The Absence Of Evidence

[NotBlamedForNothing]

Well, Smith clearly arrived after Lamb, who said he arrived 10 to 12 minutes before Dr. Blackwell. If we'd go by the only man who had a watch, Lamb arrived in the yard at 1:04 - 1:06. He then, after some time, blew his whistle, which attracted PC 12 HR (Collins) to the scene and when Smith arrived there, he saw Lamb and Collins. So, let's say Lamb arrived in the yard at 1:04 at the earliest, he then sends PC 426 H for the doctor and Eagle for inspector Pinhorn, he then blows his whistle and then Collins arrives. So, I'd say that we just have to accept that - by Blackwell's watch at least - Smith arrived in the yard at approximately 1:05 at the earliest, which still doesn't fit with him arriving at the top of Berner Street at 1:00 am.

I think that's about right, and I don't think Smith got to the top of Berner street at 1:00 anyway.
I would quibble that Blackwell actually started his examination at 1:16, and arrived a minute or two earlier.

We can test Lamb's sense of time, to some degree, as follows (Times, Oct 3)...

About 1 o'clock, as near as I can tell, on Sunday morning I was in the Commercial-road, between Christian-street and Batty-street. Two men came running towards me.

So by his own estimate of the alert time, he would arrive in the yard just a little after 1am - let's say 1:01.

Dr. Blackwell, about ten minutes after I got there, was the first doctor to arrive.

Now ~1:11.

Dr. Blackwell examined the body, and afterwards the surrounding ground. Dr. Phillips arrived about 20 minutes afterwards; but at that time I was at another part of the ground.

Now ~1:31.

So what time was Dr. Phillips recorded at arriving? Lloyd's Weekly News, Sep 30:

Dr. Phillips was sent for, who came at 1.30 in a cab.

Obviously the starting estimate - 1:00 - has a margin of error attached to it, but his subjective sense of time seems good.

With all the hullaballoo in the yard when the body is found, and all the search time for police considered, I cannot see Diemschitz arriving in the 60 seconds leading up to 1:01. It just doesn't work.

Going by Blackwell's watch, I actually do think Smith saw Stride & companion later than the 12:30-12:35 that he himself claimed. I think it would have been closer to 12:40.

Agree, and Smith only estimated the earlier time anyway.
It goes without saying that 12:40 does not bode well for the reality of the 12:45 incident.

[FrankO]

The Times, Oct 6:

Smith: When I saw deceased lying on the ground I recognized her at once and made a report of what I had seen.

So Smith was at the yard for some time before going for an ambulance.

If the above quote is to be ignored, then consider the alternative. That would have Smith last being in Berner street at 12:42:30, give or take a minute.
Fanny supposedly went to her doorstep just after hearing his plod go by.
Did she then witness "the incident"?

You might argue that Smith said he was last in Berner street at about 12:35, but that would mean two things.

One: Having Smith return at 1:10 would put him outside the parameters of his normal beat timespan.

Smith: It takes me from 25 minutes to half an hour to go round my beat.

Yet Smith does not mention encountering any delays, so a delay must simply be assumed.

Two: You would be accepting that he got the earlier time about right, but not the most recent. That would be quite arbitrary, especially given that he has just written a report of his own activities and observations!

Well, Smith clearly arrived after Lamb, who said he arrived 10 to 12 minutes before Dr. Blackwell. If we'd go by the only man who had a watch, Lamb arrived in the yard at 1:04 - 1:06. He then, after some time, blew his whistle, which attracted PC 12 HR (Collins) to the scene and when Smith arrived there, he saw Lamb and Collins. So, let's say Lamb arrived in the yard at 1:04 at the earliest, he then sends PC 426 H for the doctor and Eagle for inspector Pinhorn, he then blows his whistle and then Collins arrives. So, I'd say that we just have to accept that - by Blackwell's watch at least - Smith arrived in the yard at approximately 1:05 at the earliest, which still doesn't fit with him arriving at the top of Berner Street at 1:00 am.

