The Broken Window

[Errata]

I forgot!

It's possible that the fight that led to the broken windows started when Kelly locked Burnett out of the room. At which point he broke the window to let himself in. They are evidently both drinkers.

[Chava]

It may have just have been a reporting error. Or a mental glitch. They were called to the scene by McCarthy who said something like "We saw through the window something was wrong, and we tried the door but it was locked."
They are waiting for hours outside in the cold for a pair of dogs who never show, there is a mutilated corpse in the room, their nerves are probably about shot. The police know its locked because McCarthy said it was, but if they noticed the relationship of the window to the door, once they saw the corpse they probably forgot it. Finally McCarthy is told to break the door down, which is a reasonable order about a locked door, and McCarthy is probably in no shape nor has any desire to reach through that window instead. Assuming he ever noticed the broken window and it's relationship to the door. He may never have noticed the broken pane, he may never have thought that it was about right for a person to reach through and unlock the door. And even if he did, he probably wasn't thinking about it, or wasn't willing to mention it lest they tell him to stick his arm in there. Most likely he was sufficiently traumatized that when given a direct order, he obeyed it with thinking about it. I don't know what people talk about in front of the door to a room where there is a woman inside who looks like she's been run through a wood chipper. Especially after waiting for hours. I doubt it occurred to the cop to ask McCarthy what type of lock it was. Or if there was any other way in. They had already come to the conclusion that they couldn't save her. It was probably several men standing around in silence, some occasionally asking "Where are the damn dogs?" I really can't think of a more tense situation.

This is all absolutely possible. The only thing is--and this has troubled me for years and is one of the reasons I still won't completely remove McCarthy from my list of suspects--as a landlord he would have had a key to the premises. So why didn't he use it? I understand the situation was beyond tense, but it was his crib and to break the door down would cause damage he would have to repair. Where was McCarthy's key?

[Errata]

This is all absolutely possible. The only thing is--and this has troubled me for years and is one of the reasons I still won't completely remove McCarthy from my list of suspects--as a landlord he would have had a key to the premises. So why didn't he use it? I understand the situation was beyond tense, but it was his crib and to break the door down would cause damage he would have to repair. Where was McCarthy's key?

He might not have had a key. Spare keys cost money. I'm not even sure what one did about getting keys made back then come to think of it. He also may not have installed the lock. Kelly might have, or the tenant before her. Half the landlords I ever had gave me a key and told me to go make a copy and bring the original back, because they wouldn't pay for the copies. Providing your own locks was not uncommon either, especially for single gentlemen. It just meant your landlady wasnt going to clean for you if you installed one.

[Chava]

I honestly doubt he didn't have a key. if the key was lost it would have been much more expensive to change the lock than to get another key copied. McCarthy was a businessman, not some old dear with a spare room or two to let. The rents weren't his only source of income but I don't see him being cavalier about keys. There's no money in that. Mind you, I don't see him being cavalier about the rent either. And MJK definitely by his own account owed him a substantial sum. I've always wondered about that because there is no rational explanation. Those who have said he wanted her to run up a bill because then she'd owe him and go out hooking on his behalf don't take into account the highly ambulatory habits of women like this. She could just have done a flit. I'd love to get to the bottom of that back-rent...

[Rubyretro]

Hi Jane -you can still read that thread, because I read it (it was fascinating),
and I'm a fairly new member..

[Chava]

Thanks so much for that thread Frank! I've been reading it avidly. and it awakens memories of something else. Wasn't there a problem with the door to #13? It was loose, or under-weighted or not hung properly or something. either way, when the coroner's jury went to visit the scene of the crime, the door swung back and crashed into the chair by the bed if I remember correctly. Cox reports that the door banged shut when she saw Mr Blotchy with MJK going into #13. That suggests a door that makes a lot of noise--as the coroner apparently was aware of since he asked Mary Ann Cox about a man's steps she had heard going down the court at around 5.45 am. He specifically asked her if she heard a door bang.

Just occurs to me that if a stranger broke into Kelly's room by the door, it might bang back and make a noise which would wake her and fetch her up. I don't think it's likely that a stranger would come in via the window. so either the killer came in quietly because he knew about the door, or she let her killer into the room herself.

