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Casebook: Jack the Ripper - Message Boards » Victims » Catherine Eddowes » Steamers « Previous Next »

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David O'Flaherty
Chief Inspector
Username: Oberlin

Post Number: 657
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 3:21 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

For a hoot, here's some video of an 1884 "Vecht" that was made by a London firm for Amsterdam's fire brigade (video by Dutch Historical Fire Engine Association). I've always wondered what kind of sounds Eddowes might have been making during her steamer impersonation. Unfortunately no hissing or whistling here, but here's a steamer en route with ringing bell. I figure this would have been similar to the steamers working the Dock fires.

East London Advertiser, 1 Sept 1888:

GREAT FIRE AT THE LONDON DOCKS.

A fire broke out shortly before 9 o'clock on Thursday night in one of the huge warehouses of the London Docks. The docks were closed as usual at 4 in the afternoon, and there are then few persons except the night policemen and firemen left on the premises. At about half-past 8, a smell of fire was noticed and shortly afterwards there was an immense burst of flames from the top of one of the vast buildings right in the centre of the docks. The volume of the fire was terrific, but at 9 o'clock the authorities of the fire brigade had heard nothing of the occurrence. Shortly afterwards an alarm was given at the Whitechapel Station, and the officials of the brigade instantly ordered every steamer to proceed to the scene, and the circulation of the news amongst the other stations caused steamers to be sent on from every district in London. On arrival of the engines it was found that a fire of enormous strength was raging in the upper floors of a great building about 150 yards long and half as broad. The flames could not have broken out in a more dangerous part of the docks than the site of this fire - the South Quay Warehouses. They were crammed with colonial produce in the upper floors, and brandy and gin in the lower floors. Through the great iron-barred windows the fire could be seen raging like a furnace, and the enormous tongues of bluish and yellowish flames which constantly burst up with great roars pointed to the fact that spirits were aiding the progress of the flames. Gradually steamer after steamer was got to work, for it was seen that only a great body of water would subdue the fire, and at 10 o'clock the very considerable force of 12 steamers, as well as some hydrants, was fully engaged in playing on the flames. In the breaks in the great building, where the goods are hauled in by means of steam cranes, escapes were pitched, doors broken open, and the fire met face to face. The proceedings of the members of the brigade were particularly exciting when they essayed to burst open huge doors through the cracks of which a fierce fire could be seen raging. The scene at half-past 10 was an imposing one. In the enormous docks, crammed with goods of incalculable value, with vast buildings on every side, and with great vessels in the wet docks, firemen, policemen and dock officers were either watching or aiding in endeavoring to extinguish the fire, while an enormous crowd gathered round the great gates and gazed at the progress of the fire from a distance. In a great shed building close to the fire the steamers had been drawn up in little clusters of twos and threes, and were pumping continuously with a deafening noise, while the horses, which had been unharnessed, stood quietly in couples in every corner. The water poured over the granite stones of the docks in torrents, and the whole scene was brilliantly illuminated by the fire above. The great question was how far the fire would spread; but the opinion of one of the experts that a "hole would be knocked in it directly all the steamers could get to work," was slowly but surely fulfilled as the night advanced. By 11 o'clock the fierceness with which the fire was burning begun to be diminished, and presently the firemen were able to circulate the official "stop" message, stating that the two top floors of the provision warehouse had been nearly burned out and part of the roof destroyed. At midnight, however, the great force of firemen and extinguishing appliances were still at work.
.

I've often wondered if Eddowes was of that "enormous crowd" of spectators, as the fire happened to fall right around the time the hopping crowd would have been gearing up to leave (and maybe could have proved an incentive to leave for Kent). If so, the fire might have been a natural topic of conversation for someone who had just arrived back in London late September (I'm not sure, but I don't think there were any fires 27-29 Sept).

Idle thoughts,
Dave


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Glenn L Andersson
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Glenna

Post Number: 2607
Registered: 8-2003
Posted on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 3:28 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Dave,

I have always wondered about that impersonation myself, and what can be heard on that video is something similar to what I had in mind.

Would have been great to her interpretation of it, though (wonder how she did it). Just the thought of it, makes me smile, in spite of the tragic circumstances. Eddowes has always have a place in my heart, poor woman (not that there's anything less tragic about the others of course...). There is something really sympathetic about her.

All the best
G, Sweden
"Well, do you... punk?"
Dirty Harry, 1971
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David O'Flaherty
Chief Inspector
Username: Oberlin

Post Number: 658
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 3:49 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi Glenn,

I totally agree that there is something very sympathetic about Mrs. Kelly, and the little glimpses we get of her make me smile too. Thank goodness she was arrested, else we wouldn't have these little bits.

