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The Nicholls murder is the only ‘Whitechapel Murder’ where the first person that we know of who discovered the body did not immediately raise the alarm and return to the corpse. She was subsequently found again by PC Neil. Mizen clearly as not told there had been a murder as he continued ‘knocking up’. Paul says he did anyway and there definitely seems to have been delay in him arriving at the murder scene.
In the other cases where a civilian found the corpse the discoverer did not go on his merry way to work immediately afterwards with barely a backward glance.
This was the case with Martha Tabram, Annie Chapman, Liz Stride and Mary Kelly – but not Nicholls.
Nicholls was the only murder victim that was ‘tampered’ with by the discoverer. Cross and Paul played patter cake with her. This was at Cross’s instigation I would suggest - if you read the accounts from the inquest.
Incidentally we do not hear that either of them had blood on their hands after this process. Paul also tried to tug her dress down. One might presume that her dress may have had blood on it. But perhaps it didn’t. This should tell us that Cross may well not have had blood on his hands after the deed (if he did it). His fear that he may have blood on him may also explain why he went through the hand touching process with Paul.
Nicholls’s abdominal wounds were hidden by her dress being drawn back over them. This meant that they were not discovered until she was stripped in the morgue. Tabram, Chapman, Eddowes and Kelly were all displayed. This strongly implies that the murderer was disturbed and wished to buy time by masking the extent of her injuries.
Some people think that if Cross had done it he would have fled immediately upon hearing approaching footsteps (i.e. Paul’s approach).
However people respond differently to such situations.
This is a version of the ‘flight or flight response’ which is a reaction to stress. Cross approached Paul in a manner which unnerved Paul. This could easily fit the ‘fight’ response. Where Cross did not literally ‘fight’ but figuratively ‘fought‘ it out by bluffing it out – and initially failing to hide the stress on his face.
When he turned to approach Paul he wouldn’t have known that Paul wasn’t a policeman for example. He may have been compelled to literally fight it out.
As Fisherman points out, the next victim was killed on Hanbury Street about a hundred yards from where Robert Paul worked. Cross chose to accompany Paul past his place of work on the morning in question even though it is a significantly longer route to his workplace and even though he claimed to be late for work. Then a week or so later another murder takes place right by where Paul works. And might I add Paul is dragged out of bed in the middle of the night by the police and kept in for questioning.
By walking with Paul down Hanbury Street, Cross also avoided walking the direct route down Old Montague Street and Wentworth Street – past the Tabram murder scene of a few weeks before. And actually the Smith attack scene (although I doubt Cross was involved in that). That may be another reason Cross avoided walking off in that direction when he left Mizen.
We know exactly where Cross lived (Doveton Street). We know exactly where he worked (Pickfords adjacent to the old Broad Street station). It is simple to work out the most direct route to work and several alternatives. He was a carman – a delivery driver on a horse and cart. Carmen would have known the most direct route from A to B, just as professional drivers do now.
Also as Fisherman pointed out, Cross had a good seven minutes to kill after leaving home and passing the murder scene at Bucks Row.
Nichols, Tabram and Mackenzie where on his direct route to work. Chapman and Kelly on a longer route. Stride was near his mother’s house (who he almost certainly visited regularly as his daughter also lived there). The Pinchin Street Torso was near his mother’s house. Did I say she was a cat meat dealer?
Catherine Eddowes is explained by his desire to go out and get another victim after being disturbed and he followed his old route to work. He lived very near Berner Street up until mid June 1888.
The Apron was dropped on his direct route back home from Mitre Square to Doveton Street.
If you are unable to walk these routes and make the timings then check a map.
We know that the police examined the three horse butchers from Winthrop Street. We know they questioned Paul. We know they fixated on Pizer and then Isenschmidt. Dew in his memoirs forgot Cross’s name. He was a nobody. He slipped in and out of the case.
Cross simply did not conform to the police’s stereotype of who might be a criminal – hence their lack of interest in him.
We have numerous records for Cross’s life. He was very punctilious about this. He is on every electoral register from 1890 until his death despite five address changes. We have his children’s school records. We have his own christening – which took place after his mother had remarried Cross. He is always listed as Lechmere.
He is only listed as Cross in the 1861 census when he was 12 – and the head of household was called Cross. His stepfather Cross, the policeman, died in (from memory) 1869. No serving policeman would have known this long dead policeman in 1888.
Why would the police have found out Cross’s real name? It was only found out when the census records were put on line. It is easier to find out who is who now than it was in 1888!
We know that Cross’s wife was illiterate as she signed her name several times on different certificates with a mark. If she could not even write her name then we can judge that she could not read either. Her father could not write his name either.
At the time Nichols was killed there was no murder scare. The Tabram and Smith murders had not attracted much attention. The newspapers first got going after Nichols. That also explains why Mizen took little interest in Paul and Cross.
As for Paul being as good a suspect as Cross...
Paul was closely questioned – we know that. Cross does not seem to have been.
Paul did not have a close relative near Berner Street (that we know of).
Paul wanted to be a celebrity – he went to the papers twice. Cross clearly wanted to stay anonymous.
