Was Mary Kelly a Fenian?

In the Autumn of 1884 female body parts were found with a tattoo ink mark on the forearm indicating the victim was most probably a prostitute:

Tottenham Court Road Mystery of 1884.

October 24, 1884

The Times reported that, “Yesterday considerable excitement was caused in the neighbourhood of Tottenham-court-road by the discovery of human remains, supposed to be those of a woman, under circumstances suggesting foul play.” A skull with flesh still adhering to it, as well as a large piece of flesh from the thighbone, were discovered. Around the same time, a parcel containing a human arm was found in Bedford Square. The arm, which had been thrown over the railing, contained a possible clue to the victim’s identity, a tattoo, which more then likely, meant the woman had been a prostitute.

Five days later, a police constable was passing Number 33 Fitzroy Square, when he noticed a large brown paper parcel. Upon investigating, he found it contained a portion of a human torso. The murderer, it would seem, was one who was exceedingly daring or lucking in depositing the remains. According to the Pall Mall Gazette, “the side walk in front of the house is constantly patrolled by police . . . It is believed that the parcel was deposited between ten o’clock and ten fifteen, when the police relief takes place.” The building that the remains were placed in front was also a military drill-hall and armoury.

So what’s so intriguing about that?

Allan Pinkerton

wrote to Gladstone to offer the assistance of his organisation claiming that British detectives:

 are, so far as my experience with them is concerned, a body of first class, intelligent men and many of their operations could not be excelled for brilliancy and important results. But is of the “shadows” or “informers” that I wish to speak . . . Pinkerton to Gladstone, July 8th, 1882.

(Abberline worked for Pinkerton after he retired from the police force.)

The Special Irish Branch was formed in March 1883, to combat the threat of Irish terrorism. The Fenians (Irish Nationalists) exploded a bomb at Scotland Yard in 1884, and the following year they bombed the Tower of London and Houses of Parliament. The “Irish” label was dropped in 1888 as the department’s remit was extended to cover other threats. They became known simply as Special Branch the original headquarters of the Metropolitan Police was a house at 4 Whitehall Place, not far from Trafalgar Square, but the rear entrance, which the public used, was in Scotland Yard.

Scotland Yard paid their informants.

From 1837 Cobb explored cases, particularly murders, to find the right type of officers to act as detectives. In turn, the most successful of these officers began to discover and use rudimentary methods that went on to become the basic tools of the modern day detective e g the surveillance of suspects, the use of informers and the gathering of evidence.

Monro’s memoirs confirm the use of Pinkerton’s Detective Agency as the preferred operational contact point:  (Monro memoirs, 1903).

“Pinkerton, Robert requesting assistance for his detective in Cronin case”. Entries show that the detective was a J R Saville and his job was “looking after John Hayes suspected of the murder.” Dr Patrick Cronin was a prominent Chicago member of Clan na Gael who, after falling out with its leader Alexander Sullivan over the use of the organisation’s funds, was expelled and murdered on May 4th, 1889 (Le Caron, 1894). 

Entries reveal that, whether by accident or design, Metropolitan Police Special Branch arrived at an ideal intelligence gathering scenario, with two or more informants working unknown to each other in the same organisation and hence able to supply independently corroborated information to MPSB concerning each others activities. This enabled an accurate assessment to be made concerning their veracity and afford a valuable check on whether the activities they reported to their handler corresponded to truth.

Coulon moved to 19 Fitzroy Square, taking up residence in a house that his anarchist colleagues, who were by now having their doubts about him on other matters, considered was much too respectable for a man who had just been dismissed from his teaching post at the anarchist school (Quail, 1978). The Chief Constable’s Register lends credence to this. Immediately following the second reference to his employment at the International Anarchist School comes an entry stating; “Coulon – suspected of being a police spy”.

Who was Auguste Coulon? According to Quail (1978), he was in regular correspondence with the Socialist League and possibly lived in Dublin before moving to France. Numerous entries in the Chief Constable’s Register confirm his presence in Ireland, his establishment of an Anarchist group in Dublin and the consequent interest in him by the Dublin Metropolitan Police.

Maurice Moser, an Inspector in the Metropolitan Police Irish Bureau, reveals in his memoirs how he carried out surveillance in Paris on Irish suspects. This was with the full knowledge and co-operation of the French police, which assisted in drugging the drink of a suspect, relieving him of his recently collected post, steamed a letter open, copied, and returned it to his pocket before he regained consciousness. (Moser, 1890).

Mary Kelly was Irish, travelled to Paris and her identity remains hidden. She claimed she was frightened of someone – according to Barnett. She preferred poverty in the East End to remaining in relative comfort in the West End. An inexplicable decision, but perhaps Mary Kelly is even more intriguing than we thought. Women were also on the payroll of the MPSB. So is there a connection between Mary Kelly, Fitzroy Square and the MPSB?

Kelly moved to Cardiff and lived with a cousin and worked as a prostitute. The Cardiff police have no record of her. She says she was ill and spent the best part of the time in an infirmary. None of her story, as told to Barnett, is completely verifiable.

Mary Kelly in brief:

Mary Kelly arrived in London in 1884. She may have stayed with the nuns at the Providence Row Night Refuge on Crispin Street. According to one tradition she scrubbed floors and charred there and was eventually placed into domestic service in a shop in Cleveland Street.

According to Joseph Barnett, on arriving in London, Kelly went to work in a high class brothel in the West End. She says that during this time she frequently rode in a carriage and accompanied one gentleman to Paris, which she disliked and returned to London.

Fitzroy Square is directly off Cleveland Street.

What could be in those JTR files that Scotland Yard needs to protect witnesses after one hundred and thirty years? Perhaps there is a valid reason Scotland Yards’s JTR dossiers remain sealed after all. The IRA and English are newly at peace. An open sore is healing. Is it worth jeopardising the peace for mere Ripperologist curiosity?

Mary Kelly often visited a friend in Lambeth at the Elephant and Castle. Abberline and PC Long lived in Lambeth. One the paymaster and one the assassin?

Curiously, PC Long of A division arrived in London the same year (1884) as Mary Kelly.

The common theme is London, Ireland, Paris, informants, Pinkertons, Lambeth and Fenians. This is yet another series of coincidences amid the puzzle that is JTR. But as Metropolitan Police Special Branch honed their skills, how much had they learnt of utilising smoke and mirrors?

Twelve hours later ...
Continuing this line of research, it seems it's not such an eccentric concept. A few others have postulated a Fenian involvement. Therefore, the big question therefore is why? What would the Fenians gain from JTR's slaughter? Quick answer: it's doing what terrorism does. Frightens people.