The the how do you do I've been asking myself why it is that criminal trials grip the imagination of the meekest law abiders among us what is the psychological urge that holds us to the crime columns of our daily papers send so many of us packing to the public seats of the law courts it's quite a question isn't it well I've got an explanation for you I'd like to read to you a few lines written by a great British statesman and political writer of the 18th century Edmund Burke this is what he says the annals of criminal jurisprudence exhibit human nature in a variety of positions at once the most striking, interesting and affecting the real culprits as original characters stand forward on the canvas of humanity as prominent objects for our special study how well that slightly antique phrase applies to the macabre figure of Dr. Buck Raxton who slew his English wife, lovely Isabel and Mary Rogerson, their servant and dissected their unfortunate remains into 200 all but unidentifiable parts women in the crowded gallery of the court grew faint and retired while expert witnesses gave evidence that was indisputable and all the time the prisoners' written confession lay in a sealed envelope addressed to a Sunday newspaper and in the custody of a friend who had strict instructions that it was only to be opened in the event of his death but let me take you back back to early September 1935 we shall go to the little English town of Lancaster it's a pretty place and at number two Dalton Square we find the well-loved Dr. Raxton at work in his surgery do you think the little chap will be alright now, doctor? he will be alright, Mrs. Davis, it was quite a simple operation, you know but if he should be a little fretful when the anaesthetic wears off, just give him one of these tablets crushed up in water thank you, doctor, you're so kind now you run along and look after yourself and try to get a good night's rest and keep the little lad quiet, won't you? of course, thank you again, you're so patient with children not at all, my dear lady, good night to you good night, Dr. Raxton I'll look into him in the morning Isabelle, Isabelle! madam's gone to bed, sir oh, it is you, Mary, huh? she had a headache and turned in early, sir oh, she did, did she? yes, sir you have a cigarette, Mary? no, thank you, sir nice stockings you are wearing, huh? sit down no, thank you, sir, I'd rather stand my wife went out this evening, didn't she? yes where did she go? she went round to the dispenser for the children's medicine you are lying, aren't you, Mary? I'm sure I don't know what you mean, sir she has got a lover, hasn't she? and that is where she went this evening to see him, huh? why don't you be frank, I know all about it I'm sure you're wrong, sir how old are you, my dear? I'm twenty you are a very pretty girl come here, I want to talk to you, huh? oh, no, no! what's this? so you are here? yes, you may go, Mary yes, ma'am, I'm sorry it's all right, you may go how dare you, Buck! I've warned you before about that girl she's clean and decent you wouldn't understand I know she is in league with you, huh? I was trying to make her tell me about your love affairs oh, you swine! your mind's full of black shadows and filthy, horrible things they exist only in your imagination you're trying to make yourself believe that I'm unfaithful but you know that I'm not I know that you are, Isabelle do you think I do not notice the side lung glances you exchange with any man who happens to turn up? of course, I see it every time we go out you married me it was an experiment, wasn't it, huh? and now you have enough there is only one treatment for you oh! Isabelle speak to me, Isabelle, I... I am sorry, I am... I am not fit to live please forgive me oh, of course I forgive you back I was due after these scenes if only you would strike me or punish me for my wickedness I love you so much Mummy! Mummy! the children are awake I must go to them the complex story of Ruxton's that normal personality was never revealed during the trial he had an inferiority kink which he carried throughout his life and did his poor unfortunate wife suffer for it as an officer in the Royal Indian Medical Corps he had associated with the Englishmen on equal terms, on duty but off parade he'd imagined himself to be the subject of persecution he fought against this with amazing pertinacity and made up his mind that he would carve out a career that the English would respect it became an obsession the next day come back with me to number 2 Dalton Square, Lancaster a few days later the 15th of September the time, 1am is that you ma'am? oh yes, Mary you may be jump what are you doing out at this time? what's happened? it's him he's been going on like a madman since the surgery closed he's been threatening to kill you when he came back I nearly went for the police but I thought of the scandal ma'am poor Mary didn't do anything to you, did you? no, I locked