Seamus Stonebridge

 

 

East Indies Steamship Company Receipts

 

Dr Emory Spencer

 

Inspector J. Athelney Jones

 

Major Gower

 

Vinjay Singh

 

Vinjay Singh grew up on the streets of Delhi, stealing and begging for survival, until taken into a British Government orphanage when he was about 8 years old. The child was educated and civilised in the British tradition, being taught English and basic mathematics.

When Singh came of age he was drafted into the 9th Bengal Lancers and was indoctrinated into the drill of the light horseman six years after the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Not a natural horseman, he became practised  with the saber and the lance, and what he lacked in skill as a horseman, he made up for in heart and courage.

In service, Singh was mostly posted throughout India, but did see some action along the borders and a short abortive posting to Malta. When the Mahdi stirred up unrest in the Sudan the 9th Bengal Lancers headed the call and was part of the British force under Lieut-Col Palmer.

The 9th proved themselves a very effective cavalry regiment and were bettering their use of the lance.

When serving Captain Lockhart, Singh wears a long tunic with a wide trimmed front, not unlike his Lancer uniform. He wears the distinctive lungi (turban) wrapped around a pointed cap, a dark cummerbund round his waist and short riding boots. 

 Singh is a practising Sikh and his most priced possession is his Distinguished Service Medal, won for rescuing Captain Lockhart.

Captain Reginald Aloysius Lockhart

 

Captain Reginald Aloysius Lockhart

Reginald was born in 1845, the third son of the wealthy, Lockharts of Kent. The Lockharts were “new money”, with Reginald’s great grandfather, Augustus Lockhart, having earned the family’s fortune abroad in India.

Reginald attended the King’s School in Canterbury, gaining an acceptable education, but exceling at rugby and brawling with the other boys. He was popular amongst his peers, if not somewhat of a bully; his burgeoning leadership abilities coming to the fore. In 1863, at age 20, and following in his father’s footsteps, Reginald acquired his commission into Sandhurst, being of "good family" and having access to the patronage of one, Major Nicholas Hollingsworth.

In less than a year’s time Reginald graduated from military school with honours, the life of an army officer having obviously appealed to him. He was posted to serve with the First Battalion of the East Kent Regiment, more commonly known as “the Buffs, a prestigious regiment with a long history having served in the Peninsular, India and the Crimea.

The first decade of his military career saw the young Lieutenant Lockhart serving peace-time soldiering across the British Empire. He was garrisoned at many exotic places during this period including India, China and Malta. Throughout this time he yearned for the chance to prove himself on the battlefield, with the opportunity finally presenting itself in 1875 during a rebellion in Malaya, a minor conflict that would come to be called The Perak War. The campaign and rebellion was short lived but there were ample opportunities for heroism. Late in the campaign the British force was ambushed by rebels and Brigadier Hawkins was killed. Reginald rallied a large contingent of men during the chaos and was pivotal in preventing a more serious tragedy. His brave actions were mentioned in dispatches and eventually led him to receive his Captaincy, well after the campaign had ended, aged 36.

In 1881 Reginald married his wife Jane in Canterbury Cathedral shortly before being posted back to Malta amongst growing concerns in Egypt. A mutiny and revolt against corrupt rule eventually broke out in Alexandria and as a result many civilians were massacred. To protect their investments and the use of the Suez Canal, a British Expeditionary Force of over 40,000 troops, led by Sir Garnet Wolseley, the Buffs amongst them, was mustered and dispatched for Egypt in 1882. And thus begun the British conquest of Egypt.

Alexandria was bombarded, leaving the city mostly destroyed, and when a probing attack was announced to test the remaining defender’s resilience, Captain Reginald, volunteered to be amongst the force. The operation quickly concluded that the British could not land in Alexandria and so they moved swiftly onto Port Said.

With the bulk of Egyptians reportedly in retreat, General Alison, seeking to ascertain the strength of the enemy force, ordered a probing attack on the evening of 5th August 1882 along the Cairo railway line and a canal. It was during this relative minor engagement that Reginald almost lost his life.

