C. Neil

The Hunt of a pipsqueak Jack the Ripper

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Slumming

Slumming (Soc., 1883). Visiting the poorest parts with a view to or slums of a self-improvement. The results of a little city experiment, which has been tried with the kindly consent of the Benchers of the Inner Temple, people is are well worth the attention of who interest themselves in what cynically August 1884. called 'slumming'.

The begin of London slums date back to the middle eighteenth century, when the masses of London, began to raise at an extraordinary rate. In the last decade of the nineteenth century London's population exploded to over four million, which spurred a high demand for low-priced living and housing. London slums are the result of quick population growth immigration and the industrialization. London slums became notorious for overfilling, unhygienic and the row living conditions. Most wealthy Victorians were grows up with the idea that poor people are unproductive, lazy and alcoholics the rich Victorian overlooked the inhuman slum life situation, and many, who knows about the slums in the richest city in the world, believed that the slums were the product of laziness, sin of the lower classes the pc poor class. The most disreputable slums were located in East London, which was called "darkest London," a unknown continent for the honest society. Slums or rookeries existed in all districts of London, St. Giles and Clerkenwell in central London, the Devil's Acre near Westminster Abbey, Jacob's Island famous in Oliver Twist Dickens masterpiece. Rookeries in Bermondsey, on the south bank of the Thames River, the Mint in Southwark, and Pottery Lane in Notting Hill. In the last decades of the Victorian period East London was inhabited mostly by the working classes, which consisted of native English population, Irish immigrants, and immigrants Eastern Europe, mostly poor Russian, Polish and German Jews, who found asylum in Whitechapel and the neighboring areas of St. George’s-in-the-East and Mile End. Whitechapel was and is the heart of the East End. By the end of the seventeenth century it was a wealthy district. Some of its areas began to go down in the mid eighteenth century, and in the second half of the nineteenth century they became notorious overcrowded and crime infected. There are more people than there is room, and numbers are in the workhouse because they cannot find a very poor room elsewhere. Nearly fifty per cent of the workers pay 1890 from one-fourth to one-half of their earnings for rent. The average rent in the larger part of the East End is growing from four to six shillings per week for one room. In one street in Stepney the increase in only two years has been from thirteen to eighteen shillings; in another street from eleven to sixteen shillings; and in another street, from eleven to fifteen shillings; while in Whitechapel, two-room houses that recently rented for ten shillings are now costing twenty-one shillings. East, west, north, and south in London the rents are going up and the Slum Landlord are be richer and richer.

But perhaps there is nothing in London so exasperating as the Lodging-house keeper... This being starves you, freezes you, cheats you, waits upon you, steals from you, lies to you, flatters you, and backbites you; reads your private papers, has keys for all your boxes and drawers, and a complete inventory of all your effects. She chooses from your handkerchiefs, smoothes her hair with your brushes, scents it with your perfumes, ‘makes herself beautiful’ at your toilet. She examines your boots, and finds a pair which you ‘will never miss’, for her James. She brushes your trousers, and takes care of any loose change. She waits at your table, counts the oranges, and thinks she will try one. When you ask for that pie, she has given it to the dog—’I thought you were done with it, Sir.’ . . . She eats your bread, drinks your beer, tastes your wine; and charges you a shilling for a pinch of salt.... You sleep on ‘hobbles’, and are blotched in a curious manner. You hint to the servant that you have seen something as well as felt; but ‘nothing of that sort was ever in my house’. At last, when you find it quite impossible to satisfy the ever-increasing rapacity, you ‘think you will leave’. You are very forcibly reminded that you are bound to ‘a month’s notice, Sir’.

Ah-Chin-Le, Some Observations Upon the Civilization of the Western Barbarians, 1876.

Wretched houses with broken windows patched with rags and paper; every room let out to a different family, and in many instances to two or even three – fruit and ‘sweet stuff’ manufacturers in the cellars, barbers and red-herring vendors in the front parlous, cobblers in the back; a bird-fancier in the first floor, three families on the second, starvation in the attics, Irishmen in the passage, a ‘musician’ in the front kitchen, a charwoman and five hungry children in the back one – filth everywhere – a gutter before the houses, and a drain behind – clothes drying, and slops emptying from the windows; ... men and women, in every variety of scanty and dirty apparel, lounging, scolding, drinking, smoking, squabbling, fighting, and swearing.

Charles Dickens, Sketches by Boz, 1839 on St Giles Rookery

Whitechapel part of the east end Street like the Dorset Street a breeding ground for criminals, prostitutes,) Whitechapel housed a community largely comprised of poor immigrant families, including many Jews fleeing persecution in Russia and Eastern Europe, most of whom were crammed into squalid tenements with 7-8 occupants per room. Most of the East End population was employed in factory work, with meager earnings and harsh conditions forcing many women into prostitution as a means of survival. The overpopulation of the urban districts, combined with horrific health conditions exacerbated by poor drainage and inadequate sanitation, created an environment in which diseases like typhoid fever and cholera, not to mention the venereal diseases spread by prostitution, claimed many lives and starvation and death were daily realities. The extreme poverty of the area also contributed to the rampant crime that plagued the East End. The scene of Whitechapel at the time of the murders was likely a grim picture of poverty’s worst elements; unlit alleys and drunken vagrants created dangerous conditions for the many prostitutes who walked the streets or worked out of brothels. were assign in the impoverished Whitechapel area in the East End of London between 3 April 1888 and 13 February 1891. At various points some or all of these eleven unclear murders of women have been ascribed to the notorious faceless serial killer known as Jack the Ripper. Most of the victims Martha Tabram, Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, Mary Jane Kelly, Rose Mylett, Alice McKenzie, Frances Coles, and two unidentified Torsos were poor prostitutes with a alcoholic problem. Tabram was stabbed 39 times. Nichols, Chapman, Stride, Eddowes, Kelly, McKenzie and Coles had their throats cut. Eddowes and Stride were killed on the same night, 45 minutes and 0,75 a mile apart; their murders were named the "double event", after a phrase in a postcard sent to the press by someone claim to be the Ripper. The bodies of Nichols, Chapman, Eddowes and Kelly had abdominal mutilations and the Clothes where disarranged. Rose Mylett was strangled. The body of the unidentified woman was dismembered, but the exact cause of her death is unclear. The Metropolitan Police, City of London Police, and private organizations such as the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee were involved in the search for the killer but sure killers. Despite extensive inquiries and several arrests, the culprit or culprits evaded identification and capture. The murders draw the public attention to the living conditions of the Poor Class in the London East End slums, which were subsequently improved.

Yesterday an inquest was held at the Horse Shoe and Magpie, Saffron Hill, before THOMAS STIRLING, Esq., Coroner, on the body of James Parkinson, aged 36, who came by his death under the following circumstances. The Jury proceeded to view the body of the deceased, which lay in the upper part of a low lodging-house for travelers, in West Street, Saffron Hill. It was in a high state of decomposition, and a report was generally circulated that he had come by his death by unfair means. Mary Wood being sworn, deposed that she was the landlady of the house in West Street, which she let out in lodgings. The deceased occasionally lodged with her, and he was a dealer in cat’s meat. On Tuesday night last he came home and asked her for a light, and proceeded to his bedroom. On the Wednesday witness proceeded upstairs to make the beds, when she saw the deceased lying on his bed apparently asleep, but she did not speak to him. On the Thursday she proceeded to the upper part of the house for the same purpose, when she again saw the deceased lying as if asleep, but she did not disturb him, and he was ultimately discovered to be a corpse, and his face quite black. Juror. Pray, how many beds are there in the room where the deceased slept? Witness. Only eight, and please you, Sir. Indeed, and how many persons are in the habit of sleeping in the same apartment? —There are generally two or three in a bed, but the deceased had a bed to himself. Very comfortable truly. Is it not strange that none of his fellow lodgers ascertained that he was dead? —No, Sir, they go in and out without seeming to care for each other. Do you mean to say, if a poor man was to take a lodging at your house, you would let him lie for upwards of 48 hours without inquiring whether he required nourishment? —Why, Sir, I have known some of my lodgers, who have been out upon the spree to lay in bed for three and four days together, without a bit or a sup, and then they have gone out to their work as well and as hearty as ever they was in their lives; I have known it often to have been done. There was plenty of grub in the house if he liked to have asked for it; but I thought if I asked him to have victuals he would be offended, as he might receive it as a hint for the few nights’ lodging that he owed me. Mr. Appleby, the parish surgeon, proved that the deceased died a natural death, and the Jury returned a verdict of ‘Died by the visitation of God’

