Due date

[Debra A]

he also had a mark of an old (pox?) sore on the body of his private area.

Hi RD
Just a couple of things to add to your excellent summary. This sore was in fact a primary chancre of syphilis. Faircloth also had burst eardrums and was very deaf, which is why he was dismissed from the army on medical grounds, but that has nothing to his candidacy for anything.


Faircloth was definitely a millstone dresser (his father was a miller) and his worked involved travelling around the flour mills for a few days work regrinding their millstones. He had been working at a flour mill (Allinson's? I seem to recall, or some flour brand that is still in existence at any rate) in Ipswich and this is where his eyes were blackened by Elizabeth throwing a hand brush at him. His workmates found him an odd character and were convinced that Faircloth faked not being able to read or write because they had witnessed him writing in to a small notebook at times. Faircloth was also very upset when a photograph was taken of him at a flour mill by a travelling photographer. It was reported by colleagues that he didn't like that he was the most prominent one in the group photograph.
He was also described (by himself) as having distinctive hair that stuck up like brush bristles.

I have mentioned before that I noted there was a flour mill somewhere along the Thames embankment but I forget the exact location now as it's a good few years since I looked at Faircloth.

Faircloth was released from his prison sentence for desertion in 1887 in the Chelsea area.

[Belloc]

May I ask if there