Any Views?

[Mike Covell]

20th October 1888 Hull and Lincolnshire Times

IMPORTANT STATEMENT BY A SUSPECT
The Press Association says, much importance is attached by the police to the arrest made at King-street Police Station, Whitehall. On Tuesday morning the man entered the above named station about nine o’clock, and complained of having lost a black bag. While the officials were taking notes of his case, he commenced talking about the Whitechapel Murders, and offered to cut off the sergeant’s head, and other rambling nonsense. It will be remembered that several people have testified to seeing a man with a black bag in the region of the murders, and who has not been traced. The fact was at once remembered by the police, and the man was further questioned. In answer to the inquiry as to his business, he said he studied for some years for the medical profession, but gave it up for engineering, and that he had been stopping for some nights in a coffee house. His manner then became so strange that Dr. Bond, divisional surgeon, was sent for to examine the man. The doctor subsequently gave it as his opinion that the man was a very dangerous lunatic of homicidal tendency, and as his appearance somewhat tallied with that published of the man who was seen with the murdered woman, he was removed to Bow-street. But before being taken thither photographs of his person were taken. He was also asked to write his name, and it is stated his writing is somewhat similar to that of the letters received by the police and others. He gave his age as 67, but it is said he looks a full twenty years younger. The police are endeavouring to trace his antecedents and movements for the past few weeks.

[Nemo]

Hi Mike -nice find

There are some interesting implications in the article - though the offender is clearly a lunatic. One is that police/people were on the lookout for the famed black bag, though there was no evidence that the Ripper possessed one.

Another is that he states he has been staying at a coffee house - could this be casually? Or were coffee houses in general an alternative to lodging houses?

There is also the indication that photographs were taken of the suspect - this may well have been a very common occurrence.

I should imagine he was incarcerated so would not be free for Kelly's murder - though if this was a "copycat" killing, this man may well have remained a serious suspect for the other victims.

Worth following up I think.

[Mike Covell]

I would love to know where the photograph went, if such a thing ever exsisted. Just to see what this man looked like, to see the look in his eyes.

The age is quite interested, giving it as 67 but looking 20 years younger, giving him the appearance of a 47 year old.

And the threats to chop off the Sergeants head!! Why would anyone threaten such a thing, in a Police Station of all places!

Coffee Houses, were essentially places where one could go and get a drink, which was rarely coffee, and it is quite likely they had lodgings on the premises, to provide extra income.

[jerryd]

Hi Mike,

This from "News of the World" 7 Oct., 1888 sounds similar:

THE MAN WITH THE BLACK BAG

It is pointed out by the Daily Telegraph that a search for an individual answering to the description of the man seen talking to the Berner-Street victim shortly before she was murdered on Sunday morning has been made by the police in Whitechapel ever since Saturday, September 1, the day following the Bucks-row tragedy. Information was tendered at the King David's-land Police-station, at about that time, by a dairyman who has a place of business in Little Turner-street, Commercial-road. It may be recollected that on September 1, a desperate assault was reported to have been committed near the music-hall in Cambridgeheath-road, a man having seized a woman by the throat and dragged her down a court, where he was joined by a gang, one of whom laid a knife across the woman's throat, remarking, "We will serve you as we did the others". The particulars of this affair were subsequently stated to be untrue; but the milkman has reason to suppose that the outrage was actually perpetrated, and he suspects that the murderer of Mary Ann Nichols in Bucks-row had something to do with it. At any rate, upon that Saturday night at five minutes to 11, a man, corresponding with the description given by Packer of the individual who purchased the grapes in Berner-street, called at the shop, which is on the left of a covered yard, usually occupied by barrows let out for hire. He was in a hurry and he asked for a pennyworth of milk, with which he was served, and he drank it down at a gulp. Asking permission to go into the yard or shed, he went there, but the dairyman caught a glimpse of something white, and having suspicions, he rejoined the man in the shed and was surprised to observe that he had covered up his trousers with a pair of white overalls such as engineers wear. The man had a staring look and appeared greatly agitated. He made a movement forward and the brim of his hard felt hat struck the dairyman, who is, therefore, sure of the kind he was wearing.

In a hurried manner the stranger took out of the black shiny bag, which was on the ground a white jacket and rapidly put it on completely hiding his cutaway black coat, remarking meanwhile, "It's a dreadful murder, isn't it?" Although the subject had not been previously mentioned. Without making a pause the suspicious person caught up his bag, which was still open, and ushered into the street, towards Shadwell, saying, "I think I have got a clue!" The matter was reported to the police and although a strict watch has been maintained for the reappearance of the man he has not been seen in the street since. He is said to have had a dark complexion, such as a seafaring man acquires. He had no marked American accent, and his general appearance was that of a clerk or student whose beard had been allowed three days' growth. His hair was dark and his eyes large and staring. The bag carried by the young man, whose age the dairyman places at 28, is stated to have been provided with a lock at the top, near the handle, and was made as stated of a black glistening material. In connection with the Whitechapel murders a black bag has been repeatedly mentioned.

[Mike Covell]

Thanks for that JerryD

There are a few reports on the casebook press section similar to this report, and also some similar to the report I posted above. All are very interesting, and equally mysterious!