the Goulston St Graffiti

[Trevor Marriott]

Its a fine specimen MrB.

Just by chance, do you know the date of that photo, perhaps the date on the newspaper can be read?

Interesting that no contemporary source mention railings adjacent to the archway.

It was after 1901 the lampost in the foreground has the date 1901 on it

[The Good Michael]

I think the real issue here is that if he had indeed wanted to leave a message, it certainly wouldnt have been a cryptic one.

It wasn't cryptic in the least.


Mike

[Wickerman]

And there was me thinking I'd made a discovery...

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MrB

Its a fine specimen MrB.

Just by chance, do you know the date of that photo, perhaps the date on the newspaper can be read?

Interesting that no contemporary source mention railings adjacent to the archway.

[Hatchett]

Hi,

I think the real issue here is that if he had indeed wanted to leave a message, it certainly wouldnt have been a cryptic one.


Best wishes.

[Wickerman]

He had all the time in the world at Millers Court to leave a message, if, that was his 'thing'.

[Bridewell]

I don't believe Jack was at all interested in throwing the police off of his scent in such a way. I think he was perfectly content to just melt into the shadows and let the police do whatever they did.

Indeed. He didn't hang around at the crime scene so why would he expose himself to risk by loitering to scrawl graffiti on the way home?

[Vincenzo]

I do not believe that the graffiti had anything to do with the murders whatsoever. It was purely coincidence that Eddowes apron was found nearby.

I believe Jack had killed both Stride and Eddowes and was too worried about escaping to take the time to scrawl all that out. It just never made any sense to me. Why then and there? Why not anything similar at any of the other crime scenes? I don't believe Jack was at all interested in throwing the police off of his scent in such a way. I think he was perfectly content to just melt into the shadows and let the police do whatever they did.

[MrBarnett]

And there was me thinking I'd made a discovery...



MrB

[Monty]

Ed,

Did you ever get to bottom of this?

MrB

It was gotten to the bottom of years ago Mr B.

http://forum.casebook.org/showthread.php?p=193485

http://forum.casebook.org/showpost.php?p=193569&postcount=166

Monty

[SirJohnFalstaff]

My opinion, for all that's worth, taking in consideration that I believe JtR killed both Stride and Eddowes, and that in his mind, those crime are sexual in nature, the graffiti was already there, written by bigot, and its proximity to the bloody apron was purely accidental.

I think hours after the Eddowes murder, JtR was in no state of mind to make a conscious decision about framing someone else.

[Lechmere]

In front off the ground floor flats was an open cellar recess - a gap that dropped down to the cellar or basement level. It was maybe three feet wide. There was a low iron fence to stop people falling down the recesses. At the doorways there was a platform that covered the recess and allowed access.
This meant that anyone walking down the pavement was kept several feet from the doorways.
This picture shows the actual width of the recess.

Although a modern railing this gives an idea of what it might have looked like - but I suspect without the mesh over the drop.

The cellar recess would have discouraged a close look in the doorway but not prevented it. Similarly because the recess kept a passer-by several feet away from the doorway, it would have made any graffiti or discarded apron slightly more difficult to see compared to a doorway in a building without a cellar recess in front of it.

[MrBarnett]

I have been looking at Wentworth Model Dwellings to try and understand whether the graffiti would have been visible from the street – either to a passing policeman or a member of the public.
The nature of the basement recesses to the front of the Goulston Street stairwells at 108-19 Wentworth Model Dwellings has a major impact on this.
Where they fenced or covered by grills?
There is a picture from the 1970s that shows fences on either side of the last stairwell at the southern end of the block. By then the ground floor flats on either side of the first three stairwells had been remodelled and turned into commercial premises. I estimate that this happened in the 1920s.
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The front range of the buildings along Wentworth Street, on either side of Goulston Street, have the remains of glass brick light wells immediately in front of the shop doorways. These shops are original.
On either side of and around the light well are ornate heavy floor tiles. These where expensive. I suspect the tiles and glass were also added in the 1920s. Most have since been covered over with tarmac that is now crumbling.
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Ed,

Did you ever get to bottom of this?

MrB

[Monty]

Í suggest you contact Don Souden, aka Supe re writing for the Examiner.

Monty

[Abby Normal]

No, its just a college thing. I have no idea how to get work published on casebook.

Hi Scorpio
I don't either, but if you are interested, try emailing inquiries@casebook.org.

[Scorpio]

No, its just a college thing. I have no idea how to get work published on casebook.