A Mysterious Letter about Albert Backert

[Chris Scott]

I hadn't seen this cryptic passage before. This was included in a long account of the inquest on Frances Coles. It was at this inquest that Backert was refused permission to sit on the jury.
It is not clear what to events the woman writing the letter is referring.


Lloyds Weekly
15 February 1891

Lloyd's Weekly
15 February 1891

Mr Baxter has received the following letter addressed to the Coroner, Working Lads' Institute, Whitechapel:-
"Honoured Sir,
The inclosed (sic) is Mr Backert's letter to the Daily Chronicle. You can see what he says, and what he intends to do. He is to the front again in this case. May I suggest that he be a little more truthful than he was in the last 'Ripper' scare, I being the woman he so cruelly belied, and set the whole neighbourhood in alarm.
Signed,
The Woman He So Belied."
There was, however, no inclosure.

[Bulldog]

Chris,

It is mysterious. What makes it even more so is the fact that The Daily Chronicle and Lloyds Weekly were both owned by the same man, Edward Lloyd.

I don't know when Lloyds Weekly actually went to press, but 15 February 1891 was a Sunday, and Mr. Baxter's inquest into Frances Coles's death had only gotten underway the previous evening, 14 February.

It would be nice to know what Bachert apparently threatened to do.

This certainly is an interesting discovery. Thanks once again for sharing these with us.

Regards,

Bulldog

[Stewart P Evans]

Bachert's Letter

Bachert's letter published in The Daily Chronicle of Saturday, February 14, 1891 -

[Stewart P Evans]

'The Woman He So Belied'

In the piece quoted by Chris 'The Woman He So Belied' claimed that "in the last 'Ripper' scare" Bachert had "set the whole neighbourhood in alarm."

The 'last Ripper scare' must refer to the Pinchin Street torso case of September 1889 when fears of 'Jack the Ripper' had again been raised. On checking my newspaper files for that period I found the following in Lloyd's Weekly London News for September 29, 1889 and I should think that this is the same woman -

[halomanuk]

Very interesting.

I'm surprised Backert was going to be a jury member anyway as he was the Chairman of the Vigilance Commitee.

[Chris Scott]

Hi Stewart
Many thanks for those references and I think they make sense of what the woman who wrote the letter said. There is nothing in the Daily Chronicle letter that could be taken as "belying" the woman so it must be the "last Ripper scare" to which she is referring. If that is the case, the woman so belied was presumably a female employee in a slaughter house who came under suspicion because of the suggestion put forward by Backert in his former letter.
Thanks again
Chris

[Bulldog]

It would be nice to know what Bachert apparently threatened to do.

Hi Stewart,

Thanks a lot for the clipping. It's interesting that Bachert's letter to The Daily Chronicle published on 14 February states:

"I have been called upon to serve on the jury tomorrow..."

The following piece from The Times on 16 February contradicts that claim:

"On the names of the jurymen summoned being called out by the Coroner’s officer, it was found that only eight answered, the remainder of those present being substitutes. Some of the latter were accepted, but when Mr. Backert [Bachert], the chairman of the so-called Whitechapel Vigilance Committee, offered himself as a substitute in place of a Mr. Fielder, the Coroner declined to allow him to serve."

You certainly have to give Bachert credit for being persistent in his efforts to get involved.

Regards,

Bulldog

[Nemo]

The belied woman is the landlady mentioned in Bachert's lodger story of 1890

She accused him of exaggerating her story having spoken to him for only a couple of minutes

Bacherts related a lodger tale of a man with many disguises who posted liver to people and gave her some offal for dinner etc

She did not want to be known as "Jack the Ripper's landlady"

[cats meat man]

Although a man of many disguises, the letter was traced back to him because he had sent it by recorded delivery!