The British force was split into two wings: The left wing would follow the canal in support of the right wing, while the right itself would follow the railway line and was to be supported by an armoured train. Captain Reginald was part of the force on the right wing and came into position by rail, with the armoured train leading the way. Ahead the railway line was broken, so the men disembarked and advanced under the cover of the railway embankment. The Egyptians, having trained their artillery on the break in the line in advance, opened fire on the armoured train. The British 40-pounder and two 9-pounders replied until they had silenced the Egyptian batteries. The 9-pounders then accompanied the men in their advance, whilst the 40-pounder continued to give supporting fire from the armoured train. Unbeknownst, the left wing British column had halted too far back and would be unable to provide the intended support.

As Captain Reginald and the men drew ahead of the halted left column, they came under heavy fire on their left flank from Egyptian soldiers posted along the banks of the canal. Seeing they were unsupported, Reginald ordered the charge and they rushed across the intervening ground, firing a volley before closing with fixed bayonets.

Leading the charge, Reginald was first to burst amongst the enemy line, making short and deadly work with his Webley and then his sabre. The men of the Buffs had followed his lead and had roared into the Egyptian line but a force of enemy soldiers enveloped Reginald’s position and cut him off from his men. Reginald was quickly outnumbered and a bayonet pierced clean through his right thigh, near severing an artery.

In the battle proper the Egyptians were fleeing now in all directions, but Reginald’s assailants were determined to take the fallen Captain with them and were dragging his limp form behind them. As Reginald’s sight faded to black he saw a mounted, turbaned figure ride down his adversaries, pluck him up into the saddle and deliver him from their clutches. The darkness enveloped him and he gratefully fell into unconsciousness.

Weeks later he awoke in a field hospital, barely alive, and with a horrific, career ending leg wound. He asked of his saviour’s name and learnt it was that of Naik (Corporal) Vinjay Singh of the 2^nd Bengal Cavalry. He wrote letters to Singh who was still on campaign in Egypt, thanking him for saving his life. Singh was later to be awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his selfless act of bravery. Reginald was eventually transported back to the garrison on Malta to recover, and then later, in early 1883, returned home to the Lockhard estate in Kent.

Reginald never fully recovered from his horrible wound and still carries a cane and bears a limp. He bought a residence in London and moved there with his wife and young family, as the country had become too quiet for him. News of the campaign in Egypt and the Sudan now only angers him, mainly because he has been denied the chance to serve and still desperately desires adventure. When he received word that Singh’s term of service had ended, he insisted the cavalryman come to London, where he remains to this day, a loyal and faithful, yet valued, servant of the Lockhart family.

Reginald is a member of the Army & Navy Club, his nights mostly taken up by regaling war stories in its cigar smoke filled halls. He lets himself indulge a little too much these days, believing this is his only joy in life. He has four children Elizabeth (9), Margaret (6), Jane (4) and Cecil (1).

London

ALBERT AND VICTORIA MUSEUM

ARMY AND NAVY CLUB

The Army & Navy Club is located at 36 Pall Mall (just north of Buckingham Palace) amid many, many other gentlemen’s social clubs. Membership is of course limited to those who have served in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces. It has roughly 2400 members. Like most gentlemen’s clubs, it features a library, reading room, billiards/game room, bar, dining room, private conference rooms, and a few overnight guest rooms. 

There are also trophies, all sorts of battle memorabilia (weapons, maps, regimental flags, paintings and portraits, etc.) and countless souvenirs from foreign lands

BRITISH MUSEUM

The great national museum and library is open 10 am to 4, 5, or 6 pm, depending on the season.

Some galleries were open later on certain days, and the museum also was open Sunday afternoons. Admission was free, but catalogs of the exhibits cost up to sixpence.

Its collections were divided into eleven departments: Books and Maps; Manuscripts; Prints and Drawings; Oriental Antiquities (including Egyptian); Greek and Roman Antiquities; British and Medieval Antiquities and Ethnography; Coins and Medals; and Zoology, Geology, Mineralogy, and Botany (these last four housed at the Natural History Museum in Kensington).

