0:10

This episode contains distressing

0:12

themes and descriptions of

0:14

violence. This pod

0:17

cast is intended for a mature

0:19

audience. Listen a

0:21

caution is advised.

0:25

They walk among us is part of

0:27

the Acast creator network.

0:41

The prisoner is probably the youngest

0:43

person actively concerned in the

0:46

investigation of this case.

0:48

You may build round a

0:50

case of this kind amounting of

0:52

motive, You may surround

0:54

it with suspicion, but

0:56

if you do not prove the person

0:58

whose death you are investigating was

1:01

murdered Your mountain of motive

1:03

and all your suspicion are without

1:06

value. James

1:10

Dale Castle.

1:12

such six of sizes, March

1:14

nineteen thirty.

1:21

Welcome to season seven episode

1:23

fourteen of Bay Walk among us.

1:26

A podcast dedicated to

1:28

UK crime.

1:42

Margate on the southeast coast of

1:44

England was a popular tourist destination

1:47

in the nineteen twenties.

1:50

People came in droves to experience

1:53

the sandy beaches. the

1:55

theme park and modern pier.

1:58

Being a hotelier was big business,

2:00

even though it was mid week

2:02

during that late October. The

2:06

hotel Metropole on Margate's

2:08

seafront was bustling with guests.

2:11

However, most of the visitors at that

2:13

time of year state for business not

2:16

pleasure, like traveling salesman.

2:20

The hectic Wednesday had almost drawn

2:22

to a close at eleven forty CPM

2:25

on October twenty third nineteen

2:27

twenty nine. The

2:30

quiet was broken when guests were

2:33

curbed by scantily clad man

2:35

running down the stairs from the first

2:37

floor, calling for the boots,

2:40

a term for porters. Dressed

2:43

in just a vest, thirty

2:45

year old Sydney Harry Fox

2:47

shouted for help and

2:49

screamed at those people gathered in the

2:51

lobby that there was a fire upstairs.

2:56

Samuel Hopkins, a traveling salesman

2:58

who was staying at the hotel. Later

3:01

recall that the man who was shouting looked

3:03

petrified, quote,

3:06

ziffy had almost lost his

3:08

head. Hopkins

3:10

followed Fox up the stairs to room

3:12

sixty seven, which was

3:14

filled with smoke. Folks

3:17

rushed back out to the corridor and pointed

3:20

to the next room sixty six

3:23

and said, my mother is

3:25

in there. open it.

3:28

Hopkins opened the door, but

3:30

was immediately knocked back by the

3:32

thick smoke emanating from the

3:34

room. The air was

3:37

so dense and dark that he could not

3:39

see, even when he went

3:41

outside and tried to enter for

3:43

a second time. sensing

3:46

the panic around him. Hopkins

3:49

wasted no time. Tying

3:52

his handker chief around his mouth

3:54

and crawling into the blackened room.

3:58

The only light seen through the smoke

4:00

was a glowing red globe. a

4:03

lamp illuminating the corner

4:05

of the room. Feeling

4:07

around in front of him, Hopkins

4:10

hands came into contact with

4:12

someone's leg. A

4:15

semi naked female was lying

4:17

on the left side of a bed, close

4:19

to the door. Her

4:22

other leg was hanging off the opposite

4:24

side of the bed near the source

4:26

of the fire. Malkins

4:28

put one arm beneath the woman's legs

4:30

and another behind her neck,

4:33

dragging her from the bed to the carpeted

4:35

floor. as he pulled

4:38

her from the burning room into the crowded

4:40

corridor. Hopkins began

4:43

to feel the effects of the smoke.

4:46

just as he had carried the woman to

4:48

the landing, he heard folks

4:51

say, my mommy. My

4:54

mommy. Overcome

4:56

by the fumes, Hopkins

4:59

collapsed. It would

5:01

take him a full three weeks to

5:03

recover. As

5:06

two men ran into the room to try and

5:08

extinguish the smoldering fire.

5:11

Attempts were made by guests in the

5:13

corridor to resuscitate the woman

5:15

who would later be identified as

5:17

sixty three year old Rosa

5:19

Line Fox. Reginald

5:23

Leonard Reid pulled a smoking armchair

5:25

from room sixty six that seemed

5:27

to have been sitting directly above

5:30

the source of the fire. Reed

5:33

returned to the room to stamp on an

5:35

incandescent patch of carpet and

5:37

poured water on the floor. while

5:40

another guest braved the fumes to turn

5:42

off the gas stove,

5:44

positioned close to their charred carpet.

5:48

Local officers PC Bray and

5:50

PS fleet arrived within minutes

5:53

and took over resuscitation attempts

5:56

as they fought in vain to save

5:58

the dying woman. By

6:01

the time the fire brigade arrived in

6:03

two vehicles. The

6:05

fire had been extinguished, and

6:08

the smoke was dissipating through the open

6:10

window in room sixty six.

6:14

Local GP's doctor Austin

6:16

and doctor Nichols were urgently summoned

6:19

to the hotel, but

6:21

sadly nothing could be done.

6:24

Doctor Rothstein pronounced Rossiline

6:27

Foxted shortly before midnight.

6:31

The

6:31

doctor believed she had succumb to

6:33

shock and suffocation as a

6:35

result of the fire.

6:42

Sydney Fox had been taken to

6:44

another room, a waiting word

6:46

on his mother's condition unaware

6:49

of what had happened.

6:51

Doctor Robert Nickel was sent to

6:53

break the news to the woman's distraught

6:55

son, but chose to do it

6:57

as gently as possible. without

7:00

telling him directly that his

7:02

mother was dead. The

7:04

doctor mentioned that the coroner had

7:07

been informed and an inquest would

7:09

be held, so it was in

7:11

Fox's best interest to retain

7:13

a solicitor. and

7:15

Sydney Fox realized what that

7:17

meant. He almost collapsed.

7:21

Doctor Nickel Lasse recalled, As

7:24

I went on, he became more agitated

7:26

and finally extremely agitated.

7:29

So much so that I was shocked, and

7:32

was surprised to see a man so agitated.

7:36

His distress increased enormously as

7:38

I spoke to him.

7:43

Sydney Fox asked if he could see

7:45

his mother again, and he was

7:47

taken to the downstairs room where

7:49

her body had been carried. Fox

7:53

wept beside her for a few moments

7:55

before leaving, and the doctor

7:58

felt it was in Sydney Fox's best

7:59

interest to be. seated. Doctor

8:03

Nickel administered dose of

8:05

morphine through a hypodemic needle.

8:08

then

8:09

Fox was led to a different

8:11

bedroom,

8:12

one that had a joint his mother's.

8:15

As

8:16

he became more composed,

8:19

Fox spoke of the coincidences between

8:21

his mother's death and the recent

8:24

death of a friend. Ninety

8:26

year old lady Pageant, who had once

8:29

been queen Victoria's lady

8:31

in waiting, had fallen asleep

8:33

next to the fire while reading a newspaper.

8:37

The paper had somehow come into

8:39

contact with the flames. and

8:41

ignited the elderly woman's clothing

8:45

with the doctor's permission. Inspector

8:48

Palmer from the local police force

8:50

spoke to Sydney Fox as

8:52

he lay in bed in the early hours of

8:55

the morning. When asked

8:57

to give an account of the events proceeding

8:59

the fire for the inquest. Fox

9:02

said that his mother had gone to bed at

9:04

nine forty five PM. and

9:06

he had given her the evening paper.

9:10

Fox told the inspector,

9:12

I

9:12

let the gas fire and asked if

9:14

I should wait to turn out the light.

9:16

She said, no. That will

9:18

be alright. She was

9:21

not undressed. My

9:23

room is next to hers. Number

9:25

sixty seven. This

9:27

opens into her room which is

9:29

never locked. I came downstairs

9:33

and retired about ten forty

9:35

five and went to sleep. was

9:37

aroused about eleven thirty by

9:39

what I thought was a window rattling.

9:42

I got up and noticed the smell of

9:44

fire and closed my window and went

9:47

to her room to see if it came from

9:49

there. I found the room

9:51

full of smoke. I saw

9:53

a light near where the gas stove would

9:55

be. I entered the room

9:57

but was beaten back by smoke.

10:00

and went downstairs for reporter,

10:02

and a number of people entered

10:04

the room. I saw a man

10:07

drag her out unconscious. I

10:09

could not save she was breathing. She

10:12

frequently read the paper in her

10:14

bedroom. I cannot

10:16

save she undressed in front of the fire.

10:20

Neither of us smoked. She

10:22

was a good sleeper.

10:25

Doctor Nickle agreed with doctor Ross

10:28

in that the woman's condition indicated that

10:30

she had either died from suffocation from

10:33

the fire or shock.

10:36

They saw no signs of physical violence

10:38

or foul clay. No

10:41

post mortem examination was conducted

10:44

as a result of their opinions.

