The Murder of Jane Clouson: The Eltham Mystery

Dark Histories

In the spring of 1871, a young servant girl was found in the middle of the night, lying on the ground following a brutal attack that would eventually prematurely end her life. Following a series of fantastic police blunders, a suspect was arrested, tried and promptly acquitted. As far as the police were concerned, the murder had been solved, but the culprit had escaped the hand of justice and as such, the case was closed and eventually buried, slipping into eventual obscurity. Almost 140 years later, that is where the case remains, but had the police been right in their suspicions of the suspected attacker? Or did the murderer remain completely anonymous, escaping justice due to the tunnel vision of a ham fisted police department?

SOURCES

Murphy, Paul Thomas (2017) Pretty Jane & The Viper of Kidbrooke Lane. Pegasus, UK Higgs, Edward (1983) Domestic Servants and Households in Victorian England. Social History, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp 201-210. Taylor & Francis Ltd. UK Farrah, Frederick (1871) The Eltham Tragedy Reviewed. F. Farrah, London, UK ------

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Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.