[Bob Hinton]

The Broken Window

I covered this quite comprehensively in my book. The broken window was the upper right pane.

Years ago I constructed the corner of the room complete with door and window to check the theory.

It is not possible for someone of MJK height to open the window simply by reaching through.

I found the only way to open it was to use the drain pipe to pull yourself up on to the sill, and then grasping the drain pipe with your right hand reach in through the broken pane with your left hand, but this was very dangerous as a slip would amputate your arm.

This why I believe MJK didn't lock her door but left it on the latch.

[macknnc]

One thing I am beginning to fear we are losing sight of is how tiny 13 Miller's Court was! There was barely room in there for MJK, a bed and a small cupboard...(Two people living in that room is almost beyond my imagination to grasp.)

Without the exact dimensons of No.13, and the MJK exact height and arm length, (something most of us have not mentioned...I am by no means tall, but I have fairly long arms..she may have been the same) all any of us can do is grope at theories...and hope one or two of them prove correct.

[jason_c]

I covered this quite comprehensively in my book. The broken window was the upper right pane.

Years ago I constructed the corner of the room complete with door and window to check the theory.

It is not possible for someone of MJK height to open the window simply by reaching through.

I found the only way to open it was to use the drain pipe to pull yourself up on to the sill, and then grasping the drain pipe with your right hand reach in through the broken pane with your left hand, but this was very dangerous as a slip would amputate your arm.

This why I believe MJK didn't lock her door but left it on the latch.

Agreed. I think it quite likely that the door was rarely locked.

[Abby Normal]

I covered this quite comprehensively in my book. The broken window was the upper right pane.

Years ago I constructed the corner of the room complete with door and window to check the theory.

It is not possible for someone of MJK height to open the window simply by reaching through.

I found the only way to open it was to use the drain pipe to pull yourself up on to the sill, and then grasping the drain pipe with your right hand reach in through the broken pane with your left hand, but this was very dangerous as a slip would amputate your arm.

This why I believe MJK didn't lock her door but left it on the latch.

Hi Bob
Do we know which way the door opened? Inward toward the window or toward the bed?

[Simon Wood]

Hi Abby,

Doctor Phillips' evidence at the Kelly inquest 12th November 1888 -

"On the door being opened it knocked against a table which was close to the left-hand side of the bedstead . . ."

Regards,

Simon

[Stephen Thomas]

Do we know which way the door opened? Inward toward the window or toward the bed?

Inward towards the bed.

Otherwise you'd need 4 foot long arms to reach the lock through the broken window.

Also the hole in the window would have to have been in the lower right hand pane.

For the same reason.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Stephen,

The lower right hand window pane was also broken.

Doctor Phillips -

"Two panes in the lesser window were broken, and as the door was locked I looked through the lower of the broken panes and satisfied myself that the mutilated corpse lying on the bed was not in need of any immediate attention from me . . ."

Regards,

Simon

[Stewart P Evans]

Broken Window Panes

I covered this quite comprehensively in my book. The broken window was the upper right pane.
Years ago I constructed the corner of the room complete with door and window to check the theory.
It is not possible for someone of MJK height to open the window simply by reaching through.
I found the only way to open it was to use the drain pipe to pull yourself up on to the sill, and then grasping the drain pipe with your right hand reach in through the broken pane with your left hand, but this was very dangerous as a slip would amputate your arm.
This why I believe MJK didn't lock her door but left it on the latch.

The two panes of glass in the window nearest to the door were broken and the photograph shows this (it's easier to see the top one is broken, but the bottom one can also be seen to be broken). (see scan)

Dr Bagster Phillips, in his statement (see below) clearly states that "...2 of the panes in the window nearest the passage were broken...I looked through the lower broken pane...". Abberline stated "...they opened the door by reaching through the window..." I am sure that Abberline would not have said this in his evidence if such a thing was not possible.

[Stephen Thomas]

Hi Simon

Blimey, mate, you're quick off the mark and no mistake.

I was just pointing out that human beings don't have arms like orang-utangs.