Bounce Magazine September 2018

SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER 2018 | ISSUE 2018 | #71 ISSUE | #71 HISTORY
Who was
Ethel Clara Neave?...
Ethel was born in Diss
on 22 January 1883
to Water William and
Charlotte Anne.
She would later qualify as a
typist, and by 1900 calling
herself Ethel Le Neave she was
hired by Dr Hawley Harvey
Crippen who would later on
be hanged for the murder and
mutilation of his wife Cora in
1910.
The Crippen’s resided at
Hilldrop Crescent, Holloway,
London. Cora was a musichall
artiste whose stage name
was Belle Elmore and she
flaunted her many lovers to her
husband.
A love affair started in 1905
and after the murder they
decided to leave the country
and sailed on the SS Montrose
across the Atlantic where
Ethel, who was dressed as
boy became the suspicion of
the ship’s master. The couple
were listed as Mr Robinson
and Son. For the first time,
a telegraph was sent from a
ship to Scotland Yard stating
‘Crippen and Miss Le Neve are
on the Montrose’. Scotland
Yard sent Chief Inspector Drew
to Canada to arrest both and
to extradite them both back to
England.
After the trial where Ethel was
exonerated of complicity to
murder she refused to talk to
anyone regarding the event
and three hours after Crippen
was hanged at Pentonville she
sailed to New York on the SS
Majestic using the name Miss
Allen. During the journey she
remained dressed in mourning
with her face kept under a veil.
She later worked in Toronto
for three years and then under
the name Ethel Harvey she
returned to London to work for
a furniture company and it was
there that she met and married
Stanley Smith in January 1915
and they settled in Croydon
where they had two children.
An interesting fact is that
biologist Professor William
Wright was to testify, but
never called, but it was said
that he had evidence that
Ethel had spent time in the
Royal College of Surgeons
Library reading books on
toxicology.
Ethel’s last days were spent
living in a house between
Catford and Lower Sydenham,
London in total obscurity, as
she had done since the trial,
passing away on 9 August 1967
from heart failure aged 84.
Interest in Ethel over the years
never died and in the early
1980s her children Bob and
Nina received a letter from a
crime writer asking to meet
to discuss Ethel’s life and
that of the murder of Cora
Crippen. Both children had no
knowledge of their mother’s
involvement and were stunned
to say the least but did agree
to see the writer where they
learnt so much but were so
sad on what their mother had
gone through over the years.
Both agreed that their mother
had been rather straight-laced.
Letters from Ethel to Crippen
were buried with him and a
locket with a photo of Crippen
was placed close to Ethel’s
heart just as the coffin was
closed.
By Michael Chandler - Author, Historian, Broadcaster & Features Writer, Restaurant &
Food critic. Researcher of old buildings and creator of historical and Corporate DVDs.
Contact me @EastAngliaMedia - Mention BOUNCE and receive a 15% discount.
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