Lets get Lechmere off the hook!

[David Andersen]

I have followed this debate closely. The one thing that doesnt seem to have been mentioned. unless I have missed it. is this. If Lechmere killed Polly Nichols, and then accompanied Paul to find a Policeman. What did he do with his weapon? It wasnt found at the murder scene. or anywhere else for that matter. Do we accept that Lechmere kept the knife and had it still in his possession even when reporting the finding of the body? I dont.
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[Kaz]

I have followed this debate closely. The one thing that doesnt seem to have been mentioned. unless I have missed it. is this. If Lechmere killed Polly Nichols, and then accompanied Paul to find a Policeman. What did he do with his weapon? It wasnt found at the murder scene. or anywhere else for that matter. Do we accept that Lechmere kept the knife and had it still in his possession even when reporting the finding of the body? I dont.
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Did the police officer search him?

[Tom_Wescott]

Hi Kaz and David,

As it turns out, it doesn't appear that Cross was searched. However, there's no way he could have known the police would not detain himself and Paul and search them. Presenting himself to the police as he did would be suicide if he had the murder weapon on him.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[David Andersen]

No weapon - No case.

[Simon Owen]

It's easy to explain the ' Double Event ' and the murder in Mitre Square , for Lechemere or any other suspect. Jack tries to kill Elizabeth Stride but is interrupted before he can mutilate the body. Fearing that the Metropolitan Police will soon be on full alert he crosses into the City of London ( under the jurisdiction of the seperate City of London police force )and kills Kate Eddowes. Then escaping from the City police he crosses back into the East End and leaves the Goulston Street graffiti as a taunt with a piece of apron next to it to prove that he , Jack , wrote it.
He may have known that Mitre Square was a good place to pick up a prostitute or he may have just wandered until he saw Eddowes looking for business and let her lead him to a dark corner.

[lynn cates]

Stay a bit.

Hello Tom.

"The stays shouldn't have been an impediment to the killer."

Right. They seem not to have stayed his hand. (Sorry.)

Cheers.
LC

[gnote]

Hi Kaz and David,

As it turns out, it doesn't appear that Cross was searched. However, there's no way he could have known the police would not detain himself and Paul and search them. Presenting himself to the police as he did would be suicide if he had the murder weapon on him.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

Not to mention if the knife had fresh blood on it.

[Robert]

I cannot remember if this came up before, but I imagine the Lechmerites would say that Crossmere had to make a decision : conceal the knife about the woman's clothing, which he could do in the days before fingerprints, or keep it on him in case he needed it should Paul become suspicious.

[Tom_Wescott]

I cannot remember if this came up before, but I imagine the Lechmerites would say that Crossmere had to make a decision : conceal the knife about the woman's clothing, which he could do in the days before fingerprints, or keep it on him in case he needed it should Paul become suspicious.

Why not blame Robert Mann? Lech hid the knife on Nichols, Mann found and kept it.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[pinkmoon]

I think we all need a dose of reality when it comes to Mr cross on two mainpoints 1,Why give a false name to the police but and here's the real killer the correct address 2,After the appalling murder of poor Mary we are asked to believe that he packed in his new found hobby of dismembering women and went on to live a normal life maybe he found a less demanding hobby like stamp collecting.

[Lechmere]

I hope Christer doesn’t mind me butting in…

Amanda – as no Pickford’s employee records exist for the period concerned – not just 1888 by the way. Blink Films double checked – they didn’t take my word for anything!

The giving of the address has been dealt with countless times. It seems he didn’t give it in open court. Just because regulations say that a witness should give their address does not mean that every witness did, some would have not given it in error and in the confusion was not corrected. In lechers case it is suggested it was by design.

No one has claimed he as anything like Moriarty.

Caz (been hiding lately)
He may have felt it necessary to give the right time for leaving home because a neighbour saw him. Who knows? But the fact is the timings as given do allow a time gap – no matter whose timings you take and he was not picked up on it.

Rocky
What makes you think that workers had nights off – apart from Saturday night – (the Double Event which has been covered).
What makes you think he got bloodied?
What makes you think his work place was such that he would be noticed of he had a bit of blood on him when he turned up at 4 am?

Most Ripper suspects do not have any reason to have anatomical knowledge. At least Lechmere’s family had connections to the cat’s meat business – which is more than most can boast.

On his way to work would have been the only window of opportunity in his life when he could have committed the crimes. On his way home for example it would have been broad daylight

Nichols’ blood – Paul knelt by the body on the side by the downward slope where gravity would take any blood. He touched the face and hands and pulled the skirt down and didn’t’ get bloody. He was very close to the body and it clearly wasn’t so dark that he could not perform the actions referred to. It wasn’t so dark that Lechmere couldn’t see a woman’s body from half way across the road. It wasn’t so dark that Paul couldn’t see Lechmere at 30 or 40 yards. The lack of blood seems to have mystified Paul as it was reportedly seen by others. The likely explanation is that there was none or very little when he was there as he would have seen it or got it on him.

Why did Lechmere go to Mitre Square? It was his night off – he wasn’t going to work for a start. Disatisfied after being interrupted with Stride, he went to where he knew he could find more victims based on the knowledge and familiarity of his previous work route. He went away from home to get another victim. It would have been foolish to find one nearer his home. But the apron piece left after leaving Mitre Square points to his home.
This was omitted from the documentary due to time considerations.

If you want your Ripper to carry on after Kelly there are plenty of other murders that he can be linked to.

[GUT]

G'day Lechmere

Nichols’ blood – Paul knelt by the body on the side by the downward slope where gravity would take any blood.

Really??? Proof that he knelt is ...?

[Robert]

It was so dark that Paul didn't notice her throat had been cut from ear to ear.

[GUT]

If you want your Ripper to carry on after Kelly there are plenty of other murders that he can be linked to.

More thoroughly than he's been linked to the C5???

[GUT]

Amanda – as no Pickford’s employee records exist for the period concerned – not just 1888 by the way. Blink Films double checked – they didn’t take my word for anything!

And as no records exist how do we know that this carman carried meat as opposed to general goods, if anyone can PROVE [damn that pesky word] that his depot only carted meat then you may have a point.