Lets get Lechmere off the hook!

[rjpalmer]

making Cross about as likely as a 25 stone ballerina

Hi Mike,

I initially read that as 25 stoned ballerinas and was wondering where the party was.

[Herlock Sholmes]

If Cross was guilty (and he wasn’t of course) then he’d have taken any steps that he could to deflect attention or suspicion away from himself. Everyone can surely agree on this? So..

Why, after he’d had plenty of time to think before testifying at the inquest, didn’t he simply say when asked that he’d left home at exactly 3.35? Leaving himself with no time to kill Nichols?

Why didn’t he flee the scene, when it’s claimed by Crosstians that he was so worried about the wounds being revealed that he wouldn’t assist in sitting the victim up? Fleeing the scene would have avoided the problem in the first place.

Why, to avoid a meeting with a Constable as it’s suggested, didn’t he suggest that they would have had a greater chance of meeting one before arriving at work if the split up and went different routes? Allowing him to avoid one if he’d seen one.

Why didn’t he say that when he arrived at the body he heard (or even saw) someone running or walking away? Or why didn’t he say that there was a man standing near the corpse who said that he’d just found the woman lying there before asking him to wait with the woman while he went to find a Constable? He could even have given the police a description of ‘Jack.’


How STUPID was this bloke?

[Herlock Sholmes]

"So Lechmere, the absolute legend, who just happened to be in the right place at the right time ..."

It's symptomatic of the need to twist facts in order to make Cross look guilty that completely incorrect phrases like this keep being repeated, even though, often, the people claiming them know them not to be true.

Charles Cross did not "just happened to be" in Bucks Row at about that time. He was there six days a week. Same approximate time, same place.

Nothing changes Dusty. They love to present the ‘but he was there fact,’ but they’re not so keen on ‘not a single other person in crime history that ever found a serial killers victim outdoors turned out to have been the killer.’

To me, that’s a cracking point, making Cross about as likely as a 25 stone ballerina, but strangely they forget to quote that one. Then again, they do have poor memories. Look how Christer forgot the word ‘about’ in the documentary and book. Easily done of course.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Thanks to Dusty and Sam. I wasn’t aware of the connection between ‘tarpaulin’ and ‘jack tar,’ or the name of the waterproof hat.

[Sam Flynn]

Tarpaulin was a nick name for sailors and reputedly the source of the name "jack Tar".

Indeed. Specifically, "tarpaulin" was the name given to a kind of waterproof hat worn by sailors.

[Fiver]

I suspect "sheet" was added it explain what sort of tarpaulin Cross was referring to.

Tarpaulin was a nick name for sailors and reputedly the source of the name "jack Tar".

Weatherproof jackets and coats were made out of tarpaulin. I remember many moons ago, people were speculating that Cross thought it was a tarpaulin coat he saw.

Some newspaper articles said that he thought it was a man's tarpaulin - Morning Advertiser, 4 September 1888; Evening Standard, 4 September 1888; Western Daily Press, 4 September 1888. That may also being people adding "men's" to explain what sort of tarpaulin they thought Cross was referring to.

I'm not sure which it was. I'd expect a body to look more like a jacket than a sheet. OTOH, I'd expect a sheet that had come loose unnoticed to be more likely to be lying by the side of the road than a jacket.

[drstrange169]

"So Lechmere, the absolute legend, who just happened to be in the right place at the right time ..."

It's symptomatic of the need to twist facts in order to make Cross look guilty that completely incorrect phrases like this keep being repeated, even though, often, the people claiming them know them not to be true.

Charles Cross did not "just happened to be" in Bucks Row at about that time. He was there six days a week. Same approximate time, same place.

[drstrange169]

I suspect "sheet" was added it explain what sort of tarpaulin Cross was referring to.

Tarpaulin was a nick name for sailors and reputedly the source of the name "jack Tar".

Weatherproof jackets and coats were made out of tarpaulin. I remember many moons ago, people were speculating that Cross thought it was a tarpaulin coat he saw.

[The Baron]

The Old Man's Legacy

The old man lay in bed, barely holding on. His breath was weak, his body still. His sunken eyes flickered with something, like he had one last thing to say.

Thomas sat beside him, gripping his father’s thin hand.

"Don’t talk, Father. Just rest," he said softly.

The old man shook his head. "No, son. I have to tell you this. My last lesson. Listen up."

Thomas leaned in, his throat tight.

His father took a slow, rattling breath. "If you ever see someone in trouble… " He paused for effect. "Stop and stare."

Silence.

Thomas blinked. "Huh?"

"Stop. And. Stare," his father repeated. "No matter how bad it looks, don’t rush in. Just watch. But.. " he lifted a frail finger.. "never actually help."

Thomas frowned. "That makes no sense."

The old man waved a shaky hand. "Let me finish."

Thomas sighed but nodded.

"If you see a guy collapse in the street, don’t panic. Just stop. Not too close.. then you might have to do something. Not too far.. you still wanna look concerned. Just… the right distance. Then, tilt your head. Maybe rub your chin. Makes you seem thoughtful."

Thomas stared. "I should… just stand there?"

"Exactly." His father gave a weak nod. "Then, when someone else shows up, look at them, then back at the guy on the ground, and say, ‘That’s something, isn’t it?’"

"...That’s all?"

