Kelly Timeline

[C. F. Leon]

Once again I'm entirely in agreement. I have been with my wife for more than thirty years but if I were asked to identify her by her ears, I would be found wanting. How could McCarthy have no doubt about her identity after a brief viewing through a broken window. Hyperbole on his part...perhaps??

Well, a body the size of MJK, with her hair, in HER bed, wearing HER clothes... I give it a 90% certainty, probably better. IT would be nice for our 21st centuries perspectives to have DNA certification (which is rarely exact on its own), but JUST much proof does One REALLY need for the purpose involved (without being overly anal), short of actually taking fingerprints or dental charts?

[Herlock Sholmes]

I agree with Sam. Surely Mary’s hair would have provided a source of identification along with her eyes. We can see from the crime scene photo that her hair looks undisturbed so not only would he seen hair of the same colour but also hair worn in the same way that Mary had worn hers. Even a corpse as horribly mutilated as Mary’s was would have had to have been the corpse of someone similar to her for an error of identification to have occurred. If the other victims had been mutilated to the same extent the differences in hair would have been immediately obvious to Joe Barnett.

[Wickerman]

Digressing again, we have all seen the photographs of Kelly's body and I have always found it odd that Barnett, who knew her intimately, was able to identify her by "the ear and eyes" . . . .

I'm sure you've figured out by now that it was "by her hair and eyes", it's the cockney accent "hair" is pronounced like "air", which probably sounded like "ear".
Kelly's hair was her most distinguishing feature.
Dr. Bond reported that her ears had been mutilated, partly removed, so we can dismiss the idea Barnet could use that as a means of identification.

[Doctored Whatsit]

I'm sure you've figured out by now that it was "by her hair and eyes", it's the cockney accent "hair" is pronounced like "air", which probably sounded like "ear".
Kelly's hair was her most distinguishing feature.
Dr. Bond reported that her ears had been mutilated, partly removed, so we can dismiss the idea Barnet could use that as a means of identification.

Yes, I have! The point being made was the contrast between Barnett needing to specify that he needed to use eyes, ears or hair to identify Kelly, whereas McCarthy said he had no doubts whatever about her identity.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Kelly Timeline Draft Two

Catherine Picket added (Darryl Kenyon)

The point about Bowyer’s visit to the tap added (Trevor Marriott)


c5.00-6.00pm (October 30th) - Joseph Barnett moves out of 13 Miller’s Court (26 Dorset Street) because, according him, she had taken in a woman who was a prostitute. He calls Mary, Marie Jeanette Kelly.

Wednesday Afternoon - Thomas Bowyer sees Mary Kelly alive for the last time.

Thursday morning - Charwoman Julia Venturney of 1 Miller’s Court, sees Mary Jane Kelly for the last time.

c7.30-7.45pm (Thursday) - Fish Porter Joseph Barnett (currently living with his sister at 21, Portpool Lane, Gray’s Inn Road) sees Mary Jane Kelly for the final time. Maria Harvey of 3, New Court, Dorset Street is also there in the room who also lived in the court but she left before Barnett did.

c8.00 - Julia Venturney goes to bed but only dozed all night. She heard nothing unusual.

c10.00-11.00 - A Dorset Street tailor called Maurice Lewis sees Mary in the Horn Of Plenty pub drinking with ‘some women (one of whom was called Julia) and a man called Dan (who, until recently, Kelly had been living with) She left with a respectable looking man.

c11.45pm - A very drunk Mary Jane Kelly is seen by Mary Ann Cox of Room 5, Miller’s Court walking down the passage to the court in the company of a man carrying a pot of ale. Kelly said “Goodnight..” before going into her room while singing a song.

c12.00am - Cox goes back out.

c12.30 - Catherine Picket, a flower seller living in the room opposite Mary’s (number 12) with her husband Dave, hears Mary singing.

c1.00 - Cox returns to her room and hears Kelly still singing.

c1.00 - Elizabeth Prater of room 20 (the one directly above Mary’s room, which she describes as ‘the shed’) returns to Miller’s Court. She has been out since 5.00pm. She stands on the corner.

c1.02 - Cox leaves her room to go out onto the street again. Kelly is still singing.

c1.20 - Elizabeth goes up to her room after calling it at McCarthy’s shop. She saw no light from Mary’s room.

c1.30 - She goes to bed after barricading the door. She quickly falls asleep.

c2.00 - George Hutchinson, Victoria Home, Commercial Street, sees Kelly near to Flower and Dean Street. She asks to borrow sixpence but Hutchinson has no money. He then sees a man approach Kelly near Thrawl Street. They passed Hutchinson and he followed them into Dorset Street. They stood at the entrance to the court for around 3 minutes then went inside. He watches the court.

c2.30 - Sarah Lewis, a laundress living at 24 Great Pearl Street, goes to Miller’s Court to visit Mrs Keyler at number 2. As she goes into Miller’s Court she sees a man opposite the lodging house who appears to be looking into the court. She sees a man with a drunk woman ‘further on.’