Chris George told me once that he thought Kate's impersonation would have been a lot of hissing, etc. Makes sense. I've read that some steamers were fitted with shrill whistles, too. So probably she would have been hissing and whistling; whatever she was doing, I'm sure she was making some big noises! I'd love to hear what a restored steamer like this Dutch version sounds like full-on. I understand a similar one in Nevada was restored recently and that they fired it up with the works.

Cheers,
Dave
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Glenn L Andersson
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Glenna

Post Number: 2608
Registered: 8-2003
Posted on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 3:56 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

"Chris George told me once that he thought Kate's impersonation would have been a lot of hissing, etc. Makes sense. I've read that some steamers were fitted with shrill whistles, too. So probably she would have been hissing and whistling"

Ah... makes sense, Dave.
Well, at least one can understand why there was a crowd gathering... :-)

All the best
G, Sweden
"Well, do you... punk?"
Dirty Harry, 1971
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Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert

Post Number: 3719
Registered: 3-2003
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 4:33 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi Dave, Glenn

Here's a snippet from an article about the Metropolitan Board of Works, May 22nd 1886 ;



I thought that there actually was a fire station just at the back of Mitre Square, and surmised that Kate had been doing her impression because she'd just been to see it, or else had seen the engine from there going past her on its way to a fire (perhaps a small house fire).

Robert
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AP Wolf
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Apwolf

Post Number: 1659
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 7:03 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Interesting details here.
It appears that a certain feisty gun slinger of a cop, known to us as dear old Uncle Charles but to his fellow officers as Executive Superintendent Charles Henry Cutbush, played some role in all this fire fighting business. The details are still sketchy but part of his remit was the provision of 'ambulance' carts and he does come up in connection with some serious fires in the Whitechapel area.
Still looking at this, but I certainly seem to remember his name being associated with the investigation of this great dock fire.
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David O'Flaherty
Chief Inspector
Username: Oberlin

Post Number: 661
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 10:15 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi Robert and A.P.

Thanks for that article. You're right Robert, there was a temporary station just beyond Mitre Square. A.P., you might be interested to know that there was no steamer there, but a wagon.

Daily News 2 Oct 1888:

Moreover, only just through the passage leading from Mitre-square to St. James's-place there is a fire brigade van, and two firemen are always to be found there. Nobody, however, heard the faintest indication of a struggle going on.

Just like Morris. That's the late night crew, though. I wonder if the police ever talked to the earlier shift, the crew that was on duty between 2-8 pm, which is when I suspect Eddowes might have been haunting the area. The wagon was a temporary station; I think I read that they were building a proper station nearby. I believe there was also a permanent station on Aldgate.

Cheers,
Dave
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Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert

Post Number: 3720
Registered: 3-2003
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 11:14 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi Dave

Thanks for that. Yes, the sewer workers didn't hear anything either. It's uncanny.

AP, I'd be very interested to read the fire info.

Robert
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Maria Giordano
Inspector
Username: Mariag

Post Number: 242
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 12:43 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Sorry, but I have to laugh-- when I hear the word "steamers" I think of clams.


Mags
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David O'Flaherty
Chief Inspector
Username: Oberlin

Post Number: 662
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 1:06 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

It does seem weird, Robert. When I moved back to Nashville from Chicago, I rented a room from a buddy of mine and split his mortgage payment with him. His house was in a particularly rough section of town in what we in the States fondly refer to as a crack neighborhood. It wasn't as bad as you'd think--very little violence (that I knew of) but lots of business going on, drugs and prostitution. One of the things I noticed while I was living there was that everybody knew what was going on in the neighborhood--lots of eyes looking and absolutely nothing went unnoticed.

It was another story for my roommate and me. We had one fellow come round and proudly tell us that he'd spent the night with a girl in the bed of my roommate's truck, which was parked right by the kitchen door. Another time, my roommate was running his dog (a giant clown prince of a doberman) in the backyard and the dog suddenly started barking at the hedges. My roommate parted the branches, and there was a prostitute inside, peeking up at him. "Don't mind me," she told him. "I just need to hide for a little while." She was very good at it; if it wasn't for the dog, my roommate said he never would have seen her. I guess there are regular eyes, and then there are street eyes.

Cheers,
Dave
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Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert

Post Number: 3721
Registered: 3-2003
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 3:27 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi Dave

Yes, our man seems to have had street eyes.