10:52

The police and the fire brigade carried

10:54

out and in section of the room,

10:57

reporting their findings at an inquest

10:59

held the following afternoon in the town

11:01

hall. overseen by Barakorona

11:04

Wilson Price. There

11:06

was an open book found on the floor.

11:09

A few feet from the gas fire.

11:12

And it was believed that the source of the smoke

11:14

had been a patch of carpet beneath

11:16

the large armchair. positioned

11:18

one and a half feet from a fender that

11:20

was in front of the gas stove.

11:24

A bundle of burnt clothing was discovered

11:26

on the armchair. which was severely

11:29

charred on the side that had been closest

11:31

to the fire. One

11:33

leg had been damaged. A

11:37

patch of carpet between the fender

11:39

and the fire was unburned, as

11:41

if something had formed a bridge between.

11:45

One officer suggested that a piece of

11:47

newspaper might have been ignited

11:49

by the gas fire, and the flames

11:52

traveled beneath the chair where

11:54

they caused the carpet to smolder.

11:57

The fire destroyed the bottom of the chair,

12:00

causing the duffing to fall down onto

12:02

the glowing embers below.

12:05

Chief officer Hammond from the fire brigade

12:08

form the opinion that missus Fox

12:10

had undressed in front of the fire.

12:12

And some portion of her clothing

12:14

had come into contact with the flames

12:17

before it was dropped on the ground where

12:19

it smoldered. Hammond

12:22

reported that it was purely incandescent

12:24

fire that burned without a flame.

12:27

destroying the patch of carpets and

12:29

underlay. Furthermore,

12:32

a burned piece of underwear was discovered

12:34

on the floor close to the underside of

12:36

the chair. and stockings had

12:38

been draped across the side of the

12:40

armchair, subsequently being

12:42

charred by the heat. Missus

12:46

Fox's dress was found hanging behind

12:48

the door. The shoes sat

12:50

beneath the bed, and her

12:52

worn out dentures had been placed

12:54

in a basin. There

12:57

was no trace of any luggage, jewelry,

12:59

or other belongings in the room. apart

13:02

from a badly burned handbag sitting

13:05

on the armchair. Sydney

13:08

Fox had asked if the twenty four pounds

13:10

he had given to his mother from a recently

13:12

cash check was still in the bag,

13:15

but nothing was found other than a

13:17

postcard. Doctor

13:19

Austin told the coroner that missus

13:21

Fox's death was a result of

13:23

smoke inhalation, which

13:25

caused her to suffocate.

13:28

There

13:28

were no signs of any burn injuries,

13:30

apart from a tinge of redness

13:33

on her lips that could be attributed to

13:35

carbon monoxide poisoning. There

13:38

was nothing in the woman's appearance that

13:40

indicated she had died from anything

13:43

other than smoke inhalation. McCorona

13:47

instructed the jury to return a verdict

13:49

of death by Miss Adventure. It

13:52

was seen simply as a tragic

13:54

accident.

13:57

Corporal William Price commended the

13:59

guests at the hotel, who had

14:02

done everything they could in the circumstances

14:04

to try and rest skew misses Fox

14:07

and extinguish the fire. The

14:10

coroner also expressed his sympathy

14:13

to Sydney Fox. through

14:15

his solicitor mister Wilson. Thank

14:18

those who had done strenuous,

14:20

laborious, and dangerous work

14:22

in an attempt to save. his mother's

14:25

life. With

14:27

the inquest over, Rosaline

14:30

Fox was buried the following week

14:32

after a lavish funeral in the

14:34

Norfolk village where she was

14:36

raised. Newspapers reported

14:39

a tragic end to the weeklong stay

14:42

for the mother and son. who had

14:44

recently returned from visiting the

14:46

graves of missus Fox's other children

14:48

in France.

14:58

Rosa Line Fox was the daughter

15:00

of a farm labor are born in

15:02

great friendship.

15:04

The little Norfolk village between Norwich

15:06

and Kings Lynn had a small population.

15:09

but few locals remembered March

15:12

about Rosaline. A

15:14

childhood accident left her with a

15:16

distinctive scar on the right side

15:18

of her nose. and she was

15:20

described as being quiet and

15:23

flighty. Shortly

15:26

after she turned twenty, was

15:28

the line married William Fox,

15:31

a signalman for the great eastern

15:33

railway, but the relationship

15:36

was not to last. Little

15:39

is known about what happened to William,

15:41

but it's believed that he left his wife

15:44

and their sons William and Reginald.

15:46

soon after their eldest child turned

15:49

six.

15:50

Rosaline went

15:52

on to have two more sons cecil

15:54

and Sydney, his fathers

15:57

were not listed on their birth certificates.

16:00

While the count's missus Fox was

16:02

adored by her youngest son,

16:05

who had told the police that she was his

16:07

only living relative after his

16:09

brothers had been killed in the war.

16:14

It seemed admirable that a family from

16:16

such a disadvantaged background would

16:19

rise to such a social ranking.

16:21

allowing them to stay in upmarket

16:23

hotels for days at a time.

16:27

But to others, the situation

16:29

rang alarm bells.

16:33

Within

16:33

days of missus Fox's funeral,

16:36

The police had received information from

16:39

a claims investigator who found

16:41

it suspicious that Rosaline Fox's

16:44

life had been insured up until

16:46

midnight on the day of her death.

16:49

The benefactor, a

16:51

youngest son, Sydney,

16:56

Sydney Fox had a history of

16:58

duplicity. And when it was

17:00

discovered that he had obtained credit

17:02

by fraudulent means. To

17:04

the extent of just under thirty

17:06

pounds, which is equal

17:08

to around one thousand three hundred

17:11

pounds in today's money. He

17:13

was arrested in Norwich. and

17:15

charged as an undisclosed bankrupt

17:17

who had outstanding liabilities totaling

17:20

two hundred and sixty seven

17:22

pounds. Fox

17:24

showed the hotel Metropolitan market

17:26

twelve pounds for shillings and

17:28

eight pence. He also

17:31

fifty pounds five shillings to

17:33

the rural Peruvian hotel in Folkston.

17:36

Once more, he had cashed a fake check

17:38

for two pounds in a chemist. but

17:41

he had a string of similar convictions

17:43

that stemmed from his childhood.

17:47

Just before he turned thirteen,

17:50

Sydney Fox was called pocketing the

17:52

money he had collected for a charitable

17:54

organization.

17:56

For the theft, he was thrashed with a

17:58

birch rod. a punishment

18:01

known as Birch.

18:03

The practice of flogging a young male

18:05

offender with a steer core of a similar

18:07

tool was commonly ordered by the court

18:10

as a punishment. The

18:13

caning for the crime was carried out

18:15

by an exterior officer. Corporal

18:19

punishment did

18:19

little to dissuade young Sydney

18:22

Fox from his deceptive ways of

18:24

obtaining money.

18:26

even when he was offered a position as

18:28

a page boy for an affluent family

18:30

in the west end.

18:34

missus Fox and her youngest son had

18:36

moved to Thornton Heath near Croydon.

18:40

While the single mother worked in a kitchen,

18:43

Sydney became acquainted with the baronets,

18:46

John Lesley and his family at

18:48

their London townhouse. Associating

18:52

with distinguished members of high society

18:55

such as the noble surgeon and

18:57

his wife, Winston Churchill's

19:00

maternal aunt, evoked

19:02

a taste in the impressionable Sydney

19:04

Fox for the finer things in

19:06

life.

19:09

unsatisfied with working his way

19:11

to the top so he could afford the life

19:13

he wanted for himself and his

19:15

mother.

19:16

Fox stole from Sir Leslie,

19:19

and

19:19

he was fired from his position.

19:23

According to lethal witness,

19:26

a book by Andrew Rose, Leslie's

19:29

grandson Shane. It was

19:31

suspected that by the time of his

19:33

dismissal in nineteen sixteen,

19:36

the teenage Sydney Fox was receiving

19:38

money from, quote, homeroamorous

19:41

men. Fox

19:44

was then able to gain employment at

19:46

Cox's bank in Sharon Cross London.

19:49

and to fund his exploits. He

19:51

began to forge checks in customer's

19:54

names. Instead

19:55

of being prosecuted for these

19:58

crimes, Fox was ordered

19:59

to enlist in the armed forces at

20:02

a time when soldiers were needed during

20:04

the first World War.

20:07

Sydney Fox seemed to elicit sympathy

20:10

from older men in the army, and

20:12

he was enrolled as a cadet in the

20:14

Royal Flying Corps. the

20:16

army unit that preceded the

20:18

RF.

20:18

Fox

20:21

was then arrested at a west end club

20:23

wearing a lieutenant uniform by

20:25

an officer who said that Fox had

20:27

obtained quote. Such

20:29

money as he could make out of

20:31

sexual perversion. In

20:35

the early nineteen hundreds, being

20:37

gay was a criminal offense punishable

20:40

by a sentence of between ten years

20:42

to life in prison with hard

20:44

labor. Even decades

20:47

later, When Alan Turing a gifted

20:49

mathematician who broke the enigma

20:51

code during World War two was convicted

20:54

of gross indecency. he

20:56

was chemically castrated.