"That’s all." The old man coughed, but a faint smirk played on his lips. "If they say, ‘Should we help?’ just sigh real deep and say, ‘Yeah… someone really should do something.’ But don’t move. Stay put. Like a tree."

Thomas rubbed his temples. "And if they ask me directly to help?"

"Ah." His father’s eyes twinkled. "That’s when you pull out The Gentle Deflection. Raise your hands a little, like you’re pushing away responsibility, and say, ‘Oh, I wouldn’t wanna make things worse.’ That way, you sound caring. Not… you know. Useless."

Thomas was speechless.

His father continued. "If they push harder, pat your pockets, look all stressed, and mumble, ‘I really should be getting to work.’ Doesn’t matter if it’s midnight. Just say it like it’s true."

Thomas let out a slow breath. "...And if a crowd forms?"

"Then you become The Concerned Eyewitness," the old man said weakly. "Mumble things like, ‘I saw him fall, but, uh, I didn’t wanna interfere.’ Or, ‘Happened so fast… was just about to step in.’ This makes it seem like you were involved. Without, you know. Actually doing anything."

"...And if the cops show up?"

His father’s face brightened, like he was proud of this part. "Now, this is key. Step forward juuuust enough to be noticed.. but not enough to be asked questions. Say something vague, like, ‘He was already like that when I got here.’ Then.. listen carefully.. start backing away. Slowly. No sudden movements. Just… fade into the background."

His breath was growing weaker, but his expression was peaceful.

"Son," he whispered, "a wise man does not act. A wise man observes. A wise man lets others take the lead.. so if things go wrong, it’s their problem."

Thomas just stared at him. "...That’s literally just being completely useless."

A tiny smile formed on the old man’s lips. "Exactly."

And with that, he let out one last breath, that little smirk still on his face.

Thomas sat there, stunned. His father was gone. But his words… oh, his words would haunt him forever.



The Baron

[Fiver]

Here are the receipts in case it ever comes up again.

Thank you for the links. If Cross meant a tarpaulin sheet, that implies something. No doubt tarpaulin sheets occasionally came loose and were lost. No doubt some were also stolen. To want to pick up a tarpaulin sheet and bring it to work implies that Cross never even considered the possibility that his employer might accuse him of stealing it.

[rjpalmer]

Carmen made 22 to 24 shillings a week, so 1 to 2 pounds would be a significant windfall.

Here are the receipts in case it ever comes up again.

[Fiver]

I do have a minor quibble. The East London Observer, the Daily News, Lloyd's, the Illustrated Police News, The Daily Telegraph, and other papers identified the tarpaulin as a 'tarpaulin sheet,' and I suspect that that is what it was. It just goes to show that different sources give conflicting data.

I don't think it matters, though. A tarpaulin sheet was hardly a worthless piece of fabric as suggested by The Baron. I've seen estimates of their worth, dating to the 1880s, as anywhere between one pound and two pounds. That's a lot of money for a working man, and it would be entirely natural that a man who dealt with tarpaulins to make a wrong assumption about an object in dim light, briefly assuming it was something he was used to seeing.

A dressmaker might have assumed a manikin, a rag-and-bone woman might have assumed a bundle of rags, etc.

Another weak attempt to muster suspicion where there isn't any.

Edit: suspicion is just a state of mind so let me rephrase that. Suspicion where there shouldn't be any.

Some sources say tarpaulin sheet, some say man's tarpaulin, and some just say tarpaulin. I suspect Cross just said tarpaulin and different papers interpreted it differently.

Carmen made 22 to 24 shillings a week, so 1 to 2 pounds would be a significant windfall.

[Fiver]

Or law enforcement. “Officer, there's a crime happening!”
Lechmere: “Wow. Fascinating. Let’s call over another bystander to have a look”

The Baron

You accidentally wrote Lechmere instead of PC Mizen.

Not that Mizen did even that much.

[Fiver]

Lechmere’s Guide to Emergency Situations:

• See a woman possibly dying? Stop and stare.
• Find a random stranger? Make them stare, too.
• Need to actually help? Absolutely not.
• Asked to assist in any way? Hard pass.
• Need to throw the police off your trail? Lie through your teeth.

The Baron

Every bit of your statement is false.

* What emergency? The woman might be drink, sleeping, or dead; but in no case was this an emergency.
* Charles Cross did not stop and stare. Nothing in the evidence even implies that he did.
* Cross then called the first person he saw over - just like PC Neil, John Davis, Louis Diemschutz, PC Watkins, and Thomas Bowyer.
* Neither Cross nor Paul stood there and stared. Both men tried to determine of she was alive. Both men tried to pull her dress down. Both men alerted PC Mizen. Both men complained that Mizen kept knocking people up instead.
* Propping up Nichols was useless if she was dead and harmful if she was injured. It is not a refusal to assist.
* There is no evidence that Cross lied. He and Paul both contradicted PC Mizen and the authorities believed the carmen, not the constable.
* What trail? You have yet to provide any evidence that Cross was guilty.
* Cross' actions were either those of an innocent man or a stunningly stupid murderer.

[Geddy2112]

So Lechmere, the absolute legend, who just happened to be in the right place at the right time, except he wasn’t really in the right place to help. He was just there, chilling by Nichols’ body, like a casual bystander at a crime scene. How considerate, right?

However this did not happen. May I ask what are the point of these bizarre long winded, not based on the truth posts you are dishing out recently? Bring Back The Old Baron!!!