Lets get Lechmere off the hook!

[Rob Clack]

Annie Chapman was allegedly familiar with 29 Hanbury Street.

[Djb]

Annie Chapman was allegedly familiar with 29 Hanbury Street.

Link?

[Lechmere]

Chris
If you want to run along with the impression that the day of the Lord Mayor's Parade was a public holiday don't let me stop you.

[Chris]

If you want to run along with the impression that the day of the Lord Mayor's Parade was a public holiday don't let me stop you.

To be precise, what I said was that it was a holiday in London.

Anyhow, people can make up their own minds whether to believe the evidence I've posted or whether to believe your opinion, unsupported as it is by any evidence. That seems to be the norm in discussing your theory.

[Chris]

Incidentally, it's interesting to read Michael Connor's take on this question:

"The murders, so far, could have been done going to and from work. Does the killing of Mary Kelly fit this template or was it an adventurous change in the killer’s modus operandi? Was it a holiday treat? A man who had got away with so much may have felt like experimenting.

Kelly was younger than the other victims and was butchered inside her room. The time she died is unknown and contemporary suggestions were contradictory. Dr Bond estimated her time of death between one and two o’clock that morning. Both Sarah Lewis and Elizabeth Prater heard a cry of murder about 4am—which would conveniently fit Cross’s workday timetable. But it was a holiday, the day of the Lord Mayor’s Show, though some men obviously still had to work. Conversely, accept Caroline Maxwell’s evidence and the murder took place sometime between 8 or 8.30 and 10.45am when the body was discovered. Listen also to Maurice Lewis and she was still alive at 10am. Only the confusion is clear."

http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/rip-charles-cross.html

He acknowledges that it was a holiday, but wonders whether Cross was one of the men who "still had to work".

[Sally]

The Lord Mayor's Show

Ed and I had this coversation some years ago now. At the time I seem to recall that I had a converstaion about the Lord Mayor's Show with an acquaintance at the LMA about it - and of course, Ed is technically correct in that it wasn't a bank holiday - and thus not a public holiday.

It was, however - and indisputably - a customary holiday in London; which renders arguments based on non-public/non-bank status moot; since the effect may well have been indistinguishable, by and large.

All one need do is look at contemporary evidence to understand the significane of the holiday to the local population. There are press reports, for example, that speculate that the Ripper chose the day of the Lord Mayor's Show to murder because it was a time when police presence was diverted to an extent.

There may be no way to know, of course, whether Crossmere had the day off or not - but to argue that it's a given that he didn't based on a misinterpretation of the Lord Mayor's Show is a nonsense.

Another pesky fly in the solution.

[Robert]

It's difficult. Maxwell claimed to have seen Kelly on the morning of 9th with a man who was dressed like a market porter. Even if she was wrong about Kelly, was she wrong about the market porter too?

Ed's better off if Crossmere wasn't working that day, for he wouldn't have been late for work. The only problem would then be, how to explain to the Mrs why he was going out in the middle of the night. Perhaps he told her that he was off to decorate his float.

[Chris]

Ed and I had this coversation some years ago now. At the time I seem to recall that I had a converstaion about the Lord Mayor's Show with an acquaintance at the LMA about it - and of course, Ed is technically correct in that it wasn't a bank holiday - and thus not a public holiday.

It was, however - and indisputably - a customary holiday in London; which renders arguments based on non-public/non-bank status moot; since the effect may well have been indistinguishable, by and large.

Yes, of course. It was a holiday, but not a bank holiday.

[DarkPassenger]

I watched the documentary and I must say, it is the most convincing theory yet. I struggle to see how and why so many people have such a problem with it.

[Simon Owen]

I watched the documentary and I must say, it is the most convincing theory yet. I struggle to see how and why so many people have such a problem with it.

For me personally it's not a convincing theory because it's based mostly on speculation and a rather generous interpretation of events in favour of Lechmere being the Ripper. It's weaker than the theory that either Barnett or Hutchinson was the Ripper and I personally believe that both of those are weak theories.

Although we have no record of it , the police of the time would almost certainly have checked Lechmere out and they must have been satisfied that he was not guilty. Besides which , what kind of serial killer leaves a body only 7 minutes walk away from their home ?

[Djb]

For me personally it's not a convincing theory because it's based mostly on speculation and a rather generous interpretation of events in favour of Lechmere being the Ripper. It's weaker than the theory that either Barnett or Hutchinson was the Ripper and I personally believe that both of those are weak theories.

Although we have no record of it , the police of the time would almost certainly have checked Lechmere out and they must have been satisfied that he was not guilty. Besides which , what kind of serial killer leaves a body only 7 minutes walk away from their home ?

It was an interesting theory that crumbles upon scrutiny but everyone in whitechapel lives within 7 mins of a murder location.

[pinkmoon]

It was an interesting theory that crumbles upon scrutiny but everyone in whitechapel lives within 7 mins of a murder location.

People seem to ignore the possibility that our killer didn't live locally but visited the area to commit his crimes.

[Djb]

It doesn't seem the most likely scenario.

[pinkmoon]

It doesn't seem the most likely scenario.

Why not

[Djb]

Why not

I can't see him standing by a tram stop with a human kidney in one hand and his ticket in the other?