Wednesday, 17 July 1889
Shortly before 1 o'clock this morning a constable on his beat, while passing through Castle-alley, in Whitechapel, noticed the form of a woman lying in the shadow of a doorway. He at first thought it was one of the wanderers so numerous in the neighbourhood, especially at this season, and was about to rouse the woman, when he was horrified to discover that she was dead, blood flowing from a wound in the throat. The body was in a pool of blood, which flowed from a gash in the stomach, evidently inflicted with a sharp knife or razor. The officer at once gave the alarm and within a few minutes several other constables were on the spot. The officials at the Commercial-road Station were informed of the discovery, and the superintendent in charge at once despatched a messenger in a cab for the divisional surgeon. From what could be ascertained in the neighbourhood the murdered woman seemed to be about 40 years of age, and seemed to have belonged to the unfortunate class. The neighbourhood is closely watched by police, but no one had been arrested up to 2 o'clock.