The Morning Herald, Feb.11, 1834

BABY FARMING.-An inquest was opened on Tuesday at the schoolroom adjoining St. John's Church, Milton, on the bodies of two children, found in the house occupied by Esther Williams and Emily Green, on Wednesday last, information of his suspicions as to foul play having been given by Dr. Waring. The mother of one of the infants, Mary Kempton, identified the male child as hers, and said she left him in charge of Green in November last. The child was then well and healthy. It was now in a most emaciated condition. - Dr. Waring, parish doctor, said he was called to attend this child on the 3d of January. It was then suffering from a mild form of bronchitis. He afterwards noticed that it wasted away alarmingly, and spoke to Green about it. She said that it would not take its food, and he prescribed a mild stimulant. His opinion of both the deceased children was that they were starved to death. They had been fearfully neglected, as were also the other children found in the house, none of which were the offspring of the prisoners. - Chief-Inspector Moloy said he had not been able to discover the parents of the other children up to the present, but no doubt the publication of the case would bring them forward. One of the children that had been removed to the infirmary was in a dangerous state. - Charles Gordon, living next door, said the cries of the children were heartrending at times. They had only been in Milton about three months. - Mr. James Williamson, the deputy-coroner, said the facts disclosed a shocking state of things, and he thought it would be well that an adjournment should take place for a week, in order to give time for the parents of the children to come forward. - The foreman said the jury were agreed to at once bring in a verdict of "Willful murder" against Green, but the coroner said he should adjourn the case for a few days.

Martha Tabram a.k.a. Emma Turner

Born: Martha White, May 10, 1849, at 17 Marshall Street, London Rd., Southwark Father: Charles Samuel White, a warehouseman Mother: Elisabeth (Dowsett) Brothers: Henry (twelve years older than Martha), Stephen (8 years older) Sisters: Esther (10 years older), Mary Ann (3 years older) Martha's parents separated and in May of 1865 Charles was lodging alone in the house of Mrs. Rebecca Glover. The house was located at 31 Pitt Street, St. George's Row. His health was questionable, he suffered severe diarrhea in October and a surgeon was called to examine him. The surgeon found him troubled by his familiar situation and complaining of bad circulation and cold. According to his daughter Mary Ann, he also stated that he had a weak back and was unable to work. On October 11th his estranged wife, Elisabeth, visited him for the first time since their separation. Over the next few days she visited often and on the evening of November 15th, both she and her daughter Mary Ann had supper at his lodging. The meal consisted of bread, butter, and beer. According to his landlady, Mrs. Grover, he was cheerful that evening. At approximately 10:00 PM, he rose to go to bed and while removing his waistcoat he fell to the floor and died. As there was no evidence of any thing suspicious, the death was ruled as coming from natural causes. He was 59 years old. On Christmas Day, 1869, Martha married Henry Samuel Tabram at Trinity Church in St. Mary's Parish, Newington. He was a foreman furniture packer. A short, well dressed man with iron gray hair, mustache and imperial. They had already been living together in Pleasant Place and moved to 20 Marshall Street in February 1871. The new house was very near by the house in which Martha was born. Martha had two sons by the marriage, Frederick John, born in February 1871 and Charles Henry, born in December of 1872. The marriage ended in 1875. Henry left due to Martha's heavy drinking. He gave her an allowance of twelve shillings per week for three years but reduced it to 2s 6d due to her pestering him in the streets for money. She had a warrant taken out against him and had him locked up. He had also learned that she was living with another man. At this time he refused to support her any further. Henry Turner was a carpenter with whom Martha lived, off and on, for twelve years. He is described as a short, dirty man who dressed in a slovenly manner. He was young and had a pale face, light moustache and imperial. Their relationship also appears to have been greatly effected by Martha's drinking. Turner stated at the inquest into her death: "Since she has been living with me, her character for sobriety was not good. If I give her money she generally spent it in drink." Martha was in the habit of staying out late at night, usually not returning before 11:00 PM and occasionally staying out all night. Her excuse was usually that she had been taken with hysterical fits and had been taken to the police station. Turner had witnessed these fits and stated that they usually came about due to drunkenness. In 1888 Turner was out of regular employment and making his living hawking cheap trinkets, menthol cones and needles and pins. The couple lodged in the house of Mrs. Mary Bousfield at 4 Star Place, Commercial Road. Bousfield described Martha as a person who would "rather have a glass of ale than a cup of tea." She also said, however, that she was not a perpetual drunk. The couple left their lodgings without notice and behind in the rent approximately 4 to 6 weeks prior to the murder. Perhaps out of guilt, Martha secretly returned one night and left the key to the lodging without seeing the landlady. Turner left Martha for the last time in July of 1888. At the time of her death he was living at the Victoria working man's home on Commercial Street. She tried to carry on earning a living through selling trinkets and prostitution. It is very likely that whatever small amount of money she made was spent on drink. Indeed, Turner is quoted as saying "If I gave her money she generally spent it on drink. In fact it was always drink. When she took to drink, however, I usually left her to her own resources, and I can't answer to her conduct then." Her last known address was 19 George Street, Spitalfields (known as Satchel’s Lodging House). Turner saw a destitute Martha for the last time on Leadenhall Street, near Aldgate pump on August 4, 1888. He gave her 1s 6d to buy trinkets for trade with which she might earn some sort of living. On Bank Holiday Monday, August 6th, Martha went out with Mary Ann Connelly, who was known as "Pearly Poll." They were seen throughout the evening in pubs in the company of a soldier or soldiers. According to Pearly Poll, she and Martha picked up two guardsmen, a Corporal and a Private in the Two Brewers public house and drank with them in several pubs including the White Swan on Whitechapel High Street.

11:45 PM Martha and Pearly Poll went separate ways. Martha with the Private into George Yard and Pearly Poll and the Corporal into Angel Alley. Both, obviously, for the purpose of having sex.

1:50 AM: Elizabeth Mahoney returned to her home in George Yard Buildings. At the time that she ascended the stairs to her flat she saw no one or anything unusual in the building.

2:00 AM: PC Thomas Barrett saw a young Grenadier Guardsman in Wentworth Street, the north end of George Yard. Barrett questioned his reason for being there and was told by the Guardsman that he was waiting for a "chum who went off with a girl."

3:30 AM: Alfred Crow returned to his lodging in George Yard Buildings and noticed what he thought was a homeless person sleeping on the first floor landing. As this was not an uncommon occurrence he continued on to bed.

John Reeves left his lodgings in the George Yard Buildings at 4:45 AM. By this time the light was improving inside the stairwell. Reeves also noticed the body on the first floor landing but he was also aware that it was lying in a pool of blood. Reeves went off to find a policeman. He returned with PC Barrett. Although not yet identified, the body was that of Martha Tabram. The body was supine with the arms and hands by the side. The fingers were tightly clenched and the legs open in a manner to suggest that intercourse had taken place. Others who testified at the inquest include Francis Hewitt, the superintendent of George Yard Buildings and Mrs. Mary Bousfield (also known as Luckhurst), Martha's former landlady at 4 Star Street. The Post-Mortem: The post-mortem examination of Martha Tabram was held by Dr. Timothy Killeen (also spelled Keeling or Keleene) at 5:30 AM on the morning of August 7th. Tabram was described as a plump middle-aged woman, about 5'3" tall, dark hair and complexion. The time of death was estimated at about three hours before the examination (around 2:30-2:45 AM). In all, there were thirty-nine stab wounds including: 5 wounds (left lung) 2 wounds (right lung) 1 wound (heart) 5 wounds (liver)

2 wounds (spleen) 6 wounds (stomach) According to Killeen, the focus of the wounds were the breasts, belly, and groin area. In his opinion, all but one of the wounds were inflicted by a right-handed attacker, and all but one seemed to have been the result of an "ordinary pen-knife." There was, however, one wound on the sternum which appeared to have been inflicted by a dagger or bayonet (thereby leading police to believe that a sailor was the perpetrator). Wearing at the time of her death: A black bonnet Long black jacket A dark green skirt Brown petticoat Stockings Spring sided boots showing considerable age.

