Cleveland Street Scandal Connection?

[jerryd]

Thank you again Belloc!

I think I tried to follow up on where young Hammond ended up years back, with no luck. Now, refreshing my memory by looking at Hammond's pardon file that I ordered several years ago, in it contains a letter from Hammonds son to the court begging for the release of his father as his mother was sick and they had no money. The letter was signed, Charlie, William, Hammond. I believe that was the name I was searching to find this son. I was also searching in England for birth without a clue he ended up using San Jose as his birthplace.

Great job, Belloc!

[rjpalmer]

Hi Jerry,
'Tom Conway' seems to have been an extremely talented and popular female impersonator, performing all over London and other parts of the country in the late 90's. It doesn't seem possible that he would be the same lowly 'crossing sweeper' listed living with his father in 1901?

This could be nothing more than a red herring/name coincidence, so feel free to ignore it, but actors are known for using stage names and there was an actor/comedian calling himself Thomas Conway (real name Thomas William Cowlam) who was born in Leeds around 1860 and was active in late 19th Century.

In 1901 he is listed as an 'actor' living in a boarding house in Lambeth under the name Thomas Cowlam, and in 1911 as a 'comedian' in Deptford under the name Thomas Conway. His children apparently took the stage name. He may have spent time in the East End because he married a woman named Marie Kane in SGE in Oct 1892.

I don't immediately see him in the 1891 census, so I can't confirm he was an actor that early on. Of course, he cannot be the female impersonator mentioned in the Oregonian article you cited, but there could have been a mix-up.

[Debra A]

This could be nothing more than a red herring/name coincidence, so feel free to ignore it, but actors are known for using stage names and there was an actor/comedian calling himself Thomas Conway (real name Thomas William Cowlam) who was born in Leeds around 1860 and was active in late 19th Century.

In 1901 he is listed as an 'actor' living in a boarding house in Lambeth under the name Thomas Cowlam, and in 1911 as a 'comedian' in Deptford under the name Thomas Conway. His children apparently took the stage name. He may have spent time in the East End because he married a woman named Marie Kane in SGE in Oct 1892.

I don't immediately see him in the 1891 census, so I can't confirm he was an actor that early on. Of course, he cannot be the female impersonator mentioned in the Oregonian article you cited, but there could have been a mix-up.

Thanks R.J. I think I may have gone a little way down this same road this morning, though not as far, before I had to leave it. I picked up a birth announcement - the mother's name was given as "Marie Keane (Mrs Tom Conway)" which seems to be the same couple you have tracked down. I guessed that Marie herself was probably a performer or actor too, given that she was listed under two names.

[The Rookie Detective]

Tom Conway was playing "Alice Day" in the provincial theatre throughout 1888 and so I would assume it unlikely this is the same man who was the son of Eddowes.


RD

[jerryd]

Hi RD .

To me, this guy doesn’t fit too well as a procurer for young boys working at the Cleveland Street brothel. I just don’t feel “Tom Conway”, the actor, is the same guy Ames was talking about.

[Belloc]

Jerry, there's a write-up of a Buffaloes lodge dinner and concert on page 6 of The East End News, London. Amongst the performers was "Mr. Tom Conway (female impersonator)."

The bad news is that the event took place on February 13th, 1908.

Unless there was another female impersonator called Tom Conway performing in England, this female impersonator can't be Catherine Eddowes's son. As you know, her son died in 1903.

Sorry to disappoint you.

Belloc

[jerryd]

Jerry, there's a write-up of a Buffaloes lodge dinner and concert on page 6 of The East End News, London. Amongst the performers was "Mr. Tom Conway (female impersonator)."

The bad news is that the event took place on February 13th, 1908.

Unless there was another female impersonator called Tom Conway performing in England, this female impersonator can't be Catherine Eddowes's son. As you know, her son died in 1903.

Sorry to disappoint you.

Belloc

Hi Belloc.

Why do you think you disappointed me?

How old was this female impersonator, actor? Do we have a birthdate for him?

jerryd

[Belloc]

How old was this female impersonator, actor? Do we have a birthdate for him?

jerryd

Hi Jerry.

If Tom Conway, female impersonator, is the same person as Thomas Conway, who's shown in the 1871 and 1881 Censuses as living at 2 Cleveland Street, he was born in the first quarter of 1864, which would make him 43 or 44 in February, 1908.

[Belloc]

None of the references I've seen in newspapers to Tom Conway, female impersonator, mention his age.

[The Rookie Detective]

A rather random yet interesting coincidence is that in 1888 and beyond; Tom Conway played a character called "Alice Day."

Alice Day was also the name of the young ballet dancer who in the 1870's worked at the Pavilion Theatre on Whitechapel Road in the resident ensemble and who had an affair with Henry Wainwright, who murdered his wife, dismembered and buried her in his workshop; which IIRC was located next door to the Pavilion theatre itself.

Henry was caught and hanged, but his brother Thomas served 7 years as an accomplice and then disappeared after his release from prison.

The 3rd brother (NOT connected to the murder of Mrs Wainwright) was a senior freemason and religious man, was subsequently shot in the head on a train. His sudden violent demise was treated as suicide; but the evidence IMO suggests as assassin took him out.

But going back to Alice Day...

Alice Day was also on trial as a potential accomplice to her lover's wife's murder. Alice was eventually seen as an innocent bystander, despite being present in the carriage in which the dismembered remains of Mrs Wainwright were transported in 2 boxes after being unearthed from the workshop on Whitechapel Road on the anniversary of her murder.

Alice Day then vanishes from the records as far as I'm aware, but it's an interesting choice of name for Tom Conway to adopt as his alter ego/female character just over a decade later.


Alice Day for me has always been a candidate for being one of the Torso victims.

I have always felt Henry's brother Thomas had helped him dismember Mrs Wainwright, but he was not seen as directly complicit in the murder itself; hence why Thomas wasn't hanged alongside Henry and only served 7 years instead.
However; in the court Thomas was erratic and unsettled and behaved unusually compared to Henry.

Thomas Wainwright is a potential candidate for the Torso Killer IMO..and "Alice Day" one of his victims.

The name Alice Day is certainly an interesting choice for Tom Conway to make.



RD

p.s. forgive me for going off topic there; just wanted to bring some context to the potential link with Alice Day

[jerryd]

Hi Jerry.

If Tom Conway, female impersonator, is the same person as Thomas Conway, who's shown in the 1871 and 1881 Censuses as living at 2 Cleveland Street, he was born in the first quarter of 1864, which would make him 43 or 44 in February, 1908.

Thanks Belloc.

I was more interested in how old he would have been in June of 1888. Herbert Ames stated that the Thomas Conway, that induced him to go to the house and introduced him to Hammond, was 19 years old in June of 1888. The man you speculated on, living at No. 2 Cleveland Street, would have been 24 years old in June of 1888.

Thomas Conway (Eddowes son) would have just turned 20 years old six months prior to June of 1888. He was born in December of 1867 according to the research from Debs. If Ames casually knew him and hadn't seen him for a few months, he would have possibly stated an age of 19 years old.