Martha Tabram
a.k.a. Martha Tabran, Emma Turner
Born: Martha White, May 10, 1849, at 17 Marshall Street, London Rd.,
Southwark
Father: Charles Samuel White, a warehouseman
Mother: Elisabeth (Dowsett)
Brothers: Henry (twelve years older than Martha), Stephen
(8 years older)
Sisters: Esther (10 years older), Mary Ann (3 years older)
Martha's parents separated and in May of 1865 Charles was lodging alone in the
house of Mrs. Rebecca Glover. The house was located at 31 Pitt Street, St.
George's Row. His health was questionable, he suffered severe diarrhea in
October and a surgeon was called to examine him. The surgeon found him troubled
by his familiar situation and complaining of bad circulation and cold.
According to his daughter Mary Ann, he also stated that he had a weak back and
was unable to work.
On October 11th his estranged wife, Elisabeth, visited him for the first time
since their separation. Over the next few days she visited often and on the
evening of November 15th, both she and her daughter Mary Ann had supper at his
lodging. The meal consisted of bread, butter, and beer. According to his
landlady, Mrs. Grover, he was cheerful that evening.
At appromixately 10:00 PM, he rose to go to bed and while removing his waistcoat
he fell to the floor and died. As there was no evidence of any thing
suspicious, the death was ruled as coming from natural causes. He was 59 years
old.
On Christmas Day, 1869, Martha married Henry Samuel Tabram at Trinity Church in
St. Mary's Parish, Newington. He was a foreman furniture packer. A short, well
dressed man with iron gray hair, mustache and imperial. They had already been
living together in Pleasant Place and moved to 20 Marshall Street in February
1871. The new house was very near by the house in which Martha was born.
Martha had two sons by the marriage, Frederick John, born in February 1871 and
Charles Henry, born in December of 1872.
The marriage ended in 1875. Henry left due to Martha's heavy drinking. He have
her an allowance of twelve shillings per week for three years but reduced it to
2s 6d due to her perstering him in the streets for money. She had a warrant
taken out against him and had him locked up. He had also learned that she was
living with another man. At this time he refused to support her any further.
Henry Turner was a carpenter with whom Martha lived, off and on, for twelve
years. He is described as a short, dirty man who dressed in a slovenly manner.
He was young and had a pale face, light moustache and imperial. Their
relationship also appears to have been greatly effected by Martha's drinking.
Turner stated at the inquest into her death: "Since she has been living with me,
her character for sobriety was not good. If I give her money she generally
spent it in drink." Martha was in the habit of staying out late at night,
usually not returning before 11:00 PM and occasionally staying out all night.
Her excuse was usually that she had been taken with hysterical fits and had been
taken to the police station. Turner had witnessed these fits and stated that
they usually came about due to drunkenness.
In 1888 Turner was out of regular employment and making his living hawking cheap
trinkets, menthol cones and needles and pins. The couple lodged in the house of
Mrs. Mary Bousfield at 4 Star Place, Commercial Road. Bousfield described
Martha as a person who would "rather have a glass of ale than a cup of tea."
She also said, however, that she was not a perpetual drunk.
The couple left their lodgings without notice and behind in the rent
approximately 4 to 6 weeks prior to the murder. Perhaps out of guilt, Martha
secretly returned one night and left the key to the lodging without seeing the
landlady.
Turner left Martha for the last time in July of 1888. At the time of her death
he was living at the Victoria working man's home on Commercial Street. She
tried to carry on earning a living through selling trinkets and prostitution.
It is very likely that whatever small amount of money she made was spent on
drink. Indeed, Turner is quoted as saying "If I gave her money she generally
spent it on drink. In fact it was always drink. When she took to drink,
however, I usually left her to her own resources, and I can't answer to her
conduct then."
Her last known address was 19 George Street, Spitalfields. Turner saw a
destitute Martha for the last time on Leadenhall Street, near Aldgate pump on
August 4, 1888. He gave her 1s 6d to buy trinkets for trade with thich she
might earn some sort of living.
On Bank Holiday Monday, August 6th, Martha went out with Mary Ann Connely, who
was known as "Pearly Poll." They were seen throughout the evening in pubs in
the company of a soldier or soldiers. According to Pearly Poll, she and Martha
picked up two guardsmen, a Corporal and a Private in The Two Brewers public
house and drank with them in several pubs including the White Swan on
Whitechapel High Street.
Some time around 11:45 PM Martha and Pearly Poll went separate ways. Martha with
the Private into George Yard and Pearly Poll and the Corporal into Angel Alley.
Both, obviously, for the purpose of having sex.
1:50 AM: Elizabeth Mahoney returned to her home in the George Yard buildings.
At the time that she ascended the stairs to her flat she saw no one or anything
unusual in the building.
2:00 AM: Police Constable Barrett saw a young Grenadier Guardsman in Wentworth
Street, the north end of George Yard. Barrett questioned his reason for being
there and was told by the Guardsman that he was waiting for a "chum who went off
with a girl."
