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He also noticed that the father and his very attractive son would hold hands and gaze at each other.
Henry Kendall ordered the ship's Marconi operator to send a telegraph message to the Canadian Pacific office in Liverpool detailing his concern. From there the message reached Inspector Dew, but also the press, and a media frenzy ensued. The captain did his utmost to prevent the pair from discovering that they were worldwide news.
To avoid the press, Inspector Dew decided to board the boat before it reached Quebec. On 31 July, just twelve hours before they finally docked, Crippen watched from the deck as two men climbed onto the boat at a place called Father Point.
Dew, disguised as a ship’s pilot, took one look at ‘Mr Robinson’ and said 'Good morning Dr Crippen.' It had been a long three weeks since they had last met.
Crippen gave a start, then quietly replied 'Good morning Mr Dew.'
Dew then entered the cabin where Ethel Le Neve was reading ‘Penny Dreadful’. When he revealed his identity, she screamed and promptly fainted.
Crippen and Ethel were both arrested. Caught with the help of the wireless telegraph, history had been made.
The invisible lines of telegraph communication had put Crippen and Ethel Le Neve in a glass cage, and had helped to capture them. Now their lives would be scrutinised in a way that would keep the public spellbound.
A true 'crime passionel'
Details of Crippen's private life and the motivation for murdering his wife were big news. A tale of faded love and newfound passion, Dr Crippen lived in a loveless marriage with his wife which saw both of them taking lovers.
Why or when this state of affairs become intolerable is not clear, but what is known is that on 31 January, 1910, after dining with her husband and a couple of friends at Hilldrop Crescent, Cora Crippen was never seen again, and shortly afterwards Ethel Le Neve was accompanying Dr Crippen to social events. It became apparent that this was a true 'crime passionel'.
Chemical analysis of his wife's remains found traces of the narcotic hyoscine, and it became clear that this was what Crippen had used to murder her.
At trial Crippen showed no emotion when his wife was mentioned; it was Ethel Le Neve who occupied all his thoughts. He went out of his way to deflect any blame from her.
Just four days after he was found guilty, she was acquitted as being an accessory to the crime. Crippen was sentenced to death.
