Evidence of innocence

[Fiver]

Can you direct me to the post where ‘they’ suggest Maria was having a fling with Blencowe.

Why should I crawl through the gutter to find a particular piece of sewage for you. There's plenty of examples of assuming or implying the worst about Maria Lechmere in this thread. Key words to look for are "bigamy" and "boy toy".

[MrBarnett]

Can you direct me to the post where ‘they’ suggest Maria was having a fling with Blencowe.

I recall being intrigued by the George Blencowe who we found had been living with Maria when the 1871 census was taken:


Harriet

I believe Harriet married a William Blencowe in Marylebone in 1835.

Interestingly, the 1871 census shows a 23-year-old carman living with Maria as a boarder. His name was George Blencowe.

Even more interesting is that a George Blencowe of Brick Lane was admitted to the Whitechapel Infirmary on 27/5/87 suffering from 'vertigo'. He was discharged on 9/6/1887 only to be readmitted on 17/6/87 suffering from 'mania'. He was sent to Grove House (which I think was probably Grove Hall lunatic asylum in Bow) on 1/7/87.

The age of this GB is a few years adrift from that of the carman, but Blencowe is not a very common name. So it could be that CAL had a mad carman as some kind* of cousin.

*I don't think he was Harriet's child, possibly her nephew - or stepson?

Harriet here was one of Maria’s sisters. When I spoke of George possibly being some kind cousin of CAL’s, innocent that I am, I hadn’t considered he might have been a ‘kissin’ cousin’.

[MrBarnett]

No need to go to another forum, there's plenty of evidence just in this thread. Of course, they don't state it as facts, they suggest and imply in a failed attempt at plausible deniability.

Can you direct me to the post where ‘they’ suggest Maria was having a fling with Blencowe.

[MrBarnett]

Hi Gary, or would you prefer Gazz?

I'm sorry my little attempt to lighten the mood fell flat. I'll leave everyone shortly to carry on the serious business of proposing or opposing Lechmere's guilt.

Much as I enjoyed Roger's illustrated lecture on bog-standard funeral fare, I didn't seriously imagine the surviving Lechmeres gathered round the kitchen table trying out their own funny little rhymes when the old man kicked the bucket.

I assumed the poem was selected [by them or for them, I wasn't fussed] from a collection of sober verses, as befitting the situation.

Thus, Lechmere's would naturally have come under the subheading of:

The Family Man -

Flawed like the rest,
From imperfect best
To the likes of Fred West.

I am aware of a natural reluctance to speak ill of the dead, although there is precious little reluctance in some quarters to see the very worst in Lechmere.

Elsewhere, Hallie Rubenhold also speaks ill of the dead, but in her case it's all the dead Victorian women who serviced men in order to eat the next day. She does this by implying that the ripper preferred his prey to be 'better than that' and merely catching up on their beauty sleep after a long day doing charitable work for thruppence.

Using the example of Hitler, alongside all the men who have behaved disgracefully in life, left me with an image of a young Adolf doing a poo on teacher's desk. So moving on in the collection of verse, I adapted this one for the old devil under the subheading of:

All Other Men -

Mr H was, in truth, a bit of a disgrace,
Doing the odd poo in a peculiar place.
A family man, one could hardly call
This last-minute bridegroom with only one ball.

[I'm here all week - only joking.]

Love,

Caz
X

My real name is Gary, but I am known to some as Gazz. When I run over small children or find dead prostitutes in the street I use another name altogether.

Funny you should mention Hallie, I bet she approves of the false accusations of misogyny flying around on this thread.

‘Ah, so you think Maria’s relationship with Tommy might not have gone down well in Victorian Hereford, do you? That means you you consider her a hussy who couldn’t keep her knees together!’

’Hallie! Hallie! You were right all along - they really do hate women.’

[MrBarnett]

Just like they chose to bury his wife in a pauper's grave when she died 20 years later.

Yes, during the blitz wasn’t it, before Elizabeth’s will had been proved? Assuming she had anything to leave to her brood. I’ll look it up and let you know.