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Story: Jack the Ripper Files: Mary Ann Nichols
[Link to original at Newspapers.com] – Page 6, Column 5
THE SHOCKING MURDER IN WHITECHAPEL
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On Saturday afternoon William Nicholls, the husband of the woman who was found lying dead and shockingly mutilated in Buck’s-row, Baker’s-row, Whitechapel, early on Friday morning, was conducted from his residence at 37, Coburg-road, Old Kent-road, to the mortuary, where he recognized the body of the murdered woman as being that of his wife. The son, who resides with his grandfather at 15, Maidwell-street, Albany-road, Camberwell, also identified the remains of his mother. This removed all further doubt as to the deceased being Mary Ann Nicholls. It has been ascertained that the unfortunate woman was one of those who last year were in the habit of sleeping in Trafalgar-square, and when a clearance of the nightly visitors was made, it being found that she was destitute, and without means of subsistence, she was admitted as an inmate to the Lambeth Workhouse. After her discharge from the workhouse and subsequent disappearance from service at Wandsworth, little was known of her whereabouts by her relations. Lately it seems that she had been lodging in a common lodging-house in Thrawle-street, Spitalfields, leading an immoral life, and known by her female acquaintances as “Polly.” It was first supposed that the crime had been committed by a maniac; but this opinion has been abandoned, likewise the belief that the woman was lured into a house in the vicinity and murdered, the body being afterwards removed. The conclusion now arrived at is that the woman met with her dreadful fate where her body was found. What were at first supposed to have been pools of blood for some distance upon the pavement cannot be relied upon as such, owing to the darkness of the stains. That the lower portions of her clothes were not stained with blood is due to the fact that the three dreadful wounds in the abdomen, believed to have been the first inflicted, had bled inwardly. Their nature, too, was such as to have prevented a removal of the body in the state in which it was found. Although a small pool of blood was found near the head, still the greater part from the throat had trickled down the neck and saturated her under garments. Another theory is that from the moment the woman was last seen till the discovery of her body by the police-constable sufficient time would not have elapsed to have admitted of the murder taking place in a house and the dragging of the body to a distance.
The police have obtained no definite clue to the author of the crime, but are using every available means in their power to obtain a trace of him and bring the criminal to justice. Inspector Helston, as well as Inspector Aberline, Sergeant Godley, and Sergeant Enright, experts form the Criminal Investigation Department, have the case in hand, and are of opinion that there is some connection between this and the other two murders which have taken place in the same locality. A house-to-house investigation and inquiry has been made in all the streets adjoining Buck’s-row, but with no tangible result. The assumption is that the brutal crime was committed by one of the “High Rip” gang, who are known in the neighborhood to be in the habit of blackmailing unfortunate women, and treating them in a brutal manner. The names of some of this band of roughs are known to the detective officers, who, is it stated, are empowered by the Chief Commissioner to give money payments for confidential information which may lead to the discovery of the actual perpetrator of the murder.
Considerable consternation and horror prevail in the neighborhood of the three successive murders, and there is a general demand for further police protection and supervision.
Mr. Wynne E. Baxter, the coroner for South-east Middlesex, opened an inquiry on Saturday at the Working Lads’ Institute, Whitechapel-road, into the circumstances attending the woman’s death.
Inspector Helston, who has the case in hand, attended with other officers, on behalf of the Criminal Investigation Department.
Edward Walker was the first witness called. He said: – I live at 15, Maidwell-street, Albany-road, Camberwell, and have no occupation. I was a smith when I was at work, but I am not now. I have seen the body in the mortuary, and to the best of my belief it is that of my daughter, but I have not seen her for three years. I recognise her by her general appearance, and by a little mark she had on her forehead when a child. She also had either one or two teeth out, the same as the woman I have just seen. My daughter’s name was Mary Ann Nicholls, and she had been married 22 years. Her husband’s name was William Nicholls, and he is alive. He is a machinist. They have been living part for some length of time, about seven or eight years. I last heard of her before Easter. She was 42 years of age. She wrote to me.
The Coroner – Is this letter in her handwriting?
Witness – Yes, that is her writing.
The letter, which was dated April 17, 1888, was read by the coroner, and referred to a place which the deceased had gone to at Wandsworth.
The Coroner – When did you last see her alive?
Witness – Two years ago last June.
The Coroner – Was she then in a good situation?
Witness – I don’t know. I was not on speaking terms with her. She had been living with me three or four years previously, but thought she could better herself, so I let her go.
The Coroner – What did she do after she left you?
Witness – I don’t know.
The Coroner – This letter seems to suggest that she was in a decent situation.
Witness – She had only just gone there. At times she drank, and that was why we did not agree. She used to be with some young women and men that she knew, but I never heard of anything improper. I have not the slightest idea what she has been doing lately. I never turned her out of door. She had no need to be like this while I had a home for her.
The Coroner – How is it that she and her husband were not living together?
Witness – When she was confined her husband took on with the young woman who came to nurse her, and they parted, he lived with the nurse, by whom he has another family.
The Coroner – Have you any reasonable doubt that this is your daughter?
Witness – No, I have not. I know nothing about her acquaintances, or what she has been doing for a living. I had no idea she was over here in this part of the town. She has had five children, the eldest being 21 years old and the youngest eight or nine years. One of them lives with me, and other four are with their father. I believe she was once stopped with a man in York-street, Walworth. His name was Drew, and he was a smith by trade. He is living there now, I believe. The parish of Lambeth summoned her husband for the keep of the children, but the summons was dismissed, as it was proved that she was then living with another man. I don’t know who that man was.
The Coroner – Was she ever in the workhouse?
Witness – Yes, sir; Lambeth Workhouse, in April last and went from there to a situation at Wandsworth
By the Jury – The husband resides at Coburg-road, Old Kent-road. I don’t know if he knows of her death.
