The Manchester Cab Mystery

On the evening of 26 February 1889, a respectable Manchester businessman climbed into a hansom cab with a young stranger. By the time the cab reached the infirmary, he was dead. No marks of violence. No obvious crime scene. Just an empty pocket where a gold watch and a purse of sovereigns had been.

This was the case that would test Detective Chief Inspector Jerome Caminada — Manchester's most celebrated detective — like no other. With the city's nerves still raw from the unsolved Whitechapel murders, the pressure to find answers was immense. What followed was a meticulous three-week investigation that would make British legal history: the first criminal prosecution ever attempted for chloral hydrate poisoning.

We trace the route of the cab, the network of witnesses Caminada quietly assembled, and the reluctant bookkeeper whose testimony changed everything — all the way to a packed courtroom in Liverpool, a death sentence, and the question of whether justice and mercy can occupy the same verdict.

I really enjoyed researching this story, and it was nice to delve into the past again after a couple of weeks looking into more recent horrors. To be honest I think this is my favourite episode so far.

I have to admit, I have a bit of a nerd crush on Detective Jerome Caminada. There is a fantastic book about him, “The Real Sherlock Holmes, The Hidden Story of Jerome Caminada” by Angela Buckley, which I highly recommend.