Nichols in the Frying Pan.

[John Bennett]

Hi all,

I guess we are all aware of the alleged sighting of Polly Nichols in or leaving the Frying Pan pub on Brick Lane on the morning of her murder.

I'm looking for the source of this titbit of information but have had no luck. Can anybody help?

Cheers
JB

[Suzi]

Hmmmmmmmm good point John - Raise the lovely Chris Scott- there HAS to be a press report- or where the hell did it come from? and WHY has it become some sort of 'fact'...and why do we all make a point of going to The Sheraz?

Suz x

[John Bennett]

That's right Suzi,

we all take it for granted that she was seen there, so there must have been a source somewhere. It wasn't mentioned in the inquest (as far as I can see), so I'm assuming it may have been a press interview with somebody.

But who?

[Suzi]

Right Stewart may have a sneekeroonie here but Chris Scott may be our man!

Just checked the FACTS all we have is 'She was seen leaving The Frying Pan' at the junction of Brick Lane and Thrawl St- returning to 18,Thrawl St ....from there we have the bonnet scenario.....despite the fact she tells Emily Holland that she's going back to F & D Street while slumping against the wall! OK where did she go?

Strange that the 'quote' that referred to the Frying Pan visit- also referred to a bonnet 'that nobody had seen before' ....Was our Pol in the habit of affecting bonnets various or was it unusual for Pol to have one at all...Oooooooooh Gawd we're into MJK territory here!!!- I imagine Pol did affect one though (IMHO)!?

[Rob Clack]

John, Suzi

It's in Inspector Helson's report dated 7 September 1888. 'She was seen to leave the Frying-pan Public House, Brick Lane, Sitalfields, at 1.20.am'

Rob

[Suzi]

Excellent Must get mi Sitalfields map out!!!! He he

OK will check it but WHO saw her and told Helson so that he could put it in his report?

Suz xx

Helson- He also described the search for John Pizer didn't he though............ Wonder if it came from anywhere else or was that the only reference?

[Chris Scott]

Hi Rob
Many thanks for the Helson reference
It says in the Victims section of Casebook that she left the Frying Pan at 12.30 and the full sentence from Helson's report confirms this. The 1.20 sighting was when she returned to 18 Thrawl Street.
The sentence in full reads as follows:
"She was seen walking the Whitechapel Road about 11.00 p.m. 30th, at 12.30 a.m. 31st she was seen to leave the Frying Pan public house, Brick Lane, Spitalfields, at 1.20 a.m. 31st she was at the common lodging house, 18 Thrawl Street and at 2.30 a.m. at the corner of Osborne Street and Whitechapel Road, on each occasion she was alone."

[Suzi]

Hi Chris/Rob

The A-Z says- 'She was seen walking alone in Whitechapel Rd at 11.30 pm - At 12.30 am she was seen leaving the Frying Pan in Brick Lane' -At 1.20 she went to 18 Thrawl St (slightly tipsy!) and you get the bonnet scenario-

At 2.30 (Bit of a gap here!)- Ellen Holland meets her in the staggering state at the corner of Brick Lane and Whitechapel High St and gets the drunk/doss money 3 times over line-

Pol then refuses to accompany Ellen back to Thrawl St -despite the fact that she had shared the 'surprisingly' clean room with 3 other women and a bed with Ellen from 2-24th Aug 1888.

Ellen as far as we know was the last person to see her alive- well apart from our man!

An hour and a half later she was dead!

Who saw her walking 'alone' on 30 Aug in Whitechapel Rd at 11.30 and maybe took her to The Frying Pan?

And there's another gap till our men Cross/Paul blunder across her at 3.40 am (odd but true!)

Suz xx

[John Bennett]

Thanks all for coming up with the source for this.

As Suzi suggests, we don't seem to know who gave Helson this factoid, although I assume it may have been from somebody interviewed during local inquiries.

Cheers

JB

[Suzi]

Oooooooooooh Gawd John-probably some bloke who said 'Ello Copper ... Hey mate I've got a bit of a yarn for ya' as to them killins...

...........Back to our Grey man again sadly I reckon.............

Suz xx

Wonder who she met who took her to The Frying Pan which she left about 1.00 ish to totter back to 18,Thrawl St- Hardly a long stroll /stagger- a quick chat re bonnets and out again into mystery land- maybe back to The Frying Pan or who knows where till 2.30 am when Ellen meets her-NOT at her best

Blesser!
Not at their best..............

..........There are echoes too of Annie here too.......... and of course Mary with her 'Dont feel well' lines

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Robert]

Nichols in the frying pan? Couldn't I have some sausages instead?

[Observer]

Hi

Might I suggest as the source for Mary Nichols prescence in the Fryinh Pan the barman who sold her the gin, or whatever she was drinking.

all the ebst

Observer

[Suzi]

hehe been on it Observer?? hehe

[Chris Scott]

In his report Helson does list the KIND of people who were interviewed but there are no named sources as individuals:

"Enquiries have also been made from the persons who reside in the locality, watchmen who were employed in adjoining premises, P.C.s on the adjoining beats and in every quarter from which it was thought any useful information might be obtained, but at present not one atom of evidence can be obtained to connect any person with the crime."

The above passage is immediately followed by the list of alleged sightings posted earlier.

From the vagueness of these sources I think it highly unlikely we will ever know the name of the individual who furnished details of the alleged sighting at the Frying Pan.

regards
Chris

[Observer]

Hi Suzi

hehe been on it Observer?? hehe

Errrr...I'm giving it up as a new year resolution.

all the best

Observer