the person responsible for the murder

18:34had never been established.

18:35The circumstances continued to leave room

18:38for different interpretations.

18:40The prosecution had argued

18:42that Mrs. Haskell could have been responsible,

18:44despite the absence of an obvious motive,

18:46and the evidence concerning the blood on her clothing

18:49had raised serious questions

18:51about her version of events.

18:52The inquest jury had concluded

18:54that she had killed her son

18:56during a period of temporary insanity.

18:58At the same time,

18:59several witnesses had described

19:01unexplained people or movements

19:03around Meadow Road,

19:04and Mrs. Haskell had constantly maintained

19:06that a stranger had entered the house

19:08and escaped after killing her son.

19:11However, no mysterious stranger

19:13had ever been identified.

19:14The case therefore ended

19:16without a proven explanation for Teddy's death.

19:19Mrs. Haskell had left the court a free woman,

19:21having been found not guilty at the second trial,

19:24while the person who killed

19:2512-year-old Edwin Richard Haskell

19:27remained unresolved.

19:31Once again, I would like to thank Vibes

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19:39Please leave any comments or feedback

19:41you would like to make,

19:42and I hope to see you all again

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19:46Thanks for joining us.

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