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Not long after ingesting the mouthful of partridge, Chevis started experiencing severe cramps and convulsions and a doctor was called. Later that evening, Mrs Chevis also fell ill. A second doctor was called and the couple was admitted to
Frimley Cottage Hospital. Chevis died at 9.50 am the following morning after five doctors had administered artificial respiration over a period of several hours. Not long after having been admitted to hospital, both Hubert and Frances Chevis had been given powerful emetics. Two grains of
216:" at the time. He added that he considered J. Hartigan, the man who sent the telegram, "a cad and a blackguard". Mrs Chevis was unable to shed any light on her husband's death. Irish police later identified the author of the telegram towards the end of 1931 and determined that apart from being mentally unbalanced, he had no other involvement in Chevis's death. Police records identifying this person have not survived.
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In
November 1931 Frances Chevis departed for India to pursue an old flame who was an army officer serving there. This person has never been identified, but it seems that he departed for India shortly before or at the time Frances changed her will. She sought permission from the Surrey Police to leave
244:
On the day of her husband's death, Frances released herself from
Frimley Cottage Hospital and returned to her London apartment to recuperate. In the interim, she had arranged for her chauffeur and her children's nurse, Ivy Thorne, to clean up the Chevis bungalow at Deepcut Military Camp. By the time
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in the dining room, where Mrs Chevis carved it. After Chevis had eaten a mouthful of the bird, he summoned Bulger, saying "Take this bird away. It is the most terrible thing I have tasted." His wife tasted the meat and agreed with him. The partridges were incinerated in the kitchen by Ellen
Yeomans.
240:
Though Hubert Chevis's death is strictly speaking a suspicious death, there is some circumstantial evidence to suggest that he may have been murdered by his wife, Frances. In May 1931, one month before Hubert Chevis's death, Frances Chevis changed her will. Copies of the pre-amended will and the
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published a copy of the telegram, only to receive another telegram signed "J. Hartigan" that read, "Dear Sir, Why did you publish a picture of the Hooray telegram?" Chevis's father also received a postcard on 4 August 1931 from "J. Hartigan" that said, "It is a mystery they will never solve."
274:. Lack of evidence prevented the programme from reaching any firm conclusions, but it noted that none of the initial suspects had both the motive and opportunity. It also conjectured that both Chevis and his father, Sir William Chevis, had strong connections to the
249:
England to travel to India, and was quite open with the police as to why she wanted to travel to India. She returned to
England in 1932. Though close to her children, records suggest that none of them travelled to India to visit or be with her while she was there.
207:
The shipment of
Manchurian partridges from which the Chevis partridges had come was examined by experts, but they found no poisoned birds. Several people were interviewed, including Mrs Chevis and her former husband, G. T. T. Jackson of the
223:
announced at the inquest, "There is no evidence on which you can find a definite verdict; therefore I direct you to find an open verdict." Chevis's death is often referred to as a murder, but this is incorrect. As the coroner returned an
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and signed "J. Hartigan". On the back of the telegram was written "Hibernian", a well-known hotel in Dublin. The local police were notified, but nobody of that name was found at the hotel. Subsequent enquiries undertaken by the
151:
bungalow. After their friends had left, the
Chevises had a slightly earlier dinner than usual, as they wanted to attend the local military tattoo that night. Dinner was prepared by their cook, Ellen Yeomans, and served by their
139:, and had been married for approximately six months to Frances (née Rollason), an extremely wealthy 29-year-old heiress. Chevis was her second husband, the first having been Major George Jackson, a veterinarian.
228:, in a legal sense this meant that he was unable to confirm whether Chevis has died by accident or misadventure; suicide; murder or manslaughter. Legally, Chevis's death should be referred to as a
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found that a south Dublin chemist had sold strychnine about four weeks earlier to a man who was similar in appearance to the man who had sent the telegram in the name of J. Hartigan.
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At the time of Chevis's death there were "rumours" that
Frances was having an affair with her chauffeur, a married man with a young daughter.
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Many theories were propounded about Chevis's death, but the investigation stalled because of a lack of evidence. After several weeks the
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on the day of his son's funeral that said "Hooray, hooray, hooray!". It was sent from the Irish capital,
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The youngest son of Sir
William and Amy Florence, Lady Chevis, née Dannenberg, Hubert Chevis was born at
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amended will do not survive. In
Frances Chevis's defence, it seems that she regularly changed her will.
