Crime Immemorial

No. 4 Euston Square was a well-appointed boarding house in the elegant Bloomsbury terrace, leased by Severin Bastendorff, a bamboo furniture maker. The house, standing four stories tall, was home to a mix of lodgers and servants, projecting an air of respectability typical of Victorian London.

Among its residents in 1877 or 1878 was Matilda Hacker, an eccentric spinster known for her flamboyant, youthful attire despite her advancing age. Often registering under pseudonyms like “Miss Uish” to evade taxes and authorities, Hacker was a transient figure, frequently changing lodgings. Her quirky demeanor, including promenading in Canterbury and Brighton dressed as a young girl alongside her sister, earned her local notoriety as one of the “Wincheap Dolls of Canterbury”.

On May 9th, 1879, a shocking find disrupted the genteel atmosphere of No. 4 Euston Square. While clearing out the coal cellar, a worker uncovered the mummified remains of a woman, later identified as Matilda Hacker. She had been strangled, her body concealed beneath a pile of coal, where it had lain for nearly two years since her disappearance in 1877 or 1878. Remnants of an elegant black silk dress and a decorative brooch found near the body confirmed her identity, as these were characteristic of her extravagant style. Forensic evidence revealed a bloodstain on a carpet near the cellar, hinting at the violence that had occurred. The media, particularly the sensationalist Illustrated Police News, seized on the story, dubbing it the “Euston Square Mystery” and captivating a public eager for scandalous details.

The investigation, led by Inspector Charles Hagen of the newly formed Criminal Investigation Department (CID), quickly focused on Hannah Dobbs, a former servant at the house and mistress of Severin Bastendorff. Dobbs had pawned several of Hacker’s possessions, including a gold watch, which raised suspicions about her involvement. The case drew immense public attention, with crowds gathering outside the Bastendorff residence, requiring police intervention to maintain order.

In June 1879, Dobbs faced trial at the Old Bailey for Hacker’s murder. The prosecution presented evidence of the pawned items and the bloodstain, but the cause of death—strangulation—lacked direct ties to Dobbs. With capital punishment looming, the jury, wary of insufficient evidence, acquitted her.

Suspicions also fell on Severin Bastendorff and his brother Peter, who may have known more than they admitted, but no conclusive evidence implicated them either. Severin was later convicted of perjury for lying about his relationship with Dobbs, receiving a twelve-month sentence, but the murder charge against him was dropped due to lack of evidence.

The Euston Square Murder remains unsolved. Sinclair McKay, in his book Murder at No. 4 Euston Square: The Mystery of the Lady in the Cellar, argues that someone in the house must have known the truth, yet the killer’s identity eluded authorities.

The murder cast a dark shadow over Euston Square, prompting residents to distance themselves from the notoriety. In 1879, George Cubitt, MP, a freeholder, along with nearly all leaseholders and occupiers, petitioned the Metropolitan Board of Works to rename the southern side of Euston Square to Endsleigh Gardens. The request, officially recorded on September 25th, 1879, was granted, and the houses were renumbered. While the Board’s minutes do not explicitly state the reason, some accounts suggest the change aimed to erase the stigma of the murder.