Going by Blackwell's watch, I actually do think Smith saw Stride & companion later than the 12:30-12:35 that he himself claimed. I think it would have been closer to 12:40.

[NotBlamedForNothing]

Well, counting backwards from Blackwell's timing, we'd get the following.
1:16 a.m. : Dr. Blackwell arrives at the scene
1:12 – 1:13 a.m. : As Edward Johnson, Blackwell’s assistant, arrives with PC 426, Smith leaves to get the ambulance
As it doesn't seem that Smith had been in the yard for very long when he was sent for the ambulance, he seems to have arrived in the yard close to 1:10 am, give or take a minute.

So, judging by the other evidence we have, it seems to me that Smith was off on his timing, regardless of the official timing given by Diemshutz.

The Times, Oct 6:

Smith: When I saw deceased lying on the ground I recognized her at once and made a report of what I had seen.

So Smith was at the yard for some time before going for an ambulance.

If the above quote is to be ignored, then consider the alternative. That would have Smith last being in Berner street at 12:42:30, give or take a minute.
Fanny supposedly went to her doorstep just after hearing his plod go by.
Did she then witness "the incident"?

You might argue that Smith said he was last in Berner street at about 12:35, but that would mean two things.

One: Having Smith return at 1:10 would put him outside the parameters of his normal beat timespan.

Smith: It takes me from 25 minutes to half an hour to go round my beat.

Yet Smith does not mention encountering any delays, so a delay must simply be assumed.

Two: You would be accepting that he got the earlier time about right, but not the most recent. That would be quite arbitrary, especially given that he has just written a report of his own activities and observations!

[NotBlamedForNothing]

The way I interpret the evidence is that he indeed went out alone and was later joined by Kozebrodski. Maybe he used ‘we’ here as in ‘all of us who went looking for a PC’, after Kozebrodski had told Eagle that he & Diemshutz hadn’t found a PC. But seeing that he used ‘we’ 2 times and finished with ‘I’ all in one sentence, I wonder if he actually used the word ‘we’. Makes no sense and, therefore, may very well have been an error by the journalist.

Of course it makes sense. I found two constables... is at the end of the search, when he is with another searcher (apparently Koz, but that is unclear), regardless of the quotes being taken literally, or being interpreted.
Eagle is on the stand - it is his actions being questioned by the coroner. He found the constables, and probably being the senior of the two doing the search, and the one with the better English, he probably did the talking.
Your interpretation would require the order of 'we, we, I', to be reversed, to make any sense.

The Kozebrodski quote contains 3 'I's, and zero 'we's - are we to conclude that he went up to Grove street alone?

As you might know by now, Andrew, I’m one who likes to stick to the official statements and am cautious about the more controversial (versions of these) statements/accounts - although they may be very interesting, of course. This is because I think that, generally, people were and are more inclined to tell the truth to police and coroners alike then to the newspapers.

Are you saying that Arbeter Fraint was just another newspaper? Given the context - those who wrote and contributed to it being present in the yard just after the murder - I don't think AF can be dismissed simply by calling it "unofficial". I doubt the contributors would tell porkies to their comrades, but tell all the truth and nothing but to 'gentile justice'. If anything, the opposite. In fact Diemschitz makes no reference to going in the back door and finding Koz, who then goes into the printing shop and editors office, at the inquest - that whole sequence is omitted.

Here is a newspaper quote that actually supports the idea that it were someone other than Koz that went with Eagle, that the searches were concurrent (not sequential), and that the search took 'ages'. Irish Times, Oct 1:

Both men ran off without delay to find a policeman, and at the same time other members of the club had by this time found their way into the court, and went off with the same object in different directions. The search was for some time fruitless. At last, however, after considerable delay, a constable was found in Commercial road.

This sounds quite similar to the AF account:

Dimshits, Eygel and Gilyarovsky ran to look for a policeman; ten minutes later they had found a pair of peace-keepers.

