MJK's body brought to Shoreditch; who called the shot?

[SirJohnFalstaff]

Hello there,

I'm trying to find out who could have possibly called the shot (and maybe why: if I remember someone said earlier that the Whitechapel "mortuary" wasn't available or something) for bringing Mary Jane's body to Shoreditch.

Is it the kind of decision that was made at the level of someone like superintendent Arnold, or could Abberline have done it? Or maybe a the doctor present?

Thanks, your help is much appreciated.

[Simon Wood]

Hi, Sir John,

Star, 10th November 1888—

"The removal of Kelly’s body to the Shoreditch mortuary is likely to lead to some complications through the intersection of the local boundaries and the jurisdiction of the two coroners for the newly-formed divisions of Eastern Middlesex.

"Spitalfields, although within the Whitechapel district for all local purposes, is within the North Eastern Division of Middlesex, and is therefore under the jurisdiction of Dr Macdonald. All the other portions of Whitechapel remain under the jurisdiction of Mr Baxter, so far as coroner’s inquests are concerned.

"The Hanbury-street murder, which occurred in Spitalfields, took place in the open air, and it being incumbent on the police to remove the body, they naturally conveyed it to the local mortuary in Old Montague-street.

"But in the Dorset-street case, there was no duty cast upon the police to remove the body from the house where it was found, and the coroner’s officer for the district being communicated with, he was obliged to take it where he could. If he had taken it to Old Montague-street, it would have gone from his control, so he took it to Shoreditch, which is within his district."

Snowden's Police Officer's Guide to Body Removal, 1885—

"It is not the duty of the police to remove a dead body from any house where it might be lying. Persons applying to the police with such an object should be referred to the parochial authorities."

Regards,

Simon

[SirJohnFalstaff]

Great. Thanks. Very helpful.

[Rosella]

Rumbelow states, in his 'The Complete Jack the Ripper' that Dr Phillips ordered the body to be taken to Shoreditch Mortuary, which was next to Shoreditch Town Hall, so that a complete postmortem could be held. The body was therefore in Dr Macdonald's district. I guess doctors would have ordered the removal of bodies to mortuaries in cases of suspicious deaths so that post-mortems could take place if necessary.

[DJA]

Mary Ann Kelly was baptised at the Shoreditch Church.

The whole saga started over twenty years before the five murders.

[SirJohnFalstaff]

Rumbelow states, in his 'The Complete Jack the Ripper' that Dr Phillips ordered the body to be taken to Shoreditch Mortuary, which was next to Shoreditch Town Hall, so that a complete postmortem could be held. The body was therefore in Dr Macdonald's district. I guess doctors would have ordered the removal of bodies to mortuaries in cases of suspicious deaths so that post-mortems could take place if necessary.

thank you very much.

[John Savage]

Hi Sir John

I must agree with Simon Wood's earlier post.

We did discuss this matter in some depth in Ripperologist 65, March 2006 [page 33 onward]. The article was written by David Oflaherty, Robert Linford and myself.

Perhaps you may find it helpful

Rgds.
John

[David Orsam]

I posted this editorial from the Evening Post of 12 November 1888 on here last year which complements the earlier story from the Star posted by Simon Wood:

“Crowner’s quest law” about which the EVENING POST had a great deal to say some months ago, is responsible for a decidedly unsavoury squabble over the corpse of the unfortunate woman murdered in Dorset-street on Lord Mayor’s Day. At first sight it seemed very curious that whereas in the Hanbury-street case the body was removed to Old Montague-street, and the inquest held by Wynne Baxter, in this case, where the murder was committed nearer to Whitechapel than Hanbury-street, the body was taken to Shoreditch, and the inquest held by Dr. Macdonald. The explanation is that there is a sort of flotsam and jetsam distinction between the two cases. A dead body found in the open air has to be removed by the police; one found in a building has to be taken charge of by the coroner’s officers. In the Hanbury-street case the police took their grim burden to the nearest mortuary – Old Montague-street – thus bringing it within the jurisdiction of Mr. Baxter, though the murder was committed in Mr. Macdonald’s district. When the coroner’s officer came into play he could not take the body to the same place, or he would have lost his hold upon it, so he took it to Shoreditch and kept it in Mr. Macdonald’s district. This would not have mattered much. On the turn-about principle Mr. Baxter was quite willing that such should be the case. But now comes the vital question, “Who is to pay the piper.” If this woman has to have a pauper’s burial – as seems very likely – the relieving officers will have to object to the ratepayers of Shoreditch paying for the burial of a woman murdered in another district. The only way out of the difficulty will be, it is said, to remove the body back to Whitechapel, have a second inquest, and so palm the cost on the Whitechapel people. It is certainly a very unpleasant state of affairs.

[Simon Wood]

Hi David,

As to Kelly's funeral expenses.

ECHO, 14th November 1888—

The funeral expenses connected with the interment of Mary Janet Kelly will be borne by Mr. McCarthy, her landlord.

DAILY NEWS, 15th November 1888—

Mr. McCarthy, the landlord of the deceased, offered to defray part of the cost of the funeral, but his offer was declined, sufficient funds for the purposes having already been subscribed.

YORK HERALD, 20th November 1888—

The whole of the funeral expenses were borne by Mr. Wilton, sexton of St. Leonard's Church, Shoreditch, who for many years has shown a practical sympathy for the poorer classes.

The ratepayers of Shoreditch slept easily in their beds.

Regards,

Simon