A Killer Other Than the B.S. Man?

[Wickerman]

How feasible is it that Liz met her death at the hands of someone other than the B.S. man?

The question is legitimized by the fact it was considered by Swanson in his report.

The police back then were more aware than we are today just how violent the East End was, especially at night. If Swanson didn't think two assaults in fifteen minutes was extraordinary, then we have no reason to pretend it was.

What I do find questionable is the belief that Stride was alone in that gateway, considering that whenever she had been seen that night, she was in the company of someone.
I speculate that she was already with a man in that yard, and that man was the Smith-suspect, and that he was her killer.

BS-man interrupted a liaison already in progress, but Schwartz just didn't see the second man stood further back inside the gateway, after all, his focus was on the activity directly in front of him, as brief as it was.

Otherwise, I agree with your scenario.

[c.d.]

How feasible is it that Liz met her death at the hands of someone other than the B.S. man?

Two contra arguments immediately come to mind:

1. The short amount of time between the the B.S. man leaving the scene and the arrival of her actual killer.

This would in fact be cutting it quite short (no pun intended). Probably 15 to 20 minutes maximum which however is time enough for a second killer to strike especially if he had witnessed the scene between B.S. man and Stride.

2. How likely is it that a woman would be attacked twice, in the same place, in the space of just a few minutes?

This appears to be a strong argument on its face. However, we are not talking about a woman standing in front of a church on a Sunday afternoon surrounded by a group of people. We are talking about a single woman by herself late at night at a time when men who had been drinking earlier would be out on the streets. Keep in mind that Schwartz never said he saw a woman being "attacked" or "assaulted" but simply stated that he saw a woman thrown to the ground. Would that be so unusual especially if Liz were soliciting?

A killer other than the B.S. man eliminates the following concerns:

1. The cachous - They would not have to have survived her being thrown to the ground or fighting off the B.S. man if she took them out after the B.S. had departed and before her killer showed up.

2. Why the B.S. man would go on to kill Stride after being seen by Schwartz and the Pipeman - He didn't. He was gone from the scene before her killer showed up.

3. Why no one heard any argument post Schwartz - There wasn't one since the B.S. man had left.

4. Why Stride's clothes were not ripped or torn - She went voluntarily into the passage with the second man on the scene believing him to be a client as opposed to going into the passage with someone who had just pushed her to the ground.

5. No blows to the face or stab wounds to the body - These might be expected if the B.S. man was a domestic and killed her in anger. If the second man were the Ripper, this would account for her simply having her throat cut.

There seems to be no perfect scenario that answers every question but a second killer (and I think there was and that he was Jack) does do away with a lot of the red flags and concerns associated with the B.S. man as Stride's killer.

What say you?

c.d.