The Nightingale Shore Murder (18 page)

Mabel had nursed enough seriously injured patients to know that Florence's death was inevitable. Her friend had remained deeply unconscious from the first evening after the attack. The open head wounds left areas of her brain exposed, and pieces of bone had been driven into the brain itself. She was terribly vulnerable to infection; and, as she was unable to move herself, her lungs began to succumb to pneumonia, making her breathing more and more difficult.

The senior surgeon of the East Sussex Hospital, Dr Cecil Christopherson, visited Florence twice a day. He was an experienced doctor who had qualified in London more than 30 years before. But for all the expert care that he and his colleagues could provide, and all the advances in diagnostics and treatment, he did not believe that Florence could survive her injuries.

On Tuesday 13
^th
January, the Hospital Secretary notified the Matron in Chief of Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Reserve of Florence's condition. A note was made in her service record: ‘
News received of dangerous condition of Miss F N Shore in East Sussex Hospital Hastings, owing to violent assault in train'
. A further telegram of enquiry from the War Office received a graver report on Thursday 14
^th
: ‘
Very much regret to inform you that Miss Shore in weaker condition practically lifeless
.'

On the same day, the Daily Telegraph reported the attack and Florence's grave condition; but also added that, on the evening of her admission to the hospital, she could ‘make a few incoherent sounds and move her arm when asked to do so.' On Friday 15
^th
January, the West London Observer had the full story of the attack, and some background information about Florence. Her aunt, Baroness Farina, who had visited the hospital and talked to Mabel Rogers, was quoted as saying that she could not think of any motive for the attack other than robbery:

The Baroness talked to several different newspaper reporters, telling them about her niece's childhood, her nursing career and her heroic conduct during the war:

Pneumonia, the old enemy of the bedridden patient, was taking its toll on Florence. As the long Friday wore on, the War Office contacted the hospital again, asking about her condition. The reply, sent that night by the Hospital Secretary, stated simply:
‘Very much regret to inform you that Miss Nightingale Shore passed away this evening
.' She had died at five to eight in the evening, with Mabel Rogers beside her.

Miss Smith, from the QAs, wrote a letter of condolence on behalf of the nursing services to Florence's formal next of kin: her brother, Brigadier General Offley Shore, now living in California. Then Florence's QA file was stamped ‘Closed', on 17
^th
January.

On Monday 19
^th
January, Florence's body was taken from the East Sussex Hospital to Christ Church, St Leonards – the town where she had planned to spend her week's holiday with friends. Her coffin was placed at the entrance to the chancel, between rows of lighted candles, and remained there overnight. The next day, a hearse would take the coffin to London for burial. But before Mabel could accompany her friend on her final journey, she had a grimmer and more challenging role to fulfil: she was the first witness at the opening of the inquest into Florence's death.

The inquest opened at five o'clock on Monday 19
^th
January, less than 72 hours since Mabel had watched Florence die. In a gesture of professional kindness and solidarity, one of the hospital nurses sat beside Mabel throughout the proceedings. The papers described ‘Nurse Shore's friend' as a ‘pathetic figure', tall, grey-haired and pale-faced, being helped in and out of the court by the nurse.

The Hastings Borough Coroner, Mr W J Glenister, was accompanied at the hearing by his deputy, Mr H Davenport Jones, and the Coroner's officer, Detective Inspector Ruse. In fact, the room was full of uniforms. As well as the hospital nurse, police officers from the three investigating forces were also there: Superintendent Vine from the East Sussex Constabulary in Bexhill, where Florence's injuries had been discovered; Detective Inspector Haigh and Detective Sergeant Sharpe who had been called in from Scotland Yard by the local police; and Superintendent J J Jarvis and Detective Sergeant Vickers from the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway police force. The LB&SCR also had its own solicitor present, Mr E Capel Rutherford.

A jury of eleven men (as inquests require one fewer jurors than criminal trials) was sworn in. The jurors – Arthur Perry, George Farmer, William Baker, William Latter, Walter Budd, Norman Jepson, Horace Walker, Sidney Mont, Frank Cruttenden, Douglas Mastin and Frederick Wicks – chose Wicks as their Foreman. They had earlier viewed Florence's body in the mortuary, and they expressed their sympathy at the hearing. The LB&SCR solicitor was also quick to make a statement, assuring everyone that the Company was making every effort to assist the Coroner, and expressing ‘deep regret and sincere sympathy' on behalf of the Company to the relatives and friends of the deceased ‘unfortunate lady.'

Then the Coroner addressed the jury, with an extraordinary and apparently unrehearsed speech of praise for Florence and regret about her death:

Glenister went on to instruct the jury about what would happen in that particular hearing, aiming to protect Mabel Rogers, and to limit her ordeal.