On her way to Miller’s Court she sees a man talking to a woman near to The Britannia. She had seen the same man in Bethnal Green Road at around 8.00 on the previous Wednesday. Lewis was with another woman and the man scared them by asking one of them to go with him into an entry.

c3.00 - George Hutchinson leaves Dorset Street.

c3.00 - Cox returns to her room and sees that the light is off in Mary’s room and all is quiet.

c3.00 - Thomas Bowyer goes to the tap in Miller’s Court to get water. According to The Echo (14th) he did this an unknown number of times during the evening.

c3.30 - Sarah Lewis awakes after falling asleep in a chair at number 2

c3.30-3.45 - Elizabeth Prater his woken by a kitten and at that time she hears a faint cry of “oh murder” which seemed to come from within the court.

c4.00 - Sarah Lewis, at number 2, hears a loud cry of “murder” which sounded like the voice of a young woman.

c5.45 - Elizabeth is in The Ten Bells drinking rum. After a drink she goes back to her room and sleeps until 11.00.

c 5.45- Cox hears a man walk down the court.

c7.30 - On her way to market Catherine Picket knocks on Mary’s door with the intention of borrowing her pelerine as it was raining but she got no answer.

c8.00 - Maurice Lewis says the he sees Mary leave her room and return a few moments later.

c8.00-8.30 - Caroline Maxwell of 14, Dorset Street says that she sees Mary standing at the entrance to Miller’s Court.

c8.45 - Maxwell says that she sees Kelly outside the Britannia beer shop talking to a man.

c10.00 - Maurice Lewis and his friends go to the Britannia pub where he says that he sees Mary drinking with some people.

c10.45 - On the order of John McCarthy, Thomas Bowyer of 37 Dorset Street, goes to Mary’s room (number 13 Miller’s Court) to collect rent plus arrears. On receiving no reply he looked through the window and saw Mary’s body on the bed.

c10.50 - Bowyer tells McCarthy what he’d found and they returned to Kelly’s room so that McCarthy could look through the window.*

c10.52 - They both went to Commercial Street where McCarthy asked for Inspector Reid but it’s difficult was Inspector Walter Beck who returned with them.

c11.00 (just after) Inspector Beck is told about the murder. He sends for Doctor Phillips and closed the court.

c11.00 - Divisional Police Surgeon, George Bagster Phillips of 2, Spital Square is informed of the murder.

c11.15 - Dr Phillips arrives and looks through the window of Mary Kelly’s room as the door is locked and sees that she is beyond help. He remains at the court until around 1.30 as he sees that it’s necessary that no one enters the room.

c11.30 - Inspector Frederick George Abberline arrives at Miller’s Court and takes charge. Beck informs him that bloodhounds have been sent for.

c1.30 - Superintendent Arnold arrives and tells John McCarthy to break open the door to Kelly’s room after informing Abberline that the bloodhounds aren’t coming.

c1.50 - Robert Anderson arrives at Miller’s Court in a cab.

c4.00 (shortly after) - A covered van arrived at Miller’s Court to collect the remains. They were placed in the shell and taken to the mortuary which adjoined Shoreditch Church.

Kelly’s room was then closed, boarded up and padlocked.

c5.30pm - Sarah Lewis leaves the court after being prevented from doing so by order of the police.


The inquest takes place on Monday 12th November at Shoreditch Town Hall. The coroner is Dr Roderick MacDonald M.P. (Coroner to the north eastern district of Middlesex. Also present are: Superintendent Arnold (H division) Inspector Abberline CID and Inspector Nairn Also the deputy coroner Mr Hodgkinson.

Jurors - Joseph Gobly, George Buffery, E. Stevens, John Harvey, John Lloyd, Samuel Jenkins, Abraham Clements R Nettelfield, William Worf, Joseph Roberts, Lewis F Hunter, George Harry Wilson and Henry Dawkes.



Questions


1. According to a quote from The Echo, November 14th (posted by Trevor):

“Early on Friday morning, Bowyer saw a man whose description tallies with that of the supposed murderer. Bowyer has, he says, described this man to Inspector Abberline and Inspector Reid.”

