Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 14.pdf/472

 The Strange Case of Dr. Cream. doubtedly believed that the poison had al ready done its work, and in one or two in stances he casually mentioned her to an acquaintance as having died. Some time afterwards she met and spoke to him, but he failed to recognize her. We have now considered a few of the atrocious murders which Cream either com mitted or attempted — a few because it is undoubtedly true that he was the author of many which have not nor will ever be brought to light. Evidence sufficient to establish the death of six unfortunate girls at his hands was obtained by the authorities at Scotland Yard. No one knows how large was the number in America. In a confession made to one since dead, who stood in close touch with him, he told of the ghastly pastime in which he was wont to indulge during his practice as a physician in the latter country. When an unfortunate woman consulted him, he would give her a box containing thirteen capsules, the con tents of twelve of which consisted of ergot or Indian hemp. The thirteenth was filled with strychnine. He would instruct her to take one of these every day until a cure had been effected. Then he would watch the newspapers and be on the alert for an item which would inform him of her death. Many died, but no suspicion fell upon the criminal because, even if the capsules were traced to him, an analysis of those remaining would reveal no results. This morbid excitement seems to have been the chief if not the only motive in all Cream's murders. It became a horrible fascination with him to watch the press to see whether the victim had fallen a prey to his wiles. It is said that " the wicked flee when no man pursueth," and the haunting sense of his many crimes seems to have pursued Dr. Cream as it inevitably follows everyone

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who takes the life of his brother man. Call it what you will, there exists within us a moving force, an " Imp of the Perverse" which impels the homicide to demand, " Am I my brother's keeper? " long before a breath of suspicion is wafted towards him. Emily Sleeper lived with her mother at 103 Lambeth Road, where Cream boarded. Somewhat of an intimacy ripened between them, and on the 9th of October Cream made the remark that he knew who had poisoned Matilda Clover. It was Lord Russell, he said. The Russell divorce case was a prominent topic of conversation at that time. After his return from America, he made a number of inquiries about the young Dr. Harper, and later on he said to Miss Sleeper that it was Dr. Harper who had poisoned Marsh and Shrivell. Cream, so the girl testified, seemed to be a very in quisitive man, continually thrusting himself into the affairs of others. John Haynes, an engineer, who had made Cream's acquaintance through their mutual friend Armstead, a photographer, was like wise the recipient of many curious confi dences. Cream told him that the young physician had murdered Marsh and Shrivell with strychnine, and said that the unfortu nate women had received anonymous letters warning them not to take anything from him. He mentioned incidentally at the time, that Harper had not alone poisoned Marsh and Shrivell but also Ellen Donworth, Matilda Clover and Lou Harvey, and asked Haynes to make inquiries. He claimed to be on terms of the greatest friendship with Harper and stated that the latter had asked him to procure strychnine for the purpose of poisoning those girls. One of the witnesses whose testimony was introduced at the trial was that of a traveling salesman named McCullough who had made Cream's acquaintance in Quebec in the latter