Welcome back to Ghost Hunt. I’m your host, Erin Bogert, and today’s radio play brings you the ghost of Augusta Tennyson. Augusta was Eleanor Mills younger sister, the aunt to Eleanor’s children, Charlotte and Daniel Mills. In fact, on the very night of their mother’s infamous murder, Charlotte and Daniel happened to be visiting their aunt in her home. But we won’t be joining them. Insead, we will join Augusta the morning of Sept 16, 1922 when she and Eleanor’s husband, James Mills, first learned that two bodies were discovered on the outskirts of town. We find Augusta speaking to her husband, Edward Tennyson, from their home in New Brunswick. So please, do come in.
This episode was brought to you by the New Brunswick Historical Society and Thinkery & Verse. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County board of chosen freeholders through a grant award from the Middlesex Cultural and Arts Trust Fund. Our theme music this season comes from Blimp66 of Freesound.org. Today’s radio play was written, performed, and edited by Karen Alvarado. Thank you again for listening; I’m your host and engineer, Erin Bogert.
Episode 3 - Her Sister’s House
Intro - Welcome back to another Ghost Hunt Episode. I’m your host Erin Bogert, and today’s radio play brings you the ghost of Augusta Tennyson. Augusta was Eleanor Mills younger sister, the aunt to Eleanor’s children, Charlotte and Daniel Mills. In fact, on the very night of their mother’s infamous murder, Charlotte and Daniel happened to be visiting their aunt in her home. But we won’t be joining them. Insead, we will join Augusta the morning of Sept 16, 1922 when she and Eleanor’s husband, James Mills, first learned that two bodies were discovered on the outskirts of town. We find Augusta speaking to her husband, Edward Tennyson, from their home in New Brunswick. So please, do come in.
[Script: 3 minutes, 10 seconds]
[Voice of Augusta Tennyson: (action: looking out the window, watching James Mills walk down the street away from her house; she speaks to her husband Ed Tennyson; Augusta speaks with a slight Jersey accent; Augusta is speaking fast; her thoughts are flowing faster...until the phone rings)]
TENNYSON
There he goes, walking home, slow as a tortoise as if he has no care in the world. That man’s lack of consideration is astounding. Oh but his ability to sigh after every bite of sausage and fried egg, that’s intact! How could he have eaten breakfast at a time like this?! And he waited till after I served him to tell me that he hasn’t seen Eleanor since Thursday night. “Eggs...over hard will do” that Sap! . Oh I’m sorry Ed, I know I’m not being fair but it’s just that Eleanor... oh Eleanor...what on Earth were you thinking…. a married Rector. And after that “coffee incident” I told her to stay away from the Halls especially since Mrs. Hall is a jealous spiteful woman, oh yes jealous you can see it in her eyes. Well... my sister caused a lot of jealousy because she did more work around the church than any other woman in the parish, even the Rector’ own wife - which might very well be the cause of the spite. I never mentioned this to you, why yes, Eleanor told me that at a small party given by Mrs. Hall that she started to drink some coffee, but at the first taste became ill and that she immediately left for her home. She said she was greatly distressed by the liquid she had swallowed. Her words to me, as nearly as I can remember, were "if i weren't sure that Mrs. Hall was my friend, I would think there was poison in that coffee.” I swear Ed, I will never understand my big sister. She's always been dramatic in her impulses, rash in her decisions..don’t look at me like that, a rational woman doesn’t marry at 15 to a Mug 10 years older than her! I remember when Eleanor said she was marrying that Palooka James... mother was enraged! But maybe also relieved, a marriage meant one less mouth to feed after all. Wow, I don't know how mother did it! 11 children. Eleanor was.. geez I don't know, I was born 7th in line so I guess Eleanor was born 6th. Yes, 6th, directly in the middle! The middle child.That might explain a thing or two. Oh the poor dear, where could she be? Oh goodness the kids, I can only imagine what Charlotte and Daniel are going through. And that Charlotte (that little girl's intuition is strong) she knew something was wrong, I could see the worry written all over her face when the two visited the other night. Oh and stupid me, all of my reassurance, my useless words “Oh Charlotte,I know your mother has been distant lately, maybe a little distracted...with church affairs but truly she loves you two endlessly and when she comes back down from the clouds, I promise, everything will be right again at home, right as rain. Please don't look so glum Charlotte, you trust me don't you, you trust that the Lord will shine down happiness on your family once again?” My blind placating must seem like cruel lies now! Oh Ed, please tell me my sister will be alright, please tell me I didn’t lie to Charlotte when I said everything will be alright. Please! (Phone rings.) Maybe that’s Eleanor, maybe she’s calling from a hospital. (Phone rings.) Hand me the phone, hurry! Hello, yes this Augusta Tennyson, yes my sister is Eleanor Mills, what? Shot? Where were the bodies...this unidentified woman, where was she found? Thank you for informing me. NO no comments at this time. (Hangs up) Tell the boys to chase down their uncle, we need to tell James they found Eleanor.
Outro - Encompassing, isn’t it? How far tragedy spreads? To imagine all the lives touched by one death? Though Eleanor’s life was lost, her’s was far from the only life impacted. Imagine losing a sister, a wife, a mother; and even beyond those who knew her personally. Someone had to discover the bodies of Eleanor Mills and Edward Hall…imagine how that discovery may have changed their lives. Or, tune in to the next episode for a glimpse into that world.
Thank you for joining me for this Ghost Hunt Episode. If you want to experience this radio play again, or others like it, might I suggest downloading the Geocache app where you can do some real life Ghost Hunting by traveling to the locations mentioned (in this case, Augusta’s Home in New Brunswick) and searching for our caches. You can also purchase tickets to Thou Shalt Not 2022, our play that is coming back to the stage for the centennial of the murders this September, available through our website at thinkeryandverse.org. This episode was brought to you by the New Brunswick Historical Society and Thinkery & Verse. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County board of chosen freeholders through a grant award from the Middlesex Cultural and Arts Trust Fund. Our theme music this season comes from Blimp66 of Freesound.org. Today’s radio play was written, performed, and edited by Karen Alvarado. Thank you again for listening; I’m your host and engineer, Erin Bogert. I hope you’ll join me for the next one.