The evidence points to the search taking an extended period.

Looking at it that way, I don’t think there’s a problem with Diemshutz entering Berner Street when he saw the clock was indicating one o’clock. He would have turned into the yard about half a minute later. But even if we’d say it took him a minute, he’d still have arrived at around 1:01, then another half a minute to eventually find out the object in the yard was a woman and another half a minute to go inside, alert others, go outside with Kozebrodski and a candle to see all the blood and then run out of the yard in search of a PC by the time the clock had just or was about to strike 1:02 am.

You are trying to make the evidence fit a predefined outcome.

And then, on to Eagle, who was sent for the Leman Street Police Station. Going there by way of Commercial Street, the distance would have been some 610 meters. Going there by Fairclough Street, Backchurch Lane and Hooper Street, it would have been some 515 meters. Running there at a speed of 2 m/s (7.2 km/hr, a slow jogging speed), it would have taken Eagle 5 minutes and 5 seconds to cover 610 meters. If he was sent there at around 1:05 by Lamb, he would have arrived there a little after 1:10. If he took the shorter route, he would have arrived there just before 1:10. If he ran quicker than 7.2 km/hr, ect. …

Whatever the case, he could very well have arrived at the station shortly before or around 1:10 am.

There is no way all the activity can be squeezed into 10 minutes.

[FrankO]

We also need this to be false.

Smith: At 1 o'clock I went to Berner-street in my ordinary round.

Well, counting backwards from Blackwell's timing, we'd get the following.
1:16 a.m. : Dr. Blackwell arrives at the scene
1:12 – 1:13 a.m. : As Edward Johnson, Blackwell’s assistant, arrives with PC 426, Smith leaves to get the ambulance
As it doesn't seem that Smith had been in the yard for very long when he was sent for the ambulance, he seems to have arrived in the yard close to 1:10 am, give or take a minute.

So, judging by the other evidence we have, it seems to me that Smith was off on his timing, regardless of the official timing given by Diemshutz.

[FrankO]

Great work with the distances and timings Frank.

Thanks, Andrew.

Did Eagle go out alone?

Eagle: I could not look at her long, so I ran for the police. Another man went for them at the same time. We could not find one at first; but when we got to the corner of Grove-street, Commercial-road, I found two constables...

Kozebrodski: I went to look for a policeman at the request of Diemschitz or some other member of the club, but I took the direction towards Grove-street and could not find one. I afterwards went into the Commercial-road along with Eagle, and found two officers.

The way I interpret the evidence is that he indeed went out alone and was later joined by Kozebrodski. Maybe he used ‘we’ here as in ‘all of us who went looking for a PC’, after Kozebrodski had told Eagle that he & Diemshutz hadn’t found a PC. But seeing that he used ‘we’ 2 times and finished with ‘I’ all in one sentence, I wonder if he actually used the word ‘we’. Makes no sense and, therefore, may very well have been an error by the journalist.

Arbeter Fraint is a little more ambiguous:

In the meantime, there was quite a to-do going on inside the club, and everyone ran out into the yard. Dimshits, Eygel and Gilyarovsky ran to look for a policeman;

Regardless of who went were and when, how long did it take to find police?

ten minutes later they had found a pair of peace-keepers.

And then...

One of the policemen ran for a doctor, and Morris Eygel ran to the police station on Leman Street to report the murder.

And according to the Irish Times...

The information of the crime reached Leman street Police Station at ten minutes past 1 o'clock...

This does not square with Diemschitz entering Berner street at 1:00:xx

As you might know by now, Andrew, I’m one who likes to stick to the official statements and am cautious about the more controversial (versions of these) statements/accounts - although they may be very interesting, of course. This is because I think that, generally, people were and are more inclined to tell the truth to police and coroners alike then to the newspapers.