Do we have any more information on this?

[Wickerman]

Kelly Timeline Draft Two


c1.00 - Elizabeth Prater of room 20 (the one directly above Mary’s room, which she describes as ‘the shed’) returns to Miller’s Court. She has been out since 5.00pm. She stands on the corner.

Sorry to do this to you Mike, but the ground floor front room facing the street was where McCarthy kept barrows. This was commonly known as the shed. Prater lived above this shed on the 2nd floor.
The room above Kelly's (at the back) was occupied by a couple who said they slept through the whole thing.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Sorry to do this to you Mike, but the ground floor front room facing the street was where McCarthy kept barrows. This was commonly known as the shed. Prater lived above this shed on the 2nd floor.
The room above Kelly's (at the back) was occupied by a couple who said they slept through the whole thing.

Always good to get input from you Wick. I have a diagram where someone has noted Prater and has placed two arrows. One pointed to ‘above the front room’ and one to ‘above Mary’s room.’ She clearly lived above the storage ‘shed’.

[Doctored Whatsit]

Kelly Timeline Draft Two

Catherine Picket added (Darryl Kenyon)

The point about Bowyer’s visit to the tap added (Trevor Marriott)


c5.00-6.00pm (October 30th) - Joseph Barnett moves out of 13 Miller’s Court (26 Dorset Street) because, according him, she had taken in a woman who was a prostitute. He calls Mary, Marie Jeanette Kelly.

Wednesday Afternoon - Thomas Bowyer sees Mary Kelly alive for the last time.

Thursday morning - Charwoman Julia Venturney of 1 Miller’s Court, sees Mary Jane Kelly for the last time.

c7.30-7.45pm (Thursday) - Fish Porter Joseph Barnett (currently living with his sister at 21, Portpool Lane, Gray’s Inn Road) sees Mary Jane Kelly for the final time. Maria Harvey of 3, New Court, Dorset Street is also there in the room who also lived in the court but she left before Barnett did.

c8.00 - Julia Venturney goes to bed but only dozed all night. She heard nothing unusual.

c10.00-11.00 - A Dorset Street tailor called Maurice Lewis sees Mary in the Horn Of Plenty pub drinking with ‘some women (one of whom was called Julia) and a man called Dan (who, until recently, Kelly had been living with) She left with a respectable looking man.

c11.45pm - A very drunk Mary Jane Kelly is seen by Mary Ann Cox of Room 5, Miller’s Court walking down the passage to the court in the company of a man carrying a pot of ale. Kelly said “Goodnight..” before going into her room while singing a song.

c12.00am - Cox goes back out.

c12.30 - Catherine Picket, a flower seller living in the room opposite Mary’s (number 12) with her husband Dave, hears Mary singing.

c1.00 - Cox returns to her room and hears Kelly still singing.

c1.00 - Elizabeth Prater of room 20 (the one directly above Mary’s room, which she describes as ‘the shed’) returns to Miller’s Court. She has been out since 5.00pm. She stands on the corner.

c1.02 - Cox leaves her room to go out onto the street again. Kelly is still singing.

c1.20 - Elizabeth goes up to her room after calling it at McCarthy’s shop. She saw no light from Mary’s room.

c1.30 - She goes to bed after barricading the door. She quickly falls asleep.

c2.00 - George Hutchinson, Victoria Home, Commercial Street, sees Kelly near to Flower and Dean Street. She asks to borrow sixpence but Hutchinson has no money. He then sees a man approach Kelly near Thrawl Street. They passed Hutchinson and he followed them into Dorset Street. They stood at the entrance to the court for around 3 minutes then went inside. He watches the court.

c2.30 - Sarah Lewis, a laundress living at 24 Great Pearl Street, goes to Miller’s Court to visit Mrs Keyler at number 2. As she goes into Miller’s Court she sees a man opposite the lodging house who appears to be looking into the court. She sees a man with a drunk woman ‘further on.’

