John Fitzgerald

[Mike Covell]

John Fitzgerald, who was arrested at Wandsworth, charged on his own confession with the Whitechapel Murder, has been liberated.

That was the small press cutting I recieved this morning, no date or newspaper title, although the letter with the piece stated it was a Hull Newspaper.

Does anyone know when this event happened?

[Chris Scott]

Hi Mike
This report was in the Evening News of 27 September 1888:
THE WHITECHAPEL MURDER.
A CONFESSION
The Central News understands that a man, giving the name of John Fitzgerald, gave himself up at Wandsworth Police-station last night, and made a statement to the inspector on duty to the effect that he committed the murder in Hanbury-street. He was afterwards conveyed to the Leman-street Police-station, where he is now detained.
The Central News, in a later dispatch, says: The man in custody at Leman-street is a plasterer or a bricklayer's labourer. He says he has been wandering from place to place, and he is believed to have been more or less under the influence of drink lately. He has not yet been formally charged with the crime, but is merely detained pending further inquiries. His description does not tally with that given at the inquest by witnesses of a certain man seen on the morning of the murder. It seems that Fitzgerald first communicated the intelligence to a private individual, who subsequently gave its purport to the police. A search was made, and the man was discovered in a common lodging house at Wandsworth. He is known to have been living recently at Hammersmith. His self-accusation is said to be not altogether clear, and it is even reported that he cannot give the date of the murder, so that the authorities are disinclined to place much reliance on his statements. The police are, nevertheless pursuing vigilant inquiries and if the confession be found to contain any semblance of truth, the prisoner will be formally charged before a magistrate at Worship-street.

and on 29 September 1888 in the same paper:

THE WHITECHAPEL MURDER.
FITZGERALD RELEASED.
The man John Fitzgerald, who was arrested at Wandsworth, and who has been detained at the Leman-street Police-station on his own confession of having murdered Annie Chapman, in Hanbury-street, on the 8th inst., has been liberated, exhaustive inquiries having proved his statements to be entirely unfounded. Since Fitzgerald's release, yesterday, nothing further has transpired in connection with the recent tragedies.

[Chris Scott]

John Fitzgerald

The Evening News account describes Fitzgerald as a plasterer or bricklayer's labourer. The only man of this name with such a trade is listed in 1891 as follows:
21 Gun Street, Whitechapel
Head: John Fitzgerald aged 25 born City - Bricklayer's labourer
Wife: Mary Fitzgerald aged 35 born City
Children:
Mary aged 15 born City - Paper sorter
Annie aged 14 born City
John aged 11
Michael aged 10 born City
Ellen aged 7 born City
Isabella aged 3 born City
Sarah aged 1 born City
If Fitzgerald's age as given is correct, then the older children must have been stepchildren.
However, the listing for the family from 1881 makes it clear that Fitzgerald's aged in 1891 was actually 35.
1881:
2 King Court, Bishopsgate
Head: John Fitzgerald aged 25 - Labourer
Wife: Mary aged 23
Children:
Mary Ann aged 5
Anne aged 4
John aged 2
Michael aged 1 month
All born in City

At the same address are listed what I take to be Fitzgerald's younger brother and his wife:
Head: Michael Fitzgerald aged 23 born Bishopsgate - Bricklayer's labourer
Wife: Ada Fitzgerald aged 20 born Hackney
Child:
Michael aged 4 months born Bishopsgate

The birth of Mary Ann Fitzgerald, the oldest child, was registered in Whitechapel in the last quarter of 1875. As Fitzgerald's wife was named Mary this gives the following possibilities for their marriage:
1874 Quarter 1:
St George in the East
John Fitzgerald and Mary Ann O'Brien
1874 Quarter 2
Pancras
John Fitzgerald and Mary Ann Bendall
In 1871, Mary A Bendall is listed as 17 years old. What looks to the the right Mary Ann O'Brien is listed in 1871 as aged 14, which fits closer to John Fitzgerald's wife Mary. I would suggest that the St George marriage of 1874 is the correct one.

In 1901 the family is listed as follows:
21 Lisbon Street Buildings, Bethnal Green
Head: John Fizgerald aged 43 born City - Dock labourer
Wife: Mary Fitzgerald aged 41 born Spitalfields
Children:
Isabella aged 13 born City
Sarah aged 11 born City
Eliza aged 9 born Spitalfields
James aged 8 born Spitalfields
David aged 5 born Spitalfields

With regard to Fitzgerald's parentage, there seems to be only one candidate for him in the 1871 census:
7 Fire Ball Court, Aldgate
Head: James Fitzgerald aged 38 born Ireland - Costermonger
Wife: Catherine Fitzgerald aged 38 born Ireland
Children:
John aged 14
Mary aged 12
James aged 10
Eliza aged 4
If this is the right family, it invalidates the supposition that the Michael Fitzgerald listed earlier was John's younger brother by 2 years.

[Mike Covell]

Great stuff, thanks Chris.

I recieved an envelope full of Hull based newscuttings this morning, and loads had no dates, no newspaper names and worse still some had no headlines! I spent about 6 hours today referencing the ones that had noticeable details into chronological order but fear about 30% will be in the "Unknown" pile!