The Butchers

[Chava]

Wasn't there an abattoir going all night only about 100 yards away from Bucks Row? It wouldn't amaze me if the Ripper was working there. Staying out late at night and coming home covered in blood--wouldn't raise an eyebrow!

[Roy Corduroy]

Yes, on Winthrop St. -

Barbers Slaughterhouse (for bad hair days)

[Simon Wood]

Hi Roy,

Barbers were also on Hanbury Street.

Regards,

Simon

[Sara]

Good thinking Chava, I suppose there's no way at this date to get a list of employees...

Makes you wonder if the Plod looked into that possibility, as it would certainly explain the blood problem which has always bothered me. You just can't perform such mutilations without getting covered in blood to some extent

[Chava]

It might be a reason why the killing was so far East. All the others were much closer to the City. People say the first sk murder is generally the one closest to home. But it might also be the one closest to work. If he was just coming off-shift, and Nichols approached him, and he had been thinking about doing something for a while and there was no one around.

I doubt butchers carried all their own implements with them, but it wouldn't surprise me if they carried one or two knives of their own.

[Roy Corduroy]

Barbers were also on Hanbury Street.

So another abattoir near another murder. Maybe you are on to something here, Chava. And where is forum member Cat's Meat Man when we need him?

Roy

[Roy Corduroy]

Here is the map of Hanbury St showing Barber's Yard.

[Roy Corduroy]

I don't know what the business purpose of Barber's yard in Hanbury St. was.

Back to square one and the murder of Mary Ann Nichols in Buck's Row. From First American Serial Killer by Stewart Evans page 34:

Suspicion was also attached to three men employed during the night of the murder by Messrs. Barber and Co., 'Horse Slaughterers," Winthrop St, which is about 30 yards from where the body was found. They have however been seen separately and lengthy statements taken from them as to how they spent their time during the night, and the explanations given by them were confirmed by the police, who saw them at work, and no grounds appeared to exist to suspect them of the murders [Ref. MEP03/140 ff. 242-256]

Amongst these were the three slaughtermen, Henry Tomkins, Charles Britton and James Munford. Their statements, taken separately without any mean of communicating with each other, satisfactorily accounted for their time, and were even corroborated in part by the police on night duty near the premises.

[Observer]

Hi Gents

Number 45 Hanbury Street just off the above map seems to have been used as a social club at some time in the past. Obviously the first house the other side of Brick Lane

all the best

Observer