Life in Whitechapel

LLOYD’S WEEKLY
The London Hospital

15th April 1888:-

“Malvina Haynes, who received very serious injuries to her head and scalp on the night of Bank holiday, has been from that time until this week lying quite unconscious at the London hospital, no sounds but moans having escaped her lips.
The sufferer has been under the care of Mr. George Haslip, the house-surgeon, and on Tuesday the patient, upon regaining consciousness, was only able to briefly to relate the circumstances of the outrage.
It appears, however,  that on many points her memory was an entire  blank : and when questioned  as to what her assailant was like, she replied, “I cannot remember; my mind is gone.”
The hospital authorities at once communicated Detective-sergeant William New, who  has charge of the case, and certain information,  which casually passed from the woman’s lips may perhaps lead to a clue respecting the would-be murderer.
Mr. Haynes, the husband, who is a hard-working house painter residing at 29, Newnham-street Great Alie-street, Whitechapel, has expressed his deep sense of the unremitting skill and kindness his wife has received from the surgical and nursing staff at the hospital, and from a statement which he has made, it appears that his wife, himself, and some friends spent the Bank holiday together by seeing some of the sights of the metropolis, and in the evening Mrs Haynes returned with them to their home.
She went out later on, and screams were shortly heard in the vicinity of Leman-street railway station.
A constable found Mrs. Haynes lying insensible on the ground, in a pool of blood.
Besides her brain being affected by the injury, Mrs. Haynes is suffering from a scalp wound of rather an extensive character.
A man who was said to have been near the unfortunate woman at the time of the occurrence, and who resided in the district, has since left the neighbourhood. The police hope that he may come forward, as his testimony might aid the ends of justice, by relating what he saw of the outrage.”

Thinking allowed, and aloud.

Okay, the difference between mass killers and serial murders is apparent. The first explodes into rage and kills suddenly and violently knowing he will be caught, killed, or intends suicide.
The serial killer is driven, ‘not by a slow-burning rage that erupts one day in a single, cataclysmic act of gun-crazed vengeance—but by a profound sadistic lust, a terrible joy in inflicting suffering and death on helpless victims.’
Therefore, the question is: why did Jack the Ripper kill women so quickly they hadn't time to cry out or show defence wounds – Mary Kelly excepted.
So what did he gain from slaying? It’s almost as if the women aren’t important. Okay, they’re not important in any serialists’ actions, but Jack the Ripper didn’t inflict pain on his victims – he didn’t torture them. He dispatched the women quickly, much as a slaughter man kills an animal in an abattoir – speedily and as humanely as possible. So what was his motivation if it wasn’t the fear on those women’s faces?
Just knowing he could kill and get away with murder? Showing his power, but to whom was he displaying his prowess? Not the women. They were no sooner in is orbit than he killed them. He was showing off his ability to capture, control, and escape, to who? Proving it to himself? He didn’t doubt his skills. His belief in his abilities caused him to place himself in sites of maximum danger – Two police constables Mitre Square, with minutes between beats. An ex-policeman worked as night-watchman, and a policeman lived on the square. It was a contained location, with just three exits, two of which encompassed the beats of the two officers on duty. The third exited into St James Place where a night-watchman oversaw a building site, and just to add to the potential difficulties, St James Place was the site of a manned fire station. Miller's Court had but one escape route.
Jack the Ripper was displaying his bravado and demonstrating his ‘skill’, but who did he seek to impress, or ridicule? Was he saying, “I outwit you.’ And consequently, ‘I am smarter than you.’ To whom was he shaking his peacock tail?
So, the question is: who is The Boss?
Even if a newspaper marketeer wrote the Dear Boss letters, who did the journalist (when he adopted the Ripper’s persona) think Jack the Ripper wrote to when he dipped his pen in red ink?
Boss: A person who exercises control and makes decisions. A person with control over workers. What was the organisation or company?

Mary Jane Kelly

No it isn't Mary Kelly, even though she has several internal organs at her feet. It's an Anatomical Venus. The “Venerina” or “Little Venus” wax anatomical model by Clemente Susini, 1782. Photo by Joanna Ebenstein at, appropriately enough, The Whitechapel Gallery. Courtesy of the Palazzo Poggi, Bologna, Italy. 2010.

Dear Boss letter

The 17th September letter isn't written by the same author as the Dear Boss letter of the 25th September. It isn't just superficially different but structurally distinct. Strange, considering the 17th September missive used language similar to the Dear Boss letter!

A herd of Marys

The most popular ten female names in Ireland of the 19th century, in descending order, were Mary, Bridget, Margaret, Ellen, Catherine, Kate and Annie. Kelly was the most common surname after Murphy. So Mary Kelly is the Irish equivalent of John Smith. Of course, that doesn’t mean Mary Kelly wasn’t her birth name, but if she wanted to hide it’s easier amid a shoal of Marys and a herd of Kellys.