Paul did not give a different surname to Mizen.
Paul was not found over the body. There were no hiding places down Bucks Row for him to jump out of.
Paul did not walk a longer route to work after claiming to be late.
In the other cases where a civilian found the corpse the discoverer did not go on his merry way to work immediately afterwards with barely a backward glance.
This was the case with Martha Tabram, Annie Chapman, Liz Stride and Mary Kelly – but not Nicholls.
Nicholls was the only murder victim that was ‘tampered’ with by the discoverer. Cross and Paul played patter cake with her. This was at Cross’s instigation I would suggest - if you read the accounts from the inquest.
Incidentally we do not hear that either of them had blood on their hands after this process. Paul also tried to tug her dress down. One might presume that her dress may have had blood on it. But perhaps it didn’t. This should tell us that Cross may well not have had blood on his hands after the deed (if he did it). His fear that he may have blood on him may also explain why he went through the hand touching process with Paul.
Nicholls’s abdominal wounds were hidden by her dress being drawn back over them. This meant that they were not discovered until she was stripped in the morgue. Tabram, Chapman, Eddowes and Kelly were all displayed. This strongly implies that the murderer was disturbed and wished to buy time by masking the extent of her injuries.
Some people think that if Cross had done it he would have fled immediately upon hearing approaching footsteps (i.e. Paul’s approach).
However people respond differently to such situations.
This is a version of the ‘flight or flight response’ which is a reaction to stress. Cross approached Paul in a manner which unnerved Paul. This could easily fit the ‘fight’ response. Where Cross did not literally ‘fight’ but figuratively ‘fought‘ it out by bluffing it out – and initially failing to hide the stress on his face.
When he turned to approach Paul he wouldn’t have known that Paul wasn’t a policeman for example. He may have been compelled to literally fight it out.
As Fisherman points out, the next victim was killed on Hanbury Street about a hundred yards from where Robert Paul worked. Cross chose to accompany Paul past his place of work on the morning in question even though it is a significantly longer route to his workplace and even though he claimed to be late for work. Then a week or so later another murder takes place right by where Paul works. And might I add Paul is dragged out of bed in the middle of the night by the police and kept in for questioning.
By walking with Paul down Hanbury Street, Cross also avoided walking the direct route down Old Montague Street and Wentworth Street – past the Tabram murder scene of a few weeks before. And actually the Smith attack scene (although I doubt Cross was involved in that). That may be another reason Cross avoided walking off in that direction when he left Mizen.
We know exactly where Cross lived (Doveton Street). We know exactly where he worked (Pickfords adjacent to the old Broad Street station). It is simple to work out the most direct route to work and several alternatives. He was a carman – a delivery driver on a horse and cart. Carmen would have known the most direct route from A to B, just as professional drivers do now.
Also as Fisherman pointed out, Cross had a good seven minutes to kill after leaving home and passing the murder scene at Bucks Row.
Nichols, Tabram and Mackenzie where on his direct route to work. Chapman and Kelly on a longer route. Stride was near his mother’s house (who he almost certainly visited regularly as his daughter also lived there). The Pinchin Street Torso was near his mother’s house. Did I say she was a cat meat dealer?
Catherine Eddowes is explained by his desire to go out and get another victim after being disturbed and he followed his old route to work. He lived very near Berner Street up until mid June 1888.
The Apron was dropped on his direct route back home from Mitre Square to Doveton Street.
If you are unable to walk these routes and make the timings then check a map.
We know that the police examined the three horse butchers from Winthrop Street. We know they questioned Paul. We know they fixated on Pizer and then Isenschmidt. Dew in his memoirs forgot Cross’s name. He was a nobody. He slipped in and out of the case.
Cross simply did not conform to the police’s stereotype of who might be a criminal – hence their lack of interest in him.
We have numerous records for Cross’s life. He was very punctilious about this. He is on every electoral register from 1890 until his death despite five address changes. We have his children’s school records. We have his own christening – which took place after his mother had remarried Cross. He is always listed as Lechmere.
He is only listed as Cross in the 1861 census when he was 12 – and the head of household was called Cross. His stepfather Cross, the policeman, died in (from memory) 1869. No serving policeman would have known this long dead policeman in 1888.
Why would the police have found out Cross’s real name? It was only found out when the census records were put on line. It is easier to find out who is who now than it was in 1888!
We know that Cross’s wife was illiterate as she signed her name several times on different certificates with a mark. If she could not even write her name then we can judge that she could not read either. Her father could not write his name either.
At the time Nichols was killed there was no murder scare. The Tabram and Smith murders had not attracted much attention. The newspapers first got going after Nichols. That also explains why Mizen took little interest in Paul and Cross.
As for Paul being as good a suspect as Cross...
Paul was closely questioned – we know that. Cross does not seem to have been.
Paul did not have a close relative near Berner Street (that we know of).
Paul wanted to be a celebrity – he went to the papers twice. Cross clearly wanted to stay anonymous.
Paul did not give a different surname to Mizen.
Paul was not found over the body. There were no hiding places down Bucks Row for him to jump out of.
Paul did not walk a longer route to work after claiming to be late.
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