My new book, The Mysterious Poisoning of Charles Bravo, is now out! To celebrate, I’ve compiled a timeline of the key events in this fascinating real-life historical murder mystery, which took place in Balham, London in 1876.
1. Tuesday 18 April – Charles falls ill
Barrister Charles Bravo sat down to dinner at 7.30 pm with his wife, Florence, and her live-in companion, Jane Cox, at their home at The Priory. They all ate the meal of fish, lamb, poached eggs and herring paste – the women drank sherry and Charles had burgundy wine. At about 9 pm, Charles fell ill complaining of acute stomach pains. He took to his bed.
2. Wednesday 20 April – Sir William Gull arrives
Four doctors had been treating Charles during his illness but none of them could account for his symptoms, and they struggled to alleviate his pain and constant vomiting. His wife, Florence, sent for Sir William Gull. Charles told Sir William that he had taken laudanum but the eminent physician feared that the poison was more deadly than that.
3. Friday 21 April – Charles dies
Despite the efforts of the doctors, Charles died in the early hours of the morning on the third day of his illness. From his bed, he led a short prayer, said goodbye to his loved ones and gradually slipped away. He was buried in West Norwood Cemetery.
4. Saturday 22 April – post-mortem examination takes place
Led by Dr Joseph Frank Payne, the post-mortem examination was undertaken in the presence of the four doctors who had attended Charles during his illness. Dr Payne removed samples from Charles’s stomach and intestines. He sent them to Professor Theophilus Redwood for chemical analysis.
5. Tuesday 25 April – the inquest opens
At Florence Bravo’s insistence, the first inquest into Charles’s death took place at The Priory, in the dining room where he ate his final meal. There were nine witnesses, most of whom had known the deceased well. In the second sitting, Professor Redwood revealed that Charles had died from antimony poisoning. The coroner’s jury confirmed this and added that there was not sufficient evidence to show how he had ingested the poison. The inquest was closed.
6. Monday 1 May – the detective investigation begins
Unconvinced by the verdict, a friend of Charles went to Scotland Yard, where he shared his suspicions with the assistant commissioner. The matter was placed in the hands of Detective Chief Inspector George Clarke, who opened his investigation with a search of The Priory.
7. Tuesday 11 July – a second inquest opens
Due to a wider dissatisfaction with the outcome of the first inquest, the case was brought to the attention of the home secretary. This led to the opening of a second inquest, which took place at The Bedford Hotel in Balham. It lasted 23 days and more than 40 witnesses took the stand.
8. Thursday 27 July – Jane Cox testifies
There was considerable excitement in court at the appearance of Jane Cox, the first of the key witnesses in the case. Her testimony lasted five days. She described how she had accidentally met with Dr James Gully several times since Florence’s marriage to Charles and that the doctor had prescribed medicines for her. She revealed that Florence had shared ‘a criminal intimacy’ with Dr Gully. There were audible sighs in court.
9. Thursday 3 August, Florence Bravo gives her statement
Florence arrived in court dressed in deep mourning. She described her troubled relationship with his first husband, Captain Alexander Ricardo, from whom she had separated before his death from alcoholism. She also admitted to having been intimate with Dr Gully several times. Florence claimed that she did not believe that Charles had taken his own life.
10. Wednesday 9 August, Dr James Gully is the final witness
Dr Gully gave a brief, voluntary statement at the inquest in which he said that he had not seen Florence since her marriage to Charles and that the end of their relationship was amicable. He admitted that he had met Jane several times, but all these meetings were ‘accidental’.
After Dr Gully had finished his testimony, the jury retired for almost three hours to consider their verdict. On their return to the makeshift courtroom, the coroner announced that they had agreed that Charles Bravo did not commit suicide nor die due to misadventure but he had been ‘wilfully murdered by the administration of tartar emetic’. However, there was insufficient evidence ‘to fix the guilt upon any person or persons’.
Chief Inspector Clarke submitted his final report of his investigation and the case was officially closed. The poisoning of Charles Bravo has remained a mystery ever since.
If you would like to find out more about the twists and turns in this complex homicide case, you can read more about it in my new book:
