Two things that don't make sense!

[Sam Flynn]

I doubt this was a guy who gave a flying euphemism about his lodgers' financial difficulties...either they'd front up with the cash in one form or other or he'd shift someone else in.

The problem with that, Claire, is that McCarthy had a somewhat expensive deal to offer. Whereas many of the unfortunate class might have found it comparatively easy to find 3d or 4d per night for a doss-house bunk, it would be more difficult for them to find the requisite 4s 6d in one lump required for a "luxury" room such as Kelly's, unless they had a partner earning a decent enough wage to afford such a sum. At least when Kelly moved in with Barnett, she belonged to that category - not everyone in Spitalfields was that lucky, however.

When so many men were earning only 15 or 16 shillings per week, 4/6 constituted around a third of their expendable weekly income - a not inconsiderable percentage under the circumstances. I'm not sure whether the likes of McCarthy would require a week's rent as a deposit, but if so, a total of 9 shillings "up-front" would have been even more of a struggle to find. It's small wonder that most of the residents of Miller's Court appear to have been couples or families, as having more than one income would have helped meet the weekly rental charges.

Faced with this, and in light of a seasonal slump in the local economy (it was practically Winter when Kelly died, after all) it might not have made much difference to McCarthy whether Kelly left or stayed. With her still there, he'd have had a chance of at least some income, if not the entire arrears - which is more than he could have expected from a comparatively expensive, empty, room.

[The Good Michael]

Gareth,

I was only half-heartedly suggesting such a thing as a stable. Of course the majority of the people were just simple folks trying to make a go of things, and that is pretty much the reality of most slums. The criminal or unsavory elements draw attention, but we forget the regular folks. I'm sure Mcarthy was glad to have the normal Joes as a constant source of revenue, and the Kelly types were probably a source of headache as much as money.

Cheers,

Mike

[Sam Flynn]

Hi Mike,

It's not just Kelly, though. Prater or Cox were, I believe, recorded as stating that they, too, were behind on the rent. As neither of them strikes one as being particularly toothsome, McCarthy's "stable" - if such it was - seems to have been part knacker's-yard.

Of course, our view of Miller's Court is somewhat skewed by the dramatis personæ who came forward at the time of Kelly's murder, and only a minority of those appear to have been street-walkers. That we know of them at all must have something to do with the fact they were the ones likely to be up and about at night-time, and thus better placed than most of the residents to act as witnesses to Kelly's final hours.

We actually know very few of the residents - whether directly named or alluded to in witness testimony - to wit:

Elizabeth Prater *
Mary Ann Cox *
Mrs Keyler
Mr Keyler
Mrs Pickett
Mr Pickett
Julia Venturney *
Mary Jane Kelly *
Joe Barnett

I make that nine more-or-less permanent tenants of Miller's Court of whom we're aware. Of those, only four (asterisked) were, or might have been been, "unfortunates". There were assuredly more tenants than these, but we don't know their names. Going on the previous and succeeding censuses, however, there were roughly 30+ tenants in the Court, and the overwhelming majority of them were couples and/or families.

[claire]

Yes, you're right, Mike, there are one heck of a lot of possibilities. When you think about the sorts of people who are 'friendly' with coppers in dodgy areas, we're not talking about savoury characters (or savoury police officers). There's always been (and will be) police who'll take a few bob and/or a girl or two to keep shtum about illegal goings on; for my part, if I found a murdered woman in a property I was letting out, I would just want the police there pronto. McCarthy specified what police officer he wanted: yes, he knew him, but why? Why would he need to know the responding officer?

As you said, I doubt this was a guy who gave a flying euphemism about his lodgers' financial difficulties...either they'd front up with the cash in one form or other or he'd shift someone else in.

[The Good Michael]

Would such a man really be worried if one or two of his tenants went a few weeks in arrears on occasion?

