The Crimes of Dr. Buck Ruxton: A Mini-Essay

     As forensic anthropologist Roxana Ferllini highlights, criminals will often go to great lengths to prevent identification of a homicide victim. For example, intentional arson aims to eradicate the body’s identity and any evidence associated with the crime and is often staged as an accident to redirect investigations.[1] Likewise, extreme mutilation to the corpse’s features – sometimes a product of rage during the murder and other times the ritualistic act of a serial killer – can also serve as a means to make identification of the victim difficult or impossible.[2] A prime example of the latter, in turn, involves the 1935 case of Dr. Buck Ruxton. Originally from India, Bukhtyar Rustomji Ratanji Hakim, who preferred to be called Buck Ruxton, moved to Lancaster, England, with Isabella Van Ess and their three children to establish himself as a physician.[3] Although the two were not legally married, Isabella insisted on being called Mrs. Ruxton, an act that only exacerbated the couple’s strained relationship which often erupted in fights and Buck’s violent accusations of Isabella’s infidelity.[4] In September of 1935, another heated altercation occurred upon Isabella’s return from a visit to Blackpool, where Buck again accused her of unfaithfulness, and, following this, Isabella and the family maid, Mary Rogerson, disappeared.[5] Claiming the two had left on another trip, Buck hired a series of housekeepers to clean the home, all of whom complained of foul smells and peculiar stains filling the house.[6] As Buck cycled through a string of maids, a mangled arm was discovered along the River Annon in Scotland by Mary Johnson.[7] During a search of the area, over seventy body parts rendered nearly unidentifiable and wrapped in either torn clothing or pages from the Sunday Graphic were found scattered along a ninety-mile span between Carlisle and Edinburgh.[8] As the investigation progressed, fingerprints and a lateral deviation on one of the recovered toes positively identified Mary and superimposition of the skull with a photograph of Isabella proved enough of a match to warrant identification.[9] With confirmation of the two women’s identities and evidence that the Sunday Graphic edition many of the remains were wrapped in was only sold in the Lancaster area, Buck was tried for murder and sentenced to death in the spring of 1936.[10]

Works Referenced

Ferllini, Roxana. Silent Witness: How Forensic Anthropology is Used to Solve the World’s Toughest Crimes. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, 2002.

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[1] Ferllini, 138-139.

[2] Ferllini, 94-98.

[3] Ferllini, 116.

[4] Ferllini, 116.

[5] Ferllini, 116.

[6] Ferllini, 116.

[7] Ferllini, 117.

[8] Ferllini, 117.

[9] Ferllini, 117.

[10] Ferllini, 117.

Brain Surgery Skull

$15 - $20 (based on 2020 prices)
Makes one skull

A mad scientist needs lots of hapless victims for experiments and I was eager to fill the laboratory for 2020’s haunt with as many human specimens as the doctor required. For this version, I fashioned a simple brain surgery patient to nestle among the towers of equipment and jars of spare parts.

• One cheap, plastic skull
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black
• Six yards of white cheesecloth
• At least four tablespoons of dark roasted coffee grounds
• One pan large enough to soak the cloth
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*
• Six 1.5-inch T-pins
• One 0.3 fluid ounce bottle of red food coloring*
• One 4 oz. bottle of clear, all-purpose tacky glue gel*

1. Remove the mandible from the skull and cut a hole in the top of the head large enough to accommodate the brain. If you find it helpful, trace the outline of your cut with a marker first. Also, to make this process easier, purchase a skull made from thin plastic. 

2. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give the skull two even coats of black spray paint. This will give the prop a uniform color in case portions of it show through the cheese cloth applied in step four.

3. Boil enough water to completely submerge the cheesecloth and pour it into the pan. Add the coffee. The longer you allow the coffee to brew, the darker the stain will become. Likewise, greater amounts of coffee will produce a richer stain. Submerge the fabric in the coffee mixture and soak it until it reaches the color you desire. I soaked mine for eight hours (long enough to give it a slight tint) and scattered the coffee grounds over the top to add spots. Remove the cloth from the water and allow it to dry. 

4. Starting at the front of the skull, glue the cheesecloth to the prop. I found that this step works best if you move in stages: apply a layer of glue to one section, hold the fabric down until it sticks, and then repeat the process. You want to ensure the entire piece is adequately covered and that the holes for the eyes and nose are still visible.

5. Insert the brain into the opening and glue it in place. For added support, densely pack the inside of the skull with newspaper. This will not only give the brain a sturdy base to sit atop to prevent it from sliding into the cavity but also provide the prop additional weight if you plan to display it outdoors in windy conditions.

6. Line the perimeter of the incision with T-pins to emphasize the medical theme. You could also insert a pair of forceps or tweezers into the brain for additional detail.

7. In a plastic container (because the food coloring will stain, use something disposable or that you won’t mind dying), pour in your desired amount of clear glue gel and slowly add red food coloring to the solution until it achieves the sanguine hue you desire. To give the blood further density, add blue food coloring and mix well.

