Suggestion

[Pierre]

Oh for sure, don't take the room size as accurate, we know it was tiny, its really the placement of the washstand behind the headboard that I was calling attention to.
All the contemporary sketches of the room are in agreement with the 'body on the bed' photo in so far as they confirm the existence of a space behind the headboard.

Yes, which means her head was in the "right" spot when the killer opened the door.

[Wickerman]

This makes the room look huge, so not sure how accurate it is

Oh for sure, don't take the room size as accurate, we know it was tiny, its really the placement of the washstand behind the headboard that I was calling attention to.
All the contemporary sketches of the room are in agreement with the 'body on the bed' photo in so far as they confirm the existence of a space behind the headboard.

[Pierre]

The plan,the plan.

Who drew the plan!

Don´t know. But here´s Simon Wood´s suggestion. Without things dangling from the ceiling.

I have put the table and bed in their right positions.

Regards Pierre

[Ben]

Returning briefly - and I do stress briefly; I don't want a simple, valid observation to spawn pages and pages of repetitive stroppy debate - to the wideawake-wearing man and the suggestion that he was among those reported to hang around Crossingham's without purpose: it might be worth remembering Sarah Lewis's observation that the man appeared to be monitoring the entrance to Miller's Court as though waiting for someone to emerge from it, which is identical to what Hutchinson later "admitted" to doing at that location. The chances of this being a mere coincidence are remarkably slim, in my view.

[DJA]

Totally???

You see that staircase looks incredibly short, under 6 foot going by the length of the bed in the plan, a staircase would normally be about double that length so is there a landng before it goes up over the bed

The plan,the plan.

Who drew the plan!

[Brenda]

.

^ But we don't know when Blotchy left. The fact that Mary sang for over an hour (and that may have been a bit of an exaggeration) doesn't mean that she had Blotchy, or any other male in with her for that entire time. She may have been singing to entertain herself, because she simply liked singing when she was a bit tight.

I don't think we know enough about the habits of Victorian 'unfortunates' (especially very poor women who prostituted sometimes to get rent and food) to say categorically whether they would or wouldn't have sang to any male clients before or after the act. This would be especially so if one or the other of them was feeling merry after a few drinks.

Mary's room would have been quiet and dark (and empty) if she was absent from it for a while, surely?

Back in Mary's day and in her circumstances, there was very little in the way of entertainment. There was no radio, very few had instruments, or even books or newspapers. A lot of people back then sang as entertainment. If Mary had a nice voice, I could see a gentleman sitting back with some beer and enjoying some singing.

[GUT]

Yes, probably, but the staircase is still on the other side on the wall.

Regards Pierre

Not in that width

[Pierre]

Totally???

You see that staircase looks incredibly short, under 6 foot going by the length of the bed in the plan, a staircase would normally be about double that length so is there a landng before it goes up over the bed

Yes, probably, but the staircase is still on the other side on the wall.

Regards Pierre

[GUT]

No. The stairs were on the other side of the wall.

Regards Pierre

Totally???

You see that staircase looks incredibly short, under 6 foot going by the length of the bed in the plan, a staircase would normally be about double that length so is there a landng before it goes up over the bed

[Pierre]

Doesn't look it but could the stairs give a lower head room in the corner

No. The staircase was on the other side of the wall.

Regards Pierre

[Pierre]

The Evening Express account just doesn't ring true to me. The police are not going to waste time and money sealing up a storeroom that is actually in use.

Exactly. That is my point.

And why do we have the frequent writings about this wall between the rooms as "partitioned off", "sealed off" and "cut off from the rest of the house" in the newspapers?

If it had been just a wall and nothing more, there would have been nothing to talk about.

But the police actively promoted the idea of this wall being cut off from the rest of the house.

Regards Pierre

[GUT]

Good job Wickerman.

I think this is a rather exact description of how the bed was originally positioned in the room.

Behind the wall with the wainscoting were the stairs where people were running up and down making noise.

So I think that could be one reason why the bed was not placed directly in the corner.

Regards Pierre

Doesn't look it but could the stairs give a lower head room in the corner

[Pierre]

If you look careful at the 'body on the bed' photo, the wainscoting across the partition wall behind Kelly's bed, you will see that it carry's on horizontal behind the headboard. It doesn't stop at a corner, the corner of the room is further to the right just out of the picture.

The position of the bed with respect to the passage wall was something like this.

Good job Wickerman.

I think this is a rather exact description of how the bed was originally positioned in the room.

Behind the wall with the wainscoting were the stairs where people were running up and down making noise.

So I think that could be one reason why the bed was not placed directly in the corner.

Regards Pierre

[richardnunweek]

Hi,
Where is the mystery.?, the room is what we know it to be, no secret panels, the door was opened, banging against the bedside table, the bed was against the partition, and Kelly was lying on the bed..
Simple..
The killer was invited either, directly by Kelly, or he knew off her, and saw her out and followed her back to her room, and entered .
This scenario would indicate,that the most likely T.O.D, would be daylight, when the victim would not have locked her door , once she returned to her room.
I favour this, as I do not see Mr A. being the killer, [ even if he existed] which is debatable.
I favour the middle aged porter, that Mrs Maxwell claims to have seen with Mary at 8.45 am, I believe he followed her back to her room, and entered it uninvited , and attacked Kelly instantly, while she was in the motions of getting undressed, to get dressed,into her best, the jacket and bonnet, were on the bed., thus allowing these items to become bloodstained.
Speculation, but plausible.
Regards Richard.

[FrankO]

As for the window, yes the bricks look reasonably short but you also have to reach across that corner plus manoeuvre your limb through broken glass. Unless you had an exceptionally long arm I don't think it's do-able.

Hi Rosella,

This is what Abberline deposed regarding the missing key at the inquest:
"Barnett informs me that it has been missing some time, and since it has been lost they have put their hand through the broken window, and moved back the catch. It is quite easy."

All the best,
Frank