And she certainly recoiled against the moniker, stating she was really Marie Jeanette and not plain Mary Jane.

During most of the 19th century, the most popular given names in England were Mary and either John or William.

She stated she married a Davies whose first name was John. Davies is the 2nd most common surname in Wales and 8th most common in England. Oh, and her brother Henry was called Johnto or John too. Seems plain Mary Jane had rather a theme going here.

If she wanted anonymity she certainly succeeded. The question is, as always, why?

And just to add to the anonymity she says her father's name is John (Kelly) – or John Smith if she were English. I don't believe her.

What's that mean?

I’ve endured several days of pedestrian research – e.g. what is the burn time of a bull’s eye lamp? Google has discovered every ‘for sale’ lantern on the planet. ‘Burn time’ linked to, and dredged various torture sites.  But never mind. I’m basking in the afterglow of discovering the meaning of that GSG word.

So blindingly-bloody-obvious, but it only appeared after an indirect search. Certainly wasn’t looking for it. It doesn’t mean Jews, feminine, woman or yours.

Lesson learnt: disregard consensus thinking.

I’ve completed three chapters of my book – times it by ten, and it’s finished.

That chalked message

This is a map showing the tangle of alleys en route from Mitre Square to Goulston Street. Something slightly amusing about several of the narrow alleys called Hutchison. The killer could have discarded Eddowes’ soiled apron anywhere in these back streets

. But he didn’t. The killer wanted that apron found, which means he was making a declaration. Flinging down his gauntlet, alright in this case apron, and it served to underline that chalked message.

A farrier’s axe

A farrier’s axe dating from the early 19th century. It belonged to the Royal Horse Guards. The spike on the axe was used to put severely injured horses out of their misery as humanely as possible.
In order to account for all animals killed in action, the sharp axe blade was used to chop off the hoof of the deceased horse. Branded numbers in the hooves kept track of horses killed in battle and prevented a soldier from selling his horse to civilians in war zones. Horses were used for  both transportation and food.

Ceremonial use today.

Erm. Now what was that about JTR being a slaughterman?

Poof he vanishes.

The same man recurs after every string I use to track Hutchinson. But all to no avail because he vanishes. Not dead, not emigrated, just ceases to exist in the records. So has he changed his name again? If he has assumed another identity and given a different DOB that's the end of my trail.
I don't think I'll ever finish my non-fiction JTR. I'll leave it running in the background and work on it as and when. It's done when it's done.
I'm working in London next week so I'll make time to view original data.

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.

Who are you?

One of the ‘books’ in my job lot, actually an excised section from a larger volume, references two murders, which occurred in 1887. The author mentions Emma Smith, refers to Martha Tabram and sites two murders of women by ‘similar means’ – and discovered in the gutter in the early hours of the morning (one as recently as the 6th of August last).
I’ve haven’t heard of these victims. It would help if I knew the title of the book and the name of the author, all I know is the book has some age, and is a hard-copy judging by the spine. As I have a date (6th Aug) it shouldn’t be too difficult to discover the details of this crime!
Okay, the only reports I can find are on the Lipski case. But this book states: found in the gutter by similar means that's definitely not murder by poisoning and a body found under the bed.
So I could start searching for the book ... find the date of publication ...

Well, the section is taken from Chronicles of Crime, Beaver publication. No idea of the identity of the victim he mentions. Couple more strings and I'll give up on this search today.

Mary Jane McCarthy Kelly

I'm sorting through my mass of research/information and filing into an easily discoverable system! Found these:

Strange confusion of names in this article:

THE MISERY AND VICE OF LONDON. 22 December 1888, Supplement

About a year ago he rented it to a woman who looked about 30. She was popular among the females of the neighbourhood, who shared her beer generously, as I have been tearfully informed, and went under the title of Mary Jane McCarthy. Her landlord knew that she had another name, Kelly, but her friends had not heard of it. It seems that there had been a Mr. Kelly, whom Mary Jane had married in the manner which is considered satisfactory in Whitechapel. They had not gone to the expense of a license, but published the fact of matrimony by living in one small room, and sharing joy and sorrow and drunkenness there together.
Mary Jane took up her residence in the little room in Miller Court when Kelly went away. Since then her life has been that of all the women around her, her drunkenness and the number of strange men she brought to her little room being the gauges by which her sisters in wretchedness measured her prosperity.

So excepting the newspaper at its journalistic researched best, I found this McCarthy/Kelly link. Mary Jane Kelly's father's first name was John -- apparently.
Mary Kelly

Ireland Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881
birth: 19 April 1864
0240, CASTLETOWN DISTRICT, LIMERICK, IRELAND
father: John Kelly
mother: Anne Mccarthy .....