Back to: The Wiki; Documentation; Newspaper Articles; The Morning Post
Story: Jack the Ripper Files: Mary Ann Nichols
[Link to original at Newspapers.com] – Page 2, Column 6
THE WHITECHAPEL MURDER
----
RESUMED INQUEST
Yesterday morning Mr. Wynne E. Baxter, the coroner for South-east Middlesex, resumed the inquiry at the Working Lads’ Institute, Whitechapel, into the circumstances attending the death of Mary Ann Nichols, aged 42, the wife of a machinist, who was brutally murdered in Buck’s-row, Whitechapel, early on the morning of Friday last.
Inspectors Helston and Aberline attended for the police, while Detective-sergeant Enright, of Scotland-yard, was also in attendance.
Inspector John Spratling, J. Division, was the first witness called. He deposed that at half-past four o’clock on Friday morning he was in the Hackney-road when he received information of the finding of th ebody of the woman in Buck’s row. He proceeded to the spot directly, and there saw Police-constable Thain, who pointed to where the body had been found. He noticed stains of blood and water between the stones. They told him that the body had been removed to the mortuary in Old Montague-street, where they went together. The body at that time was on the ambulance in the yard waiting for the mortuary keeper. While waiting he wrote a description of the body. The mortuary keeper arrived, and the body was placed on the bench. He was about to take a description of the under garments when he discovered the injuries to the abdomen. He at once sent for Dr. Llewellyn. He left the examination to the doctor, who made an examination lasting 10 minutes or a quarter of an hour.
That was an examination of the abdominal injuries only, and not of the whole body? – Yes, sir.
Who stripped the body? – Two workhouse people. I don’t know who they were, but I gave them no instructions.
The Coroner – It is important that the clothes should be described and the position they were in.
The Witness, continuing his evidence, said he went to the mortuary again about twelve o’clock, the same day. The clothes were lying in a heap in the yard, and consisted of a brown ulster somewhat worn, a new brown winsey dress, grey wool petticoat, flannel petticoat, these last two being marked “Lambeth Workhouse, P.R.” drab or brown corsets in fair condition, which had no cuts on them.
The Coroner – Were they fastened when you saw them?
The Witness – Yes, they were fastened at the back.
Were they fastened at the front? This is a most important point – I did not remove them from the body, so I could not say.
Well, who can give us this information; or shall we have to examine them for ourselves? – Inspector Helston can tell you more about it. I noticed a bloodstain on the back of the dress.
Did you examine Buck’s-row? – Yes; between five and six o’clock in the morning, and also the railway and yards abutting on the street. I examined Buck’s-row and Queen-street, but found no blood stains in either. I subsequently, in company with Sergeant Godley, examined the East London District Railway embankment and the Great Eastern Railway yard for bloodstains and weapons, but found none.
Who wiped up the blood that we have heard of? – One of Mr. Brown’s men.
Is there not a constable on duty at the gate of the Great Eastern Railway Company’s yard? – Yes, sir; that is about 50 yards away from the spot. I have questioned him, and he heard nothing during the night. A Mrs. Green, whose rooms overlook the spot, said she heard nothing during the whole of the night, though she was up from three till half-past four o’clock.
How far is the slaughter-house away? – About 150 paces, going round by the Board school.
A juryman – How far away from Buck’s-row was the nearest constable except Neil?
The witness – There is another constables whose beat takes in the east side of Brady-street, which runs at the top of Buck’s row. On being questioned further the witness said that when he examined the body he came to the conclusion that the woman had been murdered in her clothes, as there was a large quantity of blood on the neck of the dress just where the head had touched it. He did not think that the woman had been dressed after the murder.
One of the jury complained that the body had been left exposed to the view of the children in the street – This the police denied.
Henry Tomkins, 112, Coventry-street, Bethnal-green, a horse slaughterer, said – I am employed by Messrs. Barber, and was working all night on Thursday. I started at eight o’clock at the slaughter-house, Winthrope-street, and finished about a quarter-past four. Then I went to look at the murdered woman, which a policeman had told us of a few minutes before. He said there had been a woman murdered in Buck’s row.
Who worked with you? – There are three of us work together, James Mumford, Charles Brittan, and myself. I and Brittan left the slaughter-house at twelve o’clock, and returned about one o’clock or a little later. We did not leave the place after till we were told of the murder.
Did you go far? – No, only as far as the court.
The latter part of the night were you at the door at all? – No.
Was it quiet in the slaughter-house, say from two o’clock? – Yes, sir; very quiet.
Are your gates and doors open, and could you hear what passed in the street? – All our gates were open, but I heard no noise or cry.
Did any one come to the slaughter-house that night? – No, sir; no one but the policeman.
Did you see any women that night? – Not about three; but there were some in the Whitechapel-road; plenty of all sorts.
Now, supposing any one had called out in Buck’s-row “Murder! Police!” or something like that, should you have heard it? – No; our place is too far away from that.
Who went to see the woman first? – Two of us went first, and my mate came after. There were three or four policeman, a sergeant, and the doctor, and I think there were two men there before me.
