Framing Charles

[rjpalmer]

A quarter of a pound of opium? Bloody hell!

I know, right? Enough to have kept Coleridge happy for a month. I wonder if there's more to that story.

Heck, Coleridge and DeQuincy.

You might use your skills to hunt him down in 1881; I've come up blank so far.

The way he behaves he might be a 'J.B.' somewhere uncomfortable.

[MrBarnett]

Let's see...

ELO 6 July 1878.

I see that our posts crossed in regards to the opium overdose.

I don't mean to make light of it; he appears to be a tragic case, if the head injury is true.

Yes, he may have resorted to opium as a method of pain relief.

1878, eh? An interesting example of a family name being exposed in the press in relation to an unfortunate incident.

[rjpalmer]

Let's see...

ELO 6 July 1878.

I see that our posts crossed in regards to the opium overdose.

I don't mean to make light of it; he appears to be a tragic case, if the head injury is true.

[MrBarnett]

James was drunkard and a suicide, too, who raved about Irish Home Rule. Dead by September 1895.

A quarter of a pound of opium? Bloody hell!

[MrBarnett]

It looks like Lechmere's brother-in-law was a bit of a hell raiser. 4 months breaking rocks and picking oakum for trying to take on Johnny Law. Charles couldn't have been impressed.

Great find, RJ!

What was the date of this?

[rjpalmer]

James was drunkard and a suicide, too, who raved about Irish Home Rule. Dead by September 1895.

[MrBarnett]

Looks like JB may have been a crazy knife-carrying Fenian drug fiend.

[MrBarnett]

N

Where's Iconoclast when we need him?

JAmes BostoCK aka "Jack": violent psychosis due to head injury, at large in the East End in 1888.

[harry]

Mr Barnett,
Yes a lot of things could have happened before Paul arrived,but there is no evidence( eye witness etc)to prove that anything other than what Cross(That is a name he gave)states did happen.Could have is not proof of an happening. Cross, in giving a name and address where he could be contacted,satisfied both the requirements of the inquest,and of the law in general.That it doesn't satify you doesn't matter.

[rjpalmer]

Where's Iconoclast when we need him?

JAmes BostoCK aka "Jack": violent psychosis due to head injury, at large in the East End in 1888.

[rjpalmer]

It looks like Lechmere's brother-in-law was a bit of a hell raiser. 4 months breaking rocks and picking oakum for trying to take on Johnny Law. Charles couldn't have been impressed.

[MrBarnett]

“ He was probably known as both names “
Whats that statement based on as there doesn’t seem to be anything official stating that or anything unofficial for that matter.

If there was unequivocal documentary evidence, there’d be no reason for the ‘probably’.

The reasons have been given.

[paul g]

“ He was probably known as both names “
Whats that statement based on as there doesn’t seem to be anything official stating that or anything unofficial for that matter.

[MrBarnett]

>Of course, we have no proof of what name he was generally known by.<<

Name of his step dad when he joined Pickfords? Cross
Name on the census when his Step dad was alive? Cross
Name the man Pickford representatives dealt with at the accident inquest? Cross.
Name used at Mrs Nichols inquest when he appeared in his Pickfords uniform? Cross

Of course, we have no proof of what name he was generally known by at Pickfords.

Seems we may almost have a meeting of minds?

He was probably known by both names and therefore should have given both at the inquests. He didn’t, he withheld one - the one that, if it had appeared in the papers, would have linked him uniquely to two very unpleasant events.

His attempt to conceal his identity was so successful that even today we have people who cannot bring themselves to use the L word.

[MrBarnett]

>>I wonder how many people attended CAL’s wedding to Elizabeth Bostock in 1870, and whether when the vicar started speaking the congregation began whispering ‘Lechmere? Who’s this Charles ALLEN Lechmere? I thought this was Charlie Cross’s wedding.’<<

Well, of course, Lizzie Lechmere, certain knew Ma Cross, as she was calling her self, at the time. Depending on how long they courted, she might have met Tom too.

And Lizzie presumably knew that CAL was CAL before their wedding day. Ditto her parents and numerous siblings?