On her way to Miller’s Court she sees a man talking to a woman near to The Britannia. She had seen the same man in Bethnal Green Road at around 8.00 on the previous Wednesday. Lewis was with another woman and the man scared them by asking one of them to go with him into an entry.

c3.00 - George Hutchinson leaves Dorset Street.

c3.00 - Cox returns to her room and sees that the light is off in Mary’s room and all is quiet.

c3.00 - Thomas Bowyer goes to the tap in Miller’s Court to get water. According to The Echo (14th) he did this an unknown number of times during the evening.

c3.30 - Sarah Lewis awakes after falling asleep in a chair at number 2

c3.30-3.45 - Elizabeth Prater his woken by a kitten and at that time she hears a faint cry of “oh murder” which seemed to come from within the court.

c4.00 - Sarah Lewis, at number 2, hears a loud cry of “murder” which sounded like the voice of a young woman.

c5.45 - Elizabeth is in The Ten Bells drinking rum. After a drink she goes back to her room and sleeps until 11.00.

c 5.45- Cox hears a man walk down the court.

c7.30 - On her way to market Catherine Picket knocks on Mary’s door with the intention of borrowing her pelerine as it was raining but she got no answer.

c8.00 - Maurice Lewis says the he sees Mary leave her room and return a few moments later.

c8.00-8.30 - Caroline Maxwell of 14, Dorset Street says that she sees Mary standing at the entrance to Miller’s Court.

c8.45 - Maxwell says that she sees Kelly outside the Britannia beer shop talking to a man.

c10.00 - Maurice Lewis and his friends go to the Britannia pub where he says that he sees Mary drinking with some people.

c10.45 - On the order of John McCarthy, Thomas Bowyer of 37 Dorset Street, goes to Mary’s room (number 13 Miller’s Court) to collect rent plus arrears. On receiving no reply he looked through the window and saw Mary’s body on the bed.

c10.50 - Bowyer tells McCarthy what he’d found and they returned to Kelly’s room so that McCarthy could look through the window.*

c10.52 - They both went to Commercial Street where McCarthy asked for Inspector Reid but it’s difficult was Inspector Walter Beck who returned with them.

c11.00 (just after) Inspector Beck is told about the murder. He sends for Doctor Phillips and closed the court.

c11.00 - Divisional Police Surgeon, George Bagster Phillips of 2, Spital Square is informed of the murder.

c11.15 - Dr Phillips arrives and looks through the window of Mary Kelly’s room as the door is locked and sees that she is beyond help. He remains at the court until around 1.30 as he sees that it’s necessary that no one enters the room.

c11.30 - Inspector Frederick George Abberline arrives at Miller’s Court and takes charge. Beck informs him that bloodhounds have been sent for.

c1.30 - Superintendent Arnold arrives and tells John McCarthy to break open the door to Kelly’s room after informing Abberline that the bloodhounds aren’t coming.

c1.50 - Robert Anderson arrives at Miller’s Court in a cab.

c4.00 (shortly after) - A covered van arrived at Miller’s Court to collect the remains. They were placed in the shell and taken to the mortuary which adjoined Shoreditch Church.

Kelly’s room was then closed, boarded up and padlocked.

c5.30pm - Sarah Lewis leaves the court after being prevented from doing so by order of the police.


The inquest takes place on Monday 12th November at Shoreditch Town Hall. The coroner is Dr Roderick MacDonald M.P. (Coroner to the north eastern district of Middlesex. Also present are: Superintendent Arnold (H division) Inspector Abberline CID and Inspector Nairn Also the deputy coroner Mr Hodgkinson.

Jurors - Joseph Gobly, George Buffery, E. Stevens, John Harvey, John Lloyd, Samuel Jenkins, Abraham Clements R Nettelfield, William Worf, Joseph Roberts, Lewis F Hunter, George Harry Wilson and Henry Dawkes.



Questions


1. According to a quote from The Echo, November 14th (posted by Trevor):

“Early on Friday morning, Bowyer saw a man whose description tallies with that of the supposed murderer. Bowyer has, he says, described this man to Inspector Abberline and Inspector Reid.”

Do we have any more information on this?

Bowyer stated that he last saw Kelly on the wednesday prior to her murder. She was talking in Millers Court to a man aged 27 or 28, with a dark moustache and "very peculiar eyes". He was very smart with very white cuffs, and a long white collar, the ends of which came down in front over his coat.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Bowyer stated that he last saw Kelly on the wednesday prior to her murder. She was talking in Millers Court to a man aged 27 or 28, with a dark moustache and "very peculiar eyes". He was very smart with very white cuffs, and a long white collar, the ends of which came down in front over his coat.

Thanks Doc, I should have double-checked this (I’ll blame the distractions) It looks like a mix up with days.

[Wickerman]

Always good to get input from you Wick. I have a diagram where someone has noted Prater and has placed two arrows. One pointed to ‘above the front room’ and one to ‘above Mary’s room.’ She clearly lived above the storage ‘shed’.

I know your point was the time, not so much the background stories, but I thought it as well to clear that up. There being so many conflicting reports over which room was Prater's.
It is reported in the Daily Telegraph, 10 Nov., directly before the statement from Elizabeth Prater.

https://www.casebook.org/press_reports/daily_telegraph/dt881110.html

[Wickerman]

Thanks Doc, I should have double-checked this (I’ll blame the distractions) It looks like a mix up with days.

