was Nichols murdered where found?

[Mr Lucky]

The other policeman he saw was probably Thain, skiving off to drop his cape - away from his beat.

Thain was at the inquest that day, but did'nt stand up to be identified like Neil, but he had a legitimate reason to have left his beat and be on Winthrop street (fetching the doctor, if he did choose that route) so why didn't he stand up?

It could also be Sg Kirby or the beat policeman from pre 10 o'clock, if that's when Neil started his shift.

He only saw Neil Once in two hours even though the beat was 30 minutes duration. Although mulshaw was on Winthrop street and so off neil's direct beat, Neil was expected to inspect the turnings off his route as well. So was Neil being slack in not going down Winthrop street more often or was mulshaw snoozing when he did?

I had been lead to believe that Winthrop Street was Neils beat, he claimed to have seen the slaughtermen at around 3.15?

As I have mentioned elsewhere, Mulshaw shift was Thirteen hours, surely he can't be a sleep for more than eight of them?

[Lechmere]

The other policeman he saw was probably Thain, skiving off to drop his cape - away from his beat.
He only saw Neil Once in two hours even though the beat was 30 minutes duration. Although mulshaw was on Winthrop street and so off neil's direct beat, Neil was expected to inspect the turnings off his route as well. So was Neil being slack in not going down Winthrop street more often or was mulshaw snoozing when he did?

[Mr Lucky]

Mulshaw, from the Nichols inquest -

‘<Mulshaw> - you don’t see a policeman often in that quarter. I think I saw two that night.
Police-constable Niel(sic) stood up, and witness identified him as one of the constables who was patrolling his beat that night.
A juror - How often do the constables pass round ?
Witness - about once in two hours, I should think. ’ - The Morning Post 18th Sept. 1888

[Lechmere]

Thank you for agreeing with me, as per regulations.

[Monty]

Pc neil's sinister agenda was to walk on the left hand pavement so he Could see the Brady street lamp. If he has been more dexterous then I think he'd have walked on the right side of the road, in which case he would not have walked across to get to nichols's body.

Neil would have been predominantly concerned with the Wharfs and Warehouses on the north side, as was his remit layed out in his Book of Regulations.

Monty

[Lechmere]

Pc neil's sinister agenda was to walk on the left hand pavement so he Could see the Brady street lamp. If he has been more dexterous then I think he'd have walked on the right side of the road, in which case he would not have walked across to get to nichols's body.

[Monty]

Then you're sinister agenda may be best served by viewing Mulshaw Mr Lucky.

Monty

[Mr Lucky]

If thats the case then is quoting reports 5-10 years prior to the murders and not in the correct location. When Mr Lucky comes up with something relevant to the scene then I think you should take note Edward.

The locations referred to in the 10 November 1875 bill I have quoted are in section 4 of the Great Eastern Railway Act 1874.

The reason I'm 'quoting reports 5- 10 years' earlier is due to your reference to a map of 1873

[Lechmere]

Thank you for that mr lucky - I agree with your conclusion.
If your mantle piece is safeguarding your much heralded discourse on the Nichols murder, then I hope the contents are disgorged expeditiously.

[Monty]

Thanks Simon, however I got it from Andrew Firth.

Gives a good view of the scene, especially the road layout.

Monty

[Mr Lucky]

Mr Lucky
Are you hinting that the Gas company may have withdrawn the gas supply to some of the lamps down Bucks Row as a result of the railway cutting?

Hi Lechmere,

No not the gas company, the various Great Eastern Railway acts are passed due to the scale of the finances needed to be raised for the work to be done, this is due to the regulations laid down in the 1720 Bubble act. But additionally the act gives the railway company the ability through statute to do the following -

‘stop up remove alter or divert temporarily or permanently all Turnpike and other roads and Highways Railways Tramways Bridges Rivers Streams Canals and other Watercourses, Telegraphic wire tubes and apparatus tunnels subways Sewer Pipes Buildings and Works of any description which it may be necessary or convenient to stop up remove alter or divert for any of the purposes of the intended Railways or works’

Basically the railway has the backing of parliament when it come to disrupting gas supplies, (or any thing else as listed above), the gas companies involved, the Gas Light and Coke Company and the Imperial Gas Company and the Amalgamated Company can not do anything about it.

My conclusion are that a Map showing gas being supplied to Bucks Row pre-railway cutting construction tells us nothing about whether gas was being supplied after the construction of the railway cutting.

Btw, It should be pointed out that I too have a ‘sinister agenda’ which I keep behind the clock on my mantelpiece, along with my gas bill.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Monty,

Great photograph.

. . . and even more difficult for PC Neil to have seen PC Mizen in Bakers Row.

Regards,

Simon

[Lechmere]

Incidentally the map you rely on for your placing of the light predates the cutting and the information mr lucky unearthed. Hence it is not of massive utility in determining where lights were in 1888. For example we know there was a non working light almost opposite the murder scene - that Neil didn't feel the need to mention - and it isn't on your map. Unless of course my eyesight is too poor to notice it.
Has anyone got a better resolution version of the bucks row 'gas light map' without those obscuring blobs?

Unfotunately tower hamlets local history library is closed (yet again) this time for roof repairs and they have an excellent large scale map collection.

[Monty]

I suggest you invest in some glasses.....or ask Mr Lucky.

Monty

[Lechmere]

A double event - nearly