Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
A "femme fatale", says Chambers Dictionary, is "a woman with an irresistible charm and fascination, often bringing those who love her (usually men) into despair and disaster."
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Sherlock Holmes encountered several women who qualify as "femmes fatales", whether the danger they posed was deliberate or not.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Consider, for example, Lady Brackenstall, Mary Holder, Isadora Klein, Emilia Lucca, and Eugenia Ronder. But the name that first comes to mind is surely...
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Irene Adler. But was she villain or victim - or perhaps a little of both?
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Let's look at some "deadly dames" from outside the canon.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Eliza Fenning, a cook in a wealthy household, was hanged in 1815 for attempting to poison her employers with arsenic.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The trial of Eliza Fenning was hasty and shamefully prejudicial. Charles Dickens was among the many who believed in Eliza's innocence.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
William Hone's book, "The Important Results of an Elaborate Investigation into the Mysterious Case of Eliza Fenning", demolished the prosecution's case.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Nearly a century on, another attractive young woman was involved in a notorious London murder case.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
In 1910 two passengers were arrested on a liner bound for Canada - a Mr Robinson and his son. That was not their real name. The elder was Hawley Harvey Crippen, and they were wanted in connection with the disappearance of his wife.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The supposed "son" was Crippen's lover. They were brought back to England, where human remains had been found in the cellar of his house. He was convicted of murdering Cora Crippen, but Ethel was acquitted.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
In 1923 Edith Thompson was hanged for aiding and abetting the murder of her husband Percy by her young lover Frederick Bywaters.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The trial of Edith Thompson is recognised by most as a miscarriage of justice. Her counsel, Sir Henry Curtis-Bennett, said that she was put to death for adultery, not murder.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
From the suburban to the exotic - homicide in a luxury suite at the Savoy Hotel, where Marie-Marguerite Fahmy shot and killed her abusive second husband, Prince Ali Kamel Fahmy Bey.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Marguerite Fahmy was represented at her trial by both Sir Henry Curtis-Bennett and "the Great Defender", Sir Edward Marshall Hall. She was acquitted of all charges.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The case of our last "femme fatale" brings us rather nearer our own time. In 1955 Ruth Ellis - nightclub hostess and glamour model - shot her lover dead, in the street outside a pub in Hampstead.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
There was no question that Ruth Ellis killed David Blakely, or that she intended to do so. The jury had no choice but to find her guilty.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The guilty verdict can't be disputed - so why is the case of Ruth Ellis remembered when others have been forgotten? The reason is simple...
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The headline says it all. The execution of Ruth Ellis was an important factor in the abolition of capital punishment in the UK, though that didn't become law for another decade.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Five women, from different backgrounds, but each with a fascinating, tragic story.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Our thanks to Catharine Arnold for one of the most compelling contributions to the Lancelyn Green Lectures!