ALFRED CROW Born, c.1867 in Whitechapel, cab driver No.6.600 and resident of 35 George Yard Buildings. Crow claimed to have seen a body presumably Tabram's on the first floor landing of George Yard Buildings at 3.30am, 7th August 1888, as he returned from his evening out. However, he paid no attention as it was apparently common to find strangers sleeping there. He was unable to say whether the person was alive or dead. He got up at 9.30am and had heard no noise whilst he was in bed. George Yard at 10 p.m. dark like a cave. In 1891, Alfred was living with his parents, George and Martha in Lolesworth Buildings, Thrawl Street.

The Jack The Ripper Connection An intriguing tale from a Cabman's Shelter, Daily Telegraph, October, 1888. Mr. Thomas Ryan, who has charge of the cabman's reading-room and shelter in Westbourne-grove, relates a story of a man who made a mysterious statement to him on Sunday afternoon. According to this narrative a street attendant brought a man to the shelter about four o'clock in the afternoon and said, "This 'ere gentleman wants a chop, guv'nor; can you cook one for him. He says he's 'most perished with cold." Mr. Ryan replied, "Certainly, I will cook you one with pleasure. Come in." The man accordingly entered and sat down. He was about 5 ft 6 in in height, wore an Oxford cap and a light check Ulster with a tippet, which he did not loosen all the time. He had a thick moustache, but no beard, had clean white hands, was round-headed, his eyes very restless, and he seemed to have been drinking. Several cabmen were in the shelter at the time, talking of the murders discovered that morning at Whitechapel. Ryan exclaimed, "I'd gladly give a good deal if I could only find the fellow who did them." The stranger, looking into Ryan's face, quietly replied "Don't you know who committed the murders? I did them. I've had a lot of trouble lately. I came back from India and got into trouble at once. I lost my watch and chain and £10." Mr. Ryan and the other persons present were much surprised at this statement, but as the man appeared to be under the influence of liquor they did not pay much attention to it, more especially as he produced a bottle, apparently of brandy, out of his pocket and offered them a drink. Mr. Ryan told him they were all teetotalers there, and got him to sign a temperance pledge. He signed the book as "J. Duncan; doctor; residence, After doing this he said, "I could tell a tale if I wanted," and relapsed into semi-somnolence. Mr. Ryan called his attention to the fact that he had not filled in his proper residence, and the man replied, "I have no fixed place of abode at present. I'm living anywhere." After eating his chop and again offering the company a drink he disappeared, and has not since been heard of. The London omnibuses needed 16,000 drivers and conductors, by 1861. Conductors were allowed to keep 4 shillings a day out of the fares they collected, and drivers could count on 34 shillings a week, for a working day beginning at 7.45 and ending often past midnight. A worker’s average wage was between 20 and 30 shillings a week in London, probably less in the provinces. This would just cover his rent, and a very sparse diet for him and his family. In 1891 the top rate of pay for an East Sussex constable was £1/6/10d weekly.

Inquest: Martha Tabram

Alfred George Crow, cabdriver, 35, George-yard-buildings, deposed that he got home at half-past 3 on Tuesday morning. As he was passing the first-floor landing he saw a body lying on the ground. He took no notice, as he was accustomed to seeing people lying about there. He did not then know whether the person was alive or dead. He got up at half-past 9, and when he went down the staircase the body was not there. Witness heard no noise while he was in bed.

John S. Reeves, of 37, George-yard-buildings, a waterside Worker, said that on Tuesday morning he left home at a quarter to 5 to seek for work. When he reached the first-floor landing he found the deceased lying on her back in a pool of blood. He was frightened, and did not examine her, but at once gave information to the police. He did not know the deceased. The deceased's clothes were disarranged, as though she had had a struggle with some one. Witness saw no footmarks on the staircase, nor did he find a knife or other weapon.

(Eastern Post 18. August 1888)

* in Wentworth Street and George Street, which thoroughfares can be seen from George Yard Buildings. These streets contain a number of common lodging-houses, and are not far from a house which the woman "Pearly Poll" states that she and the deceased visited that night. Both Mr. and Mrs. Reeves have pointed out the spot where they allege these disturbances commenced, which they state to be the dead wall of Leterworth Buildings, in George Street. The first row commenced about 11:30, followed by another at 12:20 when both Mr. and Mrs. Reeves assert they heard cries of "Police!" "Help!" and terrible screaming. Shortly after one o'clock in the morning they were again disturbed with terrible screams, apparently coming from the same neighborhoods. They went on to the balcony of their dwelling, and found that there was not only one, but two separate rows going on. That in George Street this time was not many doors from the house where the murdered woman and her companion, "Pearly Poll," sometimes lodged, whilst the row in Wentworth Street was not from a house in Angel Alley, which the woman "Pearly Poll" is said to have admitted that she visited that evening. These two rows, Mr. and Mrs. Reeves say, were of a very noisy and quarrelsome character. The crowds round surged backwards and forwards a great deal. At last the police came and dispersed the crowd. This did not conclude the riotous proceedings of the night. About 2 o'clock Mr. and Mrs. Reeves heard more screams, they were this time very piercing. Only a few roughs seemed to constitute this crowd, which seemed to be moving in the direction of George Yard. However, the noise soon lessened in volume, and Mr. and Mrs. Reeves then retired for the night.

Police-constable Thomas Barrett, 226 H, said that the last witness called his attention to the body of the deceased. He sent for a doctor, who pronounced life extinct.

Dr. T. R. Killeen, of 68, Brick-lane, said that he was called to the deceased, and found her dead. She had 39 stabs on the body. She had been dead some three hours. Her age was about 36, and the body was very well nourished. Witness had since made a post-mortem examination of the body. The left lung was penetrated in five places, and the right lung was penetrated in two places. The heart, which was rather fatty, was penetrated in one place, and that would be sufficient to cause death. The liver was healthy, but was penetrated in five places, the spleen was penetrated in two places, and the stomach, which was perfectly healthy, was penetrated in six places. The witness did not think all the wounds were inflicted with the same instrument. The wounds generally might have been inflicted by a knife, but such an instrument could not have inflicted one of the wounds, which went through the chest-bone. His opinion was that one of the wounds was inflicted by some kind of dagger, and that all of them were caused during life.

The Coroner said he was in hopes that the body would be identified, but three women had identified it under three different names. He therefore proposed to leave that question open until the next occasion. The case would be left in the hands of Detective-Inspector Reid, who would endeavor to discover the perpetrator of this dreadful murder. It was one of the most dreadful murders any one could imagine. The man must have been a perfect savage to inflict such a number of wounds on a defenseless woman in such a way. The inquiry would be adjourned for a fortnight. The case was then adjourned.

Day 2, Thursday, August 23, 1888
(The Times, The Star, August 24, 25, 1888)

Yesterday afternoon [23 Aug] Mr. George Collier, the Deputy Coroner for the South-Eastern Division of Middlesex, resumed his inquiry at the Working Lads' Institute, Whitechapel-road, respecting the death of the woman who was found dead at George-yard-buildings, on the early morning of Tuesday, the 7th inst., with no less than 39 wounds on various parts of her body. The body has been identified as that of Martha Tabram, aged 39 or 40 years, the wife of a foreman packer at a furniture warehouse.

Henry Samuel Tabram, 6, River-terrace, East Greenwich, husband of the deceased woman, said he last saw her alive about 18 months ago, in the Whitechapel-road. They had been separated for 13 years, owing to her drinking habits. She obtained a warrant against him. For some part of the time witness allowed her 12s. a week, but in consequence of her annoyance he stopped this allowance ten years ago, since which time he had made it half-a-crown a week, as he found she was living with a man.

Henry Turner, a carpenter, staying at the Working Men's Home, Commercial-street, Spitalfields, stated that he had been living with the woman Tabram as his wife for about nine years. Two or three weeks previously to this occurrence he ceased to do so. He had left her on two or three occasions in consequence of her drinking habits, but they had come together again. He last saw her alive on Saturday, the 4th inst., in Leadenhall-street. He then gave her 1s. 6d. to get some stock. When she had money she spent it in drink. While living with witness deceased's usual time for coming home was about 11 o'clock. As far as he knew she had no regular companion and he did not know that she walked the streets. As a rule he was, he said, a man of sober habits, and when the deceased was sober they usually got on well together.
By Inspector Reid. - At times the deceased had stopped out all night. After those occasions she told him she had been taken in a fit and was removed to the Police station or somewhere else. 