21:01

Sydney Fox was believed to have

21:03

been an intimate relation ships with

21:05

high ranking servicemen and members

21:07

of high society. His

21:10

connection to one would later be used

21:12

to cast suspicion upon him for

21:14

a crime much greater than

21:16

fraud.

21:21

After serving three months in Hove

21:23

Prison for forging checks,

21:26

Fox was sent back to the army before

21:28

being discharged from service. after

21:31

being diagnosed with epilepsy. Between

21:35

nineteen seventeen and nineteen

21:37

twenty eight, Fox was

21:39

in and out of prison four times,

21:41

but he had more than greed

21:44

as a motivation. His

21:46

mother was suffering from partial paralysis,

21:50

which limited control over her muscles

21:52

and led to difficulty walking.

21:56

Fox rarely left his mother's side

21:58

apart from his spells in prison.

22:01

However, upon his release,

22:03

he would always return to her.

22:06

and suited the mother and son to obtain

22:09

credit by deceiving people. They

22:12

would stay at hotels for a day or

22:14

two without having to pay because

22:16

they gave the impression they were wealthy.

22:19

As

22:19

a security deposit,

22:22

Sydney

22:22

Fox would hand the manager a

22:24

sealed envelope that he said contained

22:27

valuable documents.

22:30

He showed them he would wipe the amount owed

22:32

after checking out. In

22:35

February nineteen twenty eight,

22:38

Unsurprisingly, Fox was sentenced

22:41

to twelve months in prison for stealing,

22:44

again, from another employer. His

22:47

mother was admitted into Saint Mary's

22:49

Infirmary as a sick and

22:51

destitute person. She

22:53

remained there until her youngest son's

22:55

release in March nineteen twenty

22:58

nine. Despite

23:00

their joint income of just eighteen

23:02

shillings a week from missus Fogg his

23:04

pension and Sydney Fox's disability

23:07

pension of eight shittings. The

23:09

mother and son were able to stay in hotels

23:12

across the country that cost more

23:14

per night than they received in a

23:16

week. Part of their

23:19

scheme involved the per cheese of accidents

23:21

and travel insurance. They

23:24

often journeyed with nothing more than

23:26

the clothes on their backs. but

23:28

they would claim for lost luggage. Missus

23:32

Fox had been insured for a total of

23:34

one hundred and sixty seven days

23:36

between eight Poland October nineteen

23:38

twenty nine. Most of

23:40

the policies were for a few days at

23:42

a time. extended every

23:45

so often as the pair moved

23:47

around. Sydney

23:49

and his mother had traveled to do a

23:51

song military cemetery in France.

23:54

to pay their respects to two of Rosa

23:56

Line's other sons. A

23:59

second youngest had died during the

24:01

war. and the second eldest

24:03

had been killed in a blast in nineteen

24:06

sixteen, and

24:08

they returned. The mother

24:10

and son stayed in different hotels

24:13

throughout the southeast across

24:15

Holchester, Folkston, can

24:18

debris and finally market.

24:24

The seaside have on Ken's northern

24:26

coast was relatively quiet in October

24:29

nineteen twenty nine. The

24:32

majority of the guests at the hotel in

24:34

October at here to be salesman.

24:37

When the well dressed Sydney Fox and

24:39

his elderly mother checked in on October

24:42

sixteenth, They had no

24:44

problem securing two rooms for

24:46

what was supposed to be a one

24:48

night stay.

24:51

They

24:51

were given room sixty eight and

24:53

seventy on the first floor.

24:55

The

24:56

following day, Fox went to the reception

24:59

and desk and asked to extend their

25:01

stay.

25:03

He handed the clerk a sealed envelope

25:05

and asked them to keep it in the safe

25:07

as it contained valuable documents.

25:11

On October eighteenth, Fox spoke

25:14

to the hotel manager Joseph Harding.

25:17

and asked him for a recommendation for

25:19

a good insurance broker. He

25:22

mentioned a twenty five pound check

25:24

that he had to cash. Mister

25:27

Harding offered to cash it for

25:29

him. But

25:30

Fox said he intended on going

25:32

to London anyway and would

25:34

do it at a Lloyd's Bank. Sydney

25:38

Fox spoke about a new house his

25:40

mother had just purchased in Lindhurst

25:43

and said that their luggage had been sent

25:45

there. but they were awaiting

25:47

refurbishments to be completed before

25:50

they moved in. This

25:52

explained why the guests only had

25:54

one outfit. and why

25:56

Fox was using petrol to clean

25:59

his suit jacket. Joseph

26:01

Harding later recalled.

26:04

Each time I spoke to mister Fox,

26:06

he said that he was leaving the following

26:09

morning.

26:11

On

26:11

October twentieth,

26:13

Fox came down to the reception and

26:16

said that his mother had contracted a

26:18

chill and had just fainted.

26:21

The manager gave him some salve, rattling,

26:25

smelling salts often used to bring

26:27

someone around who had just fainted.

26:30

Joseph Harding found the local doctor,

26:33

doctor Austin, and

26:34

asked him to attend.

26:37

The

26:37

hotel staff had noticed that

26:39

missus Fox seemed to be unwell.

26:42

Her hands and feet were discolored

26:44

and cold.

26:46

She had a fixed gaze and a shuffling

26:48

walk, which

26:49

meant she often needed an arm to

26:51

hold as she moved from the dining

26:53

hold back to her room.

26:56

Receptionist suggested that Fox

26:58

and his mother move into summer joining

27:01

rooms, sixty six

27:03

and sixty seven. Room

27:06

sixty six had a gas stove, which

27:08

the other rooms did not. The

27:11

chamber made brought hot water bottles

27:13

up to missus Fox. who

27:15

was in bed complaining of abdominal pain.

27:19

The bill for their stay was five pounds

27:22

six shillings, eleven pence at this

27:24

stage. But Fox said that

27:26

his mother was too unwell to travel,

27:29

so they moved what little belongings they

27:31

had into room sixty six

27:33

and sixty seven. Doctor

27:36

Austin arrived to examine missus

27:38

Fox in her room. Sydney

27:41

Fox noticed that the doctor seemed to

27:43

be intoxicated. and was

27:45

dismissive of missus Foxes' complaints.

27:49

The doctor put his thumbs on the side

27:51

of his head and wiggled his fingers.

27:54

as he said, you're all right

27:56

old lady, bogey bogey.

27:59

The police report notes that doctor

28:02

Austin was too drunk to give a statement

28:04

when he was first interviewed.

28:06

And Fox was dissatisfied with the

28:08

care his mother had received. The

28:12

doctor left a prescription for

28:14

a tonic which was collected from

28:16

wool's chemist.

28:18

The eight ounce bottle contains sixteen

28:21

doses of chloroform water.

28:24

Speaking with hotel staff,

28:26

Fox said the chemist had to break down

28:29

the prescription and told him

28:31

occasionally doctors prescribed excess

28:33

amounts. Fox

28:36

had handed the pharmacist a promissory

28:38

note for two pounds, written

28:40

on headed paper from the hotel

28:42

Metropole that was signed Rosaline

28:45

Fox, but the chemist could not

28:47

accept it because it only

28:50

had a one pence stamp on it.

28:53

Missus Fox's condition improved.

28:56

And before heading to London the following

28:58

morning,

28:59

Fox went back to the chemist and spoke

29:01

with ANASYS

29:04

He told her that the farmer's sister said

29:06

it was fine to cash the two pound

29:08

check if he fixed another penny

29:10

stamp to it. and had it

29:12

endorsed, which

29:13

forks a shorter he had

29:15

done.

29:18

The

29:18

assistant took the four shillings out

29:20

for the prescription from the amount and

29:22

gave him the rest.

29:25

Fox had left a six shilling six

29:27

pence tip with the chamber mate.

29:30

Louise Bickman, and asked

29:32

her to look after his mother while

29:34

he went to London. Sydney

29:37

Fox called the hotel later that day

29:39

to check-in on his mother too.

29:42

On October twenty second, Fox

29:45

went to Pickford Limited in high

29:47

Hoboken and completed a

29:49

form for an insurance policy for his

29:51

mother from the Ocean Accident Guarantee

29:54

Corporation. covering

29:56

personal accident insurance for

29:58

tourists and travelers. Her

30:00

address was listed as the hotel

30:02

Metropole in Market.

30:06

Missus Fox had at least twelve

30:08

one day policies from Pickford Limited

30:10

from April nineteen twenty nine.

30:13

up until that point in October.

30:17

The

30:17

one day policies cost two

30:19

shillings. and

30:20

covered accidents involving the

30:22

loss of limb all life.