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the Surrey Police had arrived at the bungalow any possibly incriminating evidence had been removed.
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were found in his stomach. Mrs Chevis subsequently recovered, as she had only tasted the meat.
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Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery of the British Army and the victim of an unsolved murder
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The Chronicle of Crime: The Infamous Villains of Modern History and Their Hideous Crimes
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On the afternoon of 20 June 1931 the couple had friends over for cocktails at their
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The Case of the Poisoned Partridge: The Strange Death of Lieutenant Chevis
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Announcement of Chevis's death was made in the press on Monday, 22 June (
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112:. The first years of his life were spent in India. He later attended
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BBC Radio 4, 3 Sept 2011, Punt PI - Murder by poisoned partridge.
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At the time of his death in 1931 Chevis was an instructor at the
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550:"Memory's," being the adventures of a newspaperman
731:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
97:poisoning in June 1931 after eating contaminated
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478:Zoologist: a monthly journal of natural history
475:Newman, Edward; Harting, James Edmund (1899).
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260:The case was the subject of a documentary on
156:, Nicholas Bulger. Gunner Bulger served the
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81:(21 September 1902 – 21 June 1931) was a
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701:People educated at Charterhouse School
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562:Gaute, J. H. H.; Odell, Robin (1986).
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361:"Fatal poisoning of Lieutenant Chevis"
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726:20th-century British Army personnel
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328:"The case of the Camberley cadaver"
236:Evidence Hubert Chevis was murdered
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706:Military personnel from Rawalpindi
681:1931 murders in the United Kingdom
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514:"Hubert George Chevis – Aldershot"
122:Royal Military Academy at Woolwich
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264:on 3 September 2011, part of the
691:English people of German descent
452:. 31 August 1931. Archived from
334:. 8 January 2004. Archived from
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421:. 31 August 1923. p. 5910.
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405:
292:
278:, and that 'J Hartigan' is an
1:
614:. Magpie Books. p. 570.
611:Giant Book of Unsolved Crimes
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481:. J. Van Voorst. p. 270
120:. Chevis graduated from the
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716:Unsolved murders in England
593:. Seven Oaks. p. 344.
210:Royal Army Veterinary Corps
35:Hubert George "Hugh" Chevis
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657:(2013), The History Press.
444:"HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY!!"
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30:
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711:Royal Artillery officers
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133:Aldershot Training Camp
686:British murder victims
608:Wilkes, Roger (2006).
547:Memory, F. W. (1932).
587:Fido, Martin (2003).
721:Strychnine poisoning
629:Sly, Nicola (2009).
270:series presented by
160:partridge, onto the
696:Deaths by poisoning
456:on 25 February 2011
128:on 29 August 1923.
114:Charterhouse School
565:Murder Whereabouts
524:on 2 December 2010
518:True Crime Library
418:The London Gazette
298:Also known as the
646:978-0-7509-5106-7
637:The History Press
632:Hampshire Murders
373:on 10 August 2010
300:Daurian partridge
282:of 'Raj hating'.
126:second lieutenant
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38:21 September 1902
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520:. Archived from
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230:suspicious death
143:Suspicious death
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541:Further reading
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149:Blackdown Camp
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57:(aged 28)
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526:. Retrieved
522:the original
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483:. Retrieved
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454:the original
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371:the original
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340:. Retrieved
336:the original
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226:open verdict
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195:Daily Sketch
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187:Irish police
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93:who died of
91:British Army
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55:(1931-06-21)
53:21 June 1931
18:
676:1931 deaths
671:1902 births
528:24 February
460:24 February
413:"No. 32858"
377:24 February
342:24 February
276:British Raj
262:BBC Radio 4
214:Northampton
42:Rawal Pindi
665:Categories
314:References
272:Steve Punt
167:strychnine
158:Manchurian
106:Rawalpindi
95:strychnine
83:lieutenant
174:The Times
162:sideboard
137:Hampshire
99:partridge
63:, England
178:telegram
555:Cassell
485:1 March
280:anagram
267:Punt PI
221:coroner
89:of the
85:in the
44:, India
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618:
597:
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570:Harrap
182:Dublin
154:batman
118:Surrey
79:Chevis
61:Surrey
286:Notes
256:Media
124:as a
110:India
641:ISBN
616:ISBN
595:ISBN
574:ISBN
530:2011
487:2011
462:2011
449:Time
379:2011
344:2011
192:The
75:Hugh
50:Died
31:Born
135:in
116:in
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