By the Coroner. - He knew she suffered from fits, but they were brought on by drink.

Mrs. Mary Bousfield, wife of a wood cutter, residing at 4, Star-place, Commercial-road, knew the deceased by the name of Turner. She was formerly a lodger in her house with the man Turner. Deceased would rather have a glass of ale than a cup of tea, but she was not a woman who got continually drunk, and she never brought home any companions with her. She left without giving notice, and owed two weeks' rent.

Mrs. Ann Morris, a widow, of 23, Lisbon-street, E., said she last saw the deceased, who was her sister-in-law, at about 11 o'clock on Bank Holiday night in the Whitechapel-road. She was then about to enter a public house.

Elizabeth Mahoney: I live at 37 George-yard-buildings, Whitechapel - a block of model dwellings - and am a married woman, my husband, Joseph, being a car man, while I work at a match factory at Stratford, where I work from nine in the morning, usually, till about seven o'clock at night. So far as I can remember, I have occupied rooms in the present house for about eight months. Monday was Bank Holiday, and my husband and I were out all day, and did not return until twenty minutes to two on Tuesday morning. We went straight up to our room, and after taking off my hat and cloak, I came down again and went to a chandler's shop in Thrawl-street to buy some provisions for supper. I came back having been gone about five minutes; and after having supper we went to bed. On neither occasion, either in coming up or going down the stairs, did I see the body of a woman lying there. It is quite possible that a body might have been there, and that I did not notice it, because the stairs are very wide and were completely dark, all the lights having, as usual, been turned out at eleven o'clock. I did not get up till half-past eight in the morning, and during the night my attention was not attracted by a noise or disturbance of any kind. I did not know of the body of the deceased having been found on the stairs till about ten o'clock on Tuesday morning.[1]

* Resident of 47 George Yard Buildings with her husband Joseph. Described as "a young woman of some 25 or 26 years, plainly clad in a rusty-black dress, with a black woolen shawl pinned round her shoulders. Her evidence was neither very much to the point or distinctly uttered - indeed, so low was her voice as to elicit a complaint from the jurymen which was remedied by the witness being made to stand immediately next to the jury".

Reid about Mary Ann Connolly ("Pearly Poll"), who at the suggestion of Inspector Reid was cautioned in the usual manner before being sworn, stated she had been for the last two nights living at a lodging house in Dorset-street, Spitalfields. Witness was a single woman. She had known the woman Tabram for about four or five months. She knew her by the name of Emma. She last saw her alive on Bank Holiday night, when witness was with her about three-quarters of an hour, and they separated at a quarter to 12. Witness was with Tabram and two soldiers - one private and one corporal. She did not know what regiment they belonged to, but they had white bands round their caps. After they separated, Tabram went away with the private, and witness accompanied the corporal up Angel-alley. There was no quarrelling between any of them. Witness had been to the barracks to identify the soldiers, and the two men she picked out were, to the best of her belief, the men she and Tabram were with. The men at the Wellington Barracks were paraded before witness. One of the men picked out by witness turned out not to be a corporal, but he had stripes on his arm. 

Mary Ann Connelly said she had known the deceased for four or five months under the name of Emma. The last time she saw her alive was on Bank Holiday, at the corner of George-yard, Whitechapel. They went to a public-house together, and parted about 11.45. They were accompanied by two soldiers, one a private and the other a corporal. She did not know to what regiment they belonged, but they had white bands round their caps. Witness did not know if the corporal had any side arms. They picked up with the soldiers together, and entered several public-houses, where they drank. When they separated, the deceased went away with the private. They went up George-yard, while witness and the corporal went up Angel-alley. Before they parted witness and the corporal had a quarrel and he hit her with a stick. She did not hear deceased have any quarrel. Witness never saw the deceased again alive. -

*Witness at Martha Tabram's inquest. aka 'Pearly Poll' Born c.1838 Described as a big woman with a low voice and a drink reddened face, Mary Ann Connelly was an unmarried prostitute of about 50 years of age who had known Tabram for four or five months, although under the name of 'Emma Turner'. She had been living at Crossingham's Lodging House at 35 Dorset Street for two months. "Inspector Reid, Detective Sergeant Enright, Sergeant Godley and other officers then worked on a slight clue given them by 'Pearly Poll.' It was not thought much of at the time; but what was gleaned from her and other statements given by Elizabeth Allen and Eliza Cooper of 35 Dorset Street, Spitalfields, certain of the authorities have had cause to suspect a man actually living not far from Buck's Row. At present, however, there is only suspicion against him."

The Echo 14,September 1888

"PEARLY POLL" KNEW "DARK ANNIE" Strangely enough, "Pearly Poll," who was with Martha Turner on the night of that poor creature's barbarous murder in George Yard buildings, knew Annie Chapman, and had actually lodged with her at 35 Dorset street, Spitalfields. "Pearly Poll" has been questioned as to her knowledge of "Dark Annie," but her answers on the subject have served little to elucidate the mystery.

By Inspector Reid. - Witness heard of the murder on the Tuesday. Since the occurrence witness had threatened to drown herself, but she only said it for a lark. She stayed away two days and two nights, and she only said that when asked where she was going. She knew the police were looking after her, but she did not let them know her whereabouts. By a juryman. - The woman Tabram was not drunk. They were, however, drinking at different houses for about an hour and three-quarters. They had ale and rum.

Detective-Inspector Reid made a statement of the efforts made by the police to discover the perpetrator of the murder. Several persons had stated that they saw the deceased woman on the previous Sunday with a corporal, but when all the corporals and privates at the Tower and Wellington Barracks were paraded before them they failed to identify the man. The military authorities afforded every facility to the police. "Pearly Poll" picked out two men belonging to the Cold stream Guards at the Wellington Barracks. One of those men had three good conduct stripes, and he was proved beyond doubt to have been with his wife from 8 o'clock on the Monday night until 6 o'clock the following morning. The other man was also proved to have been in barracks at five minutes past 10 on Bank Holiday night. The police would be pleased if anyone would give them information of having seen anyone with the deceased on the night of Bank Holiday.

Henry Samuel Tabram, of 6, River-terrace, East Greenwich, stated that he was a foreman packer in a furniture warehouse. He identified the body as that of his wife. Her name was Martha Tabram, and she was thirty-nine years of age. He last saw her alive eighteen months ago in the Whitechapel-road. Witness had been separated from her thirteen years.

Henry Turner, who stated that he lived at the Working Men's Home, Commercial-street, deposed that he was a carpenter by trade, but latterly he had got his living as a hawker. Up till three weeks previous to this affair he was living with the deceased. They had lived together on and off for nine years. She used to get her living, like himself, as a street hawker. He last saw her alive on the Saturday before her death, when they met accidentally in Leadenhall-street. She said she had got no money, so witness gave her some to buy stock with. Deceased was a woman who, when she had the money, would get drunk with it.

Mary Bousfield, 4, Star-place, Commercial-road, deposed that Turner and the deceased lived at her house till three weeks before her death. Turner was very good to her, and helped to support two children she had by her husband.

Ann Morris, 23, Lisburn-street, E., a widow, deposed that she was the sister-in-law of the deceased. Witness last saw her alive on Bank Holiday, as she was entering the White Swan public-house in Whitechapel-road. Deceased then appeared to be sober. She was alone when she entered the bar.

The Coroner, in summing up, said that the crime was one of the most brutal that had occurred for some years. For a poor defenseless woman to be outraged and stabbed in the manner which this woman had been was almost beyond belief. They could only come to one conclusion, and that was that the deceased was brutally and cruelly murdered.