myself in with the children I'd have run away if it hadn't been for them and you? oh my poor child you must leave here in the morning isn't a fit place for you give me your hand your hand? I'm not really afraid it was the look in his eyes there, there, you should sleep with me the children are alright are they? yes, I've locked them in here's the key oh this is dreadful I don't know what to do if if only I didn't love him I've tried to be a good wife to him I've given him three lovely children oh why don't you take him away? you've never seen him like he was tonight shouting that you were something terrible oh ma'am I've managed him before and I stand him now my husband there is but you must go I've set a bit of supper for you in the lounge I don't think I can manage anything but it's very sweet of you dear I think he's asleep now I believe he took something yes well the illumination's nice in Blackpool yes they, they were lovely I met my sisters Mrs. Nelph and Mrs. Madden you know we all went along the front they wouldn't let me go to enter half past eleven and was the tower all lit up? yes it looked beautiful everyone was laughing and happy walking along the front twenty and thirty abreast there was music everywhere oh it was like going into a different world you must go there tomorrow Mary I'll give you your fare you must see it it sounds wonderful would you like a cup of tea? yes I would I suddenly realised I'd have a bit of a headache do you have any aspirin for bath? no but I expect there's some in the doctor's surgery I'll go and have a look Mary! What's happening here? the furniture's overturned, drawers pulled up bottles smashed on the floor it was him, I told you he'd been pretty bad but he smashed the place up didn't he wake the children? yes that's when I went up to them but look at his papers they're everywhere his case book his tallies up Mary what are all these letters? they're from India shut the door Mary yes ma'am never knew he had letters from India look at those marks some of them are quite recent what's this? my ever dearest darling I treasure any letter of yours my dear like jewels and pearls keep them under lock and key people over here talk that you are leading a gay life in England but I have complete confidence in you and I know that you will keep your word to me until I die I shall always think of the six happy months that I spent with you with thousands of affections and kisses your ever loving wife his wife? but I'm his wife no, no oh Mary, daddy, daddy love letters all of them from his wife in India oh don't you realize what this means? I'm not married to him he's a big of us I'm his children I love him so you come back you dirty you're letting me get my hands on you huh? you're a devil you're not a man you're a devil I know all about you you've got a wife in India you're not fit to live so what am I huh? I'll kill you, I'll kill you oh you've done it I knew you'd do it but you've killed us, you're dead come here, there, gorgeous I like you but you've seen too much it is a shame, isn't it Mary? you cannot get away I've lost you cornered you could have made for the door but it is too late though do not cry one little pain and it will be over I know where to use the knife I'll make it quick for you Mary he stands forward on the canvas of humanity for our special study it's a little bit terrifying isn't it? and it's real but don't you think that perhaps a study of such a man as Ruxton may have helped us to understand the awful possibilities of the human mind? it has certainly helped the scientists of Scotlandia to keep careful tabs on known criminals who are suspected of similar mental complexes now let us go back to September the 29th, 1935 just 14 days after the crime in Lancaster the place is the little town of Moffat, 63 miles from Edinburgh the scene is the local police station very nice too, Sergeant, if I may say so I was just looking in the book I see old Maguires reported the loss of his bull terrier that'll be the one that bit Mrs MacPherson or I'm a Dutchman aye, and I'm a Dutchman if I didn't hear Mr MacPherson's gun go off in MacPherson's cowshed yesterday morning I asked him what he was doing, I reckon I knew now did he have a gun license? aye pity, I'm rather partial to bull terriers hmmm Sergeant, Sergeant, quick, doom of the bridge take it easy, what's the trouble? my sister found it and then she came to me, I had a look-n-up on all the way here what is it, man? there's a parcel in the ravine and there's a human arm sticking out of it a special report for information CRD just came in oh, let me see it, thank you hmm, Moffat, eh? four parcels containing human remains found in ravine on Edinburgh-Carlyle Road stop remains consist of two heads, two heads, two legs, two arms, two hands, several large pieces of flesh four or five large bones, a number of smaller bones, portions of a human trunk and the lower portions of two legs a human