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A question has been raised on the board recently about the date of the resignation of Sir Charles Warren as Commissioner.
There are five separate contemporary sources, including four "official" sources, indicating that Sir Charles submitted his resignation on 8 November 1888. These are as follows:
1. His letter of resignation addressed to the Home Secretary dated 8 November 1888.
2. A Home Office register of incoming correspondence for 1888 containing an entry for Sir Charles' resignation letter which, under the column "Received", states "[Nov] 8".
3. A parliamentary answer in the House of Commons on 12 November 1888, according to Hansard (the official record), in which the Home Secretary stated that Sir Charles tendered his resignation on 8 November.
4. A statement in the House of Commons on 13 November 1888, according to Hansard, when the Home Secretary said that he had written to Sir Charles on 8 November and that he "received on the same day" by reply the resignation letter from Sir Charles.
5. An interview with a journalist for the New York Herald published on 13 November 1888, in which Sir Charles was quoted as saying, "I sent in my resignation before the Kelly murder, on the 8th of this month".
By way of comment on the above, I note that it has been suggested that the Home Secretary was attempting to give the false impression in the House on 12 November that Sir Charles' resignation had been both offered and accepted on 8 November, thus attempting to convey to the public that its acceptance had nothing to do with the Kelly murder. Such an argument is unsustainable in view of the statement that the Home Secretary made to the House the very next day which began "In order to avoid misunderstanding as to the statement I made yesterday with respect to the grounds of Sir Charles Warren's resignation, I ask leave to offer a short statement to the House on the subject." He then went on to state that the resignation was accepted by letter on 10 November.
The only contemporary source of which I am aware suggesting that Warren resigned on 10 November is a press article in the London Evening Post which reported on 12 November that Sir Charles had consulted with his friends about his resignation on the Saturday and only sent his resignation letter to the Home Secretary on the Saturday evening. The likelihood, however, is that the report is wrong and the reporter has confused events of the Saturday with events that actually happened on the Thursday. The Post did not, incidentally, suggest that the resignation had anything to do with the Ripper murders.
Ultimately, the date the letter was sent is of little relevance because the evidence in the Home Office documents makes crystal clear that Sir Charles resigned on the issue of his ability (or non-ability) to publish articles after receiving a private slap on the wrist from the Home Secretary for publishing his article in Murrays and then a public slap on the wrist from the Home Secretary in the House of Commons later that day.
As to that, Sir Charles told the New York Herald journalist that he only sent his letter on 8 November after learning of the criticism of his actions by the Home Secretary in the House that day. It follows that the Home Secretary had not received the resignation letter when he was speaking in the House on 8 November so that any attempt to make a point of the fact that the Home Secretary did not on that occasion mention the resignation is misguided.
It has also been wondered why the Home Secretary announced a rap on the knuckles ("don’t do it again") to Sir Charles on 8 November yet accepted his resignation on 10th November. The answer is very simple. Between those two events Sir Charles told the Home Secretary that he positively refused to accept the Home Secretary’s instructions not to publish further articles and he thus offered his resignation. It was literally impossible for the Home Secretary to allow a subordinate to remain in office while refusing to accept his clear instructions and he therefore had no choice but to accept the resignation. There is no mystery here.
Further reading on this subject can be found at the following links:
AND
There are five separate contemporary sources, including four "official" sources, indicating that Sir Charles submitted his resignation on 8 November 1888. These are as follows:
1. His letter of resignation addressed to the Home Secretary dated 8 November 1888.
2. A Home Office register of incoming correspondence for 1888 containing an entry for Sir Charles' resignation letter which, under the column "Received", states "[Nov] 8".
3. A parliamentary answer in the House of Commons on 12 November 1888, according to Hansard (the official record), in which the Home Secretary stated that Sir Charles tendered his resignation on 8 November.
4. A statement in the House of Commons on 13 November 1888, according to Hansard, when the Home Secretary said that he had written to Sir Charles on 8 November and that he "received on the same day" by reply the resignation letter from Sir Charles.
5. An interview with a journalist for the New York Herald published on 13 November 1888, in which Sir Charles was quoted as saying, "I sent in my resignation before the Kelly murder, on the 8th of this month".
By way of comment on the above, I note that it has been suggested that the Home Secretary was attempting to give the false impression in the House on 12 November that Sir Charles' resignation had been both offered and accepted on 8 November, thus attempting to convey to the public that its acceptance had nothing to do with the Kelly murder. Such an argument is unsustainable in view of the statement that the Home Secretary made to the House the very next day which began "In order to avoid misunderstanding as to the statement I made yesterday with respect to the grounds of Sir Charles Warren's resignation, I ask leave to offer a short statement to the House on the subject." He then went on to state that the resignation was accepted by letter on 10 November.
The only contemporary source of which I am aware suggesting that Warren resigned on 10 November is a press article in the London Evening Post which reported on 12 November that Sir Charles had consulted with his friends about his resignation on the Saturday and only sent his resignation letter to the Home Secretary on the Saturday evening. The likelihood, however, is that the report is wrong and the reporter has confused events of the Saturday with events that actually happened on the Thursday. The Post did not, incidentally, suggest that the resignation had anything to do with the Ripper murders.
Ultimately, the date the letter was sent is of little relevance because the evidence in the Home Office documents makes crystal clear that Sir Charles resigned on the issue of his ability (or non-ability) to publish articles after receiving a private slap on the wrist from the Home Secretary for publishing his article in Murrays and then a public slap on the wrist from the Home Secretary in the House of Commons later that day.
As to that, Sir Charles told the New York Herald journalist that he only sent his letter on 8 November after learning of the criticism of his actions by the Home Secretary in the House that day. It follows that the Home Secretary had not received the resignation letter when he was speaking in the House on 8 November so that any attempt to make a point of the fact that the Home Secretary did not on that occasion mention the resignation is misguided.
It has also been wondered why the Home Secretary announced a rap on the knuckles ("don’t do it again") to Sir Charles on 8 November yet accepted his resignation on 10th November. The answer is very simple. Between those two events Sir Charles told the Home Secretary that he positively refused to accept the Home Secretary’s instructions not to publish further articles and he thus offered his resignation. It was literally impossible for the Home Secretary to allow a subordinate to remain in office while refusing to accept his clear instructions and he therefore had no choice but to accept the resignation. There is no mystery here.
Further reading on this subject can be found at the following links:
AND
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