Tabram Wounds typically for sexual motivated murders

Amy Hewitt and her Husband Francis Fisher Hewitt

Born 1833, wife of Francis Hewitt, the manager of George Yard Buildings. Francis Hewitt Born, Holland, Lincolnshire in 1830. Married to Amy Casson with five children; Alice (1856), Frances (1860), Harriet (1867), John and Clara (1871).A painter and decorator who had previously lived in Nottinghamshire before settling in London where he resided in Goulston Street and Wentworth Street. In 1888 he was the Superintendant of George Yard Buildings. Hewitt lived only twelve feet from where the body of Martha Tabram was found. He testified as having heard no sound during the night, but his wife Amy claimed to have heard a cry of "Murder!" echo through the building. This can most probably be disregarded, as first, the cry occurred (according to Mrs. Hewitt) during the evening of August 6th, hours before the actual murder and secondly, she claimed that the cry did not seem to come from the interior of the building, but rather from the outside. The Hewitts explained that "...the district round here is rather rough and cries of murder are of everyday, if not nightly occurrence..." A further press report stated that "Mr. Francis Hewitt, the superintendent of the dwellings, who with his wife occupied a sleeping apartment at nearly right angles with the place where the dead body laid, procured a foot-rule, and measured the distance of his resting apartment from the stone step in question; it was exactly 12 ft. Later interviewed by The Times, Francis Hewitt said he believed that Tabram was seen in a public house with two soldiers on the night of her death. He died in Whitechapel in 1890.

Mr. Francis Hewitt, the superintendent of the dwellings, who with his wife occupied a sleeping apartment at nearly right angles with the place where the dead body laid, procured a foot-rule, and measured the distance of his sleeping apartment from the stone step in question; it was exactly 12 ft. "And we never heard a cry," remarked Mr. Hewitt. Mrs. Hewitt remarked that early in the evening she did hear a single cry of "Murder." It echoed through the building, but did not emanate from there. "But," explained Mr. and Mrs. Hewitt in a breath, "the district round here is rather rough, and cries of 'Murder' are of frequent, if not nightly, occurrence in the district." From an interview with Connolly, it appeared that Martha Turner had lived apart from her husband for some years, and latterly had attempted to get her living by hawking.

East London Observer Saturday, 18 August 1888.

A single cry of "MURDER!"

There have been many visitors to George-yard-buildings with the rather morbid purpose of seeing the place where the deceased was discovered. Here there is still a large surface of the stone flags crimson stained. It is at the spot where the blood oozed from the poor creatures heart. The police authorities regard as little short of marvelous the fact that no dweller in this model block heard any disturbance. Thinking this point ought to be cleared up, our reported again visited to-day Mr. Francis Hewitt, the superintendent of the dwellings, who, with his wife, occupies a sleeping apartment at nearly right angles with the place where the dead body lay. Mr. Hewitt produced a foot-rule, and measured the distance of his sleeping place from the stone step in question; it was exactly 12 ft. "And we never heard a cry," remarked Mr. Hewitt. Mrs. Hewitt remarked that early in the evening she had heard a single cry of "Murder!" It echoed through the building, but did not emanate from there. "But," explained Mr. and Mrs. Hewitt in a breath, "the district round here is rather rough, and cries of "Murder!" are of frequent, if not nightly, occurrence in the district.

The Echo 13. August 1888

THE OCCUPANTS OF THE DWELLINGS.

The model dwellings at George-yard-buildings were erected about thirteen years ago, and Princess Alice, but a short time before her death, visited the poor residents there, and extolled the ingenious method of housing them. The structure was erected more as a philanthropic than as a commercial venture by Mr. Crowther, a gentleman well known in the district. The occupants are of the poorest class - described by the superintendent's wife as "the poorest of the poor, but very honest."

ANN MORRIS, Witness at Martha Tabram's inquest. Widowed sister-in-law of Martha Tabram and resident of 23 Lisbon Street, Mile End. She stated in her testimony that she saw Tabram about to enter the White Swan public house on Whitechapel High Street at 11.00pm, 6th August 1888. Tabram appeared to be sober at this time. Further information was given in the local press: The next evidence was that of Mrs. Ann Morris, a very respectable woman, dressed quietly in black. She lived at 23, Fisher-street [sic], Mile End, and said she was a widow, and the sister of Mr. Tabram, the husband of deceased. She last saw deceased alive at 11 o'clock on Bank Holiday. She was then going into a public-house, the sign of which witness thought was the White Swan in the Whitechapel-road. Nothing more was seen of her after that. Deceased drank very heavily. As far as witness' judgment went she considered deceased was on the streets. They were only on speaking terms, and she had seen very little of her lately. Witness had heard she was a hawker, but had never seen her doing anything for a living. Witness knew nothing of the circumstances of her death. It was also discovered at the inquest that Martha Tabram had been charged several times with 'annoying' Mrs. Morris and was sent before the magistrate where she "was sentenced to seven days".

ELIZABETH MAHONEY, Witness at Martha Tabram's inquest. dweller of 47 George Yard Buildings with her husband Joseph. Described as "a young woman of some 25 or 26 years, plainly clad in a rusty-black dress, with a black woolen shawl pinned round her shoulders. Her evidence was neither very much to the point or distinctly uttered - indeed, so low was her voice as to elicit a complaint from the jurymen which was remedied by the witness being made to stand immediately next to the jury". I live at 37 [sic] George-yard-buildings, Whitechapel - a block of model dwellings - and am a married woman, my husband, Joseph, being a Carmen, while I work at a match factory at Stratford, where I work from nine in the morning, usually, till about seven o'clock at night. So far as I can remember, I have occupied rooms in the present house for about eight months. Monday was Bank Holiday, and my husband and I were out all day, and did not return until twenty minutes to two on Tuesday morning. We went straight up to our room, and after taking off my hat and cloak, I came down again and went to a chandler's shop in Thrawl-street to buy some provisions for supper. I came back having been gone about five minutes; and after having supper we went to bed. On neither occasion, either in coming up or going down the stairs, did I see the body of a woman lying there. It is quite possible that a body might have been there, and that I did not notice it, because the stairs are very wide and were completely dark, all the lights having, as usual, been turned out at eleven o'clock. I did not get up till half-past eight in the morning, and during the night my attention was not attracted by a noise or disturbance of any kind. I did not know of the body of the deceased having been found on the stairs till about ten o'clock on Tuesday morning.

JOHN REEVES, Witness at Martha Tabram's inquest. Born John Saunders Reeves, 1855, Whitechapel. Married Louisa Parsons, father of 6 children.

A waterside worker residing at 37 George Yard Buildings, described as having a slight dark beard and moustache and wearing earrings. He left home at 4.45am on the morning of 7th August 1888 to seek work at the docks and discovered Tabram's body on the first floor landing, lying in a pool of blood. Alarmed by what he saw, he did not examine the body, but ran to fetch a policeman and returned to the scene with PC Thomas Barrett. He stated that Tabram's clothes were disarranged, as though a struggle had taken place, though there were no footprints on the stairs or any weapon lying nearby. Later press reports mentioned that Reeves and his wife had heard disturbances during the night: ...as a result of persistent inquiries a Mr. and Mrs. Reeves now state that on the evening and towards midnight on Bank Holiday a NUMBER OF FIGHTS TOOK PLACE in Wentworth Street and George Street, which thoroughfares can be seen from George Yard Buildings. These streets contain a number of common lodging-houses, and are not far from a house which the woman "Pearly Poll" states that she and the deceased visited that night. Both Mr. and Mrs. Reeves have pointed out the spot where they allege these disturbances commenced, which they state to be the dead wall of Leterworth Buildings, in George Street. The first row commenced about 11:30, followed by another at 12:20 when both Mr. and Mrs. Reeves assert they heard cries of "Police!" "Help!" and terrible screaming. Shortly after one o'clock in the morning they were again disturbed with terrible screams, apparently coming from the same neighborhood. They went on to the balcony of their dwelling, and found that there was not only one, but two separate rows going on. That in George Street this time was not many doors from the house where the murdered woman and her companion, "Pearly Poll," sometimes lodged, whilst the row in Wentworth Street was not from a house in Angel Alley, which the woman "Pearly Poll" is said to have admitted that she visited that evening. These two rows, Mr. and Mrs. Reeves say, were of a very noisy and querulous character. The crowds round surged backwards and forwards a great deal. At last the police came and dispersed the crowd. This did not conclude the riotous proceedings of the night. About 2 o'clock Mr. and Mrs. Reeves heard more screams, they were this time very piercing. Only a few roughs seemed to constitute this crowd, which seemed to be moving in the direction of George Yard. However, the noise soon lessened in volume, and Mr. and Mrs. Reeves then retired for the night.