I think AP's right that there's no way that Schwartz's man could have killed both women - the style, the amount of "noise" are totally dissimilar. So either Stride was killed by someone other than Jack e.g. Kidney, or else Stride was killed by Jack after Schwartz's man had left.

Robert
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David O'Flaherty
Chief Inspector
Username: Oberlin

Post Number: 663
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 4:01 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi Robert,

Re: Stride, I can never make up my mind. I'd agree with you and A.P. that the whole street business with Stride seems very unlike the Ripper (or at least my idea of him which could be wrong), and Kidney is a scary customer. It seems unlikely that Long Liz would have faced two attacks within a few minutes of each other. But not impossible, I guess--she always seems to be on the short end of the stick, particularly in death.

But if I put aside the street attack for a moment, and look at the yard scene, I do see a similarity between the Mitre Square and Berner Street scenes, or more specifically, between the witnesses--in both places, people are right there and nobody hears a sound. Two bodies evidently float down from the sky. Mrs. Diemschutz reminds me a lot of Morris. Then again, I think the singing going on upstairs was a probably a bit louder than what the club members said and masked what was happening in the yard.

But who knows? Certainly not me!

Dave
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Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert

Post Number: 3724
Registered: 3-2003
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 5:01 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi Dave

Well, I tend to go for the idea of Jack coming along after Schwartz's man left, and then hiding behind the gate when Diemschutz turned up. But I'm not at all sure.

Dave, this really belongs on a graffito thread, but I don't suppose you speak Hungarian? It's just that I've often thought of a programme I saw around the time of the collapse of Communism c. early 90s. I think it was about Hungary, and the population were taking revenge on the Hungarian secret police, who were called by a name that I can only try to render phonetically - I don't know how it's written in Hungarian. The name sounded like "the yavo". I was just wondering, what with Schwartz being a Hungarian refugee, and then the Juwes business (juwes as attempted rendering of yavo or whatever?).

All probably nothing.

Robert
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Glenn L Andersson
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Glenna

Post Number: 2639
Registered: 8-2003
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 5:33 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Dave,

"I do see a similarity between the Mitre Square and Berner Street scenes, or more specifically, between the witnesses--in both places, people are right there and nobody hears a sound."

If I am allowed to break in, I don't know if I follow that. I think the circumstance regarding the witnesses are rather different.

The Berner Street murder is the ONLY one where we (if we believe Mr Broad Shoulders to be Stride's killer) have witnesses during an actual attack!

In the Mitre Square murder - as well as some of the mothers attributed to Jack - we only have witnesses before or after.
That -- and the noise and indiscrete behaviour from Mr Broad Shoulders -- is actually what makes the Berner Street incident very much different and unique in comparison with the others.
Just my two pennies, though..

All the best
G, Sweden
"Well, do you... punk?"
Dirty Harry, 1971
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David O'Flaherty
Chief Inspector
Username: Oberlin

Post Number: 665
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 5:52 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Actually Robert, I speak Hungarian fluently :-) My first three wives were Hungarians (the Gabor twins. I married Eva twice)!

Seriously: I don't speak Hungarian, but a google search says "Yavo" is a Hebrew term meaning "He will come". I'm not sure, but I think it's used in connection with The Messiah. Any Rabbi or Hebrew-speaker should be able to tell you a lot more. "Messiah" is pretty interesting, GSG-wise.

Glenn, you are always allowed to break in (although you're not interrupting at all)! You make a fair point. It seems reasonable that what Schwartz was seeing was the beginning of the Stride murder. But it depends on your view: one attack on Stride or two separate attacks? Because there's disagreement on how many attacks, I was separating the street attack from the yard attack--no one in the Club heard any kind of commotion in the yard, so in that way it's similar to Mitre Square. But I'm not trying to dismiss Schwartz, I'm just separating him for a moment.

Another thing: consider what I think is a really great point Tom Wescott has made--Liz Stride's body doesn't seem to bear the marks of a struggle, right? I might be making a mistake by not checking the inquest before I post, but where the marks on her body from being dragged around in the street? Someone let me know if I'm wrong about the condition of her corpse--I'm posting without checking my facts (always a mistake).

Cheers,
Dave
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Glenn L Andersson
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Glenna

Post Number: 2641
Registered: 8-2003
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 6:44 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Dave,

I don't have time at the moment to check out those facts about the body either, but I can't recall i have ever heard that the doctors should have been of the opinion that she was dragged. Were there really those kinds of marks on the body? I have always been inclined to think that the marks on Stride were rather few, but I could be wrong. There don't seem to be any evidence of dragging, on the contrary it seems to be the general idea that she was let down the ground in the position as she was found.

