‘Did you draw any conclusions from examining the coal sack and other debris?’
‘The clothing fabric I saw was much rotted, probably from contact with the fluids of decomposition. It was not possible to determine if the fragments had any connection with the remains. The fragments were incomplete – I could not account for all of a suit of clothing or gentleman’s linen. I think that the staining on the outer surface of the leather bag was from contact with body fluids. The interior of the coal sack was dirty, as one might expect. I do not believe that a fresh human body was ever placed in the sack. The bones were soiled from contact with the inner surface of the sack, and would have been placed in it after the body was reduced to a skeleton.’
As Dr Bond resumed his seat, Frances whispered to Mr Luckhurst, ‘I can see you noticed something that interested you.’
‘Surprised me,’ he said, ‘but I will listen to what the other witnesses have to say before I decide what to do.’
There was a short pause for the note-takers to complete their work. The next witness was Mr Rawsthorne, who said that he was acting on behalf of Mrs Harriett Antrobus, who was too unwell to come to court but had signed a statement in his presence, which he would like to read. Dr Thomas assented and Rawsthorne proceeded to read aloud:
I, Harriett Antrobus, wife of Edwin Antrobus, wish to attest the following in the hope that it will assist the coroner’s jury in their deliberations on the remains recently discovered together with my husband’s travelling bag. My husband once told me that as a young man he suffered an accident in which he broke some bones. The injury was to a leg, and although it healed it pained him from time to time. He did not, as far as I know, ever visit a dentist in London, but he did once inform me that while absent from home on business he was obliged to have a tooth extracted. I regret that I cannot recall the date of this occurrence or which city he was visiting.
There were no questions for Mr Rawsthorne, who resumed his seat and patted Miss Pearce’s hand in a kindly fashion.
Mr Wylie was the next witness and recounted the same story he had told at the police station. However, he said that on further reflection he had become quite certain that the tooth his associate had had extracted was a wisdom tooth from the left lower jaw. He also recalled seeing his friend experience some pain on walking and when he had asked about it Antrobus had simply said it was an old injury that occasionally troubled him.
As Wylie resumed his place, Mr Luckhurst, with an intensely serious expression, rose to his feet and went to speak to the coroner’s officer. There was a brief conversation and then Luckhurst wrote in his notebook, tore out the page, handed the paper to the officer and limped back to his seat. Frances glanced at him, and Mr Gillan leaned closer, but Luckhurst simply allowed a flicker of the eyebrows and said nothing.
Lionel Antrobus was called next. Asked if he could corroborate the evidence concerning his brother’s leg injury he said he could not. If his brother had broken any bones he was unaware of it.
‘A broken leg is not a trivial injury,’ observed Dr Thomas. ‘The deceased could have been incapacitated for some time. Family and business associates would not have been unaware of it.’ The jurymen nodded in agreement.
‘I agree,’ said Lionel Antrobus. ‘For that reason I do not believe the remains can be those of my brother.’
He also had no recollection of being told about a tooth extraction, although he was obliged to admit that he and his brother had not been close. Before Edwin’s entry into the tobacco trade they had met only infrequently, and afterwards most of their conversation had been on business matters.
As Lionel Antrobus returned to his seat with a grim expression, the coroner was in the process of announcing that there were no further witnesses to call, when he was handed Mr Luckhurst’s message. He perused it without a change in demeanour and then said, ‘There is one last witness.’
The officer beckoned Luckhurst to the seat by the coroner’s table. As the little man lurched up to the chair, Frances wondered for a moment why he did not employ a walking cane, but then reflected that it might be a matter of pride that he could do very well without one. As he took his place he smiled at the onlookers as if to say ‘Look your fill, do! Aren’t I a sight to behold?’
‘Please give your full name to the court and the reasons why you have volunteered to give evidence.’
‘My name is George Henry Luckhurst and I am Mr Edwin Antrobus’ business partner. I believe I know him better than anyone present in this court. I was first introduced to him by a mutual friend in 1863, shortly after he returned from America, where he had spent two years studying the tobacco industry.’
Frances wondered if the significance of this information was as apparent to others as it was to her. It meant that Edwin Antrobus had been far from home at a time that could have coincided with a leg injury. If he did not want to worry his family he might not have mentioned it at all in letters home, which explained why no one knew of it.
‘Three years later we went into business partnership as Luckhurst and Antrobus Fine Tobacco.’
‘Did Mr Antrobus ever tell you about an accident in which he had broken bones?’ asked the coroner.
‘No, he never mentioned it to me.’
‘Did he ever tell you that he had had a wisdom tooth extracted while on a business trip?’
‘No, he did not.’
‘Did he ever say that he was suffering pain from an abscess in the jaw?’
‘No. He was a very reserved man. He rarely discussed personal matters and almost never alluded to his state of health. He wished to appear robust and strong, especially in view of the active nature of his work that necessitated a great deal of travelling. He did not like to admit to any weaknesses.’ Luckhurst paused, and for a moment the only sound in the court was pencils on paper.
‘I do have one thing of importance to convey in that respect,’ he added, and his tone carried such seriousness it was enough to cause the scribblers to pause and raise their heads. ‘Some years ago I was suffering considerable discomfort from a wisdom tooth and thinking of going to a dentist. I asked Antrobus if he could recommend a man, and he said he could not as by and large he detested dentists and only went to them when it was strictly necessary. He also volunteered the opinion that wisdom teeth were more trouble than they were worth. He told me that he had had all of his removed in America when he was twenty-five and, while it had been an unpleasant experience requiring substantial doses of ether and whisky, he had never regretted it.’
There was a brief silence in the court followed by a burst of excited chatter, which the coroner quickly quelled.
‘Mr Luckhurst,’ Dr Thomas leaned forward intently and everyone waited in anticipation to hear what would be said next. ‘I want to be quite clear on this. Mr Antrobus told you that he had had all of his wisdom teeth removed as a young man?’
‘He did.’
‘I assume that you simply took his word for it.’
‘I did not look into his mouth to check, no,’ said Luckhurst with a smile.
Dr Thomas addressed the jury. ‘I wish to remind you, gentlemen, that Dr Bond has testified that the remains before you have one wisdom tooth still in place.’ He turned to Luckhurst again. ‘Is there anything else you can tell me?’
‘No, that is all.’
As Luckhurst returned to his seat Frances looked about her and saw Mr Wylie very shocked and unhappy, Mr Rawsthorne displeased and Marsden with an unashamed smirk of triumph. Lionel Antrobus, his evidence now vindicated, his control of his brother’s property unchallenged, did not, despite everything, appear content. The burden of duty and the uncertainty remained. Mr Gillan and the ranks of newsmen were clearly delighted, their pencils speeding over paper in a tangle of hooks and whirls, their eyes shining at the prospect of a column headed ‘Exciting scenes in court.’