A woman giving the name of Connolly - known amongst her class as "Pearly Poll" - has come forward stating that she and deceased were in company with soldiers on the night of Bank Holiday, but it appears she has failed to identify any individual soldier to the satisfaction of the authorities. Other residents, strange to say, have now offered testimony to the effect that they heard screams from George-street about the time it is supposed the crime must have been committed, and this would support the belief that the woman was not murdered where she was found lying dead. The position of the matter now is this, that the police have no one in custody but they are very reticent upon the matter generally, and are not disposed to assist in the publication of details. The police state that they should not be at all surprised to find that the murder was not entirely the work of soldiers, or that soldiers had a hand in the crime at all. George-street is one of the most dangerous streets in the locality, and that street, together with others, has for years been a regular rendezvous and hiding place for deserters. Old bayonets, they assert, can at any time be bought in Petticoat-lane, and at the old iron stalls there, for about a penny each, and they have frequently been seen as playthings in the hands of the children. No conclusion can be come to at present as to the ultimate success of the detective force in elucidating the truth about this terrible deed, but it is sincerely to be hoped that justice will be meted out to the inhuman villain who could so foully maltreat a fellow creature - let alone a woman - and we trust that this Whitechapel murder will not have be placed upon the records of the police as one of those undiscovered crimes of which there have been far too many within the last decade.

MARY BOUSFIELD, Witness at Martha Tabram's inquest. Also known as Mary Luckhurst. Born c.1856 in St George in the East. Martha's former landlady at 4 Star Place, off Star Street, Commercial Road. Mrs. Bousfield lived with her husband, William Bousfield, a woodcutter and their six children. She stated that Martha sold matches for a living, but suspected that she may also have been earning by prostitution. She testified that Martha and Henry Turner left her establishment three weeks prior to her death, owing a considerable sum in unpaid rent, although Martha apparently crept back later to return her key. She also described Martha as a person who would "rather have a glass of ale than a cup of tea." She also said, however, that she was not a perpetual drunk. Mrs Bousfield died in St George in the East in 1902.

MARY ANN CONNELLY, Witness at Martha Tabram's inquest. aka 'Pearly Poll' Born c.1838 Described as a big woman with a low voice and a drink reddened face, Mary Ann Connelly was an unmarried prostitute of about 50 years of age who had known Tabram for four or five months, although under the name of 'Emma Turner'. She had been living at Crossingham's Lodging House at 35 Dorset Street for two months. On the night of 6th August 1888, Connelly and Tabram met a guardsman and a corporal in the Two Brewers on Brick Lane at approximately 10.00pm. They proceeded to spend the rest of the evening in the company of the soldiers, visiting several pubs. They were seen by Tabram's sister-in-law, Ann Morris, entering the White Swan on Whitechapel High Street at about 11pm. At approx. 11.45pm, Connelly took the corporal into Angel Alley and Tabram took the guardsman into George Yard, undoubtedly for sex, which was the last time Mary Ann saw Martha alive. On 9th August 1888, Connelly went to Commercial Street Police Station to tell officers that she had been drinking with 'Emma Turner' on the night of the 6th. After the inquest and police questioning, authorities believed their best hope of catching the killer was through 'Pearly Poll', so naturally they were quite taken aback when she disappeared shortly thereafter. Some time later, however, Sergeant Eli Caunter located her staying with her cousin at 4 Fuller's Court, Drury Lane. Confident that they had their star witness, the authorities staged a parade of Scots Guards at the Tower of London. Either unwilling or unable to pick out her suspect, she added that the soldiers she was with had white cap bands, the mark of the Cold stream Guards. Another parade was held for Connelly, this time at Wellington Barracks, Birdcage Walk, where she picked out two guardsmen. They provided unshakeable alibis, however, and were soon after released. The entire incident was quite embarrassing for the police, who finally concluded that Connelly was not going to help them. Connelly was also believed to have known Annie Chapman, according to a brief account in The Echo: Strangely enough, "Pearly Poll," who was with Martha Turner on the night of that poor creature's barbarous murder in George Yard buildings, knew Annie Chapman, and had actually lodged with her at 35 Dorset street, Spitalfields. "Pearly Poll" has been questioned as to her knowledge of "Dark Annie," but her answers on the subject have served little to elucidate the mystery. "Inspector Reid, Detective Sergeant Enright, Sergeant Goadby and other officers then worked on a slight clue given them by 'Pearly Poll.' It was not thought much of at the time; but what was gleaned from her and other statements given by Elizabeth Allen and Eliza Cooper of 35 Dorset Street, Spitalfields, certain of the authorities have had cause to suspect a man actually living not far from Buck's Row. At present, however, there is only suspicion against him.

Angel Alley: A slim passageway passing from Whitechapel High Street to Wentworth Street and next to George Yard on its eastern side where Martha Tabram was murdered. This seems to have been the most respectable street in this drab area in the mid 1800s, and was dominated by "bad houses". John Hollingshead reports in the first of 10 articles he wrote for the Morning Post, under the overall title of London Horrors, starting on 21st January 1861 (and thereafter daily, except Sunday) that they were "the cleanest looking houses in the district" and that the "windows have tolerably neat green blinds, the doors have brass plates, and inside the houses there is comparative comfort, if not plenty". This relatively high standard was evidently afforded mainly by the custom of farmers' men who supplied the Whitechapel Hay Market twice weekly. At the left-hand side of the entrance to this alley stood the Angel Public House!, whose owner was one Henry Burgess in 1888.

THOMAS BARRETT, Police Constable Thomas Barrett, 226H Witness at Martha Tabram's inquest. Born c.1857 in Sherborne, Dorset. Joined Metropolitan Police (H-division, Whitechapel) in 1883. Married to Ellen (b.1854) with three children, Albert (b.1885), Helena (b.1889) and Tom (b.1892) At 2.00am on the morning of 7th August 1888, Barrett was patrolling Wentworth Street when he came across a soldier loitering near the entrance to George Yard. Barrett described him as being a Private in the Grenadier Guards, aged between 22-26, 5ft 9ins tall, with a fair complexion, dark hair, a small brown moustache turned up at the ends and sporting a good conduct badge (but no medals). The soldier told Barrett that he was 'waiting for a chum who had gone with a girl'. PC Barrett was later summoned to George Yard Buildings by John Reeves who had just found the body of Martha Tabram, from where he sent for Dr Timothy Killeen. Barrett stated at the inquest that the deceased's clothes "were turned up as far as the center of the body, leaving the lower part of the body exposed; the legs were open, and altogether her position was such as to suggest in my mind that recent intimacy had taken place." Barrett also claimed that he would be able to recognize the soldier again and attended an identity parade at the Tower of London where he first picked out a private wearing medals. He then picked out a second man, stating that it was he and not the first man. Both soldiers were questioned and gave a good account of their movements on the night of the 6th-7th August.

TIMOTHY KILLEEN,

Dr. Timothy Robert Killeen Witness at Martha Tabram's inquest. Living at 68 Brick Lane in 1888, Dr. Killeen was called to the scene of Tabram's murder at George Yard Buildings, arriving at at about 5.30am on 7th August 1888. In his witness testimony, Dr. Killeen stated that Martha Tabram had 39 stabs on the body. She had been dead some three hours. Her age was about 36 and the body was very well nourished. Dr. Killeen had since made a post-mortem examination of the body. The left lung was penetrated in five places, and the right lung was penetrated in two places. The heart, which was rather fatty, was penetrated in one place, and that would be sufficient to cause death. The liver was healthy, but was penetrated in five places, the spleen was penetrated in two places, and the stomach, which was perfectly healthy, was penetrated in six places. Dr. Killeen did not think all the wounds were inflicted with the same instrument. The wounds generally might have been inflicted by a knife, but such an instrument could not have inflicted one of the wounds, which went through the chest-bone. His opinion was that one of the wounds was inflicted by some kind of dagger, and that all of them were caused during life. Further coverage of the inquest revealed more medical evidence: He had since made a post mortem examination, and on opening the head found there was an effusion of blood between the scalp and the bone. The brain was pale but healthy... There was food in the process of digestion in the stomach. Dr. Keeling then described where the wounds had been made, and in answer to questions stated positively that there were no signs of there having been recent connation. In his opinion the wounds were caused by a knife, or some such instrument, but there was a wound on the chest bone which could not have been caused by a knife. An ordinary penknife could have made most of the wounds, but the puncture in the chest must have been made with a sword bayonet or a dagger. The wounds, he was of the opinion, were inflicted during life, and it was impossible for them all to have been self-inflicted, though some of them might have been. Then in reply to questions from the coroner as to whether he could tell whether the wounds were made by a right or left-handed person, the doctor said one of the wounds might have been made by a left-handed man, but not the others. Dr. Killeen's tenure in East London appears short; from 1891 his address is listed as Clonfeigh, Ennis, Co. Clare