arm a human arm a human arm a human arm Inspector Green of the CID lost no time in visiting the scene of this gruesome discovery we've discovered 30 parcels so far, Inspector, and a dreadful job it's been yes, I'm sure it has, you're sending them straight off to Professor Glastrier as they come in, I take it that's right, sir, they're going straight up to the hospital in Edinburgh I understand that the murderers made every effort to destroy all means of identifying his victim they are hacked to pieces, sir, but I understand the remains are probably those of a man and a woman a man and a woman, eh? I see that one of the parcels was wrapped in a child's woolen romper another in an old green blouse, a quantity of cotton wool, a man's vest, some sheeting, and a number of newspapers they're not a lot of help, sir, but they do fix the date of the crime more or less this stony one, you see, is dated September the 15th, so it couldn't have happened before then and a number of the parcels were found along the River Lin that's a contributory stream of the River Annan, sir and the remains were well above the level of the water have you had any heavy rainstorms lately? aye, sir, let me see, it rained heavily on September the 18th and again on the 19th ah, so the packages would have been carried high up the banks of the stream by the swollen waters and when the water subsided they'd have been left there, wouldn't they? you're right, sir so we can fix the date of the crime as being somewhere between the 15th and 19th somewhere between the 15th and 19th of September, two people out of a population of 48 millions had disappeared there was little hope of identifying the bodies and the first step was to make inquiries regarding all missing persons in England and Scotland the investigation proved unproductive, hardly surprising, you say? but the investigations were working along other lines, all the threads of newspapers which had been found in the packages had been sent along to their appropriate publishers and at last the first real clue was furnished by a Sunday paper on September the 15th published in London, this copy proved to be of a limited edition and it had been circulated in the district of Lancaster investigations were concentrated on the Lancaster area and within a matter of hours police officers were making their reports to Captain Van, the Chief Constable of Lancashire carry on, yes, Inspector Green, got anything? yes sir, I think I have, a girl named Mary Rogerson is missing from her home, she's been employed as a nursemaid in Dr. Ruxton's house have you seen the doctor? no sir, I went round but both he and his wife were out, but I spoke to her neighbour, Mrs. Oxley who had been charring for the Ruxtons and she said the doctor had told her that Mrs. Ruxton had gone away for a holiday and taken Mary Rogerson with her I see, find out the relationship between the doctor and his wife right sir one more thing, do you see those articles on the table? yes sir, a green blouse and kiddie's rompons see if Mrs. Rogerson can identify them Mrs. Rogerson's Mary's stepmother by the way identified the green blouse immediately by a patch which she herself had sewn underneath the arm in the words of Scott and Dyer, the case was now developing satisfactorily, reports were coming into the Chief Constable's office from different parts of the town remember with a small population, news is apt to travel quickly have you observed a constantly recurring date in these statements, Green? you mean the 15th of September sir? yes, we appear to know quite a lot about Dr. Ruxton's movement from that day, who is this? thank you sir, at 6.30am Mrs. Oxley, the Ruxton's charwoman was preparing to go to work when the doctor called and told her not to bother to go to his house that day oh Mrs. Oxley, my wife and Mary have gone away on a holiday to Edinburgh and I am taking the children to Morecambe, but come as usual tomorrow at 10am, Miss Roberts, a news agent called to Dr. Ruxton's house to deliver some papers, he answered the door himself, he seemed agitated and was holding his right hand against his body I am on my own today, Mary has gone up to Scotland at 11am, Mrs. Whiteside brought her son for a minor operation, it had already been arranged and she was sharp on time, again he opened the door himself I am sorry but I cannot perform the operation today as my wife is away in Scotland and there is only the maid and myself here we are busy taking up the carpets and things ready for the decorators in the morning hmm, anything else sir? yes, at 2.30pm he took his three children to the house of Mr. Anderson, a Morphing dentist, a friend of the family, in whose charge he left them and then at 6pm he seems to have lost his head, he went to the house of one of his patients, Mrs. Hampshire I am struggling to get my house ready for the decorators Mrs. Hampshire, they are coming in the morning, my wife has gone to