The Conflicts of PC Mizen

[PC2267]

Hi Monty

Leaving out the 'wanted by a policeman' complication, I would think that this kind of thing must have happened before, if not to Mizen then to some of his colleagues, i.e. member of the public says 'there's a woman in X Street and I'm not sure if she's OK, maybe you'd better take a look.' What do you see happening? Would the constable be thrown back on his own devices, or would each station evolve its own code of practice maybe?

This is something I've mulled over before. How does this sound? PC Mizen is walking his H Division beat, when two males approach him in the early hours of the morning, it's nearing the end of his shift and he's had enough for one night. They tell him that there's a women on Bucks Row, and they think she's drunk. Not having heard any whistle of anything he thinks Bucks Row is on J Division, I've got the rest of the knock ups to do and she's J Divisions problem? I would assume that drunken people sleeping in the street were common place in the area. We also have to consider that Nichols was the first victim and the sensationalism of the Ripper murders was yet to kick in. From what I've read about Mizen he was hardly the model bobby, or am I being to harsh on him?

[GUT]

This is something I've mulled over before. How does this sound? PC Mizen is walking his H Division beat, when two males approach him in the early hours of the morning, it's nearing the end of his shift and he's had enough for one night. They tell him that there's a women on Bucks Row, and they think she's drunk. Not having heard any whistle of anything he thinks Bucks Row is on J Division, I've got the rest of the knock ups to do and she's J Divisions problem? I would assume that drunken people sleeping in the street were common place in the area. We also have to consider that Nichols was the first victim and the sensationalism of the Ripper murders was yet to kick in. From what I've read about Mizen he was hardly the model bobby, or am I being to harsh on him?

But at the time she wasn't considered the first victim she was considered the second or third victim.

[David Orsam]

Not having heard any whistle of anything he thinks Bucks Row is on J Division, I've got the rest of the knock ups to do and she's J Divisions problem?

It's easy to forget that the allegation PC Mizen continued knocking up rather than going to Buck's Row comes from a single newspaper report - and a moment's consideration shows it to be without any foundation. Leaving aside the fact that the newspaper report of Paul's statement in the LWN of 2 Sept 1888 contains a number of inaccuracies, and the allegation itself does not feature in Paul's inquest evidence, the fact of the matter is that Paul said he was in a hurry to get to work and rushed off up Hanbury Street immediately after the body in Buck's Row was reported to Mizen. Thus, Paul could only possibly have seen what Mizen did in the 10 or 15 seconds or so after the matter was reported. He was in no position to state whether Mizen ignored his information or not. Mizen himself said he was in the middle of knocking up at the time and finished knocking up at a single residence before going off to Buck's Row. Other than that, there is nothing in the allegation.

[David Orsam]

It's easy to forget that the allegation PC Mizen continued knocking up rather than going to Buck's Row comes from a single newspaper report

This statement does need to be qualified, if not corrected, because Cross did say in his evidence at the inquest:

"After Mizen had been told there was a woman lying in Buck's-row he went out and knocked at a door. He did not go towards Buck's-row to do this." (Star, 3 September 1888)

So that could be considered an allegation of knocking up over and above what Paul told the journalist, and corroborates what Paul said, but, at the same time, Cross walked off with Paul up Hanbury Street immediately after speaking to Mizen - so Cross' evidence, with reference to Mizen knocking at "a door", is entirely consistent with what Mizen said about knocking up at just one house after being told of the body in Bucks Row.