Introduction to the Hagley Woods Mystery
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Our story begins in the hauntingly beautiful Hagley Woods, a dense thicket of ancient trees that stood as silent witnesses to the passage of time, to world wars, and to a crime that would baffle investigators for decades.
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It's a sublime setting, the kind you'd imagine in a Gothic novel with gnarled branches casting eerie shadows and the air thick with a sense of foreboding. It's England, 1943. The world was gripped in the midst of World War II. And amidst that chaos, a sinister secret was buried deep within the woods. This is the case of Bella in the Witch Elm.
Podcast Hosts and Mission
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Welcome to Coffee and Cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron.
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We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the cases will take those tips to law enforcement. So justice and closure can be brought to these families. With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast, because as we all know, conversation helps to keep the missing person in the public consciousness, helping keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee, and listen to what's brewing this week.
Discovery of the Skull in the Witch Elm
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It was April 1943 when four young boys, Fred Payne, Tommy Willets, Robert Hart, and Bob Farmer decided to explore the dense thicket, seeking refuge from the grim realities of wartime life. According to most sources, their venture into the woods was for a poaching trip looking for eggs. Other sources say they were hunting rabbits.
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Some sources suggest that given the rations in place during World War II, it made sense that the pastime of these young boys was to look for more potential food. However, their little adventure meant trespassing on someone else's land. Little did they know their innocent adventure would unravel a tale of horror.
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As the boys ventured further into the woods, they came upon a twisted ancient witch-elm that loomed before them like a malevolent sentinel. Some say it gets its name because its roots and branches resemble a witch's hair, growing wildly in all directions.
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Payne, Hart, and Willets all recalled that this tree in particular, quote, had a collection of mist forming at the bottom, end quote. An article from the Evening Dispatch details their adventure, quote, Robert Hart of Wolscott Storebridge told the coroner and jury how at midday on Sunday, 18th of April,
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He and three other lads were bird nesting in the wood. He left the others and went to the stump of the old elm. Looking in, he saw a skull. He called to his friends, end quote. Ominous indeed, but Hart's friend, Bob Farmer, still made the decision to scale the tree to peer into its trunk.
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He moved around some dead leaves and twigs at the top of the hole and saw also something that he first assumed was part of an animal skeleton. But he couldn't have been more wrong as he pulled out a partial human skull complete with matted hair clumps, decaying skin fragments, and several teeth still attached.
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Specifically, Bob Farmer later recalled, quote, there was a small patch of rotting flesh on the forehead with length hair attached to it. The two front teeth were crooked, end quote.
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The boys recoiled in terror, their innocent curiosity shattered by the grim reality that unfolded before them. Farmer quickly dropped the skull back down into the hollowed tree trunk. Other accounts marked that he used a nearby branch to push the skull back down into the tree and scrambled down. The boys, horrified, swore that they would tell no one of their gruesome discovery. After all, they were on land that they had no business being on in the first place.
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That oath of silence didn't last long, however, as the youngest of the four boys, Willets, confided in his parents that same evening. Parents who, in turn, immediately took the information to local authorities.
Investigation Begins: Bella's Skeleton
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When police arrived at the witch elm, they saw the skull exactly as young Willets had described it. But once the skull was removed, the rest of the woman's skeleton, well, most of it anyway,
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More on that in a minute. Was also in the tree. The discovery of this mysterious woman, whom they would later dub Bella, marked the beginning of a mystery that would haunt investigators for decades to come.
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Luckily, the discovery of the rest of her skeleton at least gave some information to authorities. Forensic work done by pathologist Professor James Webster at the time determined the victim was a woman between 24 and 40 years of age, most likely around 35, who had also likely given birth before, given the examination of her pelvic bone.
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They determined that her remains had been in the witch elm for at least 18 months, placing her death around October of 1941. Though he determined her body had been placed in the tree while it was still warm. Because had rigor mortis already begun to set in, it would have been impossible to wedge her body into the tight confines of that witch elm trunk. So tight,
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that in order to remove her remains from the tree, a lumberjack had to be called in to chop down the tree in order to get her remains out. He determined that the manner of death was homicide, the cause asphyxiation due to a piece of taffeta cloth that had been shoved down her throat. A side note here.