The Reading Room was a large circular hall covered by a dome of glass and iron, located within the central courtyard of the museum. It was open daily from 9am to 7 or 8pm, depending on the season, and comfortably accommodated 360 patrons. Researchers requested the books they desired, and attendants brought them to their seats. Those wishing to use the reading room needed to apply in writing to the Principal Librarian, noting name, profession, and address, with a recommendation from a well-known London householder. A two-day waiting period was required between submission of the application and issuance of a non-transferable admittance ticket, good for six months. Single-day admittance was sometimes possible by applying directly to the Principal Librarian. 

A ticket to the reading room also grants use of the Newspaper Room, off the Manuscripts Saloon. 

BUCKINGHAM PALACE

The main London residence of Queen Victoria.

CUSTOMS HOUSE

Where duties were levied for the Port of London. Includes storage space for confiscated goods.

HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT

Also known as the New Palace of Westminster, it contained the House of Commons, House of Lords, 
eleven quadrangles,and more than 1,100 apartments for legislators, aides, and workers.
Its three towers are, from south to north, the large Victoria Tower, Middle Tower, and Clock Tower, in which is housed  Big Ben.

LONDON LIBRARY

Located in St. James Square off Pall Mall, this was a circulating library for paying members.

Nearby were several of the London clubs.

MADAME TUSSAUD’S WAXWORK EXHIBITION

London’s most famous wax museum, Madame Tussaud’s was located on Marylebone Road just east of
Baker Street Underground Station (on the northeast comer of Baker Street).

Admission was one shilling, plus an additional sixpence to enter its famed Chamber of Horrors.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

A division of the British Museum, located south of Hyde Park and Albert Hall, containing fossil relics for the still-young science of paleontology and other exhibits relating to natural history - geology, botany, zoology, etc.

NEW SCOTLAND YARD

From 1891, home of London’s Metropolitan Police Force, Criminal Investigation Division (CID), and Special Branch. Prior to this, the MPF was headquartered at Great Scotland Yard just north, next to the Admiralty. The Scotland Yard Museum of criminal relics, known popularly as the Black Museum, is located here as well. Next door is the Cannon Row police station, where suspects were actually booked and jailed, rather than the Yard itself.

PICCADILLY CIRCUS

The long street of Piccadilly leads west to Hyde Park, and includes Burlington House, home to the Royal Society, the Linnaean Society, the Chemical Society, the Royal Academy, the Geological Society, the Royal Astronomical Society and the Society of Antiquaries.

ST GILES ROOKERY

Former slums and criminal havens around Oxford Street, such as St. Giles rookery, have been demolished in recent decades, much improving the area around Haymarket

SOHO

Soho is a small lower-class area east of Charing Cross Road and south of Oxford Street, known mainly for Italian immigrants, prostitutes, music halls and cheap places to eat and drink. Many of its once grand houses are dilapidated or decaying, its squares are overgrown, and it was the centre of London’s cholera outbreak in 1854. Its shops sell mainly second-hand goods, and pawnbrokers and gin shops are much in evidence.

ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL:

The City of London’s great cathedral, often considered the most magnificent building in all of London.

TOWER BRIDGE

Completed only in 1894, it replaced a subway tunnel under the Thames at that site.

TOWER OF LONDON

Originally a medieval fortress, its central keep (called White Tower) was built by William the Conqueror. Best-known as a prison where such historic figures as Sir Walter Raleigh and Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth were confined. It was a government arsenal in the 1890s.

Its 13-acre grounds are shaped roughly like a pentagon, with the central keep surrounded by a double-walled ward strengthened with several towers, such as the Bloody Tower, the Bell Tower, Middle Tower, Byward Tower, and Record (or Wakefield) Tower. The Regalia, or Crown Jewels, of England were kept in Wakefield Tower, the inner of the central towers along the Thames, at this time. 

The Tower’s Yeomen Warders, known popularly as Beefeaters, are old soldiers of meritorious service who dress as Yeomen of the Guard of old. Admission is free from 10am to 4pm on all days but Sunday, when the Tower is closed (except by special order of the Constable of the Tower for very interested parties). Admission to the Regalia and to the Armory is six pence each at all times. The main entrance to the Tower is the Lion’s Gate at the southwest comer; there are three other entrances, including the old Traitor’s Gate, accessible from the Thames only.

