Hutch Photo

[perrymason]

Hi All,

A few days after George Hutchinson's appearance following the MJK inquest the story below appeared in half-a-dozen or so American and Canadian newspapers, and, in January 1889, the Pall Mall Gazette.

New York Herald, 16th November 1888
AN ILLINOIS "RIPPER

George Hutchinson Murdered a Woman in Whitechapel Style
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD]

Chicago, Nov. 15, 1888:
"A dispatch from Elgin, Illinois, says that seven or eight years ago a man named George Hutchinson, an inmate of the asylum there, delighted to visit the hospital slaughter house, making many peculiar toys from bones. He was an expert with the knife. After escaping from Elgin he was captured at Kankakee and placed in the insane asylum there.

"He escaped from that place and afterward murdered a disreputable woman in Chicago, mutilating her body in a way similar to the Whitechapel cases. He was returned to Kankakee, but afterward escaped, and has been at large three or four years. It is thought by some that he may be the Whitechapel fiend.

"The police here do not remember him."

Which isn't surprising. More later.

Regards,

Simon

I was actually aware of that article Simon....although I am curious as to where you might be going with it...

The only viable way to look at Hutch is as a potential suspect as Ive said all along....we already know he was discreditted as a witness.

Best regards Simon

[Simon Wood]

Hi Michael,

I certainly wasn't going far with it, as there's nowhere to go. I thought it was an interesting example of LVP transatlantic Chinese whispers; also how GH's brief moment in the gaslight prompted a story involving an insane asylum, an escaped lunatic still at large and a woman mutilated in Chicago in true "Whitechapel style".

"George Hutchinson" was in fact Billy Hutchinson who in June 1885 shot Kittie Hall in Chicago. Committed to an asylum, he escaped on 15th May 1888 and was recaptured the following day.

The New York Herald story was patently false but bought into and reinforced many of the popular myths and misconceptions about the WM which people were not being discouraged from believing.

Regards,

Simon

[DVV]

"My father was a very down-to-earth bones player and slaughterhouse voyeur..."
Who-you-know

[Sam Flynn]

And this, Kat, is a contemporaneous sketch of Hutchinson made shortly after he submitted his police statement.

[ATTACH]7434[/ATTACH]

That sketch might only have been a generic "East End geezer", Garry, rather than a faithful portrait based on the Penny Illustrated's chap actually meeting Hutchinson.

[DVV]

Hi Sam,

one thing sure, the guy never met Mary.

Nadolig Llawen,
David

[Sam Flynn]

one thing sure, the guy never met Mary.

I agree.

Nadolig Llawen,
David

Ac i chithau, Dave... et Joyeux Noël!

[perrymason]

Great to see you back Gareth,...youve been missed. My best regards to you and yours Sam, hope you have a great Christsmas!!

Good Cheer to you and all,
Michael

[Sam Flynn]

Thanks, Mike - it's good to be back.

Have a "topping" Christmas, y'all

[Garry Wroe]

That sketch might only have been a generic "East End geezer", Garry, rather than a faithful portrait based on the Penny Illustrated's chap actually meeting Hutchinson.

That’s always a possibility, Sam, but unlikely in my view. Since illustrations increased unit sales, it was in the best interest of newspaper editors to maintain standards of accuracy. I certainly don’t recall Abberline, Barnett, McCarthy or anyone else other than Pizer registering anything in the way of dissatisfaction with regard to their pen portraits. So unless there emerges evidence to the contrary, I see no reason to doubt that the Penny Illustrated’s sketch of Hutchinson captured at least a passable likeness of the man himself.

All the best.

Garry Wroe.

[DVV]

Hi Garry,

You may be a bit optimistic here.
Isn't that remarkable that we don't possess any description of Hutch ?
Was he tall? Young ?
Surprisingly, press reports tell us more about forgotten witness such as Reeves or Crow.
This said, Hutch probably looked like the "generic East End geezer" Sam has alluded to...

Amitiés,
David

[Sam Flynn]

That’s always a possibility, Sam, but unlikely in my view. Since illustrations increased unit sales, it was in the best interest of newspaper editors to maintain standards of accuracy.

The Penny Illustrated - like its soul-mate, the "IPN" - can hardly be relied upon for the accuracy of its drawings, Garry. Besides, would the public really care if a newspaper sketch of an East End geezer wasn't particularly accurate to begin with? And, what's more, how would most of its readers know?

[DVV]

Can anyone see ear-rings on Reeves, on the famous sketch from "Famous Crimes, past and present, one penny" ?
I used to have good eyes, but since Hutch beat me, I somatize.

Amitiés,
David

[Garry Wroe]

The Penny Illustrated - like its soul-mate, the "IPN" - can hardly be relied upon for the accuracy of its drawings, Garry. Besides, would the public really care if a newspaper sketch of an East End geezer wasn't particularly accurate to begin with? And, what's more, how would most of its readers know?

With all due respect, Sam, you contributed a number of posts to the Abberline Photo thread yet never once questioned the reliability of the source material – a sensible approach given that the four independent sketches of Abberline revealed a high degree of similitude. Given that similar levels of concordance may be discerned with respect to the sketches of other case-related protagonists, I remain of the opinion that the Hutchinson sketch assumes at least a passable representation of Hutchinson’s general appearance. But I remain open to persuasion, so would welcome other examples of this ‘generic East End geezer’ if they can be found.

All the best.

Garry Wroe.

[Sam Flynn]

With all due respect, Sam, you contributed a number of posts to the Abberline Photo thread yet never once questioned the reliability of the source material.

The matter of the Abberline photograph is quite different, in that we had a well-known drawing of Abberline in "Toby" magazine which, if overlaid onto the Leman Street station group photo, pointed strongly to the magazine artist basing his sketch on an actual photograph of Abberline. To that extent, questioning the source material becomes somewhat irrelevant. At the very least, the "Toby" sketch may be corroborated in some way by an existing, near-contemporary photograph.

That is more than can be said of the "Generic East End Geezer" in the Penny Illustrated... and, come to that, the self-evidently "Generic Mary Kelly" and "Generic Mr Astrakhan" from the same source.

Given that similar levels of concordance may be discerned with respect to the sketches of other case-related protagonists

I hardly think that the Penny Illustrated and its ilk can be considered as containing faithful sketches of the protagonists, Garry. Even if that were not the case, we don't even know that Hutchinson appeared in person before its journalists, let alone its illustrators - indeed, why would he?

[DVV]

... and, come to that, the self-evidently "Generic Mary Kelly" and "Generic Mr Astrakhan" from the same source.

Yes Sam,

an interesting difference being that this "Generic Mr Astrakhan" is definitely based on Hutch's statements.
It's not often that real suspects look like images d'Epinal...

Amitiés,
David