Inspector Helston, J Division, was next called and said – At 6.45 on Friday morning at my house I received information of the affair. I first went to Bethnal-green Police-station and made myself acquainted with the facts, after which I went to the mortuary. The body was fully dressed, except the bonnet. The bodice of the dress was open for about four buttons from the top. They might have been undone by the doctor. The stays were shorter than usual, and did not reach the hip. There were no blood marks on either of the petticoats. The back of the dress just about the shoulders was soaked in blood, which had flowed from the wound in the neck. The ulster was also saturated, and between that and the dress the blood was clotted. The other parts of the body were clean, but did not give one the impression that the body had been recently washed. The face was bruised, as if by a blow on the cheak, and the right jaw appeared to have been struck. There were no marks on any ring being torn off her finger, and there were no appearances of any struggle having taken place. All the injuries could have been inflicted while the woman was wearing her clothes. I have examined the spot where the body was found in Buck’s-row. There were no signs of blood on the larges gates where the body was laid, and, as the paint was fresh, they would, had they been there, have been easily visible. I should say that the outrage was committed on the spot.
Police-constable G. Maizen, 55 H, said – On Friday morning last, at 20 minutes past four, I was at the end of Hanbury-street, Baker-row, when some one who was passing said, “You’re wanted down there” (pointing to Buck’s-row). The man appeared to be a carman. (The man, whose name is Cross, was brought in, and the witness identified him as the man who spoke to him on the morning in question). I went up Buck’s-row and saw a policeman shining his light on the pavement. He said, “Go for an ambulance,” and I at once went to the station and returned with it. I assisted to remove the body. The blood appeared fresh, and was still running from the neck of the woman. There was another man in company with Cross. I think he was also a carman.
Charles Allen Cross, a carman, in the employ of Messrs. Pickford, said – On Friday morning I left home at half-past three. I went down Parson-street, crossed Brady-street, and through Buck’s row. I was alone. As I got up Buck’s row I saw something lying on the north side in the gateway to a wool warehouse. It looked to me like a man’s tarpaulin, but on going into the centre of the road I saw it was the figure of a woman. At the same time I heard a man coming up the street in the same direction as I had done, so I waited for him to come up. When he came up I said, “Come and look over here; there is a woman,” We then went over to the body. I bent over her head and touched her hand, which was cold. I said, “She is dead.,” The other man, after he had felt her heart, said, “Yes, she is.” He then suggested that we should shift her, but I said “No, let us go and tell a policeman.” I did not notice any blood.
The Coroner – Did you see Police-constable Neil about?
Witness – No; I did not see anyone at all except the constable I spoke to. I don’t think I met anybody after I left my house till I got to the body.
William Nichols said – I am a machinist and live at Cobourg-road, Old Kent-road. The deceased is my wife. I separated from her on Easter Monday eight years ago. I have not seen her for over three years, nor do I know what she has been doing.
By the Jury – I don’t know whom she has lived with; but I do know that she was given to drink, and that she left me many times. I took her back, but she would get drunk, so I had to leave her. It is not true that I took up with a nurse girl.
Ellen Holland said – I live at 18, Thrawl-street, which is a common lodging-house for single women. I have known Mary Ann Nichols for six weeks; she slept in the same bed as I. She has not been in the house for the last eight or 10 days. I saw her about half-past two on the morning she was murdered in the Whitechapel-road. I asked her where she was living, and I think she said Flower and Dean-street. I tried to persuade her to stay with me that night, but she was in drink, and refused. I don’t think she was a fast woman. I have seen her the worse for drink once or twice. I never saw her have any trouble; she always kept herself to herself, as if she was melancholy. I believe that she had been living in Boundary-street since she left my house.
Mary Ann Monk, an inmate of the Lambeth Workhouse, said – I know the deceased. I last saw her in a public house in the New Kent-road.
Coroner – Had you ever seen her in the workhouse?
Witness – Yes; I saw her six or seven years ago in the Lambeth Union.
The Coroner said that that was the whole of the evidence the police were prepared to offer at the present time, and if they were willing it would be as well to adjourn the inquiry for a week or two to give the police time to prosecute further inquiries.
The inquiry was then adjourned for a fortnight.
The Central News says: – Another desperate assault, which stopped only just short of murder, was committed upon a woman in Whitechapel on Saturday night. She was leaving the Foresters Music hall, Cambridge-road, Mile-end, where she had been spending the evening, when she was accosted by a well dressed man, who requested her to walk a short distance with him, as he wanted to meet a friend.
[Link to original at Newspapers.com] – Page 2, Column 7
They had reached a point near to the scene of the murder of the woman Nicholls when the man violently seized his companion by the throat and dragged her down a court. He was immediately joined by a gang of women and bullies who robbed the unfortunate woman of her necklace, earrings, and brooch. Her purse was also taken and she was brutally assaulted. Upon her attempting to shout for air one of the gang laid a large knife across her throat remarking “We will serve you as we did the others.” She was, however, eventually released. The police have been informed and are prosecuting inquiries into the matter, it being regarded as a probable clue to the previous tragedies.
