Charles Bravo Murder

Letter signed ('George Johnson') to Mr Seymour Haden, in secretarial hand, regarding the sensational case of the death of Charles Bravo, reading in part "There was no exhumation of the body. I saw the case soon after the onset of the symptoms and at once recognise it as one of irritant poisoning. Antimony was afterwards found by Professor Redwood in the vomited matter. He died within 48 hours from the onset of the symptoms. The post-mortem examination was made by Doctor Payne. At the first inquest, Mrs Cox, the companion of Mrs Bravo, having stated that Mr Bravo had told her that he had taken poison, the coroner refused to hear any further evidence, and a verdict of 'suicide' was at once declared. Mr Bravo's friends were dissatisfied with the verdict, and applied to the House Secretary, who directed the Coroner to hold a second inquest. After a very prolonged enquiry, the verdict was 'Murder by some unknown person'. I have no experience of exhumation of the body for the purpose of post-mortem investigation", four pages, pencil annotations on last page, mid-horizontal fold, 8vo, 11 Saville Row, 12 November 1891.

***The murder of Charles Bravo was an unsolved crime committed within an elite Victorian household at The Priory, a landmark house in Balham, London. The reportage eclipsed even government and international news at the time. Leading doctors attended the bedside, including Royal physician Sir William Gull.