46. Arthur Abrahams was the son of Michael Abrahams, founder of the firm Michael Abrahams, Sons & Co. In London, Reilly used a number of lawyers including Michael Abrahams, Sons & Co., Willett & Sandford and Robert Carter. This ensured that no one lawyer had a complete awareness of his activities. Paris city records for 1896 indicate that Abrahams had a Paris office and flat at 23 Rue Taitbout.
47. Albert Mansions and Victoria Mansions were both upmarket apartment blocks completed in 1894. Albert Mansions stood on the corner of Rosetta Street and South Lambeth Road. Rosenblum took over the tenancy of 50 Albert Mansions from William Gould. Although the postal address for No. 50 was Rosetta Street, the address on Rosenblum’s notepaper was ‘South Lambeth Road’, which he clearly felt to be a more prestigious address. Adapting addresses in this manner was to be a trait of his.
48. 9 Bury Court, in the Parish of St Andrew Undershaft, in the City of London, was leased to Albert Adolph, who sub-let the premises to Rosenblum and three other occupiers (City of London Rates Valuation Lists 1891–1896, Section 13).
49. According to the 1897 List of Officers and Fellows of the Chemical Society, p.53, Rosenblum was elected a Fellow on 18 June 1896.
50. According to the 1898 Register of Fellows, Associates and Students of The Institute of Chemistry, p.85, Rosenblum was admitted a Fellow on 4 March 1897.
51. The Institute’s charter (clause 5, p.15) states that it ‘rests with the Council to determine in each case whether the candidate shall be required to pass either or both the intermediate or final examinations’. He would also have been required to produce a satisfactory certificate of moral character. The certificate and identity of the person who perjured themself in providing it, is no longer in the archives of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
52. William Fox’s place of business was 39 Mincing Lane in the City of London, in close vicinity of Rosenblum & Co. at Bury Court. Fox was also Rosenblum’s neighbour at 52 Albert Mansions, Lambeth (Electoral Register 1896/1897, Parliamentary, County and Parochial Electors in Kennington, Vauxhall Ward, Polling District No. 5).
53. Ace of Spies, Robin Bruce Lockhart, p.27/28.
54. Ibid.
55. Lithuania State Historical Archives, Fond 1226, Schedule 1, File 167, (born Kovno 17 April 1869, Levi son of Mojsej Bramson and Leja daughter of Jakov).
56. Report by V Ratayev (Ochrana, Paris), to Department of Police, St Petersburg, 24 February 1903, Fond 102, Inventory 316, 1898, delo 1, chast 16, litera A, listy 84ob-85, State Archive of the Russian Federation, Moscow.
57. Interview between E L Voynich biographer Carol Spero and Winifred Gaye (Ethel Voynich’s stepdaughter), Bath, Somerset, 1992
58. Rare People and Rare Books, E. Millicent Sowerby (Constable, 1967), p.21.
59. Rosenblum’s letter of application, his character reference and records of his attendance are to be found in the British Museum Archives (Sigmund Georgjevich Rosenblum– ticket number A63702.12044). Four books in particular made available to Reilly suggest the nature of his research: Blagden, Sir Charles, Some observations on ancient inks (1787); Merrifield, Mary P., Original treatises on the arts of painting. 2 vol. (1849); A Booke of secrets, shewing divers waies to make and prepare all sorts of Inke and Colours, Trans. W.P. London (1596); William Linton, Ancient and modern colours (1852). It should also be noted that Wilfred Voynich held a reader’s ticket (No. A53962 2897). British Museum records indicate that the ticket was obtained on the recommendation of Sergei Stepniak.
60. Police Orders for 10 April and 5 May 1893; PRO MEPO 7/55, pp.264 and 340.
61. PRO MEPO 4/342 (Register of Leavers) and MEPO 21/32 (Pension Register).
62. CID, Behind the Scenes at Scotland Yard, H.L. Adams, p.167.
63. Memorandum dated 28 April 1896 (The Melville Papers).
64. Sir Edward Bradford, chief commissioner to the Home Office, 28 April 1902, PRO HO 45/10254.
65. Vladimir Krymov, who knew Reilly in St Petersburg before the First World War, related in Portraits of Unusual People, that Reilly was dubbed ‘the man who knew everything’ due to his unique ability to keep his ear to the ground.
66. Arthur Wood of the Daily Telegraph and James Hogan of the Daily Graphic had rooms at 3 Cursitor Street in 1898.
67. ‘The question as to the permissibility of advertising is one which still agitates the minds of our members, notwithstanding that the censors gave a no uncertain pronouncement on the matter as long ago as 1893, and the attention of members was again drawn to it in December 1895. I am sorry that the expression of opinion is felt by some among us as forming a bar to the legitimate practice of their profession; a profession which a minority – and I trust a small minority – of our members would perhaps unconsciously reduce to the level of a trade. To my mind, to advertise or to tout for practice is degrading, and a virtual acknowledgement that he who does so cannot compete on equal terms with his fellows. In no other professions in this country are such practices tolerated’ (the address of the president, Dr Thomas Stevenson, FRCP, to the 12th Annual General Meeting of the Institute of Chemistry, 1 March 1898, contained in the 1898 Proceedings, p.25).
68. Entry 379, Register of births in the District of Gorey in the County of Wexford, Ireland. Margaret Callaghan daughter of Edward and Anne Callaghan (née Noctor), 1 January 1874.
69. Entry 55, Register of Marriages in the District of Gorey in the County of Wexford, Ireland. Edward Callaghan, fisherman, and Anne Naughter, 27 February 1870 at the Catholic Chapel of St Michael.
70. Entry 385, Register of Births in the District of Gorey in the County of Wexford, Ireland. James Callaghan, son of Edward and Anne Callaghan (née Naughter), 24 February 1872. He died on 15 March 1930: Entry 248, Register of Deaths in the Registration District of Manchester South, Sub-district of Didsbury in the County of Manchester CB.
71. Entry 149, 1895 Register of Marriages in the District of Paddington in the County of London. Hugh Thomas and Margaret Callaghan, 19 February 1895.
72. Entry 186, 1898 Register of Marriages in the District of Holborn in the County of London. Sigmund Rosenblum and Margaret Thomas, 22 August 1898.
73. Entry 478, 1903 Register of Marriages in the District of Islington in the County of London. Joseph Bell and Violet Pannett, 4 June 1903. Entry 281, 1910 Register of Marriages in the District of Islington in the County of London. Charles Cross and Edith Pannett, 24 August 1910. Henry Freeman Pannett was a Royal Mail official who was an associate of William Melville from the late 1890s up to his retirement in 1908.
74. Ace of Spies, Robin Bruce Lockhart, p.32; Sidney Reilly – The True Story, Michael Kettle, p.15; Memoirs of a British Agent, Robert Bruce Lockhart, p.323; Deadly Illusions, John Costello and Oleg Tsarev, p.22; Iron Maze, Gordon Brook- Shepherd, p.18; Spies, Jay Robert Nash (M. Evans and Company, New York, 1997), p.411; Master Spy, Edward Van Der Rhoer, p.6.
75. Parish Register, Parish of Ballygarret, County of Wexford, 6 September 1845; Baptism of Edward Callaghan son of John and Elisa Callaghan (née Quinn) – sponsors Paul Byrne and Mary Callaghan (National Library of Ireland, Ballygarret Parish Register, Microfiche P4255).
76. Foreign Office Regulations Respecting Passports (3) – ‘Naturalised British Subject’, he will be so designated in his passport, which shall be issued subject to the qualification mentioned in the 7th clause of the Act 33 Vic; c.14.