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In later years, there have been those who argued that perhaps even the cause of death in this case was misjudged and that with so little evidence, we couldn't be sure. After all, some argue what if Bob Farmer had pushed the skull back down into the tree and in doing so had wedged the piece of taffeta in such a way that it appeared to have been wedged down the woman's throat.
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While I understand that is a possibility, most experts do believe that the taffeta had been the cause of death, as there was no sign of disease nor of other trauma to the bones. Dr. John Lund, who worked alongside pathologist Webster, used fragments of decayed clothing to complete an image of what Bella was likely wearing when she had been murdered. A brown skirt,
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a peach taffeta underskirt, a dark blue striped knit cardigan, blue crepe shoes, and a golden ring. He noted that all of the clothing and the ring itself, which could be just a piece of jewelry or could be a wedding band, were all of low quality.
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Further, Webster also determined that the woman had stood around five feet tall, had mousy brown hair, and had, as Farmer had recalled, distinctive teeth with the way they crossed over one another.
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Police combed through missing persons reports. They asked around concerning anyone who had vanished in the recent past. They even searched dental records and published information about the woman's dentation in dental journals due to the woman's distinctive crooked teeth, particularly on her lower jaw and some missing teeth. But they found nothing. Police were back to square one, scrambling for any clue
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that might give some indication to the woman's identity. With the war ongoing though, the attention of the area and of the nation had shifted elsewhere.
Graffiti and Public Intrigue
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That is, until the case took a darker turn when graffiti emerged within the town six months after the discovery. Posing the haunting question, who put Lubella down the witch elm?
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a cryptic query that echoes through the ages, leaving investigators perplexed and the public in a state of perpetual unease. The graffiti was not a singular incident either, but cropped up in other places asking similar questions. Who put Bella in the Witch Elm and Hagley Woods Bella?
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Did the graffiti writer know the woman? Where else did the name Bella come from? Did the same person write multiple messages? Was the graffiti writer the perpetrator? Or did the writer have a clue to lead us to the murderer? With the graffiti began the telltale back and forth of opposing opinions concerning this case. I say this because while some believe the graffiti writer had intimate knowledge of the crime,
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There are others who argue that the graffiti didn't mean anything and was just some form of cruel joke. Over the years, various theories have emerged, each more chilling than the last. Was Bella a victim of black magic, sacrificed in some occult ritual? Was she a spy, silenced by shadowy figures during wartime espionage?
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The graffiti, a sinister taunt, or a desperate plea for answers only deepens the mystery. The truth about what happened to Bella, as she has come to be called, may perpetually elude us.
Theory: Bella as a Local Prostitute
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But the journey promises to be a spine-tingling descent into the heart of a mystery that refuses to be forgotten.
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Theory number one, a local prostitute. First, consider the circumstances of the discovery. The dense, eerie woods of Hagley, a place I would assume, not unfamiliar to clandestine meetings and illicit affairs. Could Bella have been a local sex worker who had met a tragic end within the gnarled branches of the witch elm?
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As we explore this avenue, the absence of identification and personal belongings on the remains raises questions. If Bella was involved in an illicit lifestyle, the lack of personal effects could be a deliberate act to conceal her identity or erase any traces leading back to her regular life.
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Furthermore, proponents of the local prostitute theory point to the age-old pattern of violence against sex workers. In the tumultuous times of World War II, a societal upheaval often led to increased vulnerability for marginalized groups, including those in the sex trade. The Witch Elm, with its ominous allure, could have been a clandestine location where violence against a vulnerable victim occurred.
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This is the theory that law enforcement seem to believe most, that Bella was most likely a local prostitute. Their belief is probably due in part to a statement made to police on April 7, 1944, mentioned in a BBC documentary about the case. It reads in part, quote, whilst speaking to a Birmingham prostitute,
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She told him that a woman named Bella who used to frequent the Hagley Road had been missing for about three years, end quote. But let's play devil's advocate. While the notion of an illicit lifestyle may initially seem plausible, certain details emerged to challenge this perspective. Hagley Woods, though there might be lots of places to hide if individuals were meeting for secret purposes,
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was at least from my research owned by an individual and wasn't necessarily a public green space. Now, I know what you're thinking. The boys found their way there and for the purposes we're talking about, the more private, the better. But with that said, the woods, while providing an eerie backdrop, may not align with the typical settings associated with the world of prostitution, which would be in the town,
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outside of pubs or in brothels. The absence of evidence linking Bella to known establishments or individuals involved in sex work further complicates the theory. Proponents of this perspective would expect some form of traceable connections or patterns consistent with the lifestyle they propose.