3:30 AM: George Crow returned to his lodging in the George Yard building and
noticed what he thought was a homeless person sleeping on the first floor
landing. As this was not an uncommon occurrence he continued on to bed.
John Saunders Reeves left his lodgings in the George Yard Buildings at 4:45 AM.
By this time the light was improving inside the stairwell. Reeves also noticed
the body on the first floor landing but he was also aware that it was lying in a
pool of blood. Reeves went off to find a policeman.
He returned with PC Thomas Barrett. Although not yet identified, the body was
that of Martha Tabram. The body was supine with the arms and hands by the side.
The fingers were tightly clenched and the legs open in a manner to suggest that
intercourse had taken place.
Barrett is quoted at the inquest, held by George Collier, deputy coroner
for the South Eastern Division of Middlesex, that the clothes "were
turned up as far as the center of the body, leaving the lower part of the body exposed; the legs were
open, and altogether her position was such as to suggest in my mind that recent
intimacy had taken place."
Others who testified at the inquest include:
Francis Hewitt: The superintendant of George Yard Buildings, Hewitt
lived only twelve feet from the murder scene. He testified as having heard
no sound during the night, but his wife claimed to have heard a cry of
"Murder!" echo through the building. This can most probably be disregarded,
as (1) the cry occurred (according to Mrs. Hewitt) during the evening of
August 6th, hours before the actual murder and (2) she claimed that the cry
did not seem to come from the interior of the building, but rather from the
outside. Hewitt, later interviewed by The Times, said he believed
deceased was seen in a public house with two soldiers on the night of her
death.
Mrs. Mary Bousfield: Also known as Luckhurst, she was Martha's
former landlady at 4 Star Street (see above). Mrs. Bousfield lived with
her husband, William Bousfield, a woodcutter. She testified that Martha
left her establishment three weeks prior to her death, leaving a considerable
sum unpaid. Also stated that Martha sold matches for a living.
After the inquest and police questioning, authorities believed their best
hope of catching the killer was through 'Pearly Poll,' whose real name was
Mary Ann Connolly. So naturally they were quite taken aback when she
disappearead shortly thereafter. Some time later, however, Sergeant
Caunter located her staying with her cousin at 4 Fuller's Court, Drury
Lane. Confident that they had their star witness, the authorities staged
a parade of Scots Guards at the Tower of London. Either unwilling or unable
to pick out her suspect, she added that the soldiers she was with had
white cap bands, the mark of the Coldstream Guards. Another parade was
held for Connolly, this time at Wellington Barracks, Birdcage Walk, where
she picked out two guardsmen. They provided unshakeable alibis, however, and
were soon after released. The entire incident was quite disgracing for the
police, who finally concluded that Connolly was not going to help them.
One final note of interest concerns 'Pearly Poll." The September 20th
edition of the Echo published the following on the Whitechapel
Murders:
Inspector Reid, Detective Sergeant Enright, Sergeant Goadby and other
officers then worked on a slight clue given them by 'Pearly Poll.' It was
not thought much of at the time; but what was gleaned from her and other
statements given by Elizabeth Allen and Eliza Cooper of 35 Dorset Street,
Spitalfields, certain of the authorities have had cause to suspect a man
actually living not far from Buck's Row. At present, however, there is
only suspicion against him.
Whatever the case, the clue and the suspect are still a mystery, and no
other known citations to this effect are still in existance today.
The Post-Mortem
The post-mortem
examination of Martha Tabram was held by Dr. Timothy
Robert Killeen (also spelled Keeling or Keleene) at 5:30 AM on the morning
of August 7th. Tabram was described as a plump middle-aged woman, about 5'3"
tall, dark hair and complexion. The time of death was estimated at about three
hours before the examination (around 2:30-2:45 AM). In all, there were
thirty-nine stab wounds including:
- 5 wounds (left lung)
- 2 wounds (right lung)
- 1 wound (heart)
- 5 wounds (liver)
- 2 wounds (spleen)
- 6 wounds (stomach)
According to Killeen, the focus of the wounds were the breasts, belly, and
groin area. In his opinion, all but one of the wounds were inflicted by
a right-handed attacker, and all but one seemed to have been the result
of an "ordinary pen-knife." There was, however, one wound on the sternum
which appeared to have been inflicted by a dagger or bayonet (thereby
leading police to believe that a sailor was the perpetrator).
Wearing at the time of her death:
- A black bonnet
- Long black jacket
- A dark green skirt
- Brown petticoat
- Stockings
- Spring sided boots showing considerable age
George Yard
Site of the murder,
George Yard is a narrow north-south alley connecting
Wentworth Street and Whitechapel High Street. Entrance is gained through
Whitechapel High Street, next to The White Hart, by a covered
archway. George Yard Buildings were on the eastern side of the alley,
near the northern end to the back of Toynbee Hall. Today, the location
is called Gunthorpe Street and residential flats stand where George
Yard Buildings used to be located.
Death Cetificate
Death Certificate: No. 280, registered 25 August, 1888 (DAZ 048849)
