The Edalji Case. Letter from the Mother (Charlotte Edalji's letter)
The Edalji Case. Letter from the Mother is a collection of 15 letters published in The Daily Telegraph on 18 january 1907 including one written by Charlotte Edalji, George Edalji's mother, and one written by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Below is reproduced the Charlotte Edalji's letter only. The Conan Doyle's one is here.
The Edalji Case. Letter from the Mother
To the Editor of "The Daily Telegraph."
Sir — I am deeply grateful to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for so nobly taking up the cause of my son, and to you for so kindly placing your columns at his disposal, and giving room for so many letters on than sad case.
I shall be glad if you will give me space for a few remarks on one part of Mr. Henderson-Livesey's letter in your paper of the 15th.
I always spoke to the solicitor employed for the defence of the extreme short sight of my son, which has been from a child. I considered that sufficient proof at once, if there had been no other, that he could not have gone to the field, with a so-called "road" impossible even to people with good sight, at night. I felt this so much that I was distressed that no opportunity was given me when giving evidence to speak on his defective sight. The time allowed me was very short ; it was late in the evening, and I suppose people were tired of the case, but because I was his mother, and therefore an interested person in proving his innocence, it is hard that what I did say should be thought not to be true.
I am sure that there were no hairs on the coat when the police took it away from this house.
My son's sight was always so defective that he bent very close to the paper in writing, and held a book or paper very close to his eyes, and when out walking he did not recognise people easily. When I met him anywhere I always felt I must look for him, not he for me. I believe people sometimes thought he would not speak to them, but the fact was owing to his bad sight he did not recognise them. — Yours truly,
CHARLOTTE E. S. EDALJI.
Great Wyrley Vicarage, Jan. 16, 1907.
