How long did it take to get a search warrant in 1893?

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by: Ryan • June 25, 2014 • no comments

I don't have a definitive answer to the above question, but I have a possible answer. I imagine with sufficient research, it could be ascertained more definitively.

Obviously, in 1893 there's no car, no phone, no cell phone, no fax machine, no computers and therefore no cutting-and-pasting, and no electricity. And even though the answer would probably change depending on the jurisdiction, the answer I'm going to give is for London.

We know from the testimony given in the Machuca case as follows: In fact, Ladd testified that, in his experience, a warrant could be obtained in as little time as one hour and that the blood was obtained from defendant one hour and eight minutes after Ladd developed probable cause.

So, in the 21st Century, it takes about an hour. In the 19th Century?

This quote is from a short story called The Greek Interpreter, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1893.

On reaching Scotland Yard, however, it was more than an hour before we could get Inspector Gregson and comply with the legal formalities which would allow us to enter the house.

I guess technically, this answer is misleading, because the quote doesn't take into account how long it took to get to Scotland Yard. But again, no cell phones, cars, fax machines or word processing. And of course, it's fiction. Still . . . .

I'm thinking of making this a semi-regular series, quotes from old books, to show how much or how little has changed. Next on the list may be, once I'm finished with it, the book that ushered in the modern spy novel, "A Coffin for Dimitrios."