Emily Booth

Emily Booth was found dead in a pond on Dulwich Common.

She was from Colchester but had recently gone to London on Tuesday 14 November 1911 for a situation at 250 Tierney Road in Dulwich.

Her master said that Emily Booth had only been in his employ for four days and that he last saw her at 10.10pm on the Friday night, 17 November 1911.

He said that she had not been complaining and that the following morning, at 7.30am, that she was found to be missing.

He said that she had done her ordinary work before she left and had left behind no letter or paper.

He said that as soon as he found that she was missing that he immediately informed her sister who lived at 157 Halfmoon Lane in Dulwich.

He said that on the Monday, 20 November 1911 he was informed that her body had been found in the pond. He said that whilst she was with him that she had been bright and cheerful.

A police constable said that at 9.50am on Sunday 19 November 1911 that he had been on duty at the junction of Dulwich Common and College Road when he noticed some clothes lying alongside the pond, which was surrounded by a 5ft spiked fence. He said that he then went to the spot where the clothes were and found a woman's grey coat and other articles that were all neatly folded and sodden with wet.

He said that he saw no marks of any struggle.

He said that he then went to West Dulwich police station for the drag and that Emily Booth's body was recovered from the pond about an hour later and her body conveyed to the mortuary.

He said that upon examination of her items he found that her coat had been torn and that she had nothing in her possession other than two white pocket handkerchiefs.

A doctor that examined her body said that he thought that her body had been in the water for some hours and that her cause of death was asphyxia.

The jury returned an open verdict of found drowned.