Fires/ Arson in the East End

[robhouse]

In 1887 Abberline was in charge of investigating a fire in the Jewish theatre in Princelet St (the first such institution in London, if I am correct - certainly in the area); of course we can read too much into every little thing that policeman A or B did but it is interesting with all the racial tensions to wonder whether this too was due to a suspected racial/ political angle.

Reading the Jewish Chronicle a while back, I noted that there were several fires in the East End in 1888 in Jewish homes or businesses. I am just thinking about the notion that serial killers sometimes have histories of arson, etc, and was wondering if anyone had more specific information about fires in the East End in 1888 and before.

"Saturday pre Oct 19 – a fatal fire broke out at 63 Backchurch lane.. a house occupied by several Jewish tenants. The sister of one tenant “received such severe injuries by failing in her efforts to escape that she died on Sunday at the London Hospital.” - Jewish Chronicle

(Note: there was another fire that I failed to note earlier in the year, there were also two fires (one was Shadwell Dry Dock fire) on the night of the Nichols murder).

RH

[tnb]

Fascinating thought Rob - it will be very interesting to see if anyone can come up with any further info- unfortunately I do not have that info myself.

My one reservation would be that if the murderer's 'juvenile' (in terms of their criminal career) arson attacks were targeted at the Jewish population of the area would it not be reasonable to expect their subsequent murders to be similarly so?

[Doug Irvine]

TNB don't forget that there is a slight Jewish connection, however tenuous it might be, with the Goulston street graffiti. "The Juwes are the men That Will not be Blamed for nothing." Other police officers recalled a slightly different message: "The Juwes are not The men That Will be Blamed for nothing."

[Rubyretro]

Obviously there is the night of the Double Event, where the murder of Liz Stride took place outside of a Jewish club -and not only that but two rascist thugs were loitering outside and one tried to drag Liz out of Dutfield's yard (I think that we an deduce that they were rascist as even the Police accepted that the cry of 'Lipsky !' at the view of Israel Schwartz was a racial insult.
Pipeman was standing in a closed pub's doorway beore he chased I.S, and we can consider that he was loitering near the club.

Next, there is another murder, near another Jewish club night, and a suspect witnessed by three Jews coming out of the club.

The GSG incident is the same night.

Hutch appears to give a false witness statement implicating a caricatural rich Jew in the case of MJK.

It's very interesting that there was an arson arrack on the night of Polly Nichol's murder -I can't remember the details right off the top of my head -but I believe that there were sacred Jewish sites near both Buck's row and Hanbury Street ; Certainly there was the club, 20 years later, which Marx frequented, near Bucks row ..when did it start ? When did it meet ?

I also think that JtR would have began with things like animal cruelty and arson..

Due to BS man and Pipeman, I'm also beginning to think that he was a 'loose cannon' member of a rascist anti-Jewish group.

What info is there on these arsonists ?