Looking at it that way, I don’t think there’s a problem with Diemshutz entering Berner Street when he saw the clock was indicating one o’clock. He would have turned into the yard about half a minute later. But even if we’d say it took him a minute, he’d still have arrived at around 1:01, then another half a minute to eventually find out the object in the yard was a woman and another half a minute to go inside, alert others, go outside with Kozebrodski and a candle to see all the blood and then run out of the yard in search of a PC by the time the clock had just or was about to strike 1:02 am.

And then, on to Eagle, who was sent for the Leman Street Police Station. Going there by way of Commercial Street, the distance would have been some 610 meters. Going there by Fairclough Street, Backchurch Lane and Hooper Street, it would have been some 515 meters. Running there at a speed of 2 m/s (7.2 km/hr, a slow jogging speed), it would have taken Eagle 5 minutes and 5 seconds to cover 610 meters. If he was sent there at around 1:05 by Lamb, he would have arrived there a little after 1:10. If he took the shorter route, he would have arrived there just before 1:10. If he ran quicker than 7.2 km/hr, ect. …

Whatever the case, he could very well have arrived at the station shortly before or around 1:10 am.

[erobitha]

Yes, as I said they've been around for centuries.

Most importantly from Orange-nassau and the Dutch States Army which sparked the Military Revolution of the 17th century, which transformed armies from, extremely broadly speaking, medieval warrior groups into modern organizations with management, middle management, discipline and bureaucracy - and subsequently exercised influence on surrounding society to such a degree that it's difficult to overstate its importance.

And yet......thousands of soldiers ended up dead in the battlefield with their throat cuts. It's a real puzzle. If it wasn't in the manual then how could it have happened? It seems impossible, but yet it happened.

[Kattrup]

For what it is worth... A link to a seventeenth-century manual on the English military "discipline." As a librarian, I have seen and handled a soldier's manual from the First World War.
They have been around.

Yes, as I said they've been around for centuries.

Most importantly from Orange-nassau and the Dutch States Army which sparked the Military Revolution of the 17th century, which transformed armies from, extremely broadly speaking, medieval warrior groups into modern organizations with management, middle management, discipline and bureaucracy - and subsequently exercised influence on surrounding society to such a degree that it's difficult to overstate its importance.

[Pcdunn]

Ok. Until then, I guess we're in agreement that a cut throat could not be described as a "military killing technique" in 1888.
Since you cannot find any military units being trained in that technique, I mean.
Personally, I'd think the SOE might have been the place to look if you want to find a point of origin for such things being taught, but you state for a fact that it's been taught in the military since Roman times. Kinda strange that there's no evidence of it, then. I suppose all the units being taught this over the course of two millennia were very, very secretive

For what it is worth... A link to a seventeenth-century manual on the English military "discipline." As a librarian, I have seen and handled a soldier's manual from the First World War.
They have been around.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30795011007&cm_mmc=ggl-_-COM_Shopp_Rare-_-naa-_-naa&gclid=CjwKCAjwm7mEBhBsEiwA_of-TN0wOy2odFnvU8We6KJy_EhQ6vhVqca7_8oRYIWkiHPkyTTT3FZTNhoCaWAQAvD_BwE

[NotBlamedForNothing]

Frank: If Kozebrodski, together with Diemshutz, ran out of the yard at, say, 1:02:00, then he would have returned to the yard with Eagle, Lamb & PC 426 H at 1:05:10.

If we use Arbeter Fraint's take as a model, together with Diemschitz' "precisely one o'clock" claim, then the following must all occur between 1:00:xx and 1:02:00, to be compatible with Frank's model.

