Hypnogoria: Hypnogoria Halloween Advent Calendar

Door 12 - The Librarian's Tale Part I

Extracts from the diaries of Mr Michael Dalby, head of the the Centre for Local History Studies, Redvale Library

1st September 2006

Haggleton - actually Haggleton-and-Fring although none of the locals use the full name - is a charming place. Full of redbrick houses and sandstone cottages. The main high street is very well appointed. I assumed that as a village that it would be smaller, but I guess when we think of villages we are really picturing hamlets.

The library itself was surprisingly large - apparently endowed to the town by the wealthy Bowen family, who did a good deal for the local area as Victorian philanthropists. There is a large archive and a lot to work with here. Furthermore Redvale Library is very much the hub for a network of smaller libraries and indeed a little fleet of four mobile library vans that serve the most rural areas of the county. Many opportunities. Hope the interview goes well.

20th September 2006

Great news diary! I got the job. I start in six week’s time! I’ve already found a little place to rent in the short-term. Very much looking forward to the move.

4th November 2006

First day went well, the staff seem to be nice, and I'm looking forward to becoming part of the team. I think I am going to be very happy here.

29th September 2007

Odd moment today. I asked Mrs Riddell, the long serving Head Librarian, if there were any plans for any Hallowe'en related displays or activities for the Junior section in October. Her reaction was quite something - she looked mortified, and curtly informed me that we don’t do that sort of thing here. I know Hallowe’en traditions are stronger in some parts of the country than others, but all the same, a strange reaction. Very curious.

1st October 2007

Have been making a few enquiries and not sure what to make of what I have found. I discreetly quizzed a few folks about Riddell and the Hallowe’en thing. Apparently it is a bit of a no-no here. Bonfire Night yes - Hallowe’en no. And it’s more than just a regional thing too. The bare bones of what I’ve picked up are as follows - apparently in the Twenties, there was something of a scandal. There was a series of disappearances, mostly children, and a well respected local doctor was in the frame. However he died before it could be brought to trial. Everything came to a head in October and the town has avoided Hallowe’en ever since.

Seems to be something of an overreaction. I can’t say I recall ever hearing about the Fell murders. Maybe the town has done a very good job of burying the obviously traumatic events, so well that no one seems to have heard about it outside the local area.

20th October 2007

There’s definitely a Hallowe’en embargo here. While there’s parkin cakes, cinder toffee, sparklers and fireworks in the shops, even Guy Fawkes masks, there’s hardly a trace of Hallowe’en. However there is one survival it seems, on Bonfire there is lantern parade, but with carved swedes rather than pumpkins, and featuring clown or animal faces. Much like painting Easter Eggs, there’s a prize for the best one. Last year a delicately stencilled Mona Lisa won. The year before - Bart Simpson.

2nd December 2007

Have been doing alot of digging in the archives, and now I think I am beginning to see why Haggleton is so keen to ensure that Doctor Fell remains forgotten. And considering the highly macabre nature of the crimes, I am not surprised that anything ghoulish around their anniversary is frowned upon. Furthermore I am astounded that the case isn’t more well known, for it really is quite something.

Firstly a string of disappearances, mostly children, stretching back over twenty years. Allegations of grave robbing and body snatching. Illegal and illicit experiments performed on unwitting patients, occasionally resulting in deaths, which the doctor, who acted as coroner for the town too at the time, covered up with ease. The discovery of a vast charnel house where most of those who disappeared, were apparently stored for God knows what purpose.

And if all that weren’t enough, there is a mystery too. After the raid on his house, and the old morgue he operated in, there seems to be some confusion over what actually occurred. The story goes that he died in custody, after being dragged from his home. At some point on the same night, the house went up in flames too. Causes unknown.

As for Fell, what troubles me is that there is no death certificate or record of a burial. The latter I understand - traditionally murderers and ne'er do wells were buried in unconsecrated ground in unmarked graves. And often outside of town with measures taken to ensure they couldn’t come back. One wonders whether the mortal remains of Fell are staked at some lonely crossroads out in the countryside. The lack of a death certificate is more bothersome, and I wonder whether there was some instant justice administered.

I think there may well be a book in this. Part of me thinks that this is too fascinating a case to be left to languish in obscurity. But something else at my shoulder whispers that Doctor Fell is best left forgotten...