TRAFALGAR SQUARE

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

London’s greatest church and burial site of English monarchs, receiving as well monuments for great English poets, statesmen, and soldiers. Here were held the coronation ceremonies for British monarchs.

Events 1880-1893

• 1880
• Parcel post introduced to England
• Edison in U.S. and J.W. Swan in England independently patent first practical electric lights
• First performances of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance
• Lord Beaconsfield (Disraeli) resigns as British Prime Minister, succeeded by William E. Gladstone
• First British telephone directory issued by London Telephone Company
• Ballpoint pen invented
• Boer Republic declares independence from Britain in Transvaal
• Malaria traced to a blood parasite
• Typhoid fever bacillus identified
• Robert Koch discovers anthrax vaccine
• First wireless telephone message transmitted by Alexander Graham Bell
• First photographic reproductions in newspapers
• Battle of Maiwand in Afghan War
• Atheist member of Parliament, Charles Bradlaugh, unseated for refusing to take oath of office.
• 1881
• Flogging abolished in British Army, Navy
• Boers defeat British forces in South Africa, Britain recognizes independent Boer Republic
• Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London opens
• Disraeli dies
• Alexander 11, Czar of Russia, assassinated
• U.S. President James A. Garfield assassinated
• London’s Savoy Theatre opens as first electrically-illuminated public building
• Serum effective against cholera discovered
• Start of the “Disappearings” in the East End of London
• American Association of the Red Cross founded
• Photographic roll film is patented.
• 1882
• Gasoline-powered internal combustion engine invented
• Electric illumination of London begins
• London Chamber of Commerce established
• British fleet bombards Alexandria, Egypt, British troops defeat Egyptian nationalist forces and occupy Cairo, and dual control of Egypt by France and Britain abolished
• Electric fan invented
• Tuberculosis bacillus discovered
• Psychoanalysis pioneered by Viennese physician Josef Breuer, a colleague of Freud
• Oscar Wilde tours North America.
• 1883
• Krakatoa explodes near Java
• Maxim machine gun invented
• British Egyptian forces wiped out in Sudan by forces of the Mahdi
• Worldwide cholera pandemic begins
• Nietzsche’s Also Sprach Zarathustra published in first of four parts in Germany
• Karl Marx dies
• Fire guts London’s Harrod’s store; first malted milk produced in U.S.
• Dynamiters strike near Local Government Office, Whitehall
• Treasure Island by R.L. Stevenson published
• British establish control of Egypt.
• 1884
• Linotype typesetting machine patented
• Gold discovered in the Transvaal
• British General Gordon trapped at Khartoum by Mahdi following his rescue of 2,500 women, children and wounded men from the city
• First deep tube of London’s underground railway opens
• Compound steam turbine invented
• Anaesthetic properties of cocaine in medical practice discovered
• Socialist Fabian Society founded in London
• Fountain pen invented
• Dynamiters strike Old Scotland Yard
• Phonograph patented
• Statue of Liberty presented to U.S. by France.
• 1885
• Khartoum falls to Mahdi, Gen. Gordon and forces massacred
• World’s first successful gasoline drive motor vehicle reaches speed of 9 mph
• First identification system based on fingerprints devised
• Rabies vaccine devised by Pasteur
• Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado opens at London’s Savoy Theatre
• Gladstone replaced as Prime Minister by the Marquis of Salisbury
• Roller coaster patented
• Dictating machine invented
• Karl Marx’ Das Kapital (Vol. 2) published
• Indian National Congress meets for first time. 
• 1886
• Britain annexes Burma
• Gold rush to South Africa’s Transvaal
• Das Kapital published in English
• Coca-Cola first goes on sale, Dr. Pepper introduced in US.
• Irish Home Rule Bill introduced to Parliament by Gladstone
• R.L. Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde published
• Typewriter ribbon patented
• Geronimo captured in U.S.
• First tuxedo introduced.
• 1887
• First round-the-world bicycle trip completed in San Francisco
• Earmuffs patented
• Abe Lincoln’s coffin opened to make sure he was still in it (he was)
• Britain annexes Zululand
• Lloyd’s of London writes its first non-maritime insurance policy
• Esperanto invented
• First Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual
• Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. 
• 1888
• Kaiser Wilhelm I1 begins reign in Germany
• Britain establishes protectorate over Sarawak and North Borneo
• Alternating current electric motor developed by Nikola Tesla
• First Kodak camera marketed
• Pneumatic bicycle tire patented
• National Geographic begins publication
• Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night by Sir Richard Burton published
• Jack the Ripper terrorizes London.
• 1889
• London dock strikes
• Cecil Rhodes’ British South Africa Company granted royal charter
• British army adopts Maxim machine gun
• Cordite patented as a smokeless explosive
• Cleveland Street scandal over a London West End homosexual brothel involves both the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Clarence
• Worldwide influenza pandemic begins
• Reporter Nellie Bly begins round-the-world journey in attempt to beat 88-day record of Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg
• Eiffel Tower completed in Paris.
• 1890
• London’s first electric underground railway tube opens
• First execution by electrocution occurred
• Cecil Rhodes becomes prime minister of Cape Colony
• Java Man fossils found in Java
• Britain establishes protectorate over Zanzibar
• Battle of Wounded Knee ends Indian Wars in U.S. with massacre of 350 Sioux
• First volume of James Frazier’s The Golden Bough published (next 15 to follow over next 25 years)
• Bismarck dismissed as prime minister of Germany
• London’s “Disappearings” end as mysteriously as they began
• Peanut butter is invented.