At about [that is, precisely] one o’clock the steward of the club, Comrade Louis Dimshits, came with his cart from the market. He was the first to notice the dead body. His horse became frightened as he drove into the gate and shied to the right, and this caused Dimshits to bend down to see the reason for this. He noticed a black object on the ground. He touched it with his whip and felt that it was a body. He immediately struck a match, but that was insufficient and he wasn’t able to get a [good] flame, he was nevertheless able by the light of the first match to see that the object was a woman. From excitement he jumped off the cart, ran through the back door into the club and raised an alarm. Immediately Comrade Gilyarovsky ran into the printing shop and editor’s office that are located in the same building as the club, but separated in the back by the yard.
There was no one in the printing shop. Comrades Krants and Yaffa were busy in the editor’s office.
“Don’t you know that a murdered woman is lying in the yard?” Gilyarovsky breathlessly called out. At first the two comrades did not want to believe him. “What, don’t you believe me?” Gilyarovsky quickly asked: “I saw blood.” Yaffa and Krants immediately ran out and went over to the gate. The gate was open and it was very dark near the gate. A black object was barely discernable near the brick building. Once they got very close, they could notice that it was the shape of a woman that was lying with its face to the wall, with its head toward the yard and with its feet pointing to the gate. Comrades Morris Eygel, Fridenthal and Gilyarovsky were standing around the body. Eygel struck a match and shouted to the figure lying there: “Get up!” “Why are you waking her?” asked Yaffa, who noticed that the woman was lying in a liquid. “Don’t you see that the woman is dead?”
In the meantime, there was quite a to-do going on inside the club, and everyone ran out into the yard. Dimshits, Eygel and Gilyarovsky ran to look for a policeman;

We also need this to be false.

Smith: At 1 o'clock I went to Berner-street in my ordinary round.

Diemschitz' time claim seems dubious.

[NotBlamedForNothing]

I think that’s a very good suggestion, Mike.

Let’s see how that would work out – theoretically, of course.

To keep things simple, let’s focus on Kozebrodski, joining Eagle (as he was returning from his westward trip) at the junction of Berner Street & Commercial Street, just as you suggest.

From the yard to Grove Street through Fairlough Street and back was 290 meters.
From the yard north to Commercial Street and then the corner of Christian Street and back was 400 meters.
Together that would be 690 meters, but let’s just say it was 700 meters.

If Kozebrodski, around 18 years old at the time, ran at a speed of 14.4 km/hr or 4 m/s, he would have covered the combined distance of 700 meters in 175 seconds, but let’s add 15 seconds for some delay before turning back with Diemshutz from Grove Street, when he returned to the yard for the first time and when he arrived at the top of Berner Street to wait a bit for Eagle. We would end up at 190 seconds or 3 minutes and 10 seconds.

If Kozebrodski, together with Diemshutz, ran out of the yard at, say, 1:02:00, then he would have returned to the yard with Eagle, Lamb & PC 426 H at 1:05:10.
Now, let’s see where this scenario would have brought Eagle, turning left when he reached the top of Berner Street.

If Eagle ran out of the yard 15 after Kozebrodski & Diemshutz did, then he would have been running for some 60 seconds the moment Kozebrodski passed the yard & continued his search in the direction of Commercial Street. Running at a speed of 4 m/s, he would have covered a distance of 240 meters in that time. So, if he’d turned left on reaching Commercial Street, then he covered 240 – 115 = 135 meters along Commercial Street.

If he was to arrive back at the junction of Berner & Commercial Street when Kozebrodski arrived there too, coming from the south, Eagle would have gone 70-75 meters left along Commercial Street, which would have taken him just passed Backchurch Lane. Without seeing Smith, who was then possibly going round one of the small side streets on the west side of Backchurch Lane at that point.

As far as I can see this all pretty well with the evidence we have, if we accept that Kozebrodski was off on his timing and in reality was called to the yard by Diemshutz just after one o’clock:
Eagle left in search of a PC very shortly after Diemshutz (“I heard Diemschitz calling for the police”), he “could not find one at first” (on going left at the top of Berner Street) and Kozebrodski later joining Eagle in Commercial Street and together finding Lamb.

All the best,
Frank

Great work with the distances and timings Frank.

Did Eagle go out alone?

