How Drunk Was Mary?

[Wickerman]

Put simply, I am asking why on earth would Kelly wander back out in the early hours of a cold damp morning when she had clearly been very intoxicated shortly before?

To be fair, although Cox followed Kelly down the passage, she doesn't say Kelly was staggering or so drunk she was unable to walk straight. What she does say is, "I did not notice she was drunk until she said good night".
Which is consistent with Hutchinson's "spreeish".

Might I offer a suggestion, if you really want to know why prostitutes go out in inclement weather, even after a few beers, why don't you ask a prostitute?

Who better to give you a true answer?

[barnflatwyngarde]

Folks, I have checked the threads and haven't been able to find any postings relating to this topic.
Apologies If I have missed it.

I have been bothered for years by one specific thing relating to Mary Jane Kelly’s murder.

According to Mrs Cox, she saw Kelly in the company of a man at approx’ 11.45pm on Thursday 8th November.

According to Mrs Cox, Kelly was “Very drunk and could scarcely answer me, but said good-night to me”.

Mrs Picket's evidence indicates that Kelly was still alive, and singing, at 12.30am

There is general agreement that the evening of the 8th and into the 9th November was drizzly at least, and possibly raining quite heavily on occasions.

Put simply, I am asking why on earth would Kelly wander back out in the early hours of a cold damp morning when she had clearly been very intoxicated shortly before?

I suppose we have all over indulged on occasions and have stumbled into bed the worse for wear, glad that we managed to make it back home to the safety of our beds. As soon as our heads hit the pillow we are fast asleep.
Why should Kelly be any different?

Hutchinson stated that he saw Kelly at 2.00am on the morning of Friday 9th November she was “spreeish”.

This does not square with someone who barely 2 hours before had been so drunk that she could hardly string a coherent sentence together.
Of all the witnesses who may have seen the murderer, Hutchinson clearly gave the most detailed (too detailed?) description.

It is clear that Abberline gave some credence to Hutchinson’s evidence, but the fact that Hutchinson quickly vanishes from the police investigation, surely clearly indicates that they were no longer giving much credence to his story.

I do not believe that the evidence given by Sarah Lewis and Mrs Kennedy re the possibility of Kelly being alive in the early hours of Friday 9th November have any bearing on the murder of Mary Jane Kelly.

To sum up:
• Kelly had been drinking for a good part of the evening.
• By 11.45 she was very drunk and could hardly talk.
• Her client presumably had sex with her, possibly several times, and
possibly for at least part of their assignation, when Kelly was passed
out due to extreme intoxication.


I also think that her client took advantage of her extreme inebriation to murder her.