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Without such changeable links, the theory remains speculative, but then so were all the others, as you'll soon see. As we unravel the threads of speculation, it becomes apparent that the prostitute theory, while intriguing, still faces challenges in terms of evidence and contextual alignment.
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The nuances of the case encourage us to explore alternative narratives and consider the multifaceted nature of Bella's enigmatic story.
Theory: Bella as a German Spy
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There are many who study this case who believe very strongly that the remains in the witch elk are of a woman named Clara Bauerly.
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As we rewind the clock to World War II, Clara Bauerly emerges from the shadows, a German cabaret singer with an allure that captivated the hearts of many. But beneath the facade of glamour lurked the shadowy world of espionage, where secrets were currencies and alliances shifted like the tides of war.
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According to Mike Lockley's article, revealed after 75 years, the face of Bella in the witch elm, published on February 25, 2018, in Birmingham Mail, quote, it has been claimed that Czech-born Gestapo agent Joseph Jacobs, captured by the home guard in 1941 after parachuting into Cambridgeshire, gave interrogators her name and picture. She was the spy's lover.
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Clara Bauerly, a German actress and cabaret singer. Before the war, she spent two years working West Midlands music halls and had mastered a Brummie accent. Clara had been recruited by the Gestapo and with Jacobs, was given the job of creating a spy cell over here. The pair never made contact.
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Intriguingly, no showbiz record of Clara, no film, billboards, or records of engagement exists after spring 1941. She simply disappeared off the face of the earth. Jacobs was in no position to add to his claims.
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He was executed by firing squad on August 15, 1941, the last man to be put to death at the Tower of London, end quote. Some theorists drawn to the eerie similarities between Clara and the unidentified woman in the witch elm proposes a haunting connection.
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They argue that Clara disappeared in 1942 under mysterious circumstances. Her fate shrouded in uncertainty. Could she have been silenced her vibrant voice forever stilled for knowing too much or posing a threat to those in the shadows?
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The whispers suggest that Claire's ties to espionage may have led her to a sinister rendezvous in the Hagley Woods, where she met a fate befitting a noir thriller. Could Bella and the Witch Elm be the tragic aftermath of a wartime espionage operation gone awry? The graffiti Taunting Investigators takes on a new significance, a cryptic clue left by those who sought to bury the truth. But the intrigue deepens further,
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Clara Bauerly, known for her linguistic prowess, was fluent in multiple languages, a skill highly valued in the world of espionage. Could her linguistic talents have drawn her into a web of espionage that extended beyond national borders, leading to a fateful encounter within the embrace of the Witch Elm? As we unravel these threads of speculation, we must acknowledge the uncertainties that persist
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Theories abound, but the fog of history obscures the truth. Was Clara Bowerly silenced for what she knew? Or did her journey into espionage lead her to an unmarked grave in the heart of Hagley Woods?
00:18:51
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Perhaps it was neither, because as we delve deeper, contradictions and uncertainties emerge. Joseph Jacobs was not a member of the Gestapo and not an officer. We know that thanks to the thorough and impressive research completed for the josephjacobs.info website. I've put a link in the show notes because while my coverage of the case is cursory, the coverage there
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is an intense deep dive and I highly recommend that you check it out. The website also tells us a small but significant detail that seems to eliminate this theory from the running. That Clara Bauerly was six feet tall, quite a cry from the five foot remains of Bella and we have the detail that Clara died in Berlin
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in 1942. This is based on a death registration. As we navigate the complex terrain of theories and counterpoints, it becomes evident that the Clara Bauerly narrative, while captivating, is not without its challenges.
Theory: Occult Rituals and the Hand of Glory
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Theory number three, the occult. While this theory may seem off the wall, many believe that the crime scene
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mirrors a satanic ceremony, specifically one called the Hand of Glory. They say this because Bella's skeleton was all compacted deep inside the witch elm, all of it, that is, except for a single hand that was discovered buried several paces away from the tree.
