Tales of crime and criminals seem an integral part of the Victorian world. In the real world, you had such mysteries as Jack the Ripper; in the fictional world you had, of course, Sherlock Holmes (and a variety of literary competitors). The concept of detection and actually solving (or at least investigating) crimes was coming into its own in this period, which also brought us such investigative techniques as fingerprinting. This section brings you a selection of articles about specific criminal cases. Note that a "criminal case" doesn't always mean that a criminal is involved; for example, this section also includes articles on the famous (or infamous) Dreyfus case. For articles on general types of crime and Victorian methods of preventing crime and capturing criminals, see Victorian Crime & Law Enforcement.

The Chicago Anarchists of 1886, by Joseph E. Gary (Century Magazine, 1893A)

"The crime, the trial and the punishment." The author was the judge presiding over the trial.

A Cleveland Tragedy and a Cleveland Poet, by James Clephan (Monthly Chronicle of North-County Lore and Legend, 1890)

A murder and its aftermath, with comments on the ineffectiveness of the criminal code of its day.

The Savings Bank Tragedy, Newcastle (Monthly Chronicle of North-County Lore and Legend, 1890)

The story of an 1838 murder.

Last of the Smugglers: An Interview, by S. Baring-Gould (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1895)

Reminiscences of an old Cornish smuggler, who blames the telegraph for killing "honest trade."

Kilmainham Memories, by Tighe Hopkins (Windsor Magazine, 1896A)

"The story of the greatest political crime of the century, with many new and important details." This article looks at some of the history of the Kilmainham jail in Dublin, then goes on to discuss the Phoenix Park Killings - the fatal stabbings of Lord Frederick Cavendish (Chief Secretary for Ireland) and Thomas Henry Burke (Permanent Undersecretary) in Phoenix Park in Dublin on 6 May 1882 by members of the Irish National Invincibles.

Unsolved Mysteries of Crime, by Arthur Griffiths (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1896)

An Earth-Girdler, by George Dollar (The Strand, 1897A)

Promising to "travel round the world" on a bet was becoming commonplace, but this "earth-girdler" had a bit of a different "spin" on the process.

The Dreyfus Case: A Puzzle in Handwriting, by J. Holt Schooling (The Strand, 1897B)

A Famous Fratricide, by Maj. Martin A.S. Hume (English Illustrated Magazine, 1899A)

The murder of Sir John Dineley Goodere (spelled "Goodeve" in this article) by his brother, Samuel, in 1841.

The Holocaust of Manor Place, by A. Conan Doyle (Strand, 1901A)

The first in Doyle's series of "Strange Studies from Life," cases "from the actual history of crime."

The Love Affair of George Vincent Parker, by A. Conan Doyle (Strand, 1901A)

Second of "Strange Studies from Life," covering Parker's murder of his former fiancee Mary Groves.

The Debatable Case of Mrs. Emsley, by A. Conan Doyle (Strand, 1901A)

Third of "Strange Studies from Life," covering the murder of Mrs. Mary Emsley, an elderly Londoner.

My Life on Devil's Island, by Captain Alfred Dreyfus (Strand, 1901A)

• See also Victorian Crime & Law Enforcement