I had, some time ago, gone looking for the real story of Sweeney Todd. I didn't send it out because I wasn't able to sort out what was actual fact and what was myth or legend. I just found the following URL this morning, and it seems to show quite a reasonable level of research, done for the BBC last year. The article is quite long, running to 24 chapters, but for those who are interested: http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/weird/todd/index_1.html For me the site answered some questions and raised other questions. What do you think? Here is another site that has the PBS's version of Sweeney Todd. It has a spoken version of the story for any who haven't heard it before. I suspect it is not for listening to alone on a dark and stormy night. http://www.pbs.org/kqed/demonbarber/ For a different version of the truth and myths surrounding Sweeney Todd the following site has some interesting variations on the first site, including some information that is at total variance with it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweeney_Todd It will be up to you to decide which of the versions presents the closest relation to the truth. Capt'n John