The Clayton Street sighting - Evening News, London, 12 November 1888

[mpriestnall]

AFAIK this sighting has remained somewhat under the radar and merits highlighting as the given description matches up with sightings not only at Miller's Court but also at Stride's murder scene.

https://www.casebook.org/press_reports/evening_news/18881112.html

Quote
A reliable correspondent informs us that on Friday morning, about 11.45, a respectably dressed man, a stranger to the locality, was observed to stoop and wash his hands in a puddle at the corner of Clayton street, nearest to the Kennington Oval. He wore a dark suit, black coat, black billycock hat, and had a small black leather bag with him. He was about 5ft 6in in height, under 30 years of age, broad shouldered, and wore a thick brown moustache. The person who saw him wash his hands in this singular place declares that he noticed marks of blood upon one hand. This, of course, occurred at a time when the news of the murder in Dorset street had not reached Kennington. He further describes this mysterious individual as having a sallow complexion and a thin, clean shaved face.
Unquote

[Aethelwulf]

AFAIK this sighting has remained somewhat under the radar and merits highlighting as the given description matches up with sightings not only at Miller's Court but also at Stride's murder scene.

https://www.casebook.org/press_reports/evening_news/18881112.html

Quote
A reliable correspondent informs us that on Friday morning, about 11.45, a respectably dressed man, a stranger to the locality, was observed to stoop and wash his hands in a puddle at the corner of Clayton street, nearest to the Kennington Oval. He wore a dark suit, black coat, black billycock hat, and had a small black leather bag with him. He was about 5ft 6in in height, under 30 years of age, broad shouldered, and wore a thick brown moustache. The person who saw him wash his hands in this singular place declares that he noticed marks of blood upon one hand. This, of course, occurred at a time when the news of the murder in Dorset street had not reached Kennington. He further describes this mysterious individual as having a sallow complexion and a thin, clean shaved face.
Unquote

That's interesting not seen it before, or the detail of the flower seller trying to knock Kelly up at 7.30 am. If this was him, and that other sighting in Mitre Square, does it suggest a later am ToD? Why would he be cleaning up at that time if he'd left her room before 6 am?

[seanr]

Kennington is some distance from Spitalfields and this is by almost any reckoning a few to several hours after the murderer would have left Miller's Court. Presumably wandering the streets and/ or taking public transport for a couple hours whilst still covered in blood?

I'm somewhat skeptical of this sighting.

[mpriestnall]

Kennington is some distance from Spitalfields and this is by almost any reckoning a few to several hours after the murderer would have left Miller's Court. Presumably wandering the streets and/ or taking public transport for a couple hours whilst still covered in blood?

I'm somewhat skeptical of this sighting.

I'm not. The timing corresponds well to the Maxwell, Lewis, and the anonymous sightings between 08:00 to 08:45.

https://www.casebook.org/dissertations/rip-happened.html

I guess it depends whether you believe the official account of Kelly being the Miller's Court victim or not.

I don't.

[mpriestnall]

Mrs Long's "He looked like a foreigner." deposition can be said to be a match for the sallow complexion from the Clayton Street description too.

[Aethelwulf]

AFAIK this sighting has remained somewhat under the radar and merits highlighting as the given description matches up with sightings not only at Miller's Court but also at Stride's murder scene.

https://www.casebook.org/press_reports/evening_news/18881112.html

Quote
A reliable correspondent informs us that on Friday morning, about 11.45, a respectably dressed man, a stranger to the locality, was observed to stoop and wash his hands in a puddle at the corner of Clayton street, nearest to the Kennington Oval. He wore a dark suit, black coat, black billycock hat, and had a small black leather bag with him. He was about 5ft 6in in height, under 30 years of age, broad shouldered, and wore a thick brown moustache. The person who saw him wash his hands in this singular place declares that he noticed marks of blood upon one hand. This, of course, occurred at a time when the news of the murder in Dorset street had not reached Kennington. He further describes this mysterious individual as having a sallow complexion and a thin, clean shaved face.
Unquote

The description does sound simialr to Schwartz's BS man: Schwartz described the possible murderer as being around 30-years-old with a height of around 5 feet and 5 inches, fair complexion, dark hair, small brown moustache, with a full face and broad shouldered (wiki).

If correct all it would mean is Kelly could have been killed later if he is still cleaning up at that time. I think that's the less likely option though, but I wouldn't rule it out just because it's unlikely and problematic to deal with.

[mpriestnall]

According to google maps, one possible direct route today from Crispin Street, Spitalfields to Clayton Street, Kennington, would take about 1 hour 6 mins:

According to this post https://www.casebook.org/dissertatio...-happened.html:

"An anonymous witness informed the police that she had definitely seen Kelly between 8 and 8.45 a.m."

Assuming as I do, that it was JTR talking to Kelly inside the Britannia pub as seen by the anonymous witness, and accepting the various unknowable variables such when JTR started his walk to Clayton Street, his actual route his took, the Maxwell, Lewis and the anonymous witness timings correlate reasonably well to the Clayton Street sighting in terms of time.
Particularly we assume if JTR took a more circuitous route than pictured above to avoid policemen etc along way, knowing he would have blood upon his hands etc.

It's also worth noting the similarities of height and clothing between the Britannia pub sighting and Clayton Street sighting:

Britannia Pub:
Height: short
Clothing: "dressed in dark clothes"

Clayton Street:
Height: "about 5ft 6in"
Clothing: "He wore a dark suit, black coat"

[mpriestnall]

I've searched through FMP's newspapers and periodicals collection but could not find another mention of this sighting.

It is not reasonable to expect other papers to report this sighting as well,, given the massive interest in the case and the propensity of papers to "borrow" stories from each other?

Does the single instance of this report mean this sighting was likely to have been suppressed?

[c.d.]

I guess it depends whether you believe the official account of Kelly being the Miller's Court victim or not.

I don't.

Not sure what you mean here, Martin? Are you referring to Mary Kelly not being her real name or you believe some other woman was killed in Miller's Court?

c.d.

[Elamarna]

I've searched through FMP's newspapers and periodicals collection but could not find another mention of this sighting.

It is not reasonable to expect other papers to report this sighting as well,, given the massive interest in the case and the propensity of papers to "borrow" stories from each other?

Does the single instance of this report mean this sighting was likely to have been suppressed?

I would suggest if it only appears in one paper, it is far more likely to have been either completely invented or realised it was not related to events in Whitechapel.

Have you checked all the regional press reports at the BNA?
The Star report of 31August, saying two men found tye body of nichols, and one went to get a policeman was apparently only carried in one or two editions of paper, and none of the other London press, but was carried the next day in the regionals.

I don't thing we should or can assume that a single report indicates a suppression of a story.


Steve

[mpriestnall]

The mention of "a thin, clean shaved face" in the description reminded me of the face on Abberline's walking stick. Co-incidence?

https://www.tmz.com/2022/12/29/jack-the-ripper-artifact-london-face-image-found/