The Streets Of London

[Wickerman]

Hi Colin,
PCs placed pieces of Whale bone, or Orange peel, in cracks of doors or widows in certain buildings at the begining of their beats. They checked them every so often. If they were out of place then someone had been checking the door or windows.

My grandfather (of the Dublin Met.) used flour. Anyone remember Dolly-blue? What you put on wasp stings, well he had the same idea apparently. He put flour in a gauze and would dap it on a doorknob or something to see if it had been messed with on his rounds.
Also Debs, yes he used match sticks.
Alas he was shot while making an arrest and had to retire out of the service.

Regards, Jon S.

[Fleetwood Mac]

[Coroner] Had you been past that spot previously to your discovering the apron? - I passed about twenty minutes past two o'clock.
[Coroner] Are you able to say whether the apron was there then? - It was not.

My interpretation of this part of the inquest would be that he simply walked past the dwellings, with the inference being the apron was visible from the street.

There is no mention of checking inside the passage when attempting to ascertain whether or not the apron was there at 2:20. The operative phrase being: "passed the spot".

[Wickerman]

It is possible that PC Long had not heard of the murder at 2:20, but he heard before he returned about 2:55 am.

The Times offers this:
"...Having heard of the murder, and having afterwards found the piece of apron with blood on it and the writing on the wall, did it not strike you that it would be well to make some examination of the rooms in the building?"
The Times, 12 Oct.

Perhaps hearing of the murder heightened his sense of dilligence?

According to the Daily News, PC Long had not heard of the Berner St. murder:

"...It is common knowledge that two murders were committed that morning, which had you heard of? - Of the one in Mitre square."
Daily News, 12 Oct.

Regards, Jon S.

[Scorpio]

Thrawl Street

If the general concensus that the Whitechapel murderer is a local man is correct, then i believe that Thrawl St is a good candidate for a base. Is Thrawl St unigue as the only street named in too seperate enquires, and the former address of one of the victims?. George Hutchinson marks the corner of Thrawl and Commercial as the first sighting of his Surly man suspect; Annie Farmers assailant was last seen in Thrawl St;Mary Kelly's former address was Cooleys lodging house. From the statements of George Hutchinson and Esther Hall, there is reason to suppose that both Kelly and Farmer were not strangers with there assailants, and the descriptions of both men are similar: Thirties,5'6 in height, and sporting dark moustaches. How many coincidences does it require to form a meaningful factor from mere chance?.

[K-453]

An explanation for the time gap could be that the killer returned to the murder scene after hiding the organs.
For what reason ever he still had the apron piece with him.