Clarence F. Buhler : "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" — Is it Solved at Last?
A Startling Statement from Germany
First published in the "New York Evening Mail" on 20 December 1871
A recent issue of "Die Berliner Zeitung" contains an article of so startling a nature that the editors append a card from the celebrated Dr. Siebert certifying to the veracity of the writer. He merely signs the initials "J. R." but is said to be a wealthy and eccentric man whose residence is furnished throughout with articles which have belonged to deceased celebrities. And it is alleged that at the sale of Mr. Dickens' effects he purchased a mahogany escritoire in which he found an outline of the entire plot of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" in the handwriting of Mr. Dickens. In this "outline" the events are of course arranged in the order of their occurrence, and not in the order in which they were to be narrated in the story. I give it verbatim, and it will be observed that "J. R." has interpolated the numbers of the chapters in which Mr. Dickens had already written up numerous sections thereof. It reads thus:
A Mrs. Bud is accidentally drowned in England, and one year afterward her husband dies of a broken heart (9). His only consoler has been a friend named Drood (9). Bud leaves a daughter Rosa, and Drood, who soon follows him, leaves a son Edwin (9). The parents direct in their wills that these children shall intermarry when Edwin attains maturity (3 & 9). Meanwhile, Rosa lives at the seminary of Miss Twinkleton in Cloisterham (9), and her guardian is an old flame of her mother's named Grewgious, who has an office in London (11).
Edwin is educated as an engineer (8), and intends going on an engineering tour directly after his marriage (2). His guardian is his uncle John Jasper, of whose diabolical character he is ignorant. Jasper is Precentor in the Cloisterham Cathedral, and lives in the Gate House adjoining (2).
The wedding-day approaches, for it is now the close of the year (2), and the marriage is to take place in the coming May (9). Edwin has a dangerous rival in the person of John Jasper, who has fallen in love with Rosa while acting as her musical instructor. She abhors him as she would a snake but he exerts a snake's power over her with his eyes, and, without uttering a threat, looks so menacing that for a long time she is afraid to acquaint anyone with his persecution of her (7). Therefore, Edwin is so unconscious of it that he hangs her portrait in Jasper's room and exasperates him by frequent allusions to the pending marriage (2).
Jasper sees that he can only prevent the marriage by destroying his rival, and resolves to kill him and conceal his body, whenever he can divert suspicion from himself. He relieves his mental agony by smoking opium in a London den, whose proprietress is known as the Princess Puffer (1 & 23). In his opium dreams he takes a fiendish delight in rehearsing his crime (23). He is fearful of betraying his secret, but on finding the mutterings of his fellow-smokers unintelligible (1) he concludes that his own have been equally so. But he is mistaken, for the Princess Puffer has understood enough to know that he threatens someone called "Ned" (14).
Jasper learns from Durdles, the Cathedral mason, that the Sapsea vault has space to inter another body (5), and therefore selects that as the place for the concealment of Edwin's corpse. He sees Durdles put the key of this vault in his bundle (4), and watches for an opportunity to abstract it. As the murderous deed will be committed at night, he familiarizes himself with the precincts after dark by visiting them in company with Durdles, and by stupefying the latter with drugged liquor he also obtains possession of the key (12). On leaving the Cathedral, he finds they have been watched by a ragamuffin called Deputy, who receives a reward for stoning Durdles home whenever he catches him out late at night (5). Jasper is so infuriated at being watched by Deputy that he assaults him, and thus incurs his enmity (12).
The opportunity for Jasper to commit the crime and transfer suspicion to another arrives at last. Mr. Crisparkle, the Minor Canon, has a pupil and boarder named Neville Landless, whose twin sister Helena is at the Seminary (6). They are natives of Ceylon, and have hot blood in their veins (7). Edwin and Neville quarrel and Jasper overhears them. Pretending to act as mediator, he invites them into the Gate House and by means of drugged liquors and tantalizing remarks brings about a collision, after which Neville rushes bareheaded from the house (8). Jasper takes the hat to Crisparkle, and telling him of the affray, expresses the fear that Neville will revenge himself on Edwin (8). He also improves the opportunity to prejudice the public against Neville.
The latter admits to Crisparkle that his dislike of Edwin is based upon an attachment to Rosa (10), but it is finally arranged that he and Edwin are to meet at Jasper's on Christmas Eve, for the purpose of reconciliation (10). Prior to this meeting, Grewgious entrusted to Edwin a betrothal-ring which had belonged to Rosa's mother, and which was to be returned in case the engagement was broken (11).
The day before Christmas, Jasper goes about purchasing little luxuries "for his dear nephew" (14). He also informs Mayor Sapsea, before whom the suspected person will be arraigned, that the inflammable Neville is to dine with his nephew that evening (14). Under pretence of having a cold he wears a large scarf, with which he plans to strangle Edwin (14). Christmas Eve finds him all prepared for the crime, for it is not until after committing it that he finds it was rendered unnecessary by a previous dissolution of the engagement between Edwin and Rosa (13). Had they been left to a choice they might have formed a match, but as it was, each had a suspicion of being forced on the other (2).
Grewgious is to be at Cloisterham at Christmas-time (9), and is then to be informed of the broken engagement and to notify Jasper of it (13).
On his way to Jasper's on Christmas Eve, Edwin meets the Princess Puffer, who warns him that "Ned" is a threatened name (14). Jasper is the only one who calls him that; but he pays no particular attention to the warning. There is a violent windstorm that night (14) and about midnight Edwin and Neville go to see the effects on the river (15). Edwin afterward leaves Neville at Crisparkle's and returns to the Gate House (15). Jasper invites him to take a walk in the churchyard (2), and offers him some liquor "to keep out the cold." Chilled by his stroll with Neville, Edwin gratefully drains the goblet of drugged wine.
