Did the killer take MJK's clothes with him?

[K-453]

Most of the clothing that had been at Mary Jane Kelly's room was missing, and there were remains of burnt clothing found in the fireplace, so it is assumed those clothes were burned, probably by the Ripper.

But does stuffing an armful of clothes into a rather small fireplace really make sense? Or feeding them in bit by bit - this may work for socks, but a dress is still a rather large piece of clothing.

So here is another idea: The Ripper burnt a few things, and rolled the others up into a bundle and took them with him.

After all, he cut off a piece of Catherine Eddowes' apron that was too large to just wipe his hands with. And a black, woolen neckerchief Annie Chapman was seen with is not listed in the list of her belongings, so he may have taken that, too.

[GUT]

What clothes were missing?

She probably only had what she stood up in, and they folded on a chair.

[Rosella]

Maybe Jack was a second-hand clothes dealer, just after some bargains?

I think the only clothing that was missing, presumed burned, were the bits and pieces left in Mary's room by her friend, Julia van Turney.

[Gene Lewis]

Maybe Jack was a second-hand clothes dealer, just after some bargains?

I think the only clothing that was missing, presumed burned, were the bits and pieces left in Mary's room by her friend, Julia van Turney.

Wasn't it Maria Harvey who let pieces of clothes in N°13 ?

[K-453]

What clothes were missing?

She probably only had what she stood up in, and they folded on a chair.

Oh, do I remember that wrong? I thought, everything was gone, except the chemise she was still wearing, and the men's coat in front of the window.

Abberline at the inquest:
"I subsequently took an inventory of the contents of the room. There were traces of a large fire having been kept up in the grate, so much so that it had melted the spout of a kettle off. We have since gone through the ashes in the fireplace; there were remnants of clothing, a portion of a brim of a hat, and a skirt, and it appeared as if a large quantity of women's clothing had been burnt. "

Is that inventory to be found somewhere?

Maybe Jack was a second-hand clothes dealer, just after some bargains?

Fritz Haarmann, "the Werewolf of Hannover", started a flourishing rag trade with the clothes of his victims.

[Abby Normal]

I believe the only clothes found in the room were the old mens jacket hung over the broken window, Mary's clothes she was wearing that night folded on the chair and the what was left of the chemise on her body.

Presumably the clothes that her friend left in the room were burned in the fireplace.

But I remember somewhere that at least one piece of clothing a mans jacket? that she left in Marys room was recovered by the police. Maybe that was too bulky to burn?

Of course he could have used a piece of clothing to take her heart away in, or if it was blotchy-his pail.

[Rosella]

I don't think the Ripper was very choosy about how he carried off his souvenirs. Jack doesn't seem to have minded carrying a repulsively filthy part-apron to Goulston street. Maybe he wrapped Mary's heart in that famous red hankie he gave her to blow her nose on, or just popped the heart in his pocket.

You are quite right, Gene. Both Julia and Maria Harvey were laundresses and I got them mixed up.

[Natasha]

Am I correct in saying that no one else mentioned Harvey had left any clothes behind?

If so then how do we know if she really did leave anything behind? If she was covering for someone, could it be possible that the killer was in fact wearing the garments found in the fire place?

[Barnaby]

I find it a bit curious that a drunk Mary would take the time to neatly fold her clothes. I certainly don't behave this way when drunk. Either they are on the floor or I fall asleep in them. (Actually, I behave this way sober too!) If she was working, the clothes would have come off, but neatly folded?

Could Jack have done this?

[RockySullivan]

Am I correct in saying that no one else mentioned Harvey had left any clothes behind?

If so then how do we know if she really did leave anything behind? If she was covering for someone, could it be possible that the killer was in fact wearing the garments found in the fire place?

Didn't Harvey work doing laundry? I've pondered if there was a connection between the laundry and the clothes burned...though what I'm unsure

[Errata]

Wool burns quickly. Cotton even more so. As anyone who has ever dropped a lit cigarette into the lap of her cotton replica medieval kirtle knows. So maybe that's just me, but it does burn fast. Felted items can burn like a flash fire. So it's possible to dump a load of clothes on a fire and have them burn quickly. An armload might even seem to douse the fire in the grate, but still burn to ash within minutes.

the real mystery is that it burns quickly enough that it doesn't provide a lot of flame and light for very long. Like paper. So it's lousy fuel for getting something done. So you would need to dump several loads on the flame if the point is to keep the fire going for more than 10 minutes. So why do it at all?

[RockySullivan]

Wool burns quickly. Cotton even more so. As anyone who has ever dropped a lit cigarette into the lap of her cotton replica medieval kirtle knows. So maybe that's just me, but it does burn fast. Felted items can burn like a flash fire. So it's possible to dump a load of clothes on a fire and have them burn quickly. An armload might even seem to douse the fire in the grate, but still burn to ash within minutes.

the real mystery is that it burns quickly enough that it doesn't provide a lot of flame and light for very long. Like paper. So it's lousy fuel for getting something done. So you would need to dump several loads on the flame if the point is to keep the fire going for more than 10 minutes. So why do it at all?

Maybe to get rid of evidence...could the clothes point back to the killer?

[DJA]

Wool requires a lot of heat to ignite it.
More than cotton.
Especially in a Victorian fireplace.
This was Autumn.

[richardnunweek]

Hi.
I believe a velvet jacket , and Bonnet[ which belonged to Maria Harvey] was burnt in the grate, these items were worn by Kelly on the evening of the 8th, .
It is possible that the killer was with her, during that time, and burnt these items , so that they could not be identified, and possibly lead to the killers identity..
''I remember a woman wearing those, with a man who looked like?'' for instance,
Regards Richard.

[DJA]

Maria Harvey, 3, New-court, Dorset-street, stated: I knew the deceased as Mary Jane Kelly. I slept at her house on Monday night and on Tuesday night. All the afternoon of Thursday we were together.
[Coroner] Were you in the house when Joe Barnett called ? - Yes. I said, "Well, Mary Jane, I shall not see you this evening again," and I left with her two men's dirty shirts, a little boy's shirt, a black overcoat, a black crepe bonnet with black satin strings, a pawn-ticket for a grey shawl, upon which 2s had been lent, and a little girls white petticoat.
[Coroner] Have you seen any of these articles since? - Yes; I saw the black overcoat in a room in the court on Friday afternoon.
[Coroner] Did the deceased ever speak to you about being afraid of any man ? - She did not.