Dutfield's Yard Video

[drstrange169]

Hello Richard,
The body position was always going to be problematical.
If you follow Blackwell's description, as i described before, head facing the wall, feet almost touching the same wall, the rest naturally falls into place.

(The arms are another can of worms;-)

Hello Micheal,
I don't need to check as that was a direct quote, Blackwell even stresses it twice,
"... her feet against the wall of the right beside of the yard."
But you're right the feet were supposed to be close to the swing of the door as well, although exactly how far is another point of contemporary contention.

I wouldn't be quite as dogmatic about it as Tom, but I too believe Mrs Stride's body was possibly moved by people prior to Blackwell's arrival. Since the said doctor has the only description that that was well detailed, you'll probably have to add a caveat that the body position you show is Blackwell's and not necessarily the murder position.

[Tom_Wescott]

The grate from the basement? Her head wasn't near the grate as far as I remember. Her overall general location was near it, but not her head, which would have been somewhere between the steps and the grate.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[richardh]

And herein lies a problem.... According to my calculations, the Dutfield's Yard (Hutchinson's) photo and various maps of the yard, the distance between the cellar grating and the swing of the open gate is 9ft (13.5ft with the closed). If the victim was semi-fetal then she would be about 4 feet from head to feet. There is no way her head could be near the grating with her feet close to the open gate unless she was over 9 ft tall!

So was she lying only 5 feet into the yard and at least 7 feet from the grating or was she near the grating and quite a distance from the open gates?

EDIT: Actually, does it mention ANYWHERE that her head was close to the grating?

Wow, this is actually correct. And her feet almost touch the doors of the gate at it's swing, so not the closed gate doors. Imagine the gate was being opened, it would have just missed her feet. Other than this and the things mentioned in my earlier posts, that drawing looks pretty good.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Tom_Wescott]

Her feet almost touched the gate, not the wall. Check again.

Cheers

Wow, this is actually correct. And her feet almost touch the doors of the gate at it's swing, so not the closed gate doors. Imagine the gate was being opened, it would have just missed her feet. Other than this and the things mentioned in my earlier posts, that drawing looks pretty good.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Michael W Richards]

Excellent work Richard.

Couple of points, according to Blackwell, Mrs Strides face was, "completely towards the wall" and her feet. "almost touched the wall".

Her feet almost touched the gate, not the wall. Check again.

Cheers

[Tom_Wescott]

There was a make-shift gutter running along the wall from the gate to the steps made of stones of various types and sizes. Stride's head was resting on a large, jagged stone. Some blood had pooled on the stone and ran from there into the gutter, where it likely mixed with some rain water from the earlier rains.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Tom_Wescott]

Blackwell's description is wrong. Besides, others had handled Stride before he got to the scene, so what he saw is not how she would originally have been found. Johnston had moved her around but this was kept silent because he was not a doctor and was not supposed to have done that.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Dr. John Watson]

Hi Richard.

Here's how Dr. Phillips described Stride's position at the inquest: "The left arm was extended and there was a packet of cachous in the left hand . . . The right arm was over the belly . . . the legs were drawn up with the feet close to the wall."

Another description had the feet almost touching the wall and closer to the wall than the head.

John

[richardh]

So, do you think I should rotate the body so the face is looking directly to the wall while the feet move closer to the wall?

thanks

Excellent work Richard.

Couple of points, according to Blackwell, Mrs Strides face was, "completely towards the wall" and her feet. "almost touched the wall".

[drstrange169]

Excellent work Richard.

Couple of points, according to Blackwell, Mrs Strides face was, "completely towards the wall" and her feet. "almost touched the wall".

[GUT]

Of course there is that horrible idea he hid 'down inside', it's been done before. A glance in there from the door would suggest it's empty.

I have considered that, but it may have made him a little obvious after he climbed out.

[Beowulf]

Of course there is that horrible idea he hid 'down inside', it's been done before. A glance in there from the door would suggest it's empty.

[GUT]

G'day Beowulf

I did not know there were toilets back there. Any chance the Ripper hid in one? I know, likely many people searched everywhere, and they seem obvious. But certainly it's a place to dodge to.

It is a theory I've heard before and in all honesty it makes more sense than many others I've heard, except I really struggle with the scenario that the police didn't check them.

[Beowulf]

Incredible work. Has a spooky feel, and calls to mind nights I walked about in Manhattan, which was filled with similar old buildings and how many little ins and outs they had where someone could be hiding.

I did not know there were toilets back there. Any chance the Ripper hid in one? I know, likely many people searched everywhere, and they seem obvious. But certainly it's a place to dodge to.

[GUT]

Knees good to me.

I might recline the right shoulder slightly so she is not totally on her side, if that makes sense. But that's nothing more than personal taste I don't think that the evidence can take t any further either way.