Map Great Britain

 

Session I: Introductions and Interruptions

 1890 - Monday, October the 25th.

Marion Collins

The usual chill was in the air, the London sky producing light rain that cut through the skin and sent a cold shiver up the spine.

Marion Collins, an assistant pathologist for the London City Morgue was on his way to deliver a selection of files from his employer, Dr Spencer to the police station located in Hyde Park.  Making his way through the rain and busy streets, he was under instructions to hand the files to Inspector Jones, a member of Scotland Yard.

Reginald Lockhart was making his way with his family, his wife Jane, four children, Elizabeth, Margaret, Jane and Cecil accompanied by the household Nanny, and man servant Vinjay Singh to the northern end of Hyde Park for lunch.  His home, located not far from Regents Park, however Hyde Park provided a larger area for his children to play.

Not bothered by the cold, Reginald strode confidently down the street, the 45 year old, former military Captain, now retired, dressed himself in reasonably fine garb, his overcoat made of suede, his cane made of rosewood and brass.

As the family entered Hyde Park, they stopped for lunch at a neat restaurant on the north end before the children excused themselves, followed by their Nanny to play in the grass. Following in the direction of the children Reginald was somewhat unnerved by the scene that was unfolding closer to the centre of the open space.

Suffragette rally near Hyde Park

A rally of women all screaming and yelling at passers by, each holding boards and banners calling for women to be able to vote.  A second mob of men formed to protest the signs and rabble in the park.  As the mobs expanded, Reginald gave orders for the Nanny to gather the children and head back to their home, while gathering his bearings in the park, a sudden push in the back struck him, more protestors moving to engage the mob, Jane was struck by another angry park patron before Singh intervene and sent the assailant to the ground.

A new mob had formed, this time all weeping the familiar police helmet and carrying standard issue batons, their navy garb crashing into the wide spread mob like a disorganized wave crashing on rock.

As police began to arrest numerous men and women, Singh felt his arm get yanked hard as a police officer threw him in with the mob being taken in the direction of the police station.  The commotion caused Jane to feel panicked, Reginald sent Jane in the direction of their Nanny, demanding she accompanied the children home, Reginald making his way through the crowd towards the police station to retrieve his man servant.

Vinjay Singh

The police station was chaos, women being bustled together in the holding cells to the left of the desk Sergeant, the rowdy and drunk men being sent to the right.  Reginald caught the attention of the desk Sergeant, demanding his man be released, overwhelmed with the crowd of people entering the station, the Sergeant asked Reginald to stand towards the back of the main entrance until able to be addressed.

