The Case of the Mahout's Ankush

Fight Hall 1212. For the first time in its history, Scotland Yard opened its official files to bring you the true story of some of its most important cases.

Research for Whitehall 1212 is from Percy Hoskins, Chief Crime Reporter of the London Daily Express. The stories for radio are written and directed by Willis Cooper. You will now hear the voice of Chief Superintendent John Davidson, who is in charge of the famous Black Museum of Scotland Yard.

Good afternoon. Let me show you this thing. Have a good look. Unless you're a member of a rather uncommon profession, I doubt you'll know what it is. Like many of the exhibits in the Black Museum here, this is a murder weapon. And like many of our murder weapons, it is a tool of a tray. And even after I tell you what it is, I wonder that you'll know

what it's for. It's an ambush, a gold used by an elephant man. And, Mahoo, you've seen these things before, I wedge at you. But I agree that this is an odd place to find one.

And here is Inspector Samuel Tupper, the first of us from Scotland Yard, who saw it. I was at the head of the rotor of inspectors this particular night in the autumn of 1928, so it was my job to go to Regent's Park when the call came in that murder had been done.

The taper house of the zoo there is near the outer circle of the park. Excuse me, would it be a good idea Inspector, if you told what a taper house is? Well, it's where they keep the tapesture.

I'm sure you don't meet wax candles. No sir. The tapesture is a hoop swine like mammal, a lie to the rhinoceros. It has its poor toes and its front feet and tree on the back and its snout is prolonged into a short mobile probatus.