Watkins walking along his beat towards Eddowes

[GBinOz]

Pearson's Weekly August 6, 1912, told by ex-PC E.T. Langdon:

"Let me recall one of the murders, the Mitre Square murder. It was night and the policeman passed through the square once, everything then being apparently alright. He walked on, coming to a court leading out of a street out of Mitre Square. Halfway up the court he stood sideways to allow a man to pass him. The man came from the direction of the square."

Reconstruction of this encounter, 7 minutes after leaving Mitre Square to the citing at the front of the St. James Passage, suggests the PC (and likely police witness) was Edward Watkins.

Hi Scott,

As you are I hope aware, I have the greatest respect for your dissertation on this topic. I would like to add a comment that this account of an officer standing aside for a person leaving Mitre Sq via the St. James Passage bears some considerable resemblance to Stephen White's account of his encounter with the willowy stranger with the melodic voice and the strange eyes. JMO.

Cheers, George

[Doctored Whatsit]

Hi Scott,

As you are I hope aware, I have the greatest respect for your dissertation on this topic. I would like to add a comment that this account of an officer standing aside for a person leaving Mitre Sq via the St. James Passage bears some considerable resemblance to Stephen White's account of his encounter with the willowy stranger with the melodic voice and the strange eyes. JMO.

Cheers, George

You are correct, George, it certainly does. However, the above quote is dated August 1912, and the Sgt White fictitious article was not published until 1919. I did also note that PC Langdon in his article, put the murders in 1889 or later. He told a few tales meant to be interesting or amusing, so I wonder how accurate he would have been throughout.