{"id":3362,"date":"2019-11-16T10:55:58","date_gmt":"2019-11-16T10:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/?p=3362"},"modified":"2021-02-09T22:23:29","modified_gmt":"2021-02-09T22:23:29","slug":"femme-fatale","status":"publish","type":"bc_posts","link":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/bc_posts\/femme-fatale\/","title":{"rendered":"Femme Fatale"},"content":{"rendered":"[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.0.3″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.3″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.3″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.2″ vertical_offset_tablet=”0″ horizontal_offset_tablet=”0″ hover_enabled=”0″ z_index_tablet=”500″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” sticky_enabled=”0″]\n
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1881: Femme Fatale<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We pick up the story of Francis Mitchell in Hobart, Tasmania (then Van Diemen\u2019s Land) where Francis has taken work as the island\u2019s coroner. Early in 1881, Francis Jr (34) and his wife Charlotte pay a visit to the Mitchells in Hobart. It is 5:00 PM February 1, 1881. Francis, Mary, Francis Jr and Charlotte are sitting round the fire in the drawing room sipping mulled wine. Francis Jr speaks:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMy dear parents, do you still insist on not joining us at the theatre this evening? I would love to treat. You\u2019ve been so good to us this trip. Please come, won\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot this time son. I\u2019m just not feeling up to it. I\u2019ve been doing a lot of travel lately and I\u2019m not a young man any more. There will be lots of other opportunities. But thank you. I appreciate the invitation. Mother, what about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo thank you Francis. I\u2019m happy to stay home and relax with your father. We\u2019ve got a cozy fire going and I\u2019ve got some knitting to catch up on. You and Charlotte take this time for yourselves. But thank you all the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlotte speaks. \u201cFrancis, are you sure you\u2019re up to it. Your fainting spells have increased recently and I\u2019m worried about you. We can easily go to the theatre another time when you\u2019re more stable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCharlotte, I\u2019m just fine. Really. I feel top notch today. But if it will make you feel better, take along the smelling ammonia in the off chance I have a spell. Come on then, we\u2019d best get ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Almost the entire who\u2019s who of Hobart are in the theatre lobby at intermission. The women, in expensive gowns and far too much make-up, the men in formal evening wear. The air in the lobby is thick with the smoke of pipes, cigars and cigarettes. Patrons cluster with old friends and exchange pleasantries. All is as it should be and then\u2026
There is a gasp in the crowd. Someone yells \u201cMAN DOWN. GET A DOCTOR.\u201d Francis is lying
face up on the floor.<\/p>\n

Charlotte, on edge about her husbands recent bout of fainting spells, cries out and rushes frantically to where the crowd has parted to make room for the unconscious man. Francis is lying face up on the floor. His mouth is hanging open. \u201cOh dear God,\u201d she cries, \u201cFrancis!\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlotte is visibly agitated, barely able to focus on what she must do next. From her purse she takes a small glass vial and removes the stopper. Her hand is shaking uncontrollably.<\/p>\n

Kneeling down, and unthinking, she tucks the vial of ammonia under his nose. In an instant she realizes her mistake. The ammonia pours from the vial and slips into her husband\u2019s mouth and down his throat.
\u201cOh my God, what have I done? My dear husband, please forgive me.
Please, please, somebody help.\u201d<\/p>\n

A doctor is found and attends the stricken man, but there is nothing he can do. The ammonia has done its work. For two days, Francis endures unspeakable pain, then dies.<\/p>\n

Post script:<\/h4>\n
Charlotte never remarried. Perhaps she felt it her penance to live her life alone; perhaps she loved Francis too much to love another. She died in England at fifty-nine. A year after the death of her son, almost to the day, Francis\u2019 mother Mary died. Some say she died of a broken heart.<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We pick up the story of Francis Mitchell in Hobart, Tasmania (then Van Diemen\u2019s Land) where Francis has taken work as the island\u2019s coroner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":51,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stc_notifier_status":"","_stc_notifier_sent_time":"","_stc_notifier_request":false,"_stc_notifier_prevent":false,"_stc_subscriber_keywords":"","_stc_subscriber_search_areas":"","nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"authors":[],"root_bruce":[855],"tags_bruce":[],"history":[],"media_bruce":[],"history_bruce":[],"families_bruce":[1011],"eras_bruce":[1017,1021],"class_list":["post-3362","bc_posts","type-bc_posts","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","root_bruce-mitchell","families_bruce-mitchell","eras_bruce-all-eras","eras_bruce-1800-1899"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bc_posts\/3362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bc_posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bc_posts"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3362"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bc_posts\/3362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10120,"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bc_posts\/3362\/revisions\/10120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/authors?post=3362"},{"taxonomy":"root_bruce","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/root_bruce?post=3362"},{"taxonomy":"tags_bruce","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags_bruce?post=3362"},{"taxonomy":"history","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/history?post=3362"},{"taxonomy":"media_bruce","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_bruce?post=3362"},{"taxonomy":"history_bruce","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/history_bruce?post=3362"},{"taxonomy":"families_bruce","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/families_bruce?post=3362"},{"taxonomy":"eras_bruce","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newearthvillage.com\/spriggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/eras_bruce?post=3362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}