Why Didn't the Police Have Schwartz and/or Lawende Take a Look at Hutchinson?

[c.d.]

Assuming for the sake of argument that the police were not completely inept, and if virtually everybody on these boards thinks that Hutchinson's behavior that night was suspicious, why would the police not have had Schwartz and/or Lawende take a look at him to see if he was the man they saw.

c.d.

[IchabodCrane]

We have no evidence that the police ever suspected Hutchinson. And that is a great pity. Had they done so, and had they brought him face to face with Lawende and Schwartz, we might not be needing these message boards, and could all go back to doing something else with our time instead. The same goes for Joseph Barnett.

[Abby Normal]

Yes along those lines i think the one the thing the police could have done more is use photography. They could have photographed all the serious suspects and dodgy witnesses to show the witnesses.

[Wickerman]

No-one viewed Hutchinson as a serious suspect, or even a dodgy witness.

It may not have been permitted to photograph a witness, or even a suspect. Only when someone was actually wanted or charged with a crime could they publish a likeness, either a sketch or photograph.

[Simon Wood]

It might just as well be asked why lodging house deputy Frederick Williamson wasn't asked to take a look at Edward Stanley.

[c.d.]

I probably didn't word my original post as well as I should have. If we go with the assumption that the police never viewed Hutchinson as a suspect we have to ask ourselves why? I find it extremely unlikely (although not impossible) that they didn't find his story and his actions suspicious. That would have made him a person of interest. But it seems that he never became a serious suspect. My guess is that their investigation (and I am assuming there was one) somehow cleared him so that an identification by Schwartz and or Lawende was not necessary.

Yes, I know that is a lot of assumptions but I refuse to believe that the police were really that inept.

c.d.

[Harry D]

Hello CD,

We don't know if there was any sort of informal ID of Hutchinson. A lot of the case files have been lost, although I suspect it would've been leaked by the press if they had caught wind of it.
I agree that the likeliest answer is the police never suspected Hutchinson. They probably thought he was legit at best, a time-waster at worst.
They were inexperienced at dealing with serial killers and perhaps wouldn't have suspected a killer of inserting himself into the investigation.

[spyglass]

I probably didn't word my original post as well as I should have. If we go with the assumption that the police never viewed Hutchinson as a suspect we have to ask ourselves why? I find it extremely unlikely (although not impossible) that they didn't find his story and his actions suspicious. That would have made him a person of interest. But it seems that he never became a serious suspect. My guess is that their investigation (and I am assuming there was one) somehow cleared him so that an identification by Schwartz and or Lawende was not necessary.

Yes, I know that is a lot of assumptions but I refuse to believe that the police were really that inept.

c.d.

It clearly stares everyone in the face that something wasn't at all right about Hutchinson or he's statement.
My first ever post was about this and I asked if people thought Abberline was incompetent ......that didn't go down well.
I came to the conclusion that the Police knew more than they let on, and we're holding back certain information at the time.

Regards

[c.d.]

Hello CD,

They were inexperienced at dealing with serial killers and perhaps wouldn't have suspected a killer of inserting himself into the investigation.

Hello Harry,

But even if that were true would there be any limitations on it? In other words, if a bloody knife and organs fell out of his pocket would they simply say well that is kind of suspicious but on the other hand he did come forward on his own volition? OK, that is really stretching it. But what if during their questioning he says he last saw Mary about a year ago but then later says he saw her just a few weeks ago. What then? Still no suspicion because he came forward?

c.d.

[Batman]

The Romford Arms was a pub up the road. Obviously, he didn't go to Romford. This could have been checked out by investigators at the time.

JtR may have stopped because of the Hutchison identification.

Sarah Lewis claims to have seen him.

So that's a piece of corroboration.

Yet he never claims to have seen her.

Nor a policeman.

Nor a policeman saw him.

If he was never there, then who did Sarah Lewis see?

[Sam Flynn]

If he was never there, then who did Sarah Lewis see?

Perhaps it was a Crossinghams' resident taking a breath of fresh air. He was seen standing outside the lodging-house opposite Miller's Court, after all.

[Simon Wood]

Sarah Lewis saw the man whom the police wanted everyone to believe was George Hutchinson and point a finger at the equally fictional Mr. Astrakhan.

[Harry D]

Hello Harry,

But even if that were true would there be any limitations on it? In other words, if a bloody knife and organs fell out of his pocket would they simply say well that is kind of suspicious but on the other hand he did come forward on his own volition? OK, that is really stretching it. But what if during their questioning he says he last saw Mary about a year ago but then later says he saw her just a few weeks ago. What then? Still no suspicion because he came forward?
.

IDs were reserved only for those whom the police had probable cause to suspect: Kosminski, Sadler, Grainger. Men who committed violent crimes or incriminated themselves through their behaviour or proclivities. The police had no reason to treat Hutchinson as a suspect, particularly as they seemed to buy his sighting of Astrakhan Man.

[c.d.]

IDs were reserved only for those whom the police had probable cause to suspect: Kosminski, Sadler, Grainger. Men who committed violent crimes or incriminated themselves through their behaviour or proclivities. The police had no reason to treat Hutchinson as a suspect, particularly as they seemed to buy his sighting of Astrakhan Man.

Hello Harry,

If the police had no reason to consider Hutch as a suspect then why does practically everyone on these boards consider his story and behavior highly suspicious?

c.d.

[Batman]

People were even arrested because of Hutchinson's description, so obviously someone in H-Division took him seriously.

I don't think many people here see Hutchinson as a suspect, but more like a candidate for 15 min of fame.

Hutchinson was not the only one to give such a detailed description of JtR. This happened as well before with Best and Gardner.

https://www.casebook.org/witnesses/best-and-gardner.html

Hutchinson offers no description of MJK.

Corroboration should appear in the form a PC on the beat, passing not just once, but twice.

Lewis saw someone where Hutchinson said he was. Too much of a coincidence there. How did Hutchinson guess that one? If it was someone living at the court, then how come investigators didn't also tag them for an account of Hutchinson or Lewis?

Someone must have thought his account was truthful after checking everything out. That was Abberline.