THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS
On Saturday the man Edward M'Kenna, who was taken to Commercial-street Police-station on Friday night, and there detained, was confronted by several witnesses, who failed to recognise him, and he was in consequence liberated. He had not been charged. It was ascertained that he had slept at a common lodging house in Brick-lane on the night of the murder of Annie Chapman. Mrs. Lloyd and her daughter came from Heath-street. They were not able to identify the man as the person who had been chased in their neighbourhood by some boys, and who was alleged to have held a knife behind his back. A Mrs. Lyons was also called, and in her opinion M'Kenna was not the individual she had seen in Flower and Dean-street on the Sunday following the Hanbury-street tragedy. Similarly the potman from the Ten Bells public-house could not identify him as the man who had angrily called a woman out of the bar on the morning of the murder; and Mr. Taylor, who on the same day had watched a man of suspicious appearance leave the Prince Albert and go into Bishopsgate-street, also could not say that M'Kenna was the same. In each case, it is said, the description given resembled that of the man who was temporarily detained. The detective officers complain that their time is much taken up in sifting carefully statements which appear to have little foundation. They are now investigating another story of a man said to have been seen with a knife, which is so far without result, and they do not attach much importance to the incident. The tale is that at about ten o'clock on Friday night a man passed through the Tower Subway to the Middlesex side, and said to the caretaker, "Have you caught any of the Whitechapel murderers yet?" He displayed a long knife with a curved blade, and added, "This will do for them." He was pursued, but escaped.
One of the Vigilance Committees formed in the East-end held a meeting at the Crown Tavern, Mile-end-road, on Saturday. Mr. Aaron presided. The chairman said that, although the promoters of this movement believed the police were doing their utmost to discover the perpetrator of the horrible murders in Whitechapel, there was a widespread feeling that the time had come to supplement official efforts by individual action. He announced several subscriptions from gentlemen towards a reward fund. It was also stated that other persons who were known to be liberal in public contributions declined to give towards the fund on the ground that it was the duty of the Home Secretary to offer a reward for information leading to the discovery of the criminal.
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POLICE INTELLIGENCE
HAMMERSMITH - SCARE AT SHEPHERD'S-BUSH. - A woman named Ann Kelly, giving an address in St. Mary's-place, Notting-dale, was charged with drunkenness. The circumstances under which the accused was brought to the police-station had created a scare in the neighbourhood. She was found in an incapable condition in a bye-thoroughfare off the Shepherd's-bush-road at two o'clock in the morning, with a wound on her throat, from which blood was flowing. It was deemed necessary to remove her to the West London Hospital, where her injuries, which were superficial and appeared to have been self-inflicted, were attended to. In the morning the rumour spread that another outrageous murder had been committed, and crowds of people flocked to the scene of the supposed crime, great excitement prevailing in the district until the facts became known. Kelly, who appeared to be in ill-health, was discharged by the magistrate.
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Edward M'Kenna, the man who was arrested on Friday in connection with the Whitechapel murders, has been liberated, none of the witnesses being able to identify him.
