Mr Blotchy

[Robert St Devil]

Sorry to go back several pages to the Joseph Taylor description of the man drinking at the Prince Albert pub.

I hadn't read this before and found it interesting. Do others think this was Jack ?

While I know there were many examples of people thinking they saw the Ripper, this makes sense for several reasons:

• Similar description to other witnesses (Lowende, PC Smith, Marshall)
• Blood stain on sleeve
• Agitated (after killing two people)
• Timing was right (likely to have walked around since the murders)
• Knew he was being followed and crossed Brushfield Street several times to lose the follower
• Appeared to be hiding something under his coat (a knife or blood stained shirt)

Craig

I'd like to add-on this piece from the Star, 10 Sep:

Fiddymont yesterday added to her previous statement the fact that the back of the man's head was grimy, as if it had been bloody, and had been dampened or spit upon in the endeavor to rub the blood off instead of washing it. The dried blood between the fingers was thus clear, though the back of the hand held only three or four small distinct spots. The man did not look in the least like a butcher, and no theory born of his appearance could account for his bloody hands at seven a.m.

It makes for an interesting sighting if it's him. I know the police took them seriously since Taylor, Mrs. Fiddymont's, and Ms Chappelle were called-in to view a lineup when Piggott was under investigation.

[c.d.]

Well there is a very fine line between witness and person of interest. It all goes back to the police being idiots and not realizing that a person who claimed to know the victim and was the last person to see her alive and had a rather dodgy story could somehow be her killer. That is very hard to accept.

Regardless of what term you want to use witness or suspect the questions would have been the same:

1. George, why did you wait till after the inquest to come forward?

2. How do you know Mary? How long have you known her?

3. Prior to that night, when was the last time you saw her?

4. What were you doing outside of her building?

Etc. Etc. It makes absolutely no difference whether he came forward as a witness or whether or not he was considered what we today would call a person of interest. He had to have some damn good answers to those questions. So it would seem that his answers satisfied the police so that he never became an "official" suspect.

c.d.

[Abby Normal]

has anyone come up with a reason why Caroline Maxwell would lie about seeing Mary Kelly?

Fifteen minutes of fame? Simply mistook her for someone else?

[Abby Normal]

I said he would have been considered a person of interest.

c.d.

They didn’t even have that term back then, you were either a suspect or you weren’t. All the evidence is that he was a witness, none that he was a suspect, or if you prefer a person of interest.

[Abby Normal]

Thats what you prefer to believe.
Yet Lewis, also saw her out after 1:00. She watched this loiterer (Hutch?), while a couple walked up the court, the woman being hatless, and tipsy.
Then there's Hutchinson, followed by those residents at Millers Court.

You wouldn't believe she was out if she rose from the dead to tell you herself.
Hutch's story was confirmed by Sarah Lewis, with respect to the couple passing up the court - so she had to be out.

Funny that some believe Hutch came forward because he was seen with the victim. Then there's Blotchy, he was seen too, but he didn't come forward.
Odd that...

Oh god.... here we go. Another one with their own legendarium.
Lewis saw Mary Kelly? And saw her with Aman? Phantom witnesses named Kennedy? Lol!

[c.d.]

I said he would have been considered a person of interest.

c.d.

[Abby Normal]

Hello Abby,

He may or may not have been a suspect but he almost certainly (and here is where the idiot thing comes in) would have been considered a person of interest. As such, he would have been questioned and his answers would have to make sense.

I agree that the police at the time were not used to dealing with serial killers but that didn't change the fact that they had routine investigative procedures which they followed.

c.d.

Show me any evidence that he was considered a suspect by the police and you might have a point.

[Craig H]

Sorry to go back several pages to the Joseph Taylor description of the man drinking at the Prince Albert pub.

I hadn't read this before and found it interesting. Do others think this was Jack ?

While I know there were many examples of people thinking they saw the Ripper, this makes sense for several reasons:

• Similar description to other witnesses (Lowende, PC Smith, Marshall)
• Blood stain on sleeve
• Agitated (after killing two people)
• Timing was right (likely to have walked around since the murders)
• Knew he was being followed and crossed Brushfield Street several times to lose the follower
• Appeared to be hiding something under his coat (a knife or blood stained shirt)

Craig

[c.d.]

Hello Abby,

He may or may not have been a suspect but he almost certainly (and here is where the idiot thing comes in) would have been considered a person of interest. As such, he would have been questioned and his answers would have to make sense.

I agree that the police at the time were not used to dealing with serial killers but that didn't change the fact that they had routine investigative procedures which they followed.

c.d.

[Abby Normal]

Hello Abby,

Then in theory every single individual interviewed by the police at the time could have actually been the Ripper but somehow managed to fool the police.

As far as Hutch goes we have to make a determination as best we can as to whether or not the police would have considered his story and behavior that night suspicious. I think unless the police were complete and total idiots the answer has to be yes. If the answer is yes it is reasonable to assume they questioned him and investigated him as best they could. They apparently cleared him. Could he have fooled them? Absolutely. But unfortunately that is all we have to go on. So we can speculate all we want as to his possible involvement in the murder but the fact remains he did get a "pass" from the police whether we agree with their assessment or not.

c.d.

Hi CD
I don’t think the police were idiots at all. They just weren’t used to dealing with serial killers and serial homicide at this point in time. And there is no evidence he was ever even considered a suspect.

[c.d.]

many serial killers have gotten a "pass" by police. theyre usually good liars and manipulators.

Hello Abby,

Then in theory every single individual interviewed by the police at the time could have actually been the Ripper but somehow managed to fool the police.

As far as Hutch goes we have to make a determination as best we can as to whether or not the police would have considered his story and behavior that night suspicious. I think unless the police were complete and total idiots the answer has to be yes. If the answer is yes it is reasonable to assume they questioned him and investigated him as best they could. They apparently cleared him. Could he have fooled them? Absolutely. But unfortunately that is all we have to go on. So we can speculate all we want as to his possible involvement in the murder but the fact remains he did get a "pass" from the police whether we agree with their assessment or not.

c.d.

[GUT]

Or a convincing explanation as to why she would get such a momentous day confused with another?

To my mind she either mistook the identity of the woman she had seen or MJK was alive, but unwell, at the generally accepted TOD.

And through in Maurice Lewis while playing pitch and toss and what is the conclusion then???

[Bridewell]

has anyone come up with a reason why Caroline Maxwell would lie about seeing Mary Kelly?

Or a convincing explanation as to why she would get such a momentous day confused with another?

To my mind she either mistook the identity of the woman she had seen or MJK was alive, but unwell, at the generally accepted TOD.

[RockySullivan]

has anyone come up with a reason why Caroline Maxwell would lie about seeing Mary Kelly?

[Robert St Devil]

I'm open-minded to the killer having spent extended time with all the victims except Kate; there are plenty of openings in the case for that. However, when he gets each victim to the murder site, he blitzes with a sudden overwhelming assault on the poor woman. The moment she closes her door, Blotchy has Mary at the same point that Jack had Annie when they entered that backyard. Its silly to suggest, but it would be like, uh, saying that Annie could have bought herself some time if she had only hummed a few bars. Jack didn't care about all those Hanbury residents, so why would he care about what Miller Court overheard? Since he obviously didn't rush her, I'm questioning if there was something familiar between Mary and Blotchy where she could get away with singing the hour.