The police continued their inquiries and investigations to-day, but their labours have been entirely without reward, and it is now beginning to be admitted that the detectives are once more at fault. No further arrests have been made, nor have the police any clue which would give hopes of a speedy capture of the murderer. The detectives from Scotland-yard, as well as those belonging to the Bethnal-green division (the latter have charge of the Buck's-row murder), met at the Commercial-street station to make arrangements with the police as to certain low quarters which were to be particularly watched during the night. As evidence of the insecurity prevailing in certain parts of the East-end; notably Hanbury-street and its vicinity, about five persons were accosted yesterday by a gang of roughs, who, among other misdeeds deprived an old man aged eighty of his gold watch and chain. The man Pigott is still an inmate of the workhouse infirmary, and it is stated that his mental condition has not materially improved. The relatives of the murdered woman Chapman, who occupy respectable positions in life, have taken charge of the remains, which will be interred privately.
A woman named Darrell has made a statement to the effect that about half-past five o'clock on the morning of the murder of Mrs Chapman she saw a man and a woman conversing outside 29, Hanbury-street, and that they disappeared very suddenly. Mrs Darrell was taken to the mortuary yesterday, and she identified the body of Chapman as that of the woman whom she saw in Hanbury-street. If this identification can be relied upon it is obviously an important piece of evidence, as it fixes with precision the time at which the murder was committed and corroborates the statement of John Richardson, who went into the yard at a quarter to five and has persistently declared that the body was not then on the premises. Davis, the man who first saw the corpse, went into the yard shortly after six o'clock. Assuming that the various witnesses have spoken the truth, there is no reason to doubt, the murder must have been committed between half-past five and six o'clock, and the murderer must have walked through the streets in almost broad daylight without attracting attention although he must have been at the time more or less stained with blood. This seems incredible, and it has certainly strengthened the belief of many of those engaged in the case that the murderer had not far to go to reach his lodgings.
Mr Wynne Baxter, coroner, resumed his inquiry concerning the death of Annie Chapman at two o'clock today. The evidence tendered yesterday may be summarised in a few lines. Mrs Richardson, the occupier of the house, and her son gave evidence, the latter testifying that a few minutes before five on the morning of the murder he called at his mother's house, and seeing that all was safe, went to his work in the market. Had the woman's body then been where it was afterwards found he must have observed it. John Pizer, otherwise "Leather Apron", was next called, and satisfactorily accounted for his whereabouts not only on Saturday morning but some days previously, and the coroner remarked that his statements had been corroborated.
On Tuesday afternoon Mrs Burridge, a shop keeper of the Blackfriars-road, was reading an account of the Whitechapel murder, and she was so affected thereby that she fell down in a fit and died.
