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Crime Museum UK - Discovery Channel Murderer's Pen

Murderer's Pen

A fountain pen (iStockphoto.com)

He also found a receipt book, again with its front pages torn out. In a search of Messiter’s lodgings, police discovered a letter from a W F Thomas replying to an advert for a sales rep that Messiter had placed in the Southern Daily Echo just one week before he went missing.

A writing imprint implicates the murderer
Thomas had indeed started work at the garage, but his real name was William Henry Podmore, and he was known to police as a criminal.

After studying Messiter’s receipt book further, DCI Protheroe found more imprints of torn out pages which revealed Podmore had been scamming commission from Messiter with fake orders.

Messiter had found out, so Podmore murdered him. He was sentenced to death and hanged on 22 April 1930.

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