When they arrive at the Sapsea vault, Jasper unlocks the door and motions for Edwin to enter. After closing the door behind them, Jasper lights a lantern he had left there earlier. Stunned by the drink, Edwin is incapable of struggle or entreaty when Jasper throws the large black scarf around his neck, pulls it tight, and strangles him to death. (Edwin's demise has been confirmed by Charles A. Collins in his recent letter to Augustin Daly, which appeared in Mr. Daly's "Bill of the Play for the Fifth Avenue Theatre" dated September 5th, 1871.—C. F. B.)
Jasper then removes from Edwin's clothing the only articles of jewelry he knew of (14) {thus leaving the ring), and pushes the body into some of the quick-lime which Durdles had pointed out to him (12). Jasper keeps a light in his window all night long (14), in order to create the impression that he did not leave his rooms that night. Later he throws the watch and shirt-pin into Cloisterham Weir, so that on their being found it will be supposed that Neville discarded them there (16).
The next day Neville is arrested on suspicion (15). Jasper endeavors to inculpate him, and by superintending the search for Edwin's body, deflects suspicion away from himself (15).
Grewgious suspects him, however, and observes his remorse at hearing from him (Grewgious) of the circumstance which rendered his crime unnecessary (15). After being informed of it, Jasper encourages the idea that Edwin has absented himself in consequence of the broken engagement (16), but he renews his efforts to fasten the crime on Neville when Crisparkle mentions that the latter is infatuated with Rosa (16). Following the discovery of Edwin's jewelry at the Weir, Jasper records an oath in his diary expressive of his determination to bring about the murderer's destruction (16).
As Edwin's body is not found, Neville is discharged from custody (16), and being an object of suspicion in Cloisterham, he goes to London, where he devotes himself to the study of law (17). Grewgious hires apartments for him opposite his own office, and thus has them constantly under his eye. He also keeps a watch on Jasper, whom he discovers lurking near by (17).
The chambers adjoining Neville's are occupied by Mr. Tartar, a former lieutenant in the Royal Navy (17). He is an old friend of Crisparkle's, whose life he saved when they were boys at school together (21). Tartar befriends Neville, and agrees to visit him often, in the hope that Jasper will disclose to the sailor his schemes to isolate and torment young Landless (22).
While Grewgious acts as detective in London, it is also necessary to have one at Cloisterham. For this purpose he employs a professional investigator, who, under the name of Dick Datchery, appears at Cloisterham sporting a thick shock of white hair and black eyebrows (18). In short order Datchery scrapes acquaintance with Deputy, Jasper, Sapsea and Durdles (18).
Jasper avails himself of the first opportunity to ask Rosa to marry him, and when she recoils in horror, he threatens, if she favors Neville, to fasten the Drood murder upon him (19). In her alarm she flies to Grewgious (20), who diverts her mind from her dread of Jasper by relating the history of his clerk, Mr. Bazzard. Later Grewgious engages board for her in London, and invites Miss Twinkleton to spend the vacation with her (22).
Datchery learns of Jasper's connection with the Princess Puffer, and, with Deputy's help, ascertains her place of abode (23). Going there, he bribes her to co-operate with him, for she can prepare opium that makes Jasper answer questions while under its influence, and he has already confessed to her some of the particulars of his crime (23). In this way Datchery obtains from him enough evidence to secure a warrant for his arrest; and the detective, joined by Tartar, Crisparkle and Neville, proceeds to Cloisterham to arrest him. Meanwhile, Bazzard has ingratiated himself with Jasper, and has told him of the espousal-ring that Grewgious presented to Edwin before the latter disappeared (11).
Apprised of the ring, Jasper returns to the Sapsea vault to retrieve it, so as to prevent the identification of Edwin's body. When he enters the vault, he finds Datchery waiting for him there (the detective having unlocked the door with a skeleton key).
Panic-stricken, Jasper rushes from the vault to the Cathedral and up the tower stairs, leaving all far behind with the exception of Neville, who bounds after him two steps at a time. Reaching the summit of the tower, Jasper glares wildly over his shoulder, and sees his pursuer close upon him. As Landless springs forward to seize him, Jasper dodges nimbly aside and Neville stumbles headlong over the parapet and falls to his death on the stones below. But Jasper does not escape. Tartar and Crisparkle overpower him, and Datchery places him under arrest.
When Jasper is tried for the murder of Edwin Drood, the testimony of the Princess Puffer and Dick Datchery proves decisive, and he is found guilty and sentenced to death. But he refuses to confess, and continues to insist it was Neville Landless who killed Edwin Drood. Denouncing the verdict, Jasper's well-wishers, led by Mayor Sapsea, petition the government to grant him a pardon.
Before the authorities can act, Neville's twin sister Helena finds a way to break Jasper's resolve. She dresses in Neville's clothes (7) and goes to the jail where the murderer is awaiting execution. When he sees "Neville" entering his prison cell, Jasper is shocked into submission.
Pressed by Helena, he signs a confession exculpating her innocent brother.
After Jasper has been rendered incapable of revenge, three courtships progress to a successful conclusion. The parties to one of them are Crisparkle and Helena, whose regard for each other has steadily increased ever since she kissed his hand at the river-side (10). The second is between Tartar and Rosa, who fell in love at their first encounter (21). And the third? It transpires that Grewgious was not altogether disinterested in bringing Miss Twinkleton to London (22), for it is not long before she becomes Mrs. Grewgious. An account of these three weddings (at one of which the fateful ring is brought into requisition) brings to a close "The Mystery of Edwin Drood."