30:25

That

30:25

same day, Fox went to the Cornhill

30:27

Insurance Company. where

30:29

his mother had a policy taken

30:31

out in August of that year.

30:34

Fox had renewed it until October

30:36

twentieth. but asked for an extension

30:38

until midnight on October twenty

30:41

third. This policy

30:43

had previously been extended six

30:46

times. Fox

30:48

also traveled to Wesley and in general,

30:50

where he renewed a long standing insurance

30:53

policy his mother had first taken out.

30:55

in nineteen thirteen. Those

30:58

policies were worth a total of three

31:01

thousand pounds in the event that

31:03

missus Rosaline Fox died

31:05

in a sudden and violent accident

31:07

before midnight on October twenty

31:10

third nineteen twenty nine.

31:13

a day of the fire.

31:16

Fox

31:18

reportedly had difficulty affording

31:20

the trade fair back to market. asking

31:23

a boarding housekeeper, Gertrude

31:25

Platt, whose house Fox had

31:27

previously stayed in with his mother.

31:30

If he could borrow the sixteen shillings

31:32

and ten pence he needed.

31:35

On

31:35

the morning of October twenty third,

31:38

the chambermaid brought tea for missus

31:40

fox in room sixty six.

31:43

She noticed that her dentures were lying

31:45

on the floor beside the bed, instead

31:48

of the bass in where she usually plays

31:50

the mode for night.

31:52

Waitress Gwendolyn Bug records

31:55

seeing missus foaks in the dining hall

31:57

that evening. Quote.

31:58

Her eyes seemed

32:01

fixed, and

32:02

she walked with a wobble or a

32:04

shuffle.

32:05

She always had to be led in and out

32:07

of the dining room. Her

32:09

condition was the same as usual,

32:12

and Fox was very attentive to

32:14

her.

32:16

Missus

32:16

Fox went to her room after

32:19

dinner, and her son told

32:21

staff members that her condition had

32:23

improved. and she was in good

32:25

spirits. He

32:27

said,

32:28

mother and I have had a sham fight.

32:31

which shows she as

32:33

well. Fox

32:35

was seen in the lounge until ten forty

32:37

PM that evening. He'd

32:40

gone to the hotel across the street to

32:42

purchase a half bottle of pork

32:44

for his mother, drinking

32:46

half of it in her room. while

32:48

she read the evening paper and dates

32:51

and grapes.

32:54

Before retiring for the night,

32:56

Sydney FORks asked the clerk how much

32:58

he owed and was told it was twelve

33:01

pounds. Fox

33:04

said they would be checking out the following

33:06

day, and he would settle

33:08

up then.

33:09

The staff

33:11

at the hotel all described Sydney

33:14

Fox as a devoted and considerate

33:16

son.

33:19

but just before midnight. Missus

33:22

Fox was found dead in room sixty

33:24

six. And when Sydney

33:26

Fox's past indiscretions were

33:28

uncovered. The circumstances

33:31

of her death were viewed in a

33:33

new light.

33:43

with knowledge of the mother and son's

33:45

tendency to deceive hotel staff

33:47

and misrepresent themselves as members

33:50

of high society. as

33:52

well as Fox's relationships with

33:54

well respected men in power.

33:56

The police arrested him on November fourth

33:59

in Norwich. In

34:01

the days that followed his mother's

34:03

death, Sydney Fox had retained

34:05

the services of a solicitor mister

34:08

Wilson. checking out of

34:10

the hotel Metropole before arriving

34:12

at a hotel in Norwich. From

34:16

that hotel, Fox had sent a letter

34:18

to the book keeper at the metropole that

34:20

read. I am not feeling

34:22

too well. I do wish

34:24

tomorrow had passed. It

34:27

does not seem possible that last week

34:29

the poor deer sold was well. How

34:32

I shall miss her? We

34:34

had been such pounds. There

34:36

is one thing I do thank God for,

34:39

and that is the kind friends who did

34:41

so much to help me.

34:45

Sydney Fox was detained at Norwich

34:48

police station and charged with obtaining

34:50

credit under false pretenses. The

34:53

check he had cashed at the chemist had

34:55

been returned because his mother did

34:57

not have an account at that bank.

35:00

and he had not come up with the funds for

35:02

the weeklong stay at the hotel.

35:06

When it emerged that Fox had tried to

35:08

claim the insurance money, and that

35:10

he was the sole benefactor of his

35:12

mother's will. Scotland

35:14

Yard was asked to assist in the investigation.

35:21

Chief inspector, Hamburg was assigned

35:23

to the case. Hamburg was

35:26

one of the founding members of the flying

35:28

squad. a branch of the constabulary

35:31

that dealt with serious and organized

35:33

crime. Hamburg's

35:36

first job was to recover a large amount

35:38

of evidence from a corporate refuse

35:40

dump as the contents of the

35:42

hotel rooms had been cleared out

35:44

and refurbished. Surprisingly,

35:48

helped by an army of volunteers. They

35:51

recovered not only Rosaline Fox's

35:53

clothing, but also the remainder

35:56

of the scorched contents of the room.

35:59

Also

35:59

Hamburg knew Sydney Fox.

36:02

He had arrested him before.

36:05

Label Fox's relationship with

36:07

men as conversions. Investigators

36:12

discovered that Sydney Fox had lied

36:14

to the hotel manager at the Metro

36:16

Pole about a number of things. There

36:19

was no house in Lindhurst. His

36:22

mother did not have a bank account, and

36:25

he was not missus Fox, his only

36:27

surviving child. Aureldi's

36:30

son, William, had not seen

36:32

his mother since January nineteen

36:35

twenty eight. and only

36:37

learned her death through newspaper reports.

36:42

Sydney Fox had been in sense when

36:44

he was released from prison in nineteen

36:46

twenty nine and learned that

36:48

his brother had not visited their mother

36:50

at all. William

36:52

had only been left one farthing in

36:55

missus Fox's will, along

36:57

with a note in which she wrote that she

36:59

hoped he would never seek to see

37:01

his mother again.

37:05

Sydney Fox had been given an advance

37:07

of twenty five pounds. and

37:09

then fourteen pounds from his solicitor

37:12

in anticipation of the insurance payout.

37:15

But the fourteen pounds was seized upon

37:17

his arrest for fraud. Vox

37:21

pleaded not guilty to the charge

37:24

and was granted bail.

37:31

The home office authorized an order

37:33

for the exhumation of Rosaline

37:35

Fox's remains on November ninth.

37:38

over two weeks after her death.

37:40

The examination

37:43

was to be carried out by the renowned pathologist,

37:45

sir Bernard Spillsbury. under

37:48

the observation of chief inspector Hamburg.

37:52

Under police supervision, Workmen

37:55

from Deereham erected a tarpaulin over

37:58

the grave in great friendship. The

38:01

schoolhouse was to be turned into

38:03

a makeshift examination room

38:05

so the post mortem could take place

38:07

nearby.

38:10

The old tables and chairs on which

38:12

missus Fox may have once sat

38:14

while she attended the school were pushed

38:16

to one side.

38:18

to make space for treasuries that would

38:20

support the o' coffin as it was

38:22

opened.

38:25

The blinds were shot tightly to prevent

38:27

curious reporters or spectators from

38:29

watching the exam.

38:32

conducted under a brightly burning

38:34

oil lamp with just spills hamper

38:36

in attendance. The

38:39

grounds keep her off the cross, identified

38:42

Rosaline Fox by the distinctive

38:45

mark on the right side of her

38:47

nose. he

38:48

said, I

38:49

could not possibly make a mistake.

38:52

Nozaline bore that scar

38:54

when she was a little girl. Everybody

38:57

in the village at the time knew of the

38:59

scar, which was a big one,

39:02

and can be seen plainly. After

39:06

three hours, spillsbury

39:08

and Hamburg returned to London, and

39:11

Rosaline was reentered. Spillsbury

39:14

had taken organs to be sent to the home

39:16

office analyst doctor Roche for examination,

39:20

but it took over a month for him to

39:22

send them. and the postmortem report

39:24

was not compiled until December

39:26

nineteen twenty nine. So

39:30

Bernard Spillsbury had found recent

39:32

injuries to the deep tissue of the

39:34

neck and tongue and believe

39:36

the fire did not cause rosaline

39:39

foxes death. In

39:42

the pathologist's opinion, death

39:45

was due to asphyxiation caused

39:48

by manual strangulation.

39:52

The absence of bruises and marks could

39:54

be evidence that she did not

39:56

resist. There was

39:58

also a lack of zurt on the inner surface

40:01

of the air passage and no carbon

40:03

monoxide in the blood, which

40:05

would be expected in someone who died

40:07

from smokinghalation.

