Certainly true in this amazing tale of detection. The victim lived some 689 years ago. One important mayor of Verona. Dead in 1329 no accusation of murder, buried and time forgot him. That is until now.
Cangrande Della Scala he was named became a great war Lord taking city after city into his empire until he took the city of Treviso and as the head minister handed over the city keys Cangrande fell ill and died aged 38. It was his own doctor that attended his last moments on earth and suggested Cangrande had that very morning drank water from a polluted stream.
Water was precious as malaria had accounted for many deaths and Verona was a place of dark river and many swallow hill streams under bridges ran into the towns. Here the tetzi flies bred into billions and no doubt Cangrande died of this according to his physician.
With Cangrandes corpse being wrapped his own nephew one Mastino 11 took control as his uncles bloodline and hanged the poor physician from the ceiling beam.
Mastino rose to greatness having all that his uncle had worked for and youth on his side for power. We need look no further if we suspect murder.
Now all of this may be of little news if not for an amazing discovery in 2017. A cemetery was being moved by clearance order to make space for housing. Cangrandes tomb was found and so began a real history detective case.
The bones carried to the Scientist lab and investigations discovered Digitalis in the bones and rotted remains came up with so much of this natural poison made from the plant called Foxglove. The full autopsy proved beyond doubt that Cangrande Della Scala had been murdered.
So over time we can point the finger at Mastino who for motive of greed and mighty power murdered his uncle by poisoning him with a common available Foxglove poison in his breakfast food.
Figure of Cangrande in Verona centre.
A carved image of the victim can be seen on his horse within Verona today. The area of said city is named after him. It took over 600 years to prove a murder took place and so my titled page relates to it as perhaps no one can escape justice. God himself knew all and so Mastino paid with his soul. For us to find so much proof is due to the great advancement in medicine and science to be able to tell what a man ate in his life so long after nothing but bones remained is amazing.
Cangrande Della Scala remains.
Verona today and the church that holds Congrandes bones
Much the same was done on the bones of King Richard 111 in UK. They even knew he drank red wine with meals of fish , beef and shell fish. Just from a cross section on bone all is revealed of a mans life is the subject here told.
A mystery solved by modern science and historic record.
Yours with love .Sir Kevin.
Copyright Sir Kevin James Parr Bt December 9th 2018