8. On a newspaper-lined surface, apply the blood glue to the prop and allow it to fully dry. You can use an old spoon or plastic utensil to strategically dripple the liquid along chosen areas or pour it haphazardly for a gory mess. For this particular prop, I performed this step in two stages: the first involved resting the skull upward, filling the openings of the eyes and nose with the liquid, and allowing it to dry in pools within the cavities; the second involved pouring the blood around the brain and letting it run naturally down the sides of the head.

9. Depending on your haunt’s theme, you can embellish the prop further with swarms of maggots crawling across its surface a specimen tag.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.

Palmistry Sign

$20 - $30 (based on 2019 prices)
Makes one sign

Part of 2019’s twisted carnival theme included an assortment of poster-size signs meant to resemble the attraction advertisements customary in turn-of-the-century travelling shows. Although they had the same basic attributes to maintain a uniform appearance when they were hung on the sides of the tent, I wanted each to have their own unique look. For this one, I fashioned a gorier version of the traditional palmistry hand and third eye.

• One 20” x 30” foam board
• One deck of tarot cards
• One 4 oz. bottle of decoupage medium
• 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in nutmeg*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black*
• One plastic severed hand
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in beige*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in brown*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in coral*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in gray*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in maroon*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in red*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in white*
• One to two feet of brown twine
• One severed eye (learn how to make it here)
• One package of two-inch letterboard letters
• One 0.3 fluid ounce bottle of red food coloring*
• One 4 oz. bottle of clear, all-purpose tacky glue gel*

1. Cover the entire surface of the board with the tarot cards. This process works best if you move in stages: apply a layer of decoupage medium to one section, press the cards down until they sticks, and repeat the process. For visual interest, vary their placement and ensure that not every cards is either face up or face down. Once the decoupage medium has dried, apply an additional coat or two to serve as a sealer.

2. To add age and distress, dust the sign with a light coat of nutmeg spray paint. To give the appearance of dirt, hold the can over twelve inches away from the sign’s surface and make quick flicking motions. You can also apply a flecking of black paint and smears of brown paint to enhance the weathered appearance.

3. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, apply three even coats of beige paint to the severed hand. Although I used three, you may want more or less based on your desired coverage. Although you can paint both sides of the hand, the time-pressed haunter can skip the one side, since only that with the palm will be visible.

4. Give the hand a smudging of coral paint, focusing primarily on the creases and joints. Use your own skin patterns or those found in a medical textbook for reference. I discovered that applying a small amount of paint to your thumb and index finger and rubbing it onto the prop works well.

5. Bloody the stump with red paint and use a stippling brush or a brush with splayed bristles to smatter the paint along the wrist. To give further depth, deepen the blood with a darker red like burgundy or maroon.

6. With red paint, draw palmistry symbols onto the palm of the hand. For accuracy, copy a reference in a divination book or an image from the internet. You can also create your own pattern to cater the prop to your haunt’s specific needs.

7. Position the hand on the board and glue it in place. Depending on how large you plan to make the sign’s lettering, you may need to play with its placement beforehand.

8. For added support and aesthetics, lash the hand to the board with twine. A large darning needle will be strong enough to feed the thread through the foam and cards. Try to focus on wrapping the twine around the wrist to prevent it from obscuring most of the palmistry symbols.

9. Center the severed eye onto the palm and glue it in place. You can elect to add the red yarn strands for the optic nerve or simply apply the eyeball itself. 

10. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give the letterboard letters and even coat of black spray paint. Although I only used one coat, you may want more depending on your desired coverage. Keep in mind, though, this is the base coat and much of the paint will be covered up by other colors. Once the paint has dried, give the letters an aged patina by gently brushing brown, gray, and white paint over their surfaces. Try not to overthink your application. A random pattern will produce the best result.

11. Arrange the letters on the board and glue them in place. Akin to step seven, it may prove beneficial to pre-position everything on the board to determine their desired placement before permanently affixing them.

12. In a plastic container (because the food coloring will stain, use something disposable or that you won’t mind dying), pour in your desired amount of clear glue gel and slowly add red food coloring to the solution until it achieves the sanguine hue you desire. To give the blood further density, add blue food coloring and mix well.

13. On a newspaper-lined surface, apply the blood glue to the prop and allow it to fully dry. You can use an old spoon or plastic utensil to strategically dripple the liquid along chosen areas or pour it haphazardly for a gory mess.

14. Use steel wire to create a hanging loop and attach it to the back of the sign. You can also embellish the prop further with clusters of insects crawling across its surface or strings of voodoo beads draped along its edges.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.

Anonymous Limerick (A Poem)

From Percy Russell’s “Premature Burial” to Seba Smith’s “The Life -Preserving Coffin,” the fear of premature burial which swept throughout Europe and the United States during the Victorian and Edwardian eras manifested itself in countless poems. Many, like the works of Russell and Smith (and even Thomas Hood’s “The Death-Bed”), addressed the concern with a sombre and highly sentimental tone; however, others - this anonymous limerick from 1908, for example - were far more farcical and irreverent in their approach.

 

There was a young man at Nunhead,

Who awoke in a coffin of lead;

“It is cosy enough,”

He remarked in a huff,

“But I wasn’t aware I was Dead.”[1]

 

Works Referenced

 

Anonymous. “Limerick.” Burial Reformer 1 (1908): 100.

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[1] Anonymous, 100.