Sept 30 - Oct 1 house-to-house enquiry

[robhouse]

I am aware that there was apparently a house-to-house search in the vicinity of Berner Street in the days immediately after the Stride murder (in other words, September 30 - October 1).

I have tried to find some documentation of this, but have not come up with anything. I was wondering if anyone had found any sources that refer to this search.

I am particularly wondering about the extent of this search and if it would have covered Kozminski's residences on Greenfield Street.

I am recopying below what Stewart Evans said on this a couple years ago:

Grey Hunter
23rd January 2006, 11:43 AM
The Metropolitan Police search area' has become something of a bugbear for Ripper theorists and, if accepted at face value, is something of an anomaly. The 'house-to-house' search that was set up after the Berner Street murder did not, indeed, include the area south of Whitechapel High Street and Whitechapel Road. But, I have already addressed this problem, and on more than one occasion. To suggest that the area between Commercial Road and Whitechapel Road should be omitted from enquiries that concerned the murder in Berner Street is a patent nonsense. The simple answer is that all properties surrounding Berner Street, probably from the railway lines north to Whitechapel High Street and Whitechapel Road were checked on Sunday 30 September and Monday 1 October in the house to house enquiry that we know immediately followed the Stride murder. Then, when a more extensive search was proposed bringing in the properties to the north, there was no need to check the houses that had already been done - hence they weren't included in the area defined for the later search.

Thanks for any help.

Rob House

[robhouse]

Nobody has any info on this?.........

[Scott Nelson]

Hi Rob,

If it's not in the Companion volume under the Stride reports, I kind of doubt that surviving documentation exists. I've never run across any newspaper accounts specific to this search area; but journalists may not have been in the loop, although they probably took it for granted that inquiries were being conducted.

[Chris]

Hi Rob,

If it's not in the Companion volume under the Stride reports, I kind of doubt that surviving documentation exists. I've never run across any newspaper accounts specific to this search area; but journalists may not have been in the loop, although they probably took it for granted that inquiries were being conducted.

In Swanson's report of 19 October, the item that seems to match this (following a search of the members who were in the Socialist Club and the taking of statements from them) is this:
"b. Extended enquiries were made in Berner Street to ascertain if any person was seen with the woman."

Swanson then goes on to detail the distribution of leaflets in H Division asking householders for information about suspicious lodgers. Further on this is amplified with the information that about 80,000 leaflets had been distributed, and a house-to-house enquiry had been carried out in the known area to the north of the Whitechapel Road.

[Evans and Skinner, Ultimate Sourcebook, pp. 139, 140.]

[Monty]

Hi Rob,

I dont think this helps you but it may aid in the elimination.

My post to Gareth on The GSG. What does it mean? thread

06-22-2008, 07:37 PM
Monty
Inspector Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 1,070

The MET search area.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sam,

As you mention, Swanson lays out the Met polices search area in his overview report (HO144/221/A49301C, ff 148-159), which was predominantly on Strides murder. To be fair, he doesnt mention his reasons why this area was searched and I think its a tad misleading to say Swanson took to that area solely due to the apron. That said, it must have been a factor and I agree with your logic.

Also the search area map Rob Clack did.

Like I say, I dont think its helps as it misses Berner Street but hey !

[Jon Guy]

My understanding is that the area searched was mainly due to the location of the majority of Common Lodging Houses.

Handbills were circulated amongst the areas where people had private lodgings or had a landlord.