Blackpool and Mary is away on holiday and I have cut my hand very badly and I wondered if you would help me and he actually invited the lady to go back to his house with him and help him to straighten it out inside the Ruxton house the start of Mrs. Hampshire found chaos, the radio was blaring, stair carpets had been pulled up, the straw was scattered everywhere and plaster had been ripped from the walls a supper meal laid in the lounge was untouched, upstairs doors were locked and the bath was discoloured a dirty yellow up to within a few inches of the top his action in taking Mrs. Hampshire to the house was inexplicable for in consequence of what she saw there she later became one of the principal witnesses for the crown of course he may have taken her there to save his reason, I personally should not have cared to enter the house unescorted, would you? another point which amazed the police was Ruxton's visit to the chief constable Captain Van, I have come to you for protection, have you heard the stories in the town? sit down Dr. Ruxton, please calm yourself, now what is it? they are saying that I know all about the Moffat bodies, they are saying that this horrible crime is connected with the disappearance of my wife and maid even the papers are making these awful suggestions, the publicity is ruining my practice Captain Van, you must please publish that there is no connection between the two, you must help me to find my wife the chief constable consoled him to the best of his ability and proceeded with the investigations, inspector Green was making good headway I have collected some fresh evidence sir, Ruxton told a friend that his wife had gone away in his car not returned but he allowed the car to be seen in Lancaster he has also invented a totally untrue story that Mary Rogerson was going to have a baby and had disappeared for that reason when I asked him how he knew, he replied by her eyes and other symptoms, I am certain he was lying sir the case for the public prosecutor was approaching completion, at the Crown Laboratory in Edinburgh Dr. Lester and a team of experts had assembled large parts of the two bodies artificial teeth were made and fitted to secure an indication of what the mouths had looked like in life, in all 20 sets of 250 pictures were completed and these included photographs taken from an overhead scaffolding after portions of the bodies had been assembled on the floor by the 11th of October Ruxton knew that he was a doomed man, he even approached inspector Green he took me by the shoulders and shouted as he flourished a newspaper in my face look at this inspector Green, look at it, why do they accuse me of the Moffat murder? somebody will be putting a dead body on my doorstep soon and I shall be accused of killing it on the following day, October 12th 1935, the chief constable requested Ruxton to go to his office saying that it was thought he could help in finding his wife and the maid, Dr. Buck Ruxton never returned from this visit he was detained and early on the morning of the 13th he was charged with the murder of Mary Ruddison there followed weekly remand until November the 5th during this time we were making a minute examination of the house in Dalton Square the story of what had happened there was slowly unfolding we completed our evidence with a discovery in a locked drawer with letters from Ruxton's legal wife in India here then was the last link November the 5th, Ruxton was charged with the murder of his wife Isabella Ruxton and the maid Miss Mary Ruddison music on December the 13th he was committed for trial on both charges at the Manchester Assizes in his charge to the jury Mr. Justice Singleton referred to the distinguished body of evidence in the highest terms he concluded by saying to the jury gentlemen of the jury, you have heard the evidence but if in your opinion there is any doubt in this case the prisoner must have the benefit of that doubt but if there is no doubt then your verdict must be equally clear and justice must be done music there was no doubt and Ruxton was found guilty and sentenced to death on March the 13th 1936 the sentence was duly carried out on the 12th of May at Strange Bay's prison in Manchester music and a little footnote in this case throughout the trial Ruxton behaved like a rag doll he wept and protested his innocence at the moment the square piece of black cloth was placed on the head of Mr. Justice Singleton he became still and composed as the judge concluded the formal sentence Ruxton with upraised arm gave him the salute of an oriental warrior then turning sharp left he gave a similar salute to an astonished jury before warders had to move away and the written confession in the sealed envelope it was not published until several days after his execution in it all he said was I killed Mrs. Ruxton in a fit of temper I thought she'd been with a man Mary Rogerson was present at the time I had to kill her music