I would assume that the killer in some way might have forced her inside the gates of the yard, but not necessarily that the body was dragged -- I believe that should have left more evidence on the scene.

I don't think it matters, really if there two or just one attack, if we are assuming the same man -- The Broad Shoulders -- being responsible for both. Not if he was Jack the Ripper.
This is just a hunch, but the Ripper's careful approach -- and his tendency to leave the scene of the crime unseen and without any noise -- makes me dismiss Mr Broad Shoulders altogether as the Ripper, regardless if he made one attack or two. After the Schwartz incident, it is my personal interpretation that the Ripper would have left and not carried on the killing, and he certainly wouldn't have shouted to one or two men across the street.

Then, whether Mr Broad Shoulders or the Ripper (in a second attack after this incident, after Mr B S:s attack) was her killer, that is another matter.

Well, just my views.

All the best
G, Sweden
"Well, do you... punk?"
Dirty Harry, 1971
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Glenn L Andersson
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Glenna

Post Number: 2643
Registered: 8-2003
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 7:07 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

For the record, Dave,

I used to be convinced of my fellow countrywoman Stride's canonical status as a Ripper victim, and that was also why I previously tried to discount Schwartz as a credible witness and instead argued in favour of a second killer after this attack.

Now, since I have reconsidered (and also been more inclined to think that she may NOT have been a victim of the Ripper), there is no need for me to hold on to that preconception and now also Schwartz's testimony makes sense without having to accept a second attacker.

I now think it is very possible that Mr Broad Shoulders WAS Stride's killer (but not the Ripper), and he could have been anyone: Kidney, a member of one of those violent gangs who attacked prostitutes or threatened them for money (maybe together with the pipe man), he could have been a drunk and violent customer etc. etc.

Well, that's how I see it.

All the best
G, Sweden
"Well, do you... punk?"
Dirty Harry, 1971
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David O'Flaherty
Chief Inspector
Username: Oberlin

Post Number: 667
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 7:15 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi Glenn,

Sorry, I don't think I'm expressing myself clearly. As you say, there were few marks on the body, so as Tom Wescott suggests, isn't that evidence that perhaps Stride wasn't the woman Schwartz saw struggling in the street? Sorry, I didn't mean Stride had been literally dragged through the street, but if she was roughly handled per Schwartz's testimony, shouldn't her body have shown traces of that (bruising, etc)? So when we're talking about this attack Schwartz witnessed as not fitting in with how we think the Ripper would have behaved, maybe what Schwartz saw had nothing whatever to do with Stride or the Ripper. I agree that it's unlikely that Stride would have experienced two separate attacks by two separate attackers within a short time span, so if Stride is the woman Schwartz saw, then what Schwartz saw was probably the beginning of her murder. Yet I also wouldn't be surprised that it was Kidney who did away with Stride. My opinion hasn't been solidly formed yet and I'm only speculating.

Cheers,
Dave
I remember you used to be pretty solid for Stride's candidacy as a Ripper victim but have since changed your opinion :-) I still can't make up my mind either way.
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Glenn L Andersson
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Glenna

Post Number: 2645
Registered: 8-2003
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 7:52 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi Dave,

"Sorry, I didn't mean Stride had been literally dragged through the street, but if she was roughly handled per Schwartz's testimony, shouldn't her body have shown traces of that (bruising, etc)? So when we're talking about this attack Schwartz witnessed as not fitting in with how we think the Ripper would have behaved, maybe what Schwartz saw had nothing whatever to do with Stride or the Ripper."

Aha. Now I get it.
Sorry about that confusion, Dave. :-)
Well, I find it rather unlikely (nothing is impossible, of course) that two incidents involving two different women in such short a time span could occure without more witnesses would have noted any of them (besides Schwartz). It feels a bit constructed, if you ask me.
Unless Schwartz got his timing extremely wrong.
It's an interesting thought, but we have no other account of a second woman being assaulted besides Stride. I would think -- considering the actuality of the Ripper murders -- that such an event would have appeared in the documentation and maybe even cleared up.

"I agree that it's unlikely that Stride would have experienced two separate attacks by two separate attackers within a short time span, so if Stride is the woman Schwartz saw, then what Schwartz saw was probably the beginning of her murder. Yet I also wouldn't be surprised that it was Kidney who did away with Stride. My opinion hasn't been solidly formed yet and I'm only speculating."

Well, your reasoning sounds good to me, in my book, dave.