The Coroner – Is there anything you know of likely to throw any light upon this affair?
Witness – No; I don’t think she had any enemies, she was too good for that.
John Neil, police-constable, 97 J, said: On Friday morning I was proceeding down Buck’s row, Whitechapel, going towards Brady-street. There was not a soul about. I had been round there half an hour previously, and I saw no one then. I was on the right-hand side of the street, when I noticed a figure lying in the street. It was dark at the time, though there was a street lamp shining at the end of the row. I went across and found the deceased woman lying outside a gateway, her head toward the east. The gateway was closed. It was about 9ft. or 10ft high, and led to some stables. There were houses from the gateway eastward, and the School Board school occupies the west-ward. On the opposite side of the road is Essex Wharf. The woman was lying lengthways along the street, her left hand touching the gate. I examined the body by the aid of my lamp, and noticed blood oozing from a wound in the throat. She was lying on her back, with her clothes disarranged. I felt her arm, which was quite warm from the joints upwards. Her eyes were wide open. Her bonnet was off and lying at her side, close to the left hand. I heard a constable passing Brady-street, so I called him. I did not whistle. I said to him, “Run at once from Dr. Llewellyn.” and seeing another constable in Baker’s row, I sent him for the ambulance. The doctor arrived in a very short time. I had, in the meantime, rung the bell at Essex Wharf, and asked if any disturbance had been heard. The reply was “No”. Sergeant Kirby came after, and he knocked. The doctor looked at the woman, and then said, “Move the woman to the mortuary. She is dead, and I will make a further examination of her.” We then placed her on the ambulance, and moved her there. Inspector Spratley came to the mortuary, and while taking a description of the deceased found that she was disembowelled. This had not been noticed by any of them before. On the body was found a piece of comb and a bit of looking-glass. No money was found, but an unmarked white handkerchief was in her pocket. There was a pool of blood just where her neck was lying. The blood was then running from the wound in her neck.
The Coroner – Did you hear any noise that night?
Witness – No, I heard nothing. The farthest I had been that night was just through the Whitechapel-road and up Baker’s-row. I was never far away from the spot.
The Coroner – Whitechapel-road is busy in the early morning, I believe. Could anybody have escaped that way?
Witness – Oh, yes, sir. I saw a number of women in the main road going home. At that time anyone could have got away. I examined the ground while the doctor was being sent for.
Inspector Spratley – I examined the road, sir, in daylight.
A Juryman (to witness) – Did you see a trip in the road at all?
Witness – No.
A Juryman – Knowing that the body was warm, did it not strike you that it might just have been laid there, and that the woman was killed elsewhere?
Witness – I examined the road, but did not see the mark of wheels. The first to arrive on the scene after I had discovered the body were two men who work at a slaughter-house opposite. They said they knew nothing of the affair, and that they had not heard any screams. I had previously seen the men at work. That would be about a quarter-past three, or half an hour before I found the body.
Henry Llewellyn, surgeon said, On Friday morning I was called to Buck’s-row I found the deceased woman lying flat on her back in the pathway. I found she was dead, and that she had severe injuries to her throat. Her hands and wrists were cold, but the body and her lower extremities were warm. I examined her chest and felt the heart. It was dark at the time. I believe she had not been dead more than half-an-hour. I am quite certain that the injuries to her neck were not self-inflicted. There was very little blood round the neck. There were no marks of any struggle or of blood, as if the body had been dragged. I told the police to take her to the mortuary, and I would make another examination. About an hour later I was sent for by the inspector to see the injuries he had discovered on the body. I went, and saw that the abdomen was cut very extensively. I have this morning made a post-mortem examination of the body. I found it to be that of a female about 40 or 45 years. Five of the teeth are missing, and there is a slight laceration of the tongue. On the right side of the face there is a bruise running along the lower part of the jaw. It
[Link to original at Newspapers.com] – Page 6, Column 6
might have been caused by a blow with the fist or pressure by the thumb. On the left side of the face there was a circular bruise, which also might have been done by the pressure of the fingers. On the left side of the neck, about an inch below the jaw, there was an incision about 4in. long and running from a point immediately below the ear. An inch below on the same side, and commencing about an inch in front of it, was a circular incision terminating at a point about 3in. below the right jaw. This incision completely severs all the tissues down to the vertebrae. The large vessels of the neck on both sides were severed. The incision is about 8in. long. These cuts must have been caused with a long-bladed knife, moderately sharp, and used with great violence. No blood at all was found on the breast either of the body or clothes. There were no injuries about the body till just about the lower part of the abdomen. Two or three inches from the left side was a wound running in a jagged manner. It was a very deep wound, and the tissues were cut through. There were several incisions running across the abdomen. On the right side there were also three or four similar cuts running downwards. All these had been cause by a knife, which had been used violently, and been used downwards. The injuries were from left to right, and might have been done by a left-handed person. All the injuries had been done by the same instrument.
The inquiry was adjourned till to-day.
No clue has as yet been found by the police with regard to the murder. It has been stated in some quarters that there is reason to suspect the existence of a murderous gang of men in the Whitechapel district to whom this and other tragedies might possibly by traced, but the police give no credence whatever to the theory. There was great excitement in the locality on Saturday afternoon on the opening of the coroner’s inquiry, and this was hightened later on when a statement appeared in the evening papers to the effect that an arrest had been made in the neighborhood of Spitalfields. It is true that the police took into custody a man who was drinking in a public-house close to Spitalfields Church, but his arrest had nothing whatever to do with the case under investigation, although a rumour got abroad that he was wanted for the murder of Mrs. Nichols. As the police are not in a position to call a single witness able to give any material evidence, it is not likely that the inquest by closed to-day.