Caught up in the rabble, Marion Collins was doing his best to hold on to the stack of files for Inspector Jones, duck and weaving out of the way of drunks and boisterous women.

Making his way across the foyer, the desk Sergeant sending him towards the familiar tweed suit of Inspector Jones, Marion was stuck in the sea of busy bobbies.

Reginald felt a thud against his right arm, a man had tripped and was seeking support as he was falling to the ground, without thinking Reginald lunged for the man, grabbing him by the arm.  Inspecting the forearm in his grasp, Regional noticed the man was covered in bandages, wearing what seemed to be dirty and shabby clothes, doing little to hide the badges underneath.  Also wearing dark glasses to hide his eyes, the man continued to fall as Reginald recoiled slightly at the sight of the blistered skin showing through the bandage weave.

Cpt. Reginald A. Lockhart

Reginald called for a Doctor, his booming voice echoed across the police station tiled walls.  Marion ducked at the booming voice that was less than three feet from him.  Advising he was a Doctor, Marion placed his files on the floor and knelt down beside the heavily bandaged man.  Reginald stood forward, leaving over the man, his bowler hat casting a shadow over Marion.  The bandaged man heaved up towards Marion who was checking his bandages and the wounds underneath.  Reaching for Marion, his voice was coarse, desperately pleading for someone to save a woman by the name of ‘Susan’.  Marion leaned closer, removing the man’s dark glasses, recoiling at the sight, Marion discovered that the bandaged man in front of him had no eyes, only empty and heavily burned sockets.  Taking a deep breath Marion asked the man again for any information regarding himself only to see the man exhale deeply, a strange blue vapor escaping his mouth, his final breath as he lay dead on the floor.  Checking for a pulse that was not present, Marion looked for the closest face he could find, looking up at Reginald, exclaiming that the man on the floor was dead.

A wailing woman screamed loudly across the room, ‘His eyes! His eyes!’ Marion and Reginald turned their gaze to the face of the body on the floor, a thick, almost fluorescent blue ooze began to slowly leak from the empty eye sockets.

Marion covered the man's face with one of the loose bandages to hide the sight from any onlookers.  Reginald’s booming voice echoed across the room again, clearing the immediate space and making demands of the police close by to remove the recently deceased man.

Insp. Athelnay Jones

The tweed wearing inspector Jones emerged through the crowd, demanding to know what was happening, only to be met with the thunderous voice and imposing figure of Reginald demanding the removal of the body for the doctor to further inspect.  Taking one look at the corpse on the floor, Jones’s face turned a different shade of green, ordering a nearby officer, Constable Walker, to arrange the body be moved to a cell.  Jones quickly disappeared into his office, Reginald watching him withdraw with a sneer on his face, thinking to himself that the cleaner would be scrubbing vomit off the floor in the Inspector’s office that evening.

Walker and three other constables collected the body as Marion gathered his files and followed the corpse, Reginald also in tow.  As the constables lay the body on the bench in the empty cell located in the back of the station, the officers quickly withdrew, Walker remaining outside the iron bars as Marion entered, begin to peel back the bandages from the man’s body, lifting the loose wrappings with one of the pencils he kept in his pocket.

Reginald appeared at Marion’s side, also examining the body, noticing that the clothes the man was wearing were strangely out of season, usually worn in the tropics rather than London in October.

Calling for one of the constables to gather a glass or something he could collect the blue ooze in, Marion inspected the body closely.  The wounds sustained under the bandages, the wounds giving off the smell of rot and decay as if it had been in the baking sun for hours.  The blisters and boils covering the body seemed to be from burns, but were not consistent with sunburn, fire or scorching.  Handed a short glass by Walker, Marion began sliding the glass along the man’s exposed cheeks, scooping up a large amount of the blue substance that had lost part of its luminescent glow.