No Mike, both reports are valid.
Bowyer didn't see Kelly on Friday morning, only the man, he last saw Kelly on Wednesday with another man.

On Friday he saw the Hutchinson suspect (confirming Hutchinson's story), The report says the man seen by Bowyer "matched the description of the suspect". This was in the Wednesday evening paper of the 14th (Echo), after Hutchinson had spoken to the police, and from the morning of the 13th Astrachan was the new police suspect, this will be who Bowyer was referring to.

There was also a statement from Mrs McCarthy in the same paper, who reported that one of her customers that morning saw "a funny-looking man" up the court, this was before the murder was known.
McCarthy's shop was open till three o'clock a.m., given what we know, that customer could have been Sarah Lewis, whom McCarthy wouldn't know because she didn't live in the court.
As I've pointed out before, Lewis followed Kelly & Astrachan up the passage, so the coincidence fits.

[Herlock Sholmes]

No Mike, both reports are valid.
Bowyer didn't see Kelly on Friday morning, only the man, he last saw Kelly on Wednesday with another man.

On Friday he saw the Hutchinson suspect (confirming Hutchinson's story), The report says the man seen by Bowyer "matched the description of the suspect". This was in the Wednesday evening paper of the 14th (Echo), after Hutchinson had spoken to the police, and from the morning of the 13th Astrachan was the new police suspect, this will be who Bowyer was referring to.

There was also a statement from Mrs McCarthy in the same paper, who reported that one of her customers that morning saw "a funny-looking man" up the court, this was before the murder was known.
McCarthy's shop was open till three o'clock a.m., given what we know, that customer could have been Sarah Lewis, whom McCarthy wouldn't know because she didn't live in the court.
As I've pointed out before, Lewis followed Kelly & Astrachan up the passage, so the coincidence fits.

Thanks Wick. Either I’m allowing myself to get distracted and am not concentrating enough or I’m losing the plot. It’s a pity that we don’t have a stated time for Bowyers sighting but I could go with the assumption that this was Astrachan Man. I’ll make an amendment next draft. If I’ve missed anything else or made any errors keep posting them Wick. Accuracy is the aim.

[Wickerman]

Thanks Wick. Either I’m allowing myself to get distracted and am not concentrating enough or I’m losing the plot. It’s a pity that we don’t have a stated time for Bowyers sighting but I could go with the assumption that this was Astrachan Man. I’ll make an amendment next draft. If I’ve missed anything else or made any errors keep posting them Wick. Accuracy is the aim.

Yes, I know your main interest is the time of the events, Bowyer's story is timed at 3:00am, roughly, but the article isn't clear, which is likely the journalists fault.
Here is the full article . .


Echo, 14 Nov. 1888.

You'll notice we read: "Early on Friday morning, Bowyer saw a man . . ."
But, at the end Bowyer says: ". . if I had known he was there when I went to the water tap at three o'clock . . ."
He doesn't say he saw Kelly, just the man, which suggests the man was alone, so was he leaving? If so this must have been after 3:00 am, otherwise, that last line doesn't really make sense.

[C. F. Leon]

Herlock, may I suggest that you include a listing of the residents of Miller's Court, like you did with the residents of 29 Hanbury Street?

[Herlock Sholmes]

Yes, I know your main interest is the time of the events, Bowyer's story is timed at 3:00am, roughly, but the article isn't clear, which is likely the journalists fault.
Here is the full article . .


Echo, 14 Nov. 1888.

You'll notice we read: "Early on Friday morning, Bowyer saw a man . . ."
But, at the end Bowyer says: ". . if I had known he was there when I went to the water tap at three o'clock . . ."
He doesn't say he saw Kelly, just the man, which suggests the man was alone, so was he leaving? If so this must have been after 3:00 am, otherwise, that last line doesn't really make sense.

So….

2.30 - Mary enters Miller’s Court with Astrakhan Man, witnessed by George Hutchinson and Sarah Lewis.
3.00 - Thomas Bowyer goes to the tap in the court to get water but sees no one.

then, sometime after 3.00 he sees Astrakhan leave the court. If he sees him at 3.15 he’s had 45 minutes with Kelly. It could have been 3.30 giving him an hour. Hutchinson is long gone by then. Cox noticed that Mary’s light was off at around 3.00 but the killer could have been hacking away by firelight?

Long enough to be our man and at least a confirmation of Hutchinson.