The Mysteries of Modern LondonSims, George R. (George Robert)
History
The Mysteries of Modern London
Sims, George R. (George Robert)
Criminals -- England -- London; London (England) -- History
These facts are in the Report of the Commission. The doctor who attended
the case told the story himself in the course of his evidence.
It was some time afterwards that the plan for the false burial was
discovered. The money for it was to be drawn from the burial club on the
doctor's certificate. The relatives had managed to get possession of a
shell. This was to be filled with stones and bricks, securely wrapped
up to prevent their moving, and packed in a sack to represent the man's
weight.
The shell was to be closed, and then, "in consequence of a dispute with
the first undertaker," the order for the coffin and the interment was to
be given to another undertaker.
There was no reason he should refuse the business. The production of
the doctor's certificate would justify him in taking the order and
concluding the arrangements.
There are coffins in the London cemeteries which contain no bodies. Over
some of the graves there are memorial stones, and, as in Wilkie Collins'
famous story, "The Woman in White," it sometimes happens that the "dead
person" goes to the cemetery and reads the touching tribute to his or
her virtues.
It may even be--I have heard the story told--that the dear departed will
go to the cemetery once a year and lay a memorial wreath upon her own
grave.
These are the mysteries of the dead. The mysteries of the living are
hidden away, sometimes in their own hearts, sometimes in the keeping of
the family solicitor, who has many a startling romance locked away in
the safes and tin boxes that line the walls of his quiet office.
I sat the other day in the private office of a famous solicitor who is
the confidant of the secrets of many of our titled families, and of some
of the most prominent members of the Smart Set.
As I chatted pleasantly with the famous lawyer, I could not help
thinking what a marvellous series of "Mysteries of modern London" he
could write if he were not, by reason of his office and his own high
sense of personal honour, bound to preserve silence.
In the quiet, old-fashioned little room in which I sat, looking out upon
an ancient burial ground, some of the most sensational stories of the
day have been told, and, by the skill of the diplomatic solicitor,
brought to a satisfactory last chapter, and then consigned to the
oblivion of the locked safe, of which he alone carries the key.
For most of the mysteries that have been brought to this cosy little
room have been settled there. They have not had to endure the glare of
the Law Courts and the fierce publicity of the Press. Had they done so
the world would have had some startling sensations, which would have put
many that are thrillingly headlined by the popular Press far back into
the shade.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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