Eagle: I could not look at her long, so I ran for the police. Another man went for them at the same time. We could not find one at first; but when we got to the corner of Grove-street, Commercial-road, I found two constables...

Kozebrodski: I went to look for a policeman at the request of Diemschitz or some other member of the club, but I took the direction towards Grove-street and could not find one. I afterwards went into the Commercial-road along with Eagle, and found two officers.

Arbeter Fraint is a little more ambiguous:

In the meantime, there was quite a to-do going on inside the club, and everyone ran out into the yard. Dimshits, Eygel and Gilyarovsky ran to look for a policeman;

Regardless of who went were and when, how long did it take to find police?

ten minutes later they had found a pair of peace-keepers.

And then...

One of the policemen ran for a doctor, and Morris Eygel ran to the police station on Leman Street to report the murder.

And according to the Irish Times...

The information of the crime reached Leman street Police Station at ten minutes past 1 o'clock...

This does not square with Diemschitz entering Berner street at 1:00:xx

[Herlock Sholmes]

I think that’s a very good suggestion, Mike.

Let’s see how that would work out – theoretically, of course.

To keep things simple, let’s focus on Kozebrodski, joining Eagle (as he was returning from his westward trip) at the junction of Berner Street & Commercial Street, just as you suggest.

From the yard to Grove Street through Fairlough Street and back was 290 meters.
From the yard north to Commercial Street and then the corner of Christian Street and back was 400 meters.
Together that would be 690 meters, but let’s just say it was 700 meters.

If Kozebrodski, around 18 years old at the time, ran at a speed of 14.4 km/hr or 4 m/s, he would have covered the combined distance of 700 meters in 175 seconds, but let’s add 15 seconds for some delay before turning back with Diemshutz from Grove Street, when he returned to the yard for the first time and when he arrived at the top of Berner Street to wait a bit for Eagle. We would end up at 190 seconds or 3 minutes and 10 seconds.

If Kozebrodski, together with Diemshutz, ran out of the yard at, say, 1:02:00, then he would have returned to the yard with Eagle, Lamb & PC 426 H at 1:05:10.
Now, let’s see where this scenario would have brought Eagle, turning left when he reached the top of Berner Street.

If Eagle ran out of the yard 15 after Kozebrodski & Diemshutz did, then he would have been running for some 60 seconds the moment Kozebrodski passed the yard & continued his search in the direction of Commercial Street. Running at a speed of 4 m/s, he would have covered a distance of 240 meters in that time. So, if he’d turned left on reaching Commercial Street, then he covered 240 – 115 = 135 meters along Commercial Street.

If he was to arrive back at the junction of Berner & Commercial Street when Kozebrodski arrived there too, coming from the south, Eagle would have gone 70-75 meters left along Commercial Street, which would have taken him just passed Backchurch Lane. Without seeing Smith, who was then possibly going round one of the small side streets on the west side of Backchurch Lane at that point.

As far as I can see this all pretty well with the evidence we have, if we accept that Kozebrodski was off on his timing and in reality was called to the yard by Diemshutz just after one o’clock:
Eagle left in search of a PC very shortly after Diemshutz (“I heard Diemschitz calling for the police”), he “could not find one at first” (on going left at the top of Berner Street) and Kozebrodski later joining Eagle in Commercial Street and together finding Lamb.

All the best,
Frank

I can’t see any objections from what we know Frank. It doesn’t make it a fact of course but it seems plausible. Michael will still insist that Hoschberg was correct when he said that he got to the yard at 12.45 though. It would be good if you could post an updated timeline Frank? One that ignores witnesses who were very obviously mistaken of course. It’s way past time that this silliness about earlier discovery times was put to bed as the fantasy that it very obviously is.

