Why Would SY have let Dr T Escape?

[Siobhan Patricia Mulcahy]

JM, Jeff, you're making me google all the time to keep up. My head is spinning.

Hi c.d.,

If we take in account what Littlechild said, you nailed number one, and number two, threats of libel action certainly was a reality.

Sincerely,
Mike

Hi Mike,
I agree with c.d.
Possibilities:
Police let him go because of lack of evidence / he had alibi?
He threatened police with legal action (T seemed to know his way around the courts by this stage in his life) - if they didn't have enough evidence, they were legally obliged to release him and T would have known this?
He had money so he bribed his way out of trouble?
OR
They let him go so they could follow him and get more evidence/ clues about his lifestyle/ about the various threads they were pursuing...?.

Pretty much why the police let people go without charge today (with the exception of the bribery one must hope!)

[mklhawley]

Hi Mike,
I agree with c.d.
Possibilities:
Police let him go because of lack of evidence / he had alibi?
He threatened police with legal action (T seemed to know his way around the courts by this stage in his life) - if they didn't have enough evidence, they were legally obliged to release him and T would have known this?
He had money so he bribed his way out of trouble?
OR
They let him go so they could follow him and get more evidence/ clues about his lifestyle/ about the various threads they were pursuing...?.

Pretty much why the police let people go without charge today (with the exception of the bribery one must hope!)

Hi Siobhan,
It's great to see you post. Let me add what the December Old Bailey Court calendar stated. It looks like Tumblety was in front of Magistrate Hannay at Marlborough Street Police Court on November 14 for gross indecency and indecent assault, who then transferred the case to Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey Courthouse. Tumblety posted bail on November 16, so after two days of incarceration, he was free on bail. By November 24, he was on the La Bretagne. To me, it seems Tumblety's solicitor informed him of the reality of a tight gross indecency case, so he left. The newspapers reported that Scotland Yard wanted him incarcerated with the gross indecency offense, since they have nothing on him with the Whitechapel case. I certainly agree with you that he was threatening them with legal action and spending his money to get out of this.

I'm very intrigued about your point on bribery. Were the detectives that may have been assigned to watch him immune to loads of cash in their face? "All you have to do is just turn your back for just five minutes and your pockets will be stuffed with a year's salary". Hmmm.

Sincerely,
Mike


Your bribery

[Mayerling]

Hi Siobhan,
It's great to see you post. Let me add what the December Old Bailey Court calendar stated. It looks like Tumblety was in front of Magistrate Hannay at Marlborough Street Police Court on November 14 for gross indecency and indecent assault, who then transferred the case to Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey Courthouse. Tumblety posted bail on November 16, so after two days of incarceration, he was free on bail. By November 24, he was on the La Bretagne. To me, it seems Tumblety's solicitor informed him of the reality of a tight gross indecency case, so he left. The newspapers reported that Scotland Yard wanted him incarcerated with the gross indecency offense, since they have nothing on him with the Whitechapel case. I certainly agree with you that he was threatening them with legal action and spending his money to get out of this.

I'm very intrigued about your point on bribery. Were the detectives that may have been assigned to watch him immune to loads of cash in their face? "All you have to do is just turn your back for just five minutes and your pockets will be stuffed with a year's salary". Hmmm.

Sincerely,
Mike


Your bribery

Hi Mike,

I will only remind you that in 1877 Britain was shocked by the De-Goncourt - Benson Scandal wherein Henry Benson, a smooth professional swindler, cheated a French countess in a turf fraud. He was able to avoid arrest - he had bribed three Detectives (Meiklejohn, Druscovitch, and Palmer) and possibly one higher ranking official. The detectives were tried, and found guilty (in the case of one - Druscovitch - there were suspicions that he had taken a bribe from a murderer to not disclose information regarding a suspicious death, but this line of inquiry was never followed up). There was a marked shake-up in the Detective force after the "Trial of the Detectives".
So bribery was a distinct possiblity.

Jeff

[mklhawley]

Hi Jeff,

So it was a decade earlier. That shakeup would have been in the memories of many in 1888, but not so close in time that watch dogs would have been on high alert. Also, if there was no official internal affairs department, then it seems detectives would not have been worried about raising any red flags, especially if it was a case of plausible deniability.

Sincerely,
Mke

[Siobhan Patricia Mulcahy]

Hi Mike,
One last word on the bribery issue.
Salaries and the rights of workers (even the police) were almost non-existant in the late 19th century. If you got sick there was no insurance cover. If you needed to take an emergency break, there was no pay...The temptation to take bribes must have been quite something back then.
Look at the amount of corruption in today's police (in the USA) for example...even when workers have the right to time off, insurance cover, sick benefits etc.
Also, didn't T try to bribe his way out of trouble in north America previously?
Given his immersion in the American way of life for so many years, I'm sure he was aware of the US motto: money talks so Tumblety walks...

[mklhawley]

money talks so Tumblety walks...

Hi Siobhan,

Sorry about the delay. I love your motto!

Mike

[Siobhan Patricia Mulcahy]

Hi Siobhan,

Sorry about the delay. I love your motto!

Mike

"Love all, trust a few, harm none." ? Thank William Shakespeare - it's his.

Any conclusions on why T was released by cops?....

[mklhawley]

"Love all, trust a few, harm none." ? Thank William Shakespeare - it's his.

Any conclusions on why T was released by cops?....

Hi Siobhan,

He was released by Magistrate Hannay on November 16 on his own recognizance, or do you mean another time?

Mike

[Simon Wood]

Hi Mike,

Tumblety was not released "on his own recognizance."

Regards,

Simon

[mklhawley]

Hi Mike,

Tumblety was not released "on his own recognizance."

Regards,

Simon

Hi Simon,

What I meant was on November 14 Hannay assigned detention until he went to Central Criminal Court, and set bail. Tumblety paid the recognizance on November 16. Since he failed to make it to Central Criminal Court, his recognizance was remanded.

Mike