Mary Ann Nichols

HENRY BIRCH, Henry Birch was the proprietor of a milk-stand in the yard of Number 2, Little Turner street, Commercial Road. He claimed to have sold a glass of milk to a "frightened", suspicious-looking man on the night after the Polly Nichols murder. His story appeared in The Star:

Not later than a quarter-past eleven a man stepped hurriedly into a yard entrance at No. 2, Little Turner-street, Commercial-road. On one side of the yard is a milk stand. The man asked for a glass of milk, and, when served, drank it hurriedly, then, looking about in a frightened manner, asked if he might step back into the yard. The proprietor, Henry Birch, did not object, but presently, his suspicions being aroused, he stepped towards the man and found him drawing on a suit of new overalls over his ordinary clothes. The pants were already on, and he was stooping to take a jacket from a black shiny bag that lay at his feet when Birch stepped up to him. He seemed to be very much upset by the interruption, and for a moment could not speak. Presently he said, "That was a terrible murder last night, was'nt it?" and before Birch could answer he had added, "I think I've got a clue," and, snatching up his bag, he disappeared down the street. Mr. Birch then thought he might be a detective, adopting a disguise for some purpose, but the police believe he was the man who assaulted the woman in Cambridge Heath-road, and that he donned the overalls to mislead anyone who might be tracing him. They have the name of the woman referred to, and her description tallies with that given by Birch of his mysterious caller. The clothing was described as a blue serge suit, and a stiff but low hat. He wore a stand-up collar and a watch-chain. He wore no beard, but a slight dark moustache and his face was evidently sun burnt. Birch says he thought he was a seafaring man, or one who had recently made a long voyage. When he got the overalls on he had the appearance of an engineer. Many points of this description correspond so well to that given of the man who made such pointed inquiries about women at the Nuns Head Tavern, Aldgate, last Saturday night, and also to another description the police have received, that they are inclined to connect the man with the latest murders.

Few newspapers picked up the story, and no mention of Birch is found among surviving police reports. The reference to the man seen at the "Nuns Head Tavern" most likely refers to the description of a man seen at the "Three Nuns Hotel" by Albert Bachert on the night of 30 September 1888.

Albert Bachert, Bachert's first connection with the Whitechapel murders occurs the night of the Double Event, 30 September 1888, in the form of an encounter with a suspicious man. The Times 1 October relates his story: I was in the Three Nuns Hotel, Aldgate, on Saturday night, when a man got into conversation with me. He asked me questions which now appear to me to have some bearing upon the recent murders. He wanted to know whether I knew what sort of loose women used the public bar at that house, when they usually left the street outside, and where they were in the habit of going. He asked further questions, and from his manner seemed to be up to no good purpose. He appeared to be a shabby genteel sort of man, and was dressed in black clothes. He wore a black felt hat and carried a black bag. We came out together at closing time (12 o'clock), and I left him outside Aldgate Railway Station. In The Times of 2 October, Bachert expanded his story, adding a match-woman and more of his conversation with the mysterious man: While in there an elderly woman, very shabbily dressed, came in and asked me to buy some matches. I refused and she went out. A man who had been standing by me remarked that those persons were a nuisance, to which I responded "Yes." He then asked me if I knew how old some of the women were who were in the habit of soliciting outside. I replied that I knew, or thought, that some of them who looked about 25 were over 35. He then asked me whether I thought a woman would go with him down Northumberland-alley - a dark and lonely court in Fenchurch-street. I said I did not know, but supposed she would. He then went outside and spoke to the woman who was selling matches and gave her something. He returned, and I bid him good-night at about ten minutes past 12. I believe the woman was waiting for him. I do not think I could identify the woman, as I did not take particular notice of her; but I should know the man again. He was a dark man, about 38 years of age, about 5ft. 6in. or 5ft. 7in. He wore a black felt hat, a dark morning coat, a black tie, and a carried a black shiny bag. On 20 October, Bachert moved from the role of witness to that of participant, when he received an alleged Ripper postcard

Dear Old Baskett

Yer only tried ter get yer name

in the papers when yer thought you

had me in the Three Tuns Hotel

I'd like to punch yer bleeding nose

Jack the Riper

The morning of Mary Jane Kelly's funeral, 19 November, Bachert claimed to be woken by an unnamed police constable who informed him that there was chalk graffiti written on the outside of 13 Newnham. As reported in The Walthamstow and Leyton Guardian of Saturday, 24 November, the writing on the Bachert home read: Dear Boss, - I am still about: Look out. - Yours, JACK THE RIPPER. Presumably while at the scene, Bachert declared that the writing resembled that of the Dear Boss letter, singling out the "B" in "Boss" and "R" in "Ripper." To discourage the crowd that had started to collect around the Bachert house, Albert's mother partially washed the graffiti away. There was another incident the following summer. the Hempstead Gazette of 20 July 1889 reported that police had received a spate of Ripper letters, which threatened more murders. Albert Bachert's name is also mentioned as having been the target of a letter that June. Evans and Skinner report that police files preserve no such communication. Some point in 1889, Bachert became chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee. Bachert did not join the organization until 1889, when press reports first cite his involvement.

Bachert's letter to the Advertiser:

As chairman of the last-formed Whitechapel Vigilance Committee, I have been questioned by a large number of people about this discovery (the Pinchin Street Torso). From the time our committee was formed, my colleagues and myself have done all in our power to discover the Whitechapel murderer. Night after night I have been out watching and making inquiries; but when the dock Worker's strike commenced the interest in the murders seemed to cool down, and thus several of my supporters relaxed the energy they had hitherto displayed… From inquiries, I am confident that the murderer is a Whitechapel person, or at any point he is well acquainted with the back streets. It is a curious fact that in all places where these murders have occurred the houses are such that any person can enter by pulling a string which lifts the latch. My opinion is that the murderer knows this, and that the moment he has committed a murder he enters one of these houses. I firmly believe that if the police had searched the houses in the vicinity the moment a murder was discovered, the murderer would have been captured (East London Advertiser, 14 September 1889).

The Chronicle's 21 September 1889

Bachert said that the authorities at Leman Street Police Station received a letter, which gave information that "a tall, strong woman has for some time been working at different slaughter-houses, attired as a man." Bachert also told the paper that police had made inquiries at slaughterhouses in Aldgate and Whitechapel the morning of 19 September, presumably in connection with the Ripper murders. The paper supplied no further details of the letter, or how Bachert knew about it.

Mr. Albert Bachert, chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee, has received the following letter: "Whitechapel, 9th October, 1889. Dear Boss, - I write you these few lines to let you know, as you are the Boss of the Vigilant Society, that the last job wasn't me. You might have known it wasn't me, for I shouldn't have made such a 'botch' of it. Never mind, young man. You can keep your lamps open for the 18th of October. I am on the job again. There's no blood knocking about or I let you see some. Never mind. Look out, old man. Your a brave sort. You thought you had me once. Don't forget the 18th. - Yours in haste, JACK THE R. - Albert Bachert." The envelope bears the East London postmark, and was posted on Saturday. The writing corresponds with that in the letters received by Mr. Bachert previously. The "B" and "R" are a facsimile of those in the two letters that were sent to Mr. Bachert before the Miller's-court and Castle-alley murders, and these two letters turned out to be true. In this instance, however, the letters "J. R." are on the envelope as well as on the address.