40:10

So Bernad Spillsbury believed missus

40:13

Fox died very soon after the

40:15

fire started, if not

40:17

before. He

40:19

said that if steady pressure of fingers

40:21

were maintained in the same area for

40:23

a period of two minutes after death,

40:26

No indications of bruises would occur

40:29

at all on the skin of the throat.

40:32

If his conclusion was correct,

40:35

It could not have been an accident or

40:37

self inflicted.

40:42

Room

40:42

sixty six of the hotel Metropole

40:44

had remained sealed while the investigation

40:47

was ongoing. An empty

40:49

medicine bottle and a bearingly used

40:52

small bottle of petrol were taken

40:54

from the room four analysis. Grand

40:58

jury returned an indictment for fraud.

41:01

And Sydney Fox's trial was set

41:04

to take place at canned criminal

41:06

sizes.

41:12

While Sidney Fox was remanded in

41:14

custody at Mayston prison to

41:16

await his trialed for fraud.

41:18

He was brought before the Margate

41:20

Magistrates Court and charged with the

41:22

murder of his mother. An

41:25

enormous crowd had gathered outside

41:28

on January ninth nineteen thirty.

41:31

All eager to catch a glimpse of the man

41:33

accused that the first case of Matrix

41:35

side in recent memory. Sydney

41:39

Fox was described as a young man

41:41

of medium height with an exceptionally

41:44

smart appearance. His

41:47

mugshot picture had a slight smile.

41:49

His dark hair, curly on top,

41:52

was

41:52

cut short on the sides.

41:56

For

41:56

his court appearance,

41:58

he wore a well fitted gray overcoat.

42:00

a blue striped suit, and

42:02

a black tie. In

42:05

response to the murder charge Sydney

42:07

Fox said, It is absolutely

42:10

untrue. I deny

42:12

every word of it. I

42:14

have nothing further to say until I

42:16

have consulted my solicit Six

42:21

weeks of hearings followed. The

42:24

evidence was laid out at his hermin if

42:26

there was enough to commit Fox to

42:28

trial. The

42:30

crown prosecutor told the magistrates

42:32

that Fox had been in dire need of

42:35

money, and he had constantly

42:37

lied about his circumstance fancies before

42:39

and after his mother's death.

42:43

Mister Cohen alleged that Fox had not

42:45

been the devoted son he was described

42:47

as. but instead had planned

42:50

his mother's death in order to obtain

42:52

an insurance payout. Cohen

42:55

said, If you draw from

42:57

the facts, the only inference

43:00

which I submit can be drawn. You

43:02

will be driven to the conclusion that

43:04

this show of effect action was either assumed

43:06

to deceive or due to

43:09

remorse. Sydney

43:11

Fox cried out in response. How

43:15

dare you say such a thing?

43:18

The crown did not have to prove a motive

43:21

behind the alleged murder. but

43:23

asked the magistrates to consider how

43:25

much three thousand pounds would

43:27

mean to a man with no money and

43:29

expensive taste. Mister

43:33

Cohen told the court that Fox and his

43:35

mother was staying at a hotel that cost

43:37

considerably more per night than

43:39

their joint weekly income. that

43:42

missus Fox had been found dead

43:44

less than twenty minutes before the

43:46

insurance policy expired that

43:48

had been purchased the previous day.

43:51

Based

43:53

on the account given by mister Cohen

43:56

and the report from subordinate spillsbury,

43:58

including that missus Fox had been

44:00

strangled. A son,

44:02

Sydney Fox, was committed to trial

44:05

for his mother's murder.

44:17

On March twelve nineteen thirty,

44:20

The trial assess exercise is in

44:22

Lewis open before mister Justice

44:24

Rowlett. The

44:27

judge told the jury there would be seventy

44:29

two witnesses in the case, and

44:31

the material facts were scattered

44:34

up and down their evidence.

44:37

Mister

44:37

Justice Rowlett advised the

44:39

jury to send Telegram's home.

44:41

His jurors would be required to

44:43

remain in a secure low occasion until

44:46

the conclusion of the legal proceedings.

44:50

Judge Rowlett said, you

44:52

will be prisoners for some days

44:54

and cut off from the world. During

44:58

the trial, Sydney Fox was the

45:00

only prisoner housed in Lewis

45:02

jail. which was only used

45:04

during a size court trials. The

45:07

jury were kept isolated in a hotel.

45:10

where they were allowed to go on walks

45:12

accompanied by police officers. We'll

45:15

listen to a grammar phone as they played

45:17

cards each evening.

45:19

The

45:25

trial began with an opening statement

45:27

by the attorney general, sir William

45:30

Jowit. The unprecedented

45:32

circumstances of the case had attracted

45:35

a great deal of attention, and

45:37

it was believed that the attorney general

45:39

headed the press execution himself to

45:42

prevent sensitive information about

45:44

some high ranking men from being

45:46

revealed. So

45:48

William Rowett spoke about Sydney

45:50

Fox's record of obtaining credit

45:52

by fraudulent means and

45:55

said that while that did not make Fox

45:57

a murderer, It did give the

45:59

dreary a clue

45:59

as to a possible motive,

46:02

quote, whether

46:03

you do or do not take a favorable

46:06

or unfavorable view as to his

46:08

conduct in certain matters, which

46:10

are incidental to this case,

46:13

is neither here nor there.

46:15

but I cannot leave out these matters

46:17

for this reason. It is essential

46:19

in judging this case, you should bear this

46:22

fact clearly in mind. that

46:24

it is manifest from what I'm going

46:26

to say that Sydney Harry Fox

46:28

and his mother were in desperate financial

46:31

straits. They were spending

46:33

every day a good deal more than

46:35

the joint weekly pensions of eighteen

46:38

shillings. The

46:40

attorney general described missus

46:42

Fox as being old for her years

46:45

and spoke about the paralysis that caused

46:47

her to walk with a shuffle. Sydney

46:51

Fox was described as a plausible

46:54

and well spoken young man. who

46:56

came across as intelligent and well

46:58

educated. So

47:00

William Broward believed this allowed the

47:02

pair to dupe hotel staff across

47:05

the south. East.

47:11

The prosecution would argue that Sydney

47:13

Fox had been planning his mother's demise

47:16

for some time, and he had apparently

47:18

considered different ways to bring

47:20

about her death.

47:22

They disputed his story about doctor

47:25

Austin being drunk, and overprescribing

47:28

medication to his mother was

47:30

an alternative method FOX had

47:32

considered. The attorney

47:34

general said, what possible

47:36

point was there in this man telling

47:38

these stories on the Sunday? Unless

47:41

it showed that he was at that time

47:43

casting about in his mind to try

47:46

to think of a method to achieve what

47:48

he wanted to achieve. The

47:52

attorney general suggested that Fox

47:54

was running out of time, and

47:56

the twelve pound bill for their day

47:58

at the hotel Metropole

47:59

was looming.

48:02

So

48:02

William Jarwitz told the court,

48:04

you

48:04

get this man in the position of being

48:07

in desk but financial straits.

48:09

Do you have two policies in

48:11

that man's pocket? One

48:13

for two thousand pounds. one

48:16

for a thousand pounds, which

48:18

will become payable to him if by any

48:20

chance his mother dies. and

48:23

dies by external means during

48:25

the currency of October twenty

48:27

third, which

48:28

is the following day.

48:29

The

48:31

attorney general argued that Sydney

48:33

Fox had attempted to lay the foundations

48:36

for his cover up. By telling a

48:38

witness, he'd had a sham fight with

48:40

his mother, which would also account

48:42

for any bruises, Fox might have sustained

48:45

if his mother struggled when he tried.

48:47

to kill her. Addressing

48:50

the jury. So William Jowitz

48:52

said that Fox was seen heading to his

48:54

room at ten forty PM.

48:58

He had in his pocket a bill for the

49:00

hotel, the attorney general

49:02

said. And you will know

49:04

he had not the means with which to

49:06

pay that bill. He had two

49:08

policies in the other pocket and went down.

49:11

Add some drinks and repeated that he

49:13

would be leaving the next day.

49:15

Just ask yourselves as men and women

49:18

of the world what his thoughts were

49:20

as he walked up the stairs at twenty

49:22

to eleven on the twenty third.

49:24

He was committed to going the next day.

49:27

This pleasant day at the hotel Metropole

49:30

had come to an end. If

49:32

by any chance missus Rosaline Fox

49:35

died by violent external means

49:37

in the course of the next hour and twenty

49:39

minutes, he was entitled to

49:42

receive three thousand pounds.

49:44

What happened in room sixty six?

49:47

what happened happened in silence.

49:51

There was no sound. It

49:53

was not until within twenty minutes

49:55

of those two policies coming to an

49:57

end that mister Hopkins, who was sitting

49:59

in the

49:59

hall,

50:00

saw Fox running downstairs.

50:03

Scantily clad in his undergarments shouting,

50:06

where is the boots?

50:08

I

50:08

believe there is a fire.

