Two things that don't make sense!

[DVV]

Hutchinson standing in the cold because of his feelings for Mary, and cared for her? A bit laughable...
If that was the case, why didn't he wait until the "client" had left Miller's Court (especially since he had no lodgings that night)?
Not to mention the description of his suspect, the incredible meeting on Sunday morning, the fact that he went to the police on Monday evening.
He obviously stinks lie far more than he smells love.

Amitiés,
David

[Salome]

I would be surprised if McCarthy and his fellow lodging-house keepers kept rent-books. I wonder if Fiona R. could tell us if she reads this thread and knows the answer?

[harry]

Hutchinson had every chance to solicit a bed share,or a room for the night,when Kelly met him in Commercial St,when she was alone.Aside from that,accepting anything Hutchinson said,is fruitless

[DVV]

Many years ago, when I was a virile young man, I was dating a country girl who loved horseriding. She would take me to the stables and I would stand by the paddock come rain or shine to watch her. This was to ensure she never came to any harm, and if she did fall off the horse, I was there to help her.
I did this in the rain becuase of the way I felt about her and suspect that's what happened here.


(In hindsight I should have let her go on her own )

Hello Mike,
a nice and sweet souvenir.
You, at least, used to wait until the lady came back.
And if something bad had occured, you would be there, able to help her or call the police.
In short, you were a gentleman, and truly in love with her.
Hutch was none of that.

Amitiés,
David

[Ben]

Agreed, David.

Whatever his motivations for loitering where he did at that time, his actions and later admissions are simply not consistent with "homelessness", especially if he was the man seen by Sarah Lewis. The Victoria Home sold daily and weekly tickets which could be purchased as late as 12.00am, after which time the doors were closed to all but ticket-holders. 12.00am was the cut-off point, and if Hutchinson "usually" slept there, he'd have known about it. Bit odd, then, that he embarked upon a 13-mile hoof from Romford in dismal weather conditions in the certainty that his home would be closed to him by two and half hours by the time he arrived in Whitechapel, and that he didn't have much "night" left by that stage.

Oh, and no money to pay for a bed anyway.

Even if we're generous and assume that he forgot the closing time or misjudged the length of the journey by over two hours (!), a roof over his head would not have been a problem. By his own admission he loitered right outside Crossingham's lodging house which was open to non-ticket holders as we learn from the Chapman inquest. Granted, he couldn't have secured a bed with no money, but he could have escaped the wind and rain at least by staying in the fire-lit lodging house kitchen.

That option was two-feet away from him and yet he didn't fancy it. He was more interested in the court on the other side of the road. Obviously, he wasn't concerned about securing a roof over his head that night.

Finally, we learn that he walked about all night (from 3.00am onwards, which encompasses the likely time-frame for Kelly's murder) because the Victoria Home was closed, but if he had no money, the closure of the home is surely immaterial? He allegedly gained entry to the building when it opened "in the morning", but with what money? One minute money is the obstacle between Hutch and bed, and the next it's the closure of the home.

Best regards,
Ben

[Fiona]

Hi all

Salome - I think it would be very unlikely that Jack McCarthy did not have rent books. He owned or leased a considerable amount of property that he let out on a weekly or nightly basis. It would have been impossible for him to remember who had paid their rent and who hadn't. That said, I also think it inconceivable that he didn't have keys for his properties, given the type of tenants living in them.

Kind regards
Fiona

[DVV]

As usual, Ben, your post is impressively argued and factually detailed.
In every aspect, Hutch's statements are dubious, illogical, hardly credible. Nothing works.
Had I been Abberline, I would have made nightmares for the rest of my days...

Amitiés,
David (Ben's Fan-Club's President )

[Ben]

Appreciate the kind words, David.

Nice to read after returning from (more) hols!

All the best,
Ben

[Robert]

Hi Fiona

What you say about the key is very interesting. Do you have any theory as to why McCarthy had to resort to a pickaxe?

[DVV]

"Given the type of my tenants, better have at hand a pickaxe than a key..."

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

The pickaxe lent weight to the locked-room scenario.

Regards,

Simon

[DVV]

Hi Simon,
maybe, maybe not...
One can argue that if the door was locked, the police would have shown much more interest, afterward, in the "lost key" story.
I admit that we have no proof, on the other hand, that they ever realized that the door was locked (if it was, of course)...
At last, a very frustrating minor (?) mystery.

Amitiés,
David

[Supe]

David,

In my article (a link to which appeared earlier) I suggested it was mis-direction on the part of McCarthy to take their attention away from the fact that he did have a key and thus easy access himself. Better a few more quid spent repairing a door frame than any ifurther nvolvement in a murder.

A bigger question, though, might be why--if the door was in fact openable by reaching through the broken pane--the police didn't tumble to that expedient? Any long-armed, mischievous teen would have had the door open in 30 seconds.

Don.

[Tom_Wescott]

In my article (a link to which appeared earlier) I suggested it was mis-direction on the part of McCarthy to take their attention away from the fact that he did have a key and thus easy access himself. Better a few more quid spent repairing a door frame than any ifurther nvolvement in a murder.

I personally think this makes perfect sense. A dead body in a room with an open door and you're the only one with a key? If it were me I'd have used a bulldozer if necessary to keep from acknowledging I had a key. Knowing what McCarthy knew about the legal processes of the time he was smart to play dumb. I wonder then if Barnett had similar motives for saying the key had been lost.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Mike Covell]

I personally think this makes perfect sense. A dead body in a room with an open door and you're the only one with a key? If it were me I'd have used a bulldozer if necessary to keep from acknowledging I had a key. Knowing what McCarthy knew about the legal processes of the time he was smart to play dumb. I wonder then if Barnett had similar motives for saying the key had been lost.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

Note to self, If Tom ever needs a bulldozer, refer to this thread!

I agree with the theory and quite enjoyed the dissertation Supe.