Those coins and those grapes!

[curious4]

Hi Gwyneth.
I remember Tom theorizing a dubious, somewhat devious role for Grand & Bachelor, I'm not sure about their motives though.

When we look at the existing reports & accounts concerning Packer, there is a degree of consistency, in the beginning.
Accepting his initial denial to have not seen anything or anyone on the 30th Sept., at least he told Sgt. White that he closed his shop at 12:30.

Then we read nothing until the Evening paper on the 4th Oct. where he described seeing a man & woman come to his window about 11:45. That they crossed the road and stood opposite for more than a half-hour.
They then cross back, to stand in front of the club, he estimates this was about 12:10-12:15 due to the public houses being closed.
(Closing time was 12:30 for public houses)

Initially Packer told White that he closed his shop at 12:30.
His suggestion of 12:10-12:15 therefore was either his error, or a press error.
Interestingly, later in the same article the interview with Packer is played out in dialogue, where it appears Packer was under the impression that the pubs closed at midnight.

"I couldn't say exactly, but it must have been past midnight a little bit, for the public houses was shut up."

Which may clarify where the 12:10-12:15 time came from, he was estimating 10-15 minutes past closing time. Which therefore in reality indicates 12:40-12:45, being 10-15 minutes after the correct closing time of 12:30.

Up to this point there is no real concern about Packers statement, until we read the official summary, often attributed to Warren but in actual fact signed by A.C.B.
(Alexander Carmichael-Bruce, Assistant Commissioner)

This is where the times are all changed, but interestingly, those changes did not come from the Evening News press account, so they must have come from Packer himself, which suggests Packer was brought in to be interviewed sometime on the 4th.

This about face of Packer on being interviewed may be the cause of the Star article of the same date, the 4th, where they report the police "emphatically deny the truth of the story", and that the "alleged informer contradicts himself".

Packer's story, up until the writing of the summary by A.C.B. was consistent with evidence given by P.C. Smith in placing Stride with a man opposite the yard about 12:30.

The cause of the changed times on the summary by A.C.B. is the real mystery.

Hello Jon

It is odd. Makes you think there was some bullying going on. Or some aggressive questioning which made it seem he wasn't up to witnessing. I think I remember reading that he was quite afraid of running into the man he had seen again, so perhaps he was wavering because he didn't want to testify.

Best wishes
Gwyneth

[packers stem]

Hi Gwyneth.
I remember Tom theorizing a dubious, somewhat devious role for Grand & Bachelor, I'm not sure about their motives though.

When we look at the existing reports & accounts concerning Packer, there is a degree of consistency, in the beginning.
Accepting his initial denial to have not seen anything or anyone on the 30th Sept., at least he told Sgt. White that he closed his shop at 12:30.

Then we read nothing until the Evening paper on the 4th Oct. where he described seeing a man & woman come to his window about 11:45. That they crossed the road and stood opposite for more than a half-hour.
They then cross back, to stand in front of the club, he estimates this was about 12:10-12:15 due to the public houses being closed.
(Closing time was 12:30 for public houses)

Initially Packer told White that he closed his shop at 12:30.
His suggestion of 12:10-12:15 therefore was either his error, or a press error.
Interestingly, later in the same article the interview with Packer is played out in dialogue, where it appears Packer was under the impression that the pubs closed at midnight.

"I couldn't say exactly, but it must have been past midnight a little bit, for the public houses was shut up."

Which may clarify where the 12:10-12:15 time came from, he was estimating 10-15 minutes past closing time. Which therefore in reality indicates 12:40-12:45, being 10-15 minutes after the correct closing time of 12:30.

Up to this point there is no real concern about Packers statement, until we read the official summary, often attributed to Warren but in actual fact signed by A.C.B.
(Alexander Carmichael-Bruce, Assistant Commissioner)

This is where the times are all changed, but interestingly, those changes did not come from the Evening News press account, so they must have come from Packer himself, which suggests Packer was brought in to be interviewed sometime on the 4th.

This about face of Packer on being interviewed may be the cause of the Star article of the same date, the 4th, where they report the police "emphatically deny the truth of the story", and that the "alleged informer contradicts himself".

Packer's story, up until the writing of the summary by A.C.B. was consistent with evidence given by P.C. Smith in placing Stride with a man opposite the yard about 12:30.

The cause of the changed times on the summary by A.C.B. is the real mystery.

Yep
And all this tied in with attempts to discredit schwartz!!
The star had the schwartz story on the first yet when they went back to leman street to clarify details they were told he was 'unreliable'. Contrary to what Swanson wrote...just keeps cropping up this 'unreliable'....
Had the other papers been told this also? Is that why only the star published it I wonder