50:10

There is a fire. The

50:14

prosecution referred to the testimony

50:16

from sir Bernad Spillsbury, which

50:18

formed the basis of their acts.

50:21

It was claimed that Fox had strangled his

50:24

mother on her bed and

50:26

used the pillow to stifle her

50:28

screams. before setting a

50:30

fire to try and conceal his

50:32

crime. A pillow had

50:34

been found on the nightstand in the

50:36

aftermath of the fire. instead

50:39

of being on the bed where it would be

50:41

expected. The prosecution

50:43

contended that this was evidence that

50:45

it had been used during the murder.

50:49

In contrast to the testimony he

50:51

provided at the inquest, chief

50:53

officer Hammond from the fire brigade

50:56

had formed the opinion that the could

50:58

only have been started with petrol.

51:01

Coincidentally, there was a bottle

51:03

of petrol found in the room.

51:06

The hotel staff had seen Sydney

51:09

Fox used a small bottle of fluid

51:11

to clean the only suit he owned while

51:13

he was a guest at the hotel. but

51:16

the prosecution alleged that he served

51:18

an entirely different purpose.

51:26

Evidence concerning missus Fox's

51:28

will, which resulted in April nineteen

51:30

twenty nine, was given. Everything

51:33

had been left to Sydney Fox with

51:36

the request that he only gives small

51:38

gifts to two of Rosaline Fox's

51:40

friends. It

51:42

also read to my

51:44

son William Edward Fox.

51:47

I leave the sum of one farthing,

51:50

and sincerely hope he will never

51:52

want his mother. The

51:59

first people to arrive at the scene

52:02

testified about the measures they

52:04

took to try and revive missus

52:06

Fox and extinguish the fire.

52:08

The police officers

52:10

had attempted artificial respiration

52:13

by pulling her tongue out and

52:15

hitting her back. In

52:18

the defense's favor, there was evidence

52:20

that most of the damage caused to the

52:22

patch of carpet considered the point

52:24

of origin for the fire. and

52:27

in fact, been caused by people

52:29

stamping on it to smother the burning

52:31

fibers.

52:38

Testimony from the insurance brokers

52:40

revealed that Sydney Fox explicitly

52:42

requested an accident until death or

52:44

injury policy that would expire

52:47

at midnight on October twenty

52:49

third.

52:51

Voluses were usually set to expire

52:53

at midday, but it was not completely

52:56

unheard of to extend them for evening

52:58

travel. Fox

53:01

apparently asked the insurance company

53:03

employee's questions about what

53:05

was considered an accident. Equirrid

53:09

whether food poisoning or drowning

53:11

in the bath would be covered, but

53:13

was told that they would not as death

53:15

could not be attributed to natural

53:17

causes in those instances.

53:21

A detailed reconstruction of room

53:23

sixty six had been set up in

53:26

the back area of the court building

53:28

because the judge did not have the jurisdiction

53:31

to allow the jurors to travel to the

53:33

hotel Metropole. However,

53:36

the jury were not permitted to access

53:38

the area where the reconstruction had

53:41

been placed.

53:42

so with great difficulty.

53:44

The

53:44

gas stove,

53:45

armchair. Wickerchair

53:47

and carpet were brought

53:49

into the small space in front of

53:51

the judge's bench and assembled

53:53

around a table that was one and a

53:55

half feet wide that represented

53:58

the floor.

54:00

The fire chief performed a demonstration that

54:03

the Telegraph newspaper referred

54:05

to when they reported.

54:08

Rarely has a murder trial in England

54:10

produce such remarkable scenes

54:12

as those which mark today's hearing.

54:16

Chief officer Hammond held a match

54:18

to the horse's hair that was used to stuff

54:20

the armchair to show how difficult

54:23

it was to burn. But

54:25

within seconds, it became too hot

54:27

for him to halt. And he

54:29

dropped it onto the fender, which had been

54:31

used in the reconstruction where

54:33

it burned out. Chief

54:36

Hammond, relented that the fire might

54:38

have been caused by missus Fox's

54:40

clothes that had been left on the arm

54:42

of the chair. if the clothing

54:45

came into contact with the gas

54:47

stove.

54:50

However, unfortunately for the defense,

54:53

The most damning testimony came from

54:56

sir Bernad Spillsbury, the

54:58

notorious pathologist and acclaimed

55:00

forensic expert for the crown.

55:02

Armed with a lifelike

55:05

model of the human mouth throat

55:07

and windpipe. spillsbury told

55:09

the court that he found no sign of

55:11

external injuries on missus Fox.

55:15

Still, he had discovered internal bruises

55:18

on the back of the larynx. the

55:20

left side of her tongue, and

55:22

on the thyroid gland.

55:25

He

55:25

pointed to the locations where he

55:27

claim to have observed the bruises during

55:29

the postmortem. Conducted

55:32

on the day missus Fox's body

55:34

was resumed. Spillsbury

55:36

found no trace of carbon or certain

55:39

missus Fox's air passages or

55:41

blood. Something he would expect

55:43

to in a case where a person had

55:45

died from smoke inhalation. So

55:48

Bernard Spillsbury commented that there

55:50

was evidence of heart disease to discovered

55:53

during his examination, including

55:56

fibrosis or plaque, and a

55:58

narrowing of the coronary artery.

55:59

but

56:00

he said, most of the pathological

56:03

causes, which I have described in

56:05

the body. A commonly found

56:07

in elderly persons or are not in themselves,

56:10

serious. Fibrosis of

56:13

the heart muscle associated with

56:15

the disease of the artery of the heart

56:17

may cause sudden death. but

56:19

the disease of the artery found here

56:21

was not sufficient in my opinion

56:24

to explain the death. Fibrosis

56:27

is seen in someone who has recently

56:30

suffered a heart attack, but

56:32

spillsbury was adamant that rosaline

56:34

folks his death was not caused

56:36

by heart failure. Instead,

56:39

he put forward the theory that missus

56:41

Fox had been manually strangled

56:43

by someone while she was wearing

56:45

her dentures. And that constant

56:48

upward pressure on her larynx had caused

56:50

her to a fixate and bite her

56:52

tongue explaining the bruises

56:55

found. When

56:57

he was cross examined, Spillsbury admitted

57:00

that he had not preserve the bruises,

57:02

and no one apart from himself and

57:04

the chief inspector had seen. The

57:08

bruises were not visible on the sections

57:10

he had removed the following day,

57:13

despite being referred to as the

57:15

size of a half crown. Spillsbury

57:18

rejected the possibility that the darkened

57:21

areas he saw were caused by putrification

57:24

as the body decompose. Another

57:28

fact spillsbury struggled to explain

57:30

was how if Fox had strangled his

57:32

mother. The brittle bones

57:34

in her neck did not break.

57:38

The small bones in the neck that are often

57:40

found with fractures in strangulation cases,

57:43

the highoid and crichoid bone.

57:46

were fully intact during the autopsy.

57:50

The bones are so easily broken that

57:52

the pathologist accidentally snapped

57:54

the hyoid bone twice. while examining

57:57

it. But he still

57:59

contend that Sydney Fox had managed

58:01

to strangle his mother without leaving

58:03

any external signs of violence.

58:06

or hallmark trades seen

58:08

in similar cases. When

58:11

Foxes' council, James Dean

58:13

Cass Sols was finishing his cross examination

58:16

of sir Bernad Spillsbury. He

58:19

asked him, in your experience

58:21

of strangulation cases, Have

58:24

you ever known a case with fewer signs

58:26

than this? Spillsbury

58:29

answered that he could not. The

58:32

next medical expert to testify

58:35

was doctor Ware, a

58:36

pathologist from the National Hospital

58:38

for diseases of the heart.

58:41

Doctor Ware had reviewed spills for his

58:44

report and apart from

58:46

the internal bruises noted. Doctor

58:49

Ware said that missus Fox could have

58:51

died from heart failure while she

58:53

was being strangled, but admitted

58:56

it was his initial assumption that she

58:58

had seen the fire, tried

59:00

to get out of bed in a state of fright

59:03

and

59:03

had a heart attack.

59:09

Once

59:09

the prosecution had concluded

59:12

their presentation, Sidney

59:14

Fox's counsel addressed the jury.

59:16

describing it as

59:19

a profoundly difficult case.

59:21

James Dale Castle said,

59:24

Fox was brought up by his mother.

59:26

a

59:27

widow. He

59:28

has no no other companion than the

59:31

mother for whose death it is alleged

59:33

he is responsible.

59:35

I'm not going to present this young man

59:37

to you as a man who tells the truth.

59:40

I present him as a liar. I

59:42

present him to you as one who over

59:45

and over again has stayed with his

59:47

mother in hotels and has left

59:49

without paying. I present

59:51

him to you as a man who from the

59:53

experience that he had, was

59:56

able to go into hotels and

59:58

by his plausibility.

