Are the press responsible for Stride's inclusion

[John G]

As I've noted before, Liz Stride's murder was extremely audacious; it is clearly incredible that her killer could effect such a crime without alerting a single witness- well, unless you count Schwartz! What's all the more remarkable is that Stride seemed to have been caught completely by surprise, totally oblivious of the fate that awaited her.

For me, Stride's murder has none of the ingredients of a common domestic murder, which doesn't exactly leave many alternatives.

[lynn cates]

silver threads among the gold

Hello Batman, Harry. Thanks.

But that WAS my point. It was merely subjunctive.

And right glad I am that it WAS solved. I can imagine 50 more threads about the obvious lust killing of Mrs. Brown.

Cheers.
LC

[andy1867]

Just how unusual was it though to have 2 women with their throats cut within such a short space of time in such a small area .
its always struck me that the site of Strides murder seemed very busy at the time, and maybe after several scares the approach of Diemshultz (sp)? cart wheels were enough to send whoever it may be, scurrying away..or into hiding in the yard.
I'll admit I have no idea how violent Whitechapel was at the time, it can't have been the best pf places to have a night out, but surely this was extreme even for that period.

[John G]

Just how unusual was it though to have 2 women with their throats cut within such a short space of time in such a small area .
its always struck me that the site of Strides murder seemed very busy at the time, and maybe after several scares the approach of Diemshultz (sp)? cart wheels were enough to send whoever it may be, scurrying away..or into hiding in the yard.
I'll admit I have no idea how violent Whitechapel was at the time, it can't have been the best pf places to have a night out, but surely this was extreme even for that period.

Hi Andy,

I believe a number of years ago Colin Roberts produced statistics showing that only 11 adult women were murdered by knife, in both 1887 and 1889, throughout the whole of England. So Stride's murder was certainly very rare.

[andy1867]

Thanks John
You would think that merits Strides inclusion as a stand alone statistic....and surely ALL of them were not throat slittings...so it seems a rare occurence

[curious]

G'day moonbegger

But if that be so why did he exclude others that the press were keen to include in the tally?

I have long suspected there was something about these five that were identical -- and kept secret as a way of being certain who the killer was when he was found.

It might have been something distinctive with the knife and the way it cut, or something that only a very few policemen ever knew.

curious

[lynn cates]

rare

Hello Andy. Mrs. Brown had her throat cut the SAME night as Liz and Kate.

How rare is that?

Cheers.
LC

[GUT]

I have long suspected there was something about these five that were identical -- and kept secret as a way of being certain who the killer was when he was found.

It might have been something distinctive with the knife and the way it cut, or something that only a very few policemen ever knew.

curious

I think there is much we don't know, and the police holding something back has over the years been the norm, so we would it surprise.

[John G]

Sarah Brown was killed in her own home in Westminster by her husband, who immediately went to the police station to confess. This was therefore a far more common domestic murder. However, what was unusual is that the murderer was clearly delusional; he claimed to hear voices and the jury found him guilty while insane.

Interestingly, his delusions included paranoid fantasies, such as a belief that his wife put flammable liquid in his boots, and that she was drugging his beer so that she could let other men in.

Thinking about it, he's clearly not the most implausible of candidates for one or more of the earlier 1888 murders!

[moonbegger]

Hello Andy. Mrs. Brown had her throat cut the SAME night as Liz and Kate.

How rare is that?

Cheers.
LC

Also , is there not the case of a woman having her throat cut in Bucks row just hours before Polly's demise .

moonbegger

[moonbegger]

I have long suspected there was something about these five that were identical -- and kept secret as a way of being certain who the killer was when he was found.

It might have been something distinctive with the knife and the way it cut, or something that only a very few policemen ever knew.

curious

Hello Curious , I would tend to agree with you , but then we have the Coroner's claim that if Liz was found near to, or holding a sharp instrument, then it may well have been deemed suicide .

"Had some sharp instrument been found near the right hand of the deceased this case might have had very much the appearance of a determined suicide."

I wonder how many other victims could have been deemed suicide , if a knife had been found close by .. Polly ? Annie ? Kate ? Mary ?

Cheers , moonbegger .

[Rosella]

However, people who commit suicide don't, in the usual scheme of things anyway, mutilate their stomachs or remove organs prior to doing the deed.

[andy1867]

Hello Andy. Mrs. Brown had her throat cut the SAME night as Liz and Kate.

How rare is that?

Cheers.
LC

Hello Lynn
I don't get to post many hypothesis on here...can we discount Mrs Brown because it was the day before...If only to keep me weak argument alive

[lynn cates]

geography

Hello John. Thanks.

Hmm, never thought of that. My example is used ONLY to show that we need to temper our claims about rarity and coincidence. It also speaks to knife murders.

I suppose some will point out that this was not in Whitechapel. True enough, but these SAME people will bristle when one makes the SAME claim respecting St. George-in-the-East.

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

fracas

Hello MB. Thanks.

Quite possibly. There certainly seems to have been a fracas.

Cheers.
LC