Most dangerous location?

[Harry D]

Looking at all of the canonical five murder locations, which do you think was the riskiest for the killer?

[Pcdunn]

I said Dutfield's Yard (Stride) because there were a whole lot of people around, or so it seems from all the witness accounts.

[Harry D]

My vote goes to Miller's Court. On the face of it, murdering indoors gave the killer the privacy to create his gruesome masterpiece. However, it was also a cramped little hovel with one way in and one way out. What if one of Mary's fellas had decided to pay her a late night visit? The killer would be cornered and have little choice but to fight his way out. At least in Hanbury St he could've leaped over the fence before someone got a good look at him.

[Bridewell]

To some extent it depends who the killer was, inasmuch as he might be recognised at any site which was close to home. If that consideration is discounted then I too would go for Millers Court and for much the same reason. Block the passageway from Dorset Street and he was cornered.

[RockySullivan]

Hamburg street was risky even though it offered an escape anyone could look out the window and see the murder taking place or a tenant could be using toilet, leaving for work

[c.d.]

Hello Harry,

It might have come to having to fight his way out at Millers Court but I think a far more likely scenario would be that the killer could simply burst pass the person entering with knife brandished and be on his way before the person entering had time to react.

c.d.

[Paddy]

I agree with Rocky for the same reasons.
Hanbury Street !

Pat.....

[Ginger]

Hanbury Street for me. That one has always creeped me out, as much imagining the people sleeping while the murderer walked through the house and committed the crime under their bedroom windows as anything. I don't know if it was the most dangerous for Jack, but it's certainly the one that disturbs me most.

[Rosella]

It's Dutfield's Yard in my opinion. Liz was killed near a side door of a club, with Mrs D. rattling pots in the lighted kitchen and dozens of club members singing upstairs. Any one of those club members could have decided to leave the club by the unlocked side door at any moment, also members could have come into the yard from the street.

Yes, tenants could have gone into the back yard of Hanbury St to use the 'facilities' but there were far fewer inhabitants of No 29 for Jack to deal with if he had to (and most were older women and youths) than the mostly male club members of the International Working Men's Club.

[RockySullivan]

It's Dutfield's Yard in my opinion. Liz was killed near a side door of a club, with Mrs D. rattling pots in the lighted kitchen and dozens of club members singing upstairs. Any one of those club members could have decided to leave the club by the unlocked side door at any moment, also members could have come into the yard from the street.

Yes, tenants could have gone into the back yard of Hanbury St to use the 'facilities' but there were far fewer inhabitants of No 29 for Jack to deal with if he had to (and most were older women and youths) than the mostly male club members of the International Working Men's Club.

Good point...in terms of quantity there may have been a greater likelihood of an encounter but the noise from the club provided some amount of cover for the ripper I would guess. In Hanbury he had to walk through the hall where anyone who was awake would have heard the footsteps. It was also probably quiet in the yard and the noise mightve been heard by the tenants. But yes many more people at Dutfield yard increase the risk for sure

[Sam Flynn]

In Hanbury he had to walk through the hall

And a very narrow hallway it was, too. Anyone standing there, or passing the doorway outside, would have effectively blocked his exit.

many more people at Dutfield yard increase the risk for sure

There were some 17 people living at 29 Hanbury Street, don't forget - and there's a fair chance that a number of them were getting ready for work. All in all, the back yard of 29 Hanbury Street was an exceedingly risky location to commit such a complicated murder.

[Sleuth1888]

I'd plump for Dutfield's Yard.

For the same reasons as given by other members above. Any one of the members of the IWMC could have decided to call it a night and leave, just as the Whitechapel Murderer was attacking Stride.

That not one of them did leave when Stride was killed is just sheer luck.

[Robert]

I recently saw a pic of the Hanbury St yard which showed windows looking on to the yard from behind. In Hanbury St he risked capture not just by one person but by several, because anyone who saw him from a window would probably gather reinforcements before tackling him. How much of this he was aware of, I've no idea.

[Sam Flynn]

Dutfield's Yard wasn't all that risky, if all the killer had in mind was a quick slit throat... or if he just "lost it" and committed an unpremeditated murder. As a place to commit an intended evisceration murder, however, it was arguably a worse choice than 29 Hanbury Street. The latter remains my #1 choice for the most dangerous location for a Ripper murder, as I don't believe the "true" Ripper killed Liz Stride.

[spyglass]

Hi all,

I once read a book about the east end of London during these times (title and author escape me, and not a JTR book ) but I always remember her saying that during the JTR months, she doubted that the streets were actually as quite late at night as the police had us believe.
Also on another point when it comes to Kelly ' s murder.
If she did know the killer, then one would assume that Kelly ' s room was it seems frequently used by people, coming and going at all days and hours, this for the killer was still a big risk.

Regards