East London Advertiser, Saturday, 19 October, 1889.

the Port Philip Herald, 22 November 1890:

In connection with the late Whitechapel murders, the most remarkable and sensational statement was made to me this morning at my place. At eleven o'clock this morning a very respectable middle-aged woman called at my house, and wished to see me. She was asked in, and then made the following statement to me, which she declared was all quite true: About two years ago, she said, she was living in the model dwellings close by here and had a bedroom to let, furnished. A young man called and engaged the room. After living some time with her he stated that he had been to sea, and that at the present time he was receiving £1 a week from his father, and was also receiving an allowance from his brother, who was a doctor, and that he did not work himself. She also noticed that he had plenty of clothes, including hunting breeches, revolvers, guns, and many other articles, which an ordinary working man would not have. He had the door key, and could go out and in at all hours of the night, and used generally to get up about 5 p.m., but she could not say what time he arrived home at night. On several occasions she noticed that his towels were very bloodstained, for which he accounted by saying that he was fond of painting, and had wiped his brush on them. She also stated that she knew he had sent the liver, because one afternoon she happened to go to his room, and saw him with several pieces of liver on a newspaper, which he stated he had got from a New Zealand boat, as he knew a friend who was on board a frozen mutton boat. She saw him pack it in the box and address it to the then Chairman of the Vigilance Committee. He also put some papers into different envelopes, which he intended sending to the Central News and the Press Association, and the police, but he forgot them, and she threw them into the dustbin. She noticed also that he had several brass wedding rings on the mantel shelf, and on one or two occasions he brought home a white apron blood stained, and gave them to her, which she has at the present time. He always seemed to have plenty of money, and on the morning of the last murder (the Castle Alley) he left and has never returned. He left a pair of silent shoes, several bags, which she says are blood stained, and a long overcoat, which is also blood stained. I asked her if she had been to the police, and she said she had not, as she was afraid of getting into trouble for not having given information before. She said she could hold the secret no longer, and also feels convinced that the man she had lodging with her was the real "Jack the Ripper" and Whitechapel murderer. I feel sure that she was in earnest about this statement and she appeared very nervous, and did not wish her name to be published. I have no doubt that the police will make inquiries into the statement at once, and I directed her to go to Leman street to give all particulars. I may add that there was another person present when this statement was made this morning. An journalist from the Herald succeed in locating the woman and received further details of her story, which the paper relates in the same issue. Her story seems culled from various newspaper reports, and two details are striking in connection with Bachert: the boarder "was in the habit of spending his evenings at the Tuns. . . ." and that he frequently used the term "Boss." They recall the "Toby Baskett" letter of October 1888.

In February of 1891, excited talk concerning a possible return of Jack the Ripper resumed when Frances Coles was found murdered in Swallow Gardens and police arrested Thomas Sadler for her murder. Albert Bachert was present for at least part of the Coles inquest, and possibly was there to witness Joseph Lawende's attempted identification of Sadler as Catherine Eddowes' assailant (Lawende was unable to make the identification). On 16 February, when the inquest reconvened after an adjournment, Coroner Wynne Baxter found himself short of jurymen to hear the case. Bachert offered himself as a substitute but Baxter, seemingly all too familiar with Bachert's reputation, refused him. Bachert was furious and demanded an explanation:

Mr. Backert. - Why?

The CORONER. - Because I decline.

Mr. Backert. - You decline simply because I happen to be chairman of the Vigilance Committee, and you think I shall fully investigate this matter. I have a right to be on the jury.

The CORONER. - I have decided you are not to serve on this jury.

Mr. Backert. - Yes; because you know I shall inquire into the case.

The CORONER. - You have already been told I shall decline to accept you.

Mr. Backert (walking to the back of the court). - You will hear more of this.

The jury, having been sworn, proceeded to view the body. On their return Mr. Backert, addressing the Coroner, said:- "It was only after you heard who I was that you would not allow me to serve on the jury."

The CORONER. - If you do not keep quiet I will have you ejected from the room. (The Times {London}, 16 February 1891).

It's clear from the exchange that Wynne Baxter did not have a high regard for Albert Bachert. One wonders if other authorities felt the same. Indeed, by 1893, even the press would describe him as an "agitator" (The Times {London}, 8 March, 1893). At some point prior to March 1893, Bachert took a salaried position (25s. a week) as secretary of the Unemployed and Investigation Relief Committee (or Tower Hamlets Unemployed Investigation and Relief Society). The organization, formed to distribute food and clothing to the poor of Whitechapel, was at the time temporarily headed by the Reverend Richard Wilson (acting for his brother Harry, who was ill that March). Rather than provide materials directly to applicants, the Relief Committee instead gave them written orders, which they could then redeem with participating tradesmen. On March 8, Albert Bachert was indicted for providing false orders to benefit a Mrs. Avenell, for six loaves of bread and six quarterns (quartern=quarter pound) of flour. Bachert had obtained the orders from Rev. Wilson with the understanding that Mrs. Avenell's case was "urgent and deserving" and that Bachert had done so with the approval of the committee. However, it transpired that Bachert had never approached the committee with Mrs. Avenell's case and they knew nothing of her, a situation that was quickly remedied. Mrs. Avenell was found to be not deserving of charity-she was a widow who kept a beer shop and whose actual name was, aptly, Beers (Avenell was the name of a former husband). Bachert's defense called two witnesses, but they were unable to contradict the prosecution's evidence. Albert Bachert was found guilty and sentenced to three months imprisonment with hard labor (The Times {London}, 8 March 1893 and East London Advertiser, 11 March 1893).

A DOCTOR'S CLUE.

HE GIVES INFORMATION OF A MAD MEDICAL ASSISTANT.

Just Such a Man as Archibald Forbes Described - The Practical Joker Threatens Another Murder - A Night of Comparative Quiet. A medical gentleman called at The Star office yesterday to give us some important information regarding a suspicion which he entertains as to the murderer. But his first words were of protest against the manner he was received at Scotland-yard. He went there in company with another medical gentleman and announced that he had some important information to communicate. He was shown into an underground room where two or three police clerks were standing about. He was not attended to, and after waiting some minutes he said to his friend, "Well, if this is the way we are to be treated I am going." Thereupon one of the subalterns said, "Beg pardon, sir, but we are very busy." This came from one of the men who was busy talking to his colleagues. At last the doctor received some, but not too polite, attention. He was conducted upstairs to see "SOMEONE IN AUTHORITY," but that "someone" refused to see him. His statement was then taken down in a perfunctory manner. "The man," he says, "didn't put down half that I told him, and I was disgusted at the manner we were received and at the careless way Scotland-yard does its duty." The only explanation they gave to his protests was that "There's so many people call here, you know." Having extricated himself from Scotland-yard red tape and Warrenism, the gentleman came with his story to the Star office, not because he sympathies with the paper politically, for he is a "rank Conservative," but because of the importance he attaches to the news. It has been more than once suggested that the murderer is a MONOMANIAC WITH MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE. The doctor had an assistant who has gone mad recently, and who is exactly the sort of man Mr. Archibald Forbes had in his mind in his diagnosis of the murders. "Clearly," said Mr. Forbes, "the murderer is a man familiar with the geography of the Whitechapel purlieus. Clearly he is a man not unaccustomed in the manner of accosting these poor women as they are wont to be accosted. Clearly he is a man to whom the methods of the policeman are not unknown - the measured pace, the regular methodic round, the tendency to woodenness and unalertness of perception which are the characteristics of that well-meaning individual. "Probably, a dissolute man, he fell a victim to a specific contagion, and so seriously that in the sequel he lost his career. What shape the deterioration may have taken, yet left him with a strong, steady hand, a brain of devilish coolness, and an active step, is not to be defined."

"The man's physical health ruined," continues Mr. Forbes, "and his career broken, he has possibly suffered specific brain damage as well. At this moment - I cannot use exact professional terms - there may be mischief to one of the lobes of the brain. Or he may have become insane simply from anguish of body and distress of mind. Anyhow, he is mad, and his mania, rising from the particular to the general, takes THE FELL FORM OF REVENGE

against the class, a member of which has wrought him his blighting hurt, against, too, the persons of that class plying in Whitechapel, since it was from a Whitechapel loose woman that he took his scathe." Now this exactly describes the man whom the doctor suspects. He is a man of about 35. He was not a fully qualified surgeon, but had a certain amount of anatomical knowledge, and had assisted at operations, including ovariotomy. He was the assistant to a doctor in Whitechapel, and KNOWS EVERY ALLEY AND COURT in the neighborhood of the places where the murders were committed. He has been the victim of "a specific contamination," and since then has been animated by feelings of hate, not to say revenge, against the lower class of women who haunt the streets. When seen about eight months ago he was mad. "What man," said the doctor, in concluding his story, "is more likely to have committed the crime than this maniac?" The matter is certainly one which should be sifted by the police, but Scotland-yard is perhaps too busy to attend to it, because forsooth "There's so many call here, you know.

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