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1900: A true Victorian murder mystery…
1900: A true Victorian murder mystery…
Great Yarmouth, September 1900: A young woman is found dead on the beach, a bootlace tied tightly around her neck. Despite her death attracting national attention in the press, nobody claims her. Detective Inspector Robert Lingwood of the Great Yarmouth police force declares he will not rest until the mystery of the young woman’s death is solved. But it’s only once the case has been referred to Scotland Yard that the layers of mystery start to peel away…
Great Yarmouth
Mary Jane Bennett was strangled on Yarmouth beach in September 1900, and her estranged husband stood trial for her murder. He was found guilty and hanged at Norwich prison in March 1901.
The case was notorious for the press campaign which resulted. Witnesses were actually paid by the newspapers to give their story before the trial and so is thought to be the earliest example of trial by ‘gutter press’. The trial also stood out for the fact that it used photographic evidence. A photo was shown of Mary wearing a gold necklace two days before her murder. That same necklace was found in Bennett’s lodgings in London.
The BookTrail bookreview of The Mysterious Mrs Hood – Kim Donovan
Destination/Location: Great Yarmouth Author: Kim Donovan Departure: 1900
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