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Some accounts say it was 13 paces from the tree, exactly. This ceremony is one that would have been followed had a witch been executed. They further agree that even the choice of the witch elm to hold the remains was strategic because the tree had an association with the occult.
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This particular theory was supported by Professor Margaret Murray from University College, London in 1945. So when a man named Charles Walton was murdered close by in February 1945 in a different crime scene that also had similarities to a satanic ritual, the occult theory for Bella's death ramped up in public opinion.
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But let's step back a moment from this theory and look at it more closely. Our logical selves have to admit that the scattered remains could, and more likely were, caused by scavenging animals. The hand discovered 13 paces away,
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That's subjective because 13 paces for me and my feet might be 10 or 15 paces for someone else. Then there's the ceremony itself and certain elements that don't match. In this ceremony, the victim would be hanged for their crimes. The hand, the left hand specifically, would be removed from the body, but it wouldn't be buried.
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Instead, fat from the victim could be used to make a candle that would then be placed in the hand and will burn forever for the one who had enacted ceremony. But there was no candle, just the skeletal remains of a hand.
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There were also no other signs of a ritual, no symbols, no markings, if Bella's demise were indeed part of an occult ceremony. One might expect evidence of ritualistic symbols, objects, or ceremonial remnants within the Witch Elm for its vicinity. The absence of such elements raises skepticism among those who scrutinize the case with a more rational lens.
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The cryptic graffiti itself, while suggestive of a ritual, could also be interpreted as a red herring, or a deliberate attempt to mislead investigators. Some argue that the message may have been crafted to sow confusion or divert attention from the true motives behind Bella's demise.
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As we sift through these details, it becomes evident that the occult narrative is not without its skeptics and detractors. The quest for truth demands a critical examination of all possibilities. And while the occult may tantalize our imaginations, the absence of concrete evidence invites us to consider alternative explanations.
Theory: Spy Involvement - Clarabella Dronkers
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Theory four, Clarabela Dronkers.
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In 1953, a series of articles on the crime ran in the West Midlands newspaper written by Lieutenant Colonel Wilfred Byford Jones. In the articles, Byford Jones intimated his belief in the spy theory. Then he received a letter that was signed Anna.
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The letter said the following, quote, finish your articles regarding the witch elm crime by all means. They're interesting to the readers, but you'll never solve the mystery. The one person who could give the answers was now beyond the jurisdiction of earthly courts. Much as I hate having to use a nom de plume, I think you would appreciate it if you knew me. The only clues that I can give you
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or the person responsible for the crime died insane in 1942. And the victim, Dutch and alive, illegally in England around 1941, have no wish to recall any more. Anna from Claverly, end quote.
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After some investigation, police were able to determine that the author of the letter was not a woman named Anna, but a woman named Una Mossop. Here is her story, according to a post by Dark Histories, and this is a long quote. Quote, Una was married to a man named Jack Mossop, who in 1941 was working in an ammunition depot in Coventry.
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He was good looking and well dressed and appeared affluent despite living under the hardships of war. He apparently spent time walking around in an RAF uniform despite never having been in the RAF and would visit cleverly often to visit his grandmother.
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always with a Dutchman, though his grandmother never knew who the mysterious foreigner was. Jack's family were nevertheless quite sure that something suspicious was going on between him and the Dutchman. According to Una's story, it turns out that Jack
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had used his position in Ammunitions to pass on important information to this Dutchman named Van Raalt. As her original letter mentioned, Bella was a Dutch woman who arrived in England in 1941 and subsequently became involved, although to what capacity is unknown, with the spy ring. Una told us of how all of these details were put in a confession from Jack to her
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and to his grandmother, perhaps unwilling or simply unable to shoulder the guilt anymore. He had continued on and confessed to not only his activities with the German spy ring, but also to his role in the murder of a Dutch woman. Her statement read, quote, March or April, 1941,
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Said he had been to the Littleton Arms with Van Ralt and a Dutch piece, and she had gotten awkward and passed out. They went to a wood and stuck her in a hollow tree. Van Ralt said she would come to her senses the following morning. According to Jack's story, the woman was still alive when he left her. He told Una that he had recurring nightmares where he saw the woman in the tree leering up at him.