[Herlock Sholmes]

I can see that as being a possibility. Whatever the case, it should be kept in mind that several Oct 1 papers make reference to the search for police dragging on, to the point that the police were apparently criticised for how long it took to find any of them. The Echo:

Complaint is also made [?] [?] [?] there was experienced in obtaining a policeman, and it is alleged that from the time the body was discovered fifteen minutes had elapsed before a constable could be [?] from Commercial-road. This charge against the police, however, requires confirmation.

The question marks indicate unreadable text in the original, but the meaning is clear; the search for police was far from fast and efficient.

The complaint in The Echo perhaps smacks of a Press being more than willing to do a bit of ‘police bashing’ as 15 minutes is an obvious exaggeration. I wonder what their source was for this 15 minutes as it was before Lamb and Diemschutz testimony appeared in the papers where they could have seen that there was no significant time lapse before a Constable was found?

[FrankO]

Maybe Eagle did turn left into Commercial Road first before turning back? If this was the case Koz might have met up with him at the junction of Berner and Commercial after returning with Diemschutz and Spooner?

I think that’s a very good suggestion, Mike.

Let’s see how that would work out – theoretically, of course.

To keep things simple, let’s focus on Kozebrodski, joining Eagle (as he was returning from his westward trip) at the junction of Berner Street & Commercial Street, just as you suggest.

From the yard to Grove Street through Fairlough Street and back was 290 meters.
From the yard north to Commercial Street and then the corner of Christian Street and back was 400 meters.
Together that would be 690 meters, but let’s just say it was 700 meters.

If Kozebrodski, around 18 years old at the time, ran at a speed of 14.4 km/hr or 4 m/s, he would have covered the combined distance of 700 meters in 175 seconds, but let’s add 15 seconds for some delay before turning back with Diemshutz from Grove Street, when he returned to the yard for the first time and when he arrived at the top of Berner Street to wait a bit for Eagle. We would end up at 190 seconds or 3 minutes and 10 seconds.

If Kozebrodski, together with Diemshutz, ran out of the yard at, say, 1:02:00, then he would have returned to the yard with Eagle, Lamb & PC 426 H at 1:05:10.
Now, let’s see where this scenario would have brought Eagle, turning left when he reached the top of Berner Street.

If Eagle ran out of the yard 15 after Kozebrodski & Diemshutz did, then he would have been running for some 60 seconds the moment Kozebrodski passed the yard & continued his search in the direction of Commercial Street. Running at a speed of 4 m/s, he would have covered a distance of 240 meters in that time. So, if he’d turned left on reaching Commercial Street, then he covered 240 – 115 = 135 meters along Commercial Street.

If he was to arrive back at the junction of Berner & Commercial Street when Kozebrodski arrived there too, coming from the south, Eagle would have gone 70-75 meters left along Commercial Street, which would have taken him just passed Backchurch Lane. Without seeing Smith, who was then possibly going round one of the small side streets on the west side of Backchurch Lane at that point.

As far as I can see this all pretty well with the evidence we have, if we accept that Kozebrodski was off on his timing and in reality was called to the yard by Diemshutz just after one o’clock:
Eagle left in search of a PC very shortly after Diemshutz (“I heard Diemschitz calling for the police”), he “could not find one at first” (on going left at the top of Berner Street) and Kozebrodski later joining Eagle in Commercial Street and together finding Lamb.

All the best,
Frank

[NotBlamedForNothing]

Maybe Eagle did turn left into Commercial Road first before turning back? If this was the case Koz might have met up with him at the junction of Berner and Commercial after returning with Diemschutz and Spooner?

I can see that as being a possibility. Whatever the case, it should be kept in mind that several Oct 1 papers make reference to the search for police dragging on, to the point that the police were apparently criticised for how long it took to find any of them. The Echo:

Complaint is also made [?] [?] [?] there was experienced in obtaining a policeman, and it is alleged that from the time the body was discovered fifteen minutes had elapsed before a constable could be [?] from Commercial-road. This charge against the police, however, requires confirmation.

The question marks indicate unreadable text in the original, but the meaning is clear; the search for police was far from fast and efficient.