One of the heads which the police had
found the first day had been wrapped in a
child’s garment, together with a piece of the
August 5th edition. of the Daily Herald.
There were also some straws in one of the
other bundles. A human pelvis was also
found by police officers in the Linn, and
later other portions of human beings were
located through the efforts of observant
townsfolk who promptly reported to the
police.

The remains were taken from the mortu-
ary at Moffat to the City of Edinburgh at
the request of Professor John Glaister,
Regius Professor of Forensic Medicine at
Glasgow University and Dr. Gilbert Millar
Lecturer in Pathology at Edinburgh Uni
versity, who had examined the fragments
at the Moffat mortuary shortly after they
had been found. From then on, an array
of specialists whose names are known
throughout the medical world concentrated
on the identification and reconstruction of
the various portions of the dismembered
human bodies. Assisting in the delicate
task were Professor Sydney Smith, Regious
Professor of Forensic Medicine at the
University of Edinburgh; Dr. Arthur Hut-
chinson, Dean of the Edinburgh Dental
Hospital and School, and Professor J. C.
Brash, Professor of Anatomy at Edinburgh
University.

RECONSTRUCTING A CRIME

At first it was thought that the fragments
were those of a man and a woman. This
opinion was soon rejected and it was shown
conclusively that the numerous portions of
flesh and skeleton were the components of
two women, although a number of parts
were never found. The work of the ex-
perts was long and tedious. The fragments
had begun to decompose and this hampered
the work somewhat. From time to time
they were able to furnish the police with
additional information about the two victims
as the work of reconstruction proceeded.

With the information supplied by the
doctors, the police made an exhaustive
search of all records relating to persons
missing prior to September 19th, 1935. The
reason for setting this arbitrary date, was
because the stream had been in full freshet
at that time, and later the water had
lowered considerably. Therefore, it was
argued, the fragments found high on the
banks must have been deposited in the
stream before the 19th of September. The
search went on. No persons were missing

answering the description given by the

doctors. The whole countryside was
aroused by the “Ravine Murders” and news-
papers gave considerable publicity to the
ghoulish details to assist the police in secur-
ing information.

A thorough canvass was made of all
owners of motor vehicles in the County of
Dumfries, as it was suspected the slayer
must have used an automobile to transport
his horrible burden. This avenue of en-
quiry proved unavailing. The newspapers
then carried pictures of the woman’s blouse,
and child’s rompers which were found with
the limbs and heads. By this means it was

Page Six

thought someone might come forward and
identify the garments.

While awaiting results from the news-
paper publicity, the Dumfries Police
followed another avenue of enquiry. The
portions of newspapers which had been
found with the remains were carefully
catalogued and each of the publishers inter-
viewed. Here came the first break. The
September 15th edition of the Sunday
Graphic had been a special or “slip” issue
and the paper featured a picture of an event
at Morecambe, England and news about
the carnival held at that seaside resort. The
paper was in the nature of a souvenir
edition and only 3700 copies had been
printed. As the carnival was more or less
of local interest the publishers had confined
the sale of the edition to places adjacent to
Morecambe and Lancaster. However these
two towns were about a hundred miles
south of Moffat and no one had seen a car
around Gardenhome Linn Bridge.

The battery of trained investigators called
in to work on the case including fingerprint
experts, photographers, and a “number of

Isabella Ruxton

veteran detectives. A singular discovery
the experts made was that the murderer had
removed all marks of identification from
the bodies. For instance, where one of the
bodies might have had vaccination marks,
the skin had been removed. Teeth had been
pulled out from the heads after death to
confuse anyone seeking to identify the
bodies. The hair had been removed from
the scalp and the eyes removed from their
sockets. Portions of the fingers had also
been removed, and the flesh had been re-
moved from the big toe of one of the feet,
while the other toes had been amputated.
The person responsible for this mutilation
of dead bodies had apparently not done this
in a fit of sadistic indulgence, but from the
careful manner in which the dissection had
been done, there was little doubt in the
minds of the experts that it was the work
of someone well used to handling a scalpel

and with more than a casual knowledge ¢”
anatomy.

ko Ok

AND Now THE SCENE CHANGEs

In a modestly furnished surgery in th |
historic old town of Lancaster in Norther -
England a handsome young doctor was pac_
ing up and down. His brow was furrowe —
in deep thought. Why had Isabella decide |
to go on the trip? He needed her at hom,
And what about the children? Of cours”
the nurse could look after them but ther |
was really no need for her to go to Edip
burgh. And then, taking the car! Hoy
the devil was he going to make his calls
When one has a panel of 2000 patients
car is as vital as a stethoscope.

At last he could stand it no longer, an |
picking up his hat and coat in the hall h
rushed out of the house, and went down t¢
the Grand Garage at Morecambe. He mus
make sure. “Bella had said that she wa
going to Edinburgh with Barbara Edmond
son to visit her sister. Funny about ther
taking two cars, why had they needed s
much accommodation for such a smal
party? There were Mr. and Mrs. Edmond
son, and the girl Barbara and . . . “wonde
if young Edmondson is going along too
mused the doctor. Anyway, he would soa
find out. The trip to Edinburgh was 15/
miles each way but it was worth it.

A JEALOUS HUSBAND

At the Grand Garage he asked the sho
foreman if he could have a car for a coupl:
of days. He explained that his wife ha
taken the Hillman for a trip and he neede
a car rather badly. The garage owne
looked around and picked out a Mort
Oxford suitable for the doctor’s needs
Within a few minutes the young physiciar
was wheeling back to the house just in tim
to begin his long “shadowing” trip. Twc
cars were just pulling away as he swung
behind them at a discreet distance.

As he drove along his thoughts rambled
Those days in Basra as a young doctor ir
the Indian Medical Service, then at Bagdac

. they had all been happy days. At the
University School of Medicine in Bombay
and later in Medical School in London
there has been no family affairs to worty
about, and the degrees of Bachelor of
Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery had been
his reward for his application. Would it
have been better to have stayed in Bombay,
his birthplace? Who knows? As Dr
Bukhtyar Rustomji Ratanji Hakim of Bom
bay, he might have been financially better
off. But he, son of a Parsee, had been
adventurous, and besides the French blood
flowing in his veins had irresistably draw
him to the Occident. Anyway, he was not
badly off. He had three fine children, 2
good general practice, and a . . . comfort
able home. If only the marital ship wa
sailing smoother seas, he could not have

asked for much more. ;

As he drove along, mile after mile, care’
fully keeping his distance from the two café
ahead, his mind continued to probe the
past. At Edinburgh he had met Isabellt

Van Ness when he had been dashing young
J
THE SHOULDER STRAP