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Less than a year later, he died, aged 29, at a mental hospital in Stafford. The police followed up and verified several of the details from Una's account, but none of the men involved were found. The details from Una's testimony lend a strong, if somewhat circumstantial, narrative to the case.
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She told of how Bella arrived in England illegally, 1941, and at that time, there were, in fact, well-known rumors that two German parachutists had land in the Hagley area and vanished. However, as far as I have been able to determine, there was no record that a Clarabella dronkers even existed.
Theory: Domestic Violence and Anonymity
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Number five, victim of domestic violence. Yet another theory as to Bella's identity had been advocated recently by author Keith Swallow, as reported in Mike Lockley's article in the Birmingham Mail called, author claims to have solved one of Britain's greatest murder mysteries, end quote. Swallow believes the difficulty in identifying Bella is due to the fact that she was killed by a violent partner.
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and that perhaps she and her partner were part of a traveling community. If this were true, it would explain why no one had reported this particular woman missing or had come forward to identify her.
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Here's what Swallow said, quote, I've been both surprised and disappointed at the number of contradictions and errors within published accounts. Much of what has been written is based on supposition or perceptions, which are not backed by anything relating to fact. Inevitably, much of what has passed into the public domain is flawed.
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It is a case which has grabbed the attention of not only those within the local area, but also all over the world. However, some alarming inconsistencies exist in accounts which have been published in the intervening years.
Lost Evidence and Unanswered Questions
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And there are some glaring errors within what has been presented as fact. My book debunks a number of the most popular theories, he said.
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Swallow suggests contradictory evidence against both the occult theory, saying there's no evidence the hand was deliberately placed where it was found, and spy theory. That's why he believes the domestic violence theory, stating in that article, quote, at the time, there were very violent people among the traveling community, he explains, and there were a number of camps
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in the area. Could she have been part of those traveling communities?
00:32:26
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In recent years, there's been some movement in the case, according to the article revealed after 75 years, the face of Bella in the witch Elm by Mike Lockley and published in the Birmingham Mail on February 25th, 2018, quote, Caroline Wilkinson recreated Bella's features. The professor of craniofacial identification at Dundee University used photographs taken at the time to put a face to the name.
00:32:54
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She could not use the actual skull discovered by four young school boys collecting bird eggs in a thick woodland so long ago. And there's a reason that crucial piece of evidence has been lost by police.
00:33:09
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Birmingham counselor Peter Douglas Osborne, an expert on the Bella case, says that has been confirmed by West Midlands Police where a spokesperson said, quote, searches have been conducted by the police museum volunteers and they have confirmed
00:33:27
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that we hold no exhibits and can find no documentation that may relate to this case. As you can imagine, the loss of evidence has only served to support the spy theory.
00:33:42
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There have also been several books published covering the case and potential theories, most notably, Who Put Bella in the Witch Elm? by Peter Semmel, whose father was squadron leader William Douglas Osborne, the man who guarded the witch elm, crime scene after Bella was discovered.
00:34:00
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He told Birmingham News in that same article, quote, I believe she was killed before 1941, Peter says. The reconstruction is impressive. Now it's a question of asking members of the public to thumb through family albums. Anyone who had direct contact with her is probably dead, end quote.
00:34:24
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He alludes to a belief that she was a Nazi spy tasked with monitoring the munitions factory. Because at some point, his father clammed up in talking about the case, later saying that he wanted nothing to do with it and refusing to discuss it further.
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However, Simmel admits that his feelings were also based on circumstantial evidence only. And so, dear Sleuthhounds, we are back to the beginning with many questions and no answers.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:35:01
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So I ask you the same question that Graffiti posed so long ago. Who put Bella in the witch elm?
00:35:13
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Again, please like and join our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast to continue the conversation and see images related to this episode. As always, follow us on Twitter, at casescoffee, on Instagram, at coffee cases podcast, or you can always email us suggestions to coffeeandcasespodcastatgmail.com. Please tell your friends about our podcast so more people can be reached to possibly help bring some closure to these families. Don't forget to rate our show and leave us a comment as well. We hope to hear from you soon.
00:35:43
Speaker
Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.
00:36:07
Speaker
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