With that, Mabel was sworn in, and the Coroner began his questioning to establish the identity of the deceased. He asked Mabel to confirm her own address, at Carnforth Lodge, Queen Street, Hammersmith, and that she was the matron in charge of the nurses' home. ‘And you have known the deceased for many years?' he asked. ‘Yes,' Mabel replied simply. ‘How long?' asked the Coroner. ‘Nearly 26' was the response.

The Coroner established Florence's full name, her profession as a nurse, and her age: 55. To the question ‘Where did she reside?' Mabel explained that Florence had lived at Carnforth Lodge since her demobilisation from active service in the QAs in November the previous year, barely two months before the fatal journey to Hastings. Florence's relatives were named by Mabel as her brother in California, and an aunt and cousins in England. Then the questions turned to Florence as a person.

‘What was her disposition?' asked the Coroner. ‘Was she reserved?'

‘She was very reserved and very quiet, but cheerful.'

‘As far as you know she had no enemies?'

‘No, none at all.'

‘As to her physique, was she strong?'

‘No, I should not say she was, but she had been stronger in recent years,' Mabel told him: an interesting answer, referring to a woman who had done five consecutive years' front line work as a war nurse. Next the Coroner focused on the events of the days leading up to Florence's death.

‘Did she spend Sunday 11
^th
inst. with you?'

‘She was with me, but she came down to Tonbridge for the day and returned the same evening to me.'

‘She went to Tonbridge on Sunday 11
^th
inst. and returned in the evening to Carnforth Lodge?'

‘Yes.'

‘Did you know that she had arranged to pay a visit to St Leonards on the 12
^th
inst, a week ago today?'

‘Yes.'

‘And did you go with her to Victoria Station? The South Coast Victoria Station?'

‘Yes.'

‘She was going to catch the 3.15 train?'

‘The 3.20.'

‘To St Leonards?'

‘To Warrior Square.'

‘What time did you get to the station?'

‘I think it was two minutes after 3 o'clock.'

‘Did you look out a carriage for her?'

‘I selected one of the back coaches. There was only one seat back to the engine and a lady said that was taken, so I went to the next one. I put her into the first compartment of the next carriage – the last coach. The train pulled into the station while we were there.'

‘Was it a smoking compartment?'

‘No.'

‘Was the compartment empty at that moment?'

‘Yes.'

‘What luggage had she?'

‘A suit case, a large dispatch box and a small bag hanging on her arm.'

‘Did you put the larger case under the seat?'

‘Yes.'

‘Then did she get into the carriage?'

‘Yes.'

‘And you put the other case beside her on the seat?'

‘Yes.'

‘The seat was facing the engine and it was the first seat on the right hand side? Right hand side down the line?'

‘Yes.'

‘Did she have anything else with her?'

‘Yes, an umbrella.'

‘Did you get into the compartment as well?'

‘Yes.'

‘Did you sit there and talk to her for a little while?'

‘I am not sure whether I sat or stood, but I got in.'

‘About how long were you there?'

‘About ten minutes past three we got in.'

‘After you got in did a man get in?'

‘Yes.'

‘How long had he been in?'

‘About three minutes before the train started.'

‘Then I suppose you stopped there until the train was just about to start?'

‘I got out almost immediately after the man got in. He closed the door and I opened it and got out. I stood looking into the window.'

‘When the train started, there was nobody else in the compartment but Miss Shore and the man?'

‘No.'

‘Your friend was in her usual state of health?'

‘She was very well.'

‘Was the window closed when the train started?'

‘No.'

Having established the sequence of events at the start of the journey, the Coroner turned to Mabel's part in the events that followed the attack, taking her through the most painful and difficult part of her testimony.

‘In consequence of a message that came to Carnforth Lodge you came down here?'

‘Yes. I did not get it directly as I was at the Theatre. I caught the 11.20 train but found I could only get as far as Tonbridge and motored on.'

‘You stayed there the night, I suppose?'

‘No, I motored on.'

‘What time did you get here?'

‘About 3 o'clock.'

‘Did you see the deceased when you arrived?'

‘Yes.'

‘I suppose she was in bed?'

‘Yes.'

‘Did you stay in the Hospital until she died?'

‘Yes.'

‘Did she regain consciousness during that time?'

‘No.'

‘When did she die?'

‘On Friday at five minutes to eight.'

‘Was the man who got into the carriage a stranger to you?'

‘Yes.'

‘And to the deceased?'

‘Yes.'

‘As far as you know, you had never seen him before?'

‘No.'

‘So far as you know the deceased had never seen him?'