1:00:00

by his duplicity,

1:00:02

to obtain for his mother and himself,

1:00:05

comfort and attention which neither

1:00:07

of them could afford. to which

1:00:09

neither of them was entitled, and

1:00:12

which in its surroundings was altogether

1:00:14

beyond their station. he

1:00:17

was bound to be a liar. He

1:00:19

could not have conducted himself there without

1:00:21

representing himself to be something

1:00:23

far bigger than he really was.

1:00:26

She may well reflect that old woman

1:00:28

must have had many an awkward and difficult

1:00:31

moment in the course of her life, which

1:00:33

she was spending with her son at that

1:00:35

particular time. He

1:00:37

lied about his position financially, future,

1:00:41

and past. But you were a long

1:00:43

way from finding murder proof because

1:00:45

you find that a man has gone from hotel

1:00:47

to hotel without being able to

1:00:49

afford it. or because being an undischarge

1:00:52

bankrupt for two hundred and sixty

1:00:54

seven pounds, he is therefore, to

1:00:57

be regarded as an individual likely

1:00:59

to have a moat death of mud.

1:01:04

Castle said that the insurance policies

1:01:06

had been put forward as Fox's motive.

1:01:09

but reminded the jurors that the motive

1:01:11

had existed since May nineteen

1:01:14

twenty nine. If Fox

1:01:16

wanted to kill his mother, It

1:01:18

could have done it at any hour during

1:01:20

the one hundred and sixty seven out

1:01:22

of one hundred and seventy six days

1:01:25

she was insured before her

1:01:27

death. Castle

1:01:29

said that Fox had not taken the insurance

1:01:31

out to cover his mother's death,

1:01:34

arguing, In my submission,

1:01:36

too much has been made of the insurance

1:01:38

policies. The reason for

1:01:41

taking out these policies was that

1:01:43

in the event of his mother meeting with

1:01:45

an accident. They would have been

1:01:47

provided a weekly maintenance which

1:01:49

would have given her comfort and medical

1:01:51

attendance. very different

1:01:53

from that she had had for fifteen months

1:01:56

in a poor law institution. They

1:01:59

provided it at a cost which was

1:02:01

infinitely small.

1:02:04

Castles asked the jury if they

1:02:06

thought it's strange. How everything

1:02:08

seemed to go in full his favor on

1:02:10

the night he supposedly murdered

1:02:13

his mother. No one who

1:02:15

saw the body that night saw any

1:02:17

signs of violence. The

1:02:19

fire had seemed to deceive the police and

1:02:21

firemen too, as they did

1:02:23

not report it as suspicious.

1:02:32

At ten thirty eight AM on March

1:02:34

nineteenth nineteen thirty. Sydney

1:02:37

Fox entered the witness box in his

1:02:40

overcoat and swore the oath in

1:02:42

a quiet, but firm voice.

1:02:45

He was but composed as he

1:02:47

described his life. Fox

1:02:50

said that he had just turned thirty one

1:02:52

years old. and

1:02:53

after the deaths of his older brothers

1:02:56

and his own military service.

1:02:58

His

1:02:58

mother began to get sick in nineteen

1:03:01

twenty six.

1:03:03

They live together. And Fox

1:03:05

said he had worked odd jobs to support

1:03:07

his mother.

1:03:09

Some not as honest as others.

1:03:12

Wox

1:03:12

admitted to lying numerous times

1:03:14

to impress people and to stay at

1:03:16

hotels where he and his mother

1:03:18

could be comfortable.

1:03:21

You'd not ask for a joining rooms or

1:03:23

a room with a fireplace when they checked

1:03:25

into the hotel Metropole. denied

1:03:28

purchasing insurance for any other

1:03:30

reason than to appease his mother's

1:03:32

request. He

1:03:35

relayed the sequence of events that

1:03:37

preceded the fire on October twenty

1:03:39

third once more. He

1:03:41

brought his mother to her room. Let

1:03:44

the gas fire, gave her

1:03:46

grapes on the evening paper, and

1:03:49

placed a wicker chair close by

1:03:51

for her to use as a staple. He

1:03:54

sat reading while he went to get

1:03:56

her some port before he helped her

1:03:58

run dress. He

1:04:00

left her room just after

1:04:02

ten PM. Tears

1:04:04

rolled in his eyes, and

1:04:06

his voice trembled when he told the

1:04:08

court.

1:04:09

I kissed mother good night.

1:04:12

and asked if I should come into the room

1:04:14

again to turn out the light.

1:04:17

She said no.

1:04:20

Under

1:04:20

cross examination,

1:04:22

Sidney Fox said that he kept up the

1:04:24

pretense of having money. including

1:04:27

twenty four pounds in his mother's

1:04:29

handback because he did not

1:04:31

want anyone to know that they had been

1:04:33

staying there without the means to pay.

1:04:39

When asked how they had supported themselves,

1:04:42

Fox mentioned a

1:04:44

missus Morse. He

1:04:46

seemed embarrassed when asked to tell the

1:04:48

jury who missus Morse was

1:04:51

and said she was a very well-to-do

1:04:54

Australian lady. living

1:04:56

with them in south sea. Missus

1:04:59

Morse was a married woman who had moved

1:05:02

to the UK with her son so they

1:05:04

could be educated there. An

1:05:07

ongoing divorce proceeding.

1:05:09

Sydney Fox was cited as a correspondent.

1:05:12

Missus

1:05:14

Morse had made Fox the benefactor

1:05:16

in her own will before she left the

1:05:18

country in late nineteen twenty

1:05:21

nine. It was intimated

1:05:23

that Fox had intended to go to Australia

1:05:26

after his mother's death.

1:05:30

One question that puzzled guests

1:05:32

and the prosecution was

1:05:34

why the door to Fox's mother's room

1:05:36

was closed after Sydney Fox

1:05:38

ran downstairs to raise the alarm.

1:05:42

Fox could not remember shutting the

1:05:44

door, but said in the panic

1:05:46

he was in he might have. possibly

1:05:49

to stop the smoke from spreading.

1:05:52

In a barrage of questions, the attorney

1:05:55

general asked Fox. Did

1:05:57

you go towards your mother's bed before

1:05:59

there was any fire and stretch out your

1:06:01

hand against your own mother?

1:06:03

Did you then start

1:06:05

a fire? Did you

1:06:07

move the little cane chair back to

1:06:09

the window? Did you come

1:06:11

out of your own room and shut the door

1:06:13

and then go down and give the alarm.

1:06:17

Did you destroy your mother on the night

1:06:19

of the twenty third of October in order

1:06:21

that you might reap three thousand pounds

1:06:23

from those policies.

1:06:27

Fox

1:06:27

answered. No,

1:06:28

certainly not.

1:06:31

It is a horrible suggestion.

1:06:38

Medical experts for the defense began

1:06:41

their testimony next. Professor

1:06:44

Smith from Edinburgh University said

1:06:46

he had never seen a granulation case

1:06:49

involving an older person where the

1:06:51

highoid bone had not been

1:06:53

broken. Smith explained

1:06:55

he could not see anything on the larynx

1:06:57

or thyroid that he would call

1:07:00

a bruise. In reference

1:07:02

to the alleged bruise on missus Fox's

1:07:04

tongue, He said that it was possible

1:07:07

that she had bitten it while eating, or

1:07:09

that it had been bruised when the police

1:07:12

had pulled her tongue out when they were

1:07:14

trying to revive her. Professor

1:07:17

Smith did not believe she had been

1:07:19

strangled and

1:07:20

said the position of her body suggests

1:07:23

did she had died while trying to get

1:07:25

out of bed.

1:07:27

The professor

1:07:27

postulated that she had

1:07:29

woken up and found the room full

1:07:31

of smoke. and

1:07:32

that fright caused heart failure.

1:07:35

Professor

1:07:36

Smith said that missus Fox's

1:07:38

heart was in such an advanced state

1:07:40

of degeneration. and her kidneys

1:07:43

were cirrhosed that any additional

1:07:45

strain or exertion would tend to precipitate

1:07:48

death.

1:07:49

Another

1:07:51

expert, pathology doctor

1:07:53

Bronte, agreed with professor

1:07:56

Smith at the calls of death had been heart

1:07:58

failure as a result of heart disease

1:08:01

and shock. He

1:08:03

said that no saliva had been

1:08:05

found on the pillow to corroborate the

1:08:07

suggestion that it had been used

1:08:09

to stifle any screams while missus

1:08:11

Fox was being throttled. and

1:08:14

said that the brews' subverted spills

1:08:16

we claim to see were likely putrification

1:08:19

stains.

