A Working Hypothesis

[Scorpio]

The problem is Scorpio, that a passer through only has a map of the area at the time of his observation. I dare say, no one was commuting to Bucks Row at between 3:15 and 3:45 am. One could check train scedules to see if such a thing is even possible. I say train because M1 is not unreasonably distant from a train station. When we move to M2 however, there is a walk involved to get to the location. Dave

Hi protohistorian.
I dont believe Jack would have necessarily commuted very far. Perhaps up to one or two miles, i do not have reliable stats at hand, just my memory of qualitative accounts of the working class experience. Consider George Hutchinson, he spent the day travelling to Romford, Essex, on foot, and i suggest he was looking for casual work. Not commuting in the early morning sounds like a luxury even modern Londoners could afford. The market rules.
Paul

[protohistorian]

The problem is Scorpio, that a passer through only has a map of the area at the time of his observation. I dare say, no one was commuting to Bucks Row at between 3:15 and 3:45 am. One could check train scedules to see if such a thing is even possible. I say train because M1 is not unreasonably distant from a train station. When we move to M2 however, there is a walk involved to get to the location. Dave

[Scorpio]

Most students of the Whitechapel murders of 1888 accept that the perp appears relatively familiar with the environment. In my thread " Bloody tourists ", i suggested the possibility of JtR not being bound within a area circumscribed by his crimes like a fish in a bowl, as so many Ripperologists simply assume to be the case and to consider the options that would allow for the development of a mental map of a specific location that is not dependent on an individual living within it.
Another option besides the sex tourist/casual visitor, is the commuter/worker who may me a resident for varying times and coming into contact with limited numbers of people, but is still able to develop a metal map over time. If Jack was ever stopped and questioned, or even searched, and i think it likely he was,considering the number of cops roaming about,Whitechapels huge itinerant manual worker population, tramping the streets at all hours and often dirty and dishevelled, provided the perfect cover for criminal activity.