McCarthy's description of a man seen with Kelly

[Chris Scott]

I don't remember seeing this one before. It purports to be a description given by McCarthy of a man seen with Kelly at 11p.m. on the evening of 8th November

Liverpool Mercury
10 November 1888

[Sam Flynn]

Hi Chris,

The same report appeared in the IPN of 17th November.

I wonder if this is a distortion of the story (attributed to Mrs "Kennedy") of a respectably-dressed young man with a dark moustache seen with two women (one sometimes presumed to be Kelly) at the corner of the street outside the Britannia, on the night of Kelly's murder?

[Chris Scott]

Hi Sam
It's real funny you say that - just after posting I read the Kennedy report and it struck me that her description of the young man is virtually the same as that attributed to McCarthy
Sounds like this got transposed somehow...
Chris

[Robert]

McCarthy here openly admits that one of his tenants was an unfortunate. Yet in his police statement he was so careful to say that he had "since heard" that Joe was not her husband!

[Sam Flynn]

I don't see that McCarthy necessarily contradicted himself, Rob, in that I don't think there was anything stopping married women from also being on the game.

[Robert]

Hi Gareth

I meant, he tells the police that Joe was her husband - so that it all looks respectable - but at the same time he's telling the press that she was a prostitute. There seems a contradiction in spirit here, if not in substance.

[Mitch Rowe]

Its probably just like I said in my last post about Barnett IDing MJK. Some of the witnesses seem to be fudging the truth for their own benefit or just to make everything fit. Its like they see no harm in doing that. After all this is just an inquest. They want to get home and avoid questions.

If McCarthy thought Mary and Joe were married why does he send Bowyer to get the rent from Mary? Why does he not change the lease to Joes name? It would seem logical if Joe was her husband. Collecting money from Joe either in the street or by court order is the safest way to get your money.

It would be like in modern times if a landlord allowed one to rent a flat in their own childs name.

[Dan Norder]

The press account says she "was seen" with a man, not that McCarthy saw her with a man. Sounds like there isn't any real confusion in the account, just that McCarthy was relaying what he heard elsewhere.