1:08:25

In his closing address on March

1:08:27

twentieth,

1:08:29

Fox's council, James Castle,

1:08:31

said, It

1:08:33

is going to be a very sorry day

1:08:35

for the administration of criminal justice

1:08:37

in this land. If we are to be

1:08:39

thrust into such reposition that because

1:08:42

the Bernad expresses an opinion

1:08:44

on it, is of such white that it must

1:08:46

be accepted. It has

1:08:48

been said that this is a murder for

1:08:50

money. Would you not think that

1:08:52

Fox would carry out a murder of that

1:08:55

kind when missus Fox was insured

1:08:57

for the highest amount. There

1:08:59

were times when she was insured for

1:09:01

four thousand pounds. Castles

1:09:05

asked the jury to consider if it had

1:09:07

been proved that missus Fox had been

1:09:10

murdered. How could Fox

1:09:12

strangle her without leaving any

1:09:14

external marks? He

1:09:17

said that if Fox had killed his mother

1:09:20

and lit the fire. Why had

1:09:22

he alerted people before it concealed

1:09:24

the crime? And why

1:09:26

would he kill his mother knowing that it

1:09:29

would uncover his fraudulent deceptions?

1:09:38

So Henry Curtis Bennett delivered

1:09:40

the closing argument for the crown. as

1:09:42

the attorney general had been summoned

1:09:45

to London. Bennett

1:09:47

told the jury of ten men and two

1:09:49

women that the case had the strongest

1:09:52

possible motive, a

1:09:54

double motive in that

1:09:56

Fox would inherit money from the insurance

1:09:58

policies. and would be free

1:10:00

to go to Australia to a wealthy

1:10:03

woman who was willing to leave him

1:10:05

a fortune.

1:10:12

On the eighth day of the trial, mister justice

1:10:15

Rowlett summed up the case

1:10:17

and said, No question arises

1:10:19

of manslaughter or anything of

1:10:21

that kind. It is

1:10:23

murder or nothing. The

1:10:26

crime Fox is said to have committed

1:10:28

is a very horrible one, and

1:10:31

if he is guilty of it. is

1:10:33

guilty of a very cruel and

1:10:35

treacherous murder. It

1:10:37

is a case of circumstantial evidence.

1:10:41

It has been said this circumstantial evidence

1:10:43

may be very complete and convincing.

1:10:47

Circumstances may point to one conclusion.

1:10:50

But if one circumstance is not

1:10:52

consistent with guilt,

1:10:54

it breaks the whole thing down.

1:10:56

What

1:10:57

you want is an array of circumstance answers

1:10:59

which point only to one conclusion

1:11:02

and to all reasonable minds

1:11:04

to that conclusion only. consider

1:11:07

everything together. If

1:11:09

folks committed the murder in the way

1:11:11

alleged, he took a very

1:11:13

big risk. And so far

1:11:16

as the place it was perpetrated was

1:11:18

concerned, these people were living

1:11:20

this extraordinary life in this

1:11:22

hotel. They were living

1:11:24

quite dishonestly, but

1:11:26

carrying it through by the magnificent wave

1:11:29

of talking. The

1:11:32

judge made a point of saying that the unbroken

1:11:34

highoid bone was a very strong point

1:11:37

in favor of the accused. and

1:11:39

it was a case of slight symptoms and

1:11:41

obscure causes that rested on

1:11:44

what spillsbury saw just once.

1:11:46

despite the larynx being preserved

1:11:49

in formulation.

1:11:51

Concluding his final remarks, The

1:11:54

judge told the jury. You

1:11:57

have been asked to consider how you will

1:11:59

feel in ten years time.

1:12:02

If that means it is a much more comfortable

1:12:04

thing not to do your duty, seeking

1:12:07

comfort in that way. It is

1:12:09

only a form of self intelligence.

1:12:12

If you want to feel real comfort,

1:12:15

the way is to face your duty

1:12:17

and do it. There is

1:12:20

an end of it. Consider

1:12:23

your verdict.

1:12:32

After just an hour and thirty minutes,

1:12:35

the jury returned with a unanimous

1:12:38

decision Fox

1:12:40

stood in silence as the judge

1:12:43

don the black silk square on

1:12:45

top of his gray wig. with

1:12:47

one corner facing fox.

1:12:50

The black cap was worn as a judge

1:12:53

passed the sentence of death.

1:12:56

Fox's eyes never moved from the judge,

1:12:59

and he protested. I

1:13:02

never murdered my mother. Sydney

1:13:06

Harry Fox had been found guilty.

1:13:13

Fox seemed as though he would collapse

1:13:15

as the judge informed him of his fate,

1:13:18

and

1:13:18

when he was led down the stairs by

1:13:20

the court officers, He had

1:13:23

to be supported on both sides.

1:13:27

As with any convicted murderer faced

1:13:29

with the death penalty, Fox

1:13:31

was expected to appeal his

1:13:34

conviction.

1:13:36

His execution date had been set

1:13:38

for April eighth that madeston prison

1:13:40

by the high sheriff of Kent, but

1:13:43

his council found that there were no

1:13:45

grounds to appeal. which

1:13:47

would be justified by the court.

1:13:49

The

1:13:50

defense had asked the home secretary for

1:13:53

a review of the pathological evidence

1:13:55

by an Independent Medical Committee

1:13:57

based on conflicting

1:13:59

testimony, but

1:14:01

their request was tonight.

1:14:03

Many

1:14:05

convicted murderers appealed on the grounds

1:14:08

of a mental condition. Zengel

1:14:11

Shlodik hated that no person

1:14:13

convicted of murder could be hanged

1:14:15

if they became insane after sentencing.

1:14:19

because they, quote, could

1:14:21

not by reason of a disordered mind.

1:14:24

Make their peace with God.

1:14:28

But

1:14:28

Sydney Fox refused to appeal

1:14:30

on the grounds of insanity.

1:14:33

One

1:14:33

newspaper report read.

1:14:36

During the past ten years, practically

1:14:39

every man convicted of murder has

1:14:41

applied to criminal court, either

1:14:43

by way of actual appeal. or

1:14:45

of an application for leave to appeal.

1:14:48

It is difficult to

1:14:50

recall any recent convicted murderer

1:14:52

who has not almost automatically sought

1:14:55

who upset his conviction.

1:14:59

Sydney Fox was one of very few,

1:15:02

if not the first. to

1:15:04

not appeal an execution since

1:15:06

nineteen oh eight.

1:15:15

So where are we now? The

1:15:20

sentence was carried out at eight fifth

1:15:22

eighteen AM on April eighth nineteen

1:15:24

thirty, wearing

1:15:27

the same suit he had worn throughout

1:15:29

the trial. Sydney Fox

1:15:31

walked to the execution chamber. Unaware

1:15:35

that a crowd of over two hundred men

1:15:37

women and children had gathered out side

1:15:39

the gates of Mayston prison to

1:15:41

wait for the bell to tell.

1:15:48

Soon after he was pronounced dead,

1:15:51

Fox was cited in the reason for a

1:15:53

divorce. Evidence was

1:15:55

presented that Fox and missus

1:15:57

Morse had stayed together in South

1:15:59

Sea and a London hotel,

1:16:02

which was enough grounds for the judge to

1:16:04

grant the dissolution of her marriage.

1:16:08

Although newspaper articles were published

1:16:11

about a wealthy woman who claimed that

1:16:13

Fox had also tried to kill her

1:16:15

years earlier. A subsequent

1:16:18

investigation revealed that missus

1:16:20

Morse was more likely to have been

1:16:22

party to a dishonest enterprise.

1:16:26

than

1:16:26

a victim.

1:16:31

There

1:16:31

are questions on whether hypoflobia

1:16:34

played a role in Sydney Fox his

1:16:36

prosecution. Evidence

1:16:38

of prejudice has come to light since

1:16:41

the decades that sealed the records have

1:16:43

elapsed.

1:16:45

Many people doubt the safety of Sydney

1:16:48

Fox's conviction, including

1:16:50

Professor Sydney Smith. In

1:16:53

his book, mostly murder, published

1:16:56

almost thirty years after the trial.

1:16:59

He wrote about the judge's summation,

1:17:02

And the prosecution's claim that

1:17:04

Rosaline Fox had been strangled,

1:17:07

which rested on the sole testimony of

1:17:09

what one skilled man observed. and

1:17:12

observed at one moment only.

1:17:15

Smith wrote. Perhaps

1:17:16

the judge did not quite

1:17:18

appreciate the dangerously high

1:17:20

steam in which that one skilled

1:17:23

man was held. Perhaps

1:17:25

Bilbsbury did not fully realize that

1:17:27

Feign brings responsibility as

1:17:29

well as honor. I do

1:17:32

not think the jury would have returned the verdict

1:17:34

they did if his evidence had been given

1:17:36

by anyone else. but spillsbury.

1:17:43

Sydney Harry Fox was buried on

1:17:45

the grounds of May than prison as

1:17:48

the last prisoner to have ever been

1:17:50

executed there.

1:18:03

thank you for listening, and

1:18:05

special thanks to our Patreon supporters.

1:18:12

For more information

1:18:14

on this episode, please see

1:18:17

the show notes or visit our website.

1:18:20

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1:18:22

com.