As far as Stride's candidacy, I guess I haven't completely decided either, but right now it seems more possible to me that she may not have been a JtR victim and it all was a terrible coincidence. After all, there was a lot of half-crazed violent character roaming the streets of Whitechapel (which Paul Begg describes rather thoroughly inhis new book) and we also know that gangs -- targeting prostitutes -- operated. And then we have Kidney. Stranger things have happened, and it could explain some of the problems.

All the best
G, Sweden

(Message edited by Glenna on January 01, 2005)
"Well, do you... punk?"
Dirty Harry, 1971
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Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert

Post Number: 3725
Registered: 3-2003
Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 5:25 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi Dave

It wasn't anything to do with Hebrew. It sounded like yavo, yabo...anyway, I'll have to wait till a Hungarian joins the Boards.

Robert
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David O'Flaherty
Chief Inspector
Username: Oberlin

Post Number: 671
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 10:38 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi Robert,

Ah well. . .but you don't have to wait for a Hungarian to turn up. I'm sure there are English-Hungarian communities on the Internet that you can ask.

Cheers,
Dave
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Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert

Post Number: 3731
Registered: 3-2003
Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 11:57 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Dave, can't you ask that Gabor bird?

Really odd, that Jack probably left either when he heard Morris open the door, or he heard Watkins approaching. In either case, he hears them, but they don't hear him.

Robert
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David O'Flaherty
Chief Inspector
Username: Oberlin

Post Number: 672
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 12:34 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

The only Hungarian Eva ever taught me is "Ollyvah" and "Dahling". God bless her, she's no longer with us. Zsa Zsa only beat me. :-)

It is odd, but look at Clapp--he's just down that short passage from the murder scene. I guess his 2nd floor bedroom must have been overlooking that little yard that was back there and not straight down into the passage, but not only does he fail to hear the murder, he doesn't hear the investigation either! Surely that was a noisy affair, the police in and out, the meat wagon rolling over those cobblestones as it comes for the corpse. . .Clapp has no idea until the morning.

Dave
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Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert

Post Number: 3732
Registered: 3-2003
Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 1:06 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Exactly, Dave. Even if Jack wore rubber-soled shoes, none of the policemen, doctors etc did. And according to Chris Scott, Clapp was a young man, not some old boy deaf as a post.

And then, Pearce had to be awakened.

It makes me wonder whether there was some freak sound effect - as if the famous Mitre Square echo went totally muffled under wet conditions, or something of that nature.

Robert
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Caroline Anne Morris
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Caz

Post Number: 1380
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Monday, January 03, 2005 - 7:33 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi All,

I guess a killer would have a more pressing need to be all ears while on the job than anyone going about their innocent business nearby.

Needs must when the Devil drives, as they say.

Perhaps we could rule out any suspects known to have been hard of hearing, on the grounds that a witness would surely have caught him in the act sooner or later, had he been unable to sense anyone getting too close for comfort.

Love,

Caz
X
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Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert

Post Number: 3742
Registered: 3-2003
Posted on Monday, January 03, 2005 - 7:58 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Caz, that eliminates Kosminski. All those voices in his head would have drowned out Watkins's boots.

Robert
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David O'Flaherty
Chief Inspector
Username: Oberlin

Post Number: 692
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2005 - 12:06 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Actually, where does the story of the fire engine impersonation come from? I'm not finding it in Ultimate or the press reports. Am I missing it?

Dave
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Stephen P. Ryder
Board Administrator
Username: Admin

Post Number: 3203
Registered: 10-1997
Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2005 - 12:34 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi David -

The earliest source I can find for the fire engine story comes from Cullen (p. 146, When London Walked in Terror). Unfortunately he doesn't attribute his source.

You're right, at least far as I can tell there are no mentions of this in the press reports or police files. I wonder where Cullen himself got it from? Oral history perhaps?
Stephen P. Ryder, Exec. Editor
Casebook: Jack the Ripper
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David O'Flaherty
Chief Inspector
Username: Oberlin

Post Number: 693
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2005 - 12:45 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Thanks Stephen,

Man, I will be very sorry if one of my favorite stories turns out to be a myth. I notice neither Neal Stubbings or Philip Sugden repeat the story in their books. As far as I can tell, a crowd gathered around Eddowes because she was sleeping in the street.

Dave
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Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert

Post Number: 3911
Registered: 3-2003
Posted on Monday, January 17, 2005 - 7:01 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I too would be sorry if the fire engine story was untrue. Still, I think she must have been putting on some sort of cabaret for the crowd to gather - I imagine people just sleeping on the pavement was quite common.

Robert

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