Gareth,

Perhaps that was rhetorical, but I do think a man coming from nothing as Fiona suggests (not Kendall, the believable Fiona), would be scrupulous about knowing where every penny was going, and this seems to me a reason why he would NOT allow someone to be in arrears unless they were bringing in a different kind of income and were good at it, and why I think Bowyer may have been just collecting for the evening. This is of course, if there is any truth to what Mcarthy was saying. We don't know anything, do we? Maybe Blotchy was a man that paid a decent amount to Mcarthy to spend an entire night with Kelly, and that's why he concocted a story about rent. Saying, "I pimped her to a friend and he got too frisky," may not be so smart.

You know, the more we speculate the more this stuff cannot be pinned down. I'm even thinking about Mcarthy and his Brother In-Law?(Cros-singham's?) supplying party girls to the Club periodically. Young radicals need some entertainment. There could be a huge cover-up going on by many parties, all connected through a few prostitutes and bullies.

Who knows. This exhausts me.

Cheers,

Mike

[Sam Flynn]

On the subject of Fiona.....she remains quiet on the subject.As yet,no sign of this lady who was so eager to furnish us with facts in the beginning.

I doubt that day-to-day economics contributed much to the family stories passed down over the years, Anna.

[Sam Flynn]

Let's be fair. Fiona never said Mcarthy was totally nefarious. It seems he was about making a buck wherever he could...

Indeed he did, Mike - and by more-or-less "legitimate" means, too, for he rented out a number of rooms; not just in Miller's Court. In fact, Sarah Lewis might have been one of his tenants, as I seem to recall that he had property in Great Pearl Street, well north of Dorset Street itself. Then there was his chandler's shop - with its honest and (possibly) hooky income streams to keep him going. Would such a man really be worried if one or two of his tenants went a few weeks in arrears on occasion?

[anna]

Hi Mike,
You talk of McCarthy like he was doing them all a bit of a favour,helping them along....

Listen,they earn't so little and he had so much....simple!....I stand by my opinion of him.

He could have got into trouble,if the police caught him renting to these ladies.
Another thing I've seen written about him......He could have got into trouble just as easily,in other ventures he was no doubt involved it.

IF he was,of course doing as suggested.

On the subject of Fiona.....she remains quiet on the subject.As yet,no sign of this lady who was so eager to furnish us with facts in the beginning.

ANNA.

[Salome]

Enter Hutchinson! (Maybe)

[The Good Michael]

Let's be fair. Fiona never said Mcarthy was totally nefarious. It seems he was about making a buck wherever he could, and that is what the lodging houses were about. I can see him questioning some of the ladies of the Court and at least raising the rent a bit if he knows that they are about solicitation, and a bit more if they are using their rooms as locations of operation. I can even see him suggesting that he help them in their endeavors. After all, a relative owns Crossingham's and this gives the ladies a couple (at least) of safe areas to ply their trade, only a man can only be awake so long, and there's bound to be some moments when the Court isn't watched too carefully.

Cheers,

Mike

[anna]

...I am asking this,because I was thinking,that was an area where Kelly could come into the equasion,as she had the pitch outside the Ten Bells,and could do a bit of business amongst the locals,on McCarthy's behalf...mentioning,"I know a bloke who can help,if you're short of a bob or two" sort of thing..
Perhaps she did this,and the McCarthy's turned a blind eye to her rent arrears as she was handy and put a bit of money their way????
Just an idea to put past you!
ANNA.

[anna]

Hi Salome,
Do you think he would have been pawning items in the shop,out of interest?

ANNA.

[Salome]

And don't forget the fencing that probably went on in the chandler's shop!

[anna]

Hi Salome


I'm 100% with you on those points,especially about him wanting a cut of their earnings so he watched the court to see what they were up to..
well,he wouldn't want to be done out of a few pennies,after all,he had all that property plus the rents he had coming in,how could he possibly survive without taking a cut of the few pennies the women earn't.
He was a scumbag,and I definitely wouldn't want him amongst my rellies.

ANNA.

[Salome]

One of the things that Fiona Kendall-Lane has said is that Jack McCarthy was a night owl and used to watch the court, for a very good reason - she didn't expand on that. If that was the case then I think he was probably monitoring which women were bringing men home and then sending Bowyer round to collect his cut. I believe that Millers Court was mostly a brothel.