Tying a piece of cloth and string around the top of the glass to keep the contents inside, Marion stood up from beside the bench, turning the Reginald and explaining what the man had muttered to him regarding ‘Susan’.  Marion placed the glass down and began checking the man’s pockets for any form of identification, finding nothing, both men spied a loose piece of paper that had fallen from the body during the movement of it by the police.  Unfolding the paper, Marion could read that the paper was a steamship receipt for ‘Alfred and Mrs Windebank’, a second class receipt for possibly himself, traveling from Singapore, arriving October 17th aboard the Marie Louise.

East Indies Steamship Company Receipt

Handing the receipt to Reginald, Marion had a troubled look on his face, not knowing much of Singapore or of anything that could cause such burns.

Agreeing that this evidence was to be given to Inspector Jones to see if Mrs Windebank could be located.  As if on cue, Inspector Jones entered the cells, demanding to know what civilians were doing in his cells.  Reginald gave the inspector a serious glare before addressing him as if he was still commanding a regiment, Jones quickly shrinking in his shoes at the verbal assault from Reginald, Marion also chiming in to explain that he was present purely by accident, having been sent on an errand by Dr Spencer to deliver files.

Jones gave orders to Walker to cover the body, before demanding that Reginald and Marion remove themselves.  Marion firmly gave the stack of files to Walker, explaining they were for Inspector Jones, before turning and walking back through the doorway of the cell and out into the main area of the police station, Reginald stopping briefly to glare at Walker before following Marion.

Back in the main lobby of the police station, Reginald asked that Marion wait a moment before leaving as he wanted to speak to the doctor about the events in the cell.  The desk Sergeant had regained control of the station, the cells full of women on one side and men on the other.  Gulping hard as he saw Reginald approach, the Sergeant offered his assistance.  Reginald loudly demanding the release of his man, Vinjay Singh, giving a description of him to the man cowering behind the desk.  Within a minute, Vinjay emerged from one of the cells, his lip bloody and his shirt torn.

Vinjay was a physically imposing man, he did not give the impression of being a servant, looking more like a man who was better suited to fighting for money in a boxing ring, his physique large and powerful.

Reginald inspected his servant, asking who had accosted him, Vinjay giving few responses, explaining that his assailant had been dealt with.

Smiling and giving a slight chuckle, Reginald joined Marion in the entryway, walking together out of the police station and into Hyde Park, followed closely by Singh

Reginald began to remark regarding his observations of Inspector Jones, Marion struggling to raise his eyes from the floor in front of him, he smiled at the humorous, degrading comments being made.  Stopping in the park, Reginald formally introduced himself to Marion who did the same, Reginald letting out a slight smile at the name Marion, but happy to offer him a lift back to his office.  Trying to thank Reginald for his generosity, Marion did his best to withdraw, Reginald however was not having it, as Singh waved down a hansom cab for them.

Next to where Reginald and Marion were standing, a newspaper vendor interrupted their conversation, asking about the bandaged man he saw enter the police station earlier.

Confused by the sudden interjection into their conversation, Reginald responded about how the man had passed away, the newspaper vendor responded on how the man did not look well after disembarking the carriage he exited from.  Marion enquired about the carriage, the vendor responding that he exited a carriage labelled “The London Carriage Co”.

Turning back to Marion and dismissing the vendor, Reginald enquired about the possible contagiousness of the man’s condition.  As a Hansom cab pulled up to the two men, Reginald sent Singh home, entering the cab with Marion, paying the driver as Marion stated the location of the Morgue.

Reginald continued to question the findings of the doctor, the blue substance being of primary concern, recounting the name on the receipt of Alfred Windebank, writing it down on a note pad he kept in his coat.  The cab ride took longer than expected for the short distance it had to travel, the busy street giving the occupants of the cab time to talk.

Marion spoke aloud the symptoms he had witnessed regarding the sores and boils, absence of eyes and of course the blue substance.

As the cab stopped, Reginald handed Marion his calling card, impressing on him the importance of informing him of his findings as he needed to protect his family, particularly regarding the possible contagion.

Dr. Emery Spencer

Disembarking the carriage and thanking Reginald for his generosity, Marion made his way down the access alley to the Morgue entrance.  Entering the Morgue, Marion made his way through the curtains to where Dr Spencer was located.  Dressed in his surgeon's apron, Dr Spencer was in the process of removing organs from a body on the autopsy table in front of him, weighing each part.

Marion immediately engaged Dr Spencer who was dismissive of the conversation.  Marion’s description was staggered, expressing where the blue substance had come from.  Dr Spencer was irritated by his pathologist's description.  Asking him to be specific regarding details about the body before requesting Marion to leave the jar on his desk.

Lowering his head and walking to Dr Spencer’s office, Marion placed the jar on the large desk before retreating back to where a pile of reports was waiting for him.

Entering his home to find his wife Jane sitting in the drawing room, Reginald was bursting to inform her of the events within the police station.  Jane, a somewhat proper lady, had no interest in hearing of the dead body and mysteries surrounding it, tuning out her husband's voice as he rambled about blue ooze and bandages.  Seeing her disinterest, Reginald’s upper lip became stiff, summoning Singh and heading into his private study.

Doctor Marion Collins

Doctor Marion Collins

Marion Collins, born in Wandsworth in 1859, Marion was born to reasonably humble surroundings.  His father was an accounting clerk never able to progress past his station as he suffered from mild dyslexia.  Marion’s mother was a member of the kitchen staff for the local tavern.  While their earnings were honest, the home was less than opportunistic for raising a family.

At the age of 9, Marion was orphaned due to his parents both being killed during the collapse of the tavern where Marion’s mother worked.  His father entered the tavern to escort his wife home, only to find that the structure gave way, burying them and a dozen other patrons.

Marion was then raised in the Wandsworth boarding house.  Friends did not come easy to Marion as he was already showing signs on intellectual aptitude beyond his years.  His closest relationship came in the guise of another child of the same age, Seamus Stonebridge, a fellow orphan who was accepting in nature of Marion’s disposition.

Marion continued to grow mentally, eventually becoming one of the respected leaders amongst the other children.  By the time he was 15 years of age, Marion had mastered several skills most children took for granted, penmanship, reading, verbalising in ways that mimicked higher social standing individuals.  Along with Seamus, when it was time for them to leave the boarding house, both young men went in separate directions, while Seamus turned his attention to manipulation, theft and the street life, Marion sought a career that put his mind to use, his desire for medicine saw him enrol as an intern for the small Wandsworth hospital, taking every opportunity to “borrow” medical journals and books that he would study for countless hours.

By the age of 22, Marion had a vast knowledge of medicine, continually applying for medical roles and doctors exams, only to always be shunned.  An orphan with no financial standing would never succeed without some form of backing.

Spending every spare part of his earnings on study, Marion enrolled at University to study medicine, sacrificing his potentially comfortable living arrangements and living above a Rat Catcher’s office.  Upon completing his study at the age of 27, Marion again attempted to join the medical social circles, again only to find he was now considered and educated orphan in their eyes.

Unable to crack the elitist shell of the medical world, Marion was no longer willing to reside in the small attic apartment he had secured above the local Rat Catcher business, seeking to employ his skills, he took the opening employment position as a junior with the city morgue.

His knowledge saw him rise quickly within the positions of the morgue, his medical knowledge giving him a firm understanding of what he was employed to do, his employer Dr Spencer recognising this fact.  Behind the scenes however, Marion and Seamus were constantly in contact.  Seamus now running in his own little world of shadows on the streets of London, ever helpful in advising Marion of any new opportunities for him to gain employment in the medical world, in return, Marion would trade the information for medicines for the less fortunate that Seamus would then deliver.

Securing a new apartment in northern Wandsworth and finding he had money to spare, Marion began frequenting the local taverns for excitement, often finding himself betting on the illegal underground bare knuckle boxing matches that could be found, introduced to him by Seamus, a constant participant in the fights themselves.  Gambling not seeming to be enough, Marion also began participating in the brawls, his medical knowledge advising him of the most vital parts of the body to strike, not always successful, he never seemed to be financially better off, yet also never worse.

Marion continues his work with Dr Spencer, his constant desire to have Dr Spencer’s approval for further medical endeavours always at the front of his mind.