Times (London)
Friday, 13 September 1889

THE WHITECHAPEL MYSTERY.

Nothing has occurred to throw any light upon the circumstances attending the finding of the trunk of a woman under one of the railway arches in Pinchin-street, Whitechapel, on Tuesday morning. Without the head, all hopes of the body being identified will have to be abandoned, as on the body there are no birth marks of any kind. It is believed the head and legs are hidden in some place in the immediate neighbourhood of where the trunk was found, and the detectives are still busily engaged in searching all spots likely to afford a clue to their whereabouts. Although the medical men who made the post-mortem examination decline to give any particulars concerning the result of their investigations until the resumption of the coroner's inquiry on Tuesday week, it has been stated by some officials likely to know that the woman's death was probably caused by the performance of an illegal operation. If that is the case it will account for the decapitation of the body and the partial dismemberment, in order more easily to get rid of the remains. After the medical examination the body was carefully preserved in spirits of wine in order to give the police an opportunity of discovering the missing portions before it is interred. A conference then took place at which the Chief Commissioner of Police (Mr. Monro) and other officials were present. The detectives are searching for a man named Leary or Cleary, who on Sunday last went to a newspaper office and reported that a woman had been murdered in Backchurch-lane, Whitechapel. A full description of this man has been obtained, and it is confidently believed that before many hours his whereabouts will be known. A singular circumstance is that on many dead walls near the scene of the discovery are the words, written in chalk, "John Cleary is a fool." These words were seen early on Tuesday morning, and before anything was known of the man's visit to the newspaper office.