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Moss Rose

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This book by Joseph Shearing is loosely
(very loosely) based on a murder that
occured in 1872 in London.
IN a seedy, downtrodden part of London were many music halls. This is about Belle
Adair a dancer who had come down in life about as far as anyone can go. She lived
in one room in a house that rented to other
dancers. Half the time she couldnt afford
heat; her clothes were ragged looking and
she went without food alot. She had seriously considered suicide which was the
way out, sadly foro many of these unfortunate girls. In the room next to Belle lived, Daisy another dance hall girl
and on one particular night all of the
girls could hear a man,s voice in daisy's
room but couldnt make out the words and
daisy wouldnt tell them who he was except
that he was a gentleman and they could
tell he was refined by his voice. later
that night Belle steps out of her room
and sees a man darting into the street
from Daisy's room. The next morning BElle
went to find out all about Daisy's young
man and found Daisy lying in bed with
her throat cut and a German Bible on
the floor and note written by a man to
Daisy. Belle began to wonder what she
could make out of this situation. Here she
was with nothing, hardly able to survive
and she had seen the man leave Daisy,s
room. The man turned out to be a young
German minister who was in LOndon getting
together with a well known minister to
go to Brazil to preach to the natives.
At the trial everyone in Belle's house
said it was his voice they had heard in
Daisy's room but Belle said definitely
not. Belle at one time had been of a
higher class in life so the court tended
to believe her and let the minister go.
Since the police had supposedly made a
mistake arresting this minister, the
government presented him with a check
for alot of money. Plus he was wealthy
as it was. To Belle she surely could
benefit from all of this. After all she
was the one who got him off of an
murder charge. She went to his hotel
and first talked to the minister's friend
going on how she got the minister from
Belle,s room a hanging charge indicating
she had information they might like to
have (Bible and notes). The minister said
he did not kill Daisy that she probably
committed suicide(wonder how many at
the trial believed daisy cut her own
throat!). She tells the ministers that
all she wants is to leave the awful life
she has and that now they are going bck
to Germany(Brazil cancelled due to
noteriety) and suggests the young
minister take her and she can be a
companion to his mother who lived in a
forest in Germany. He finally agreed
and from there on you will find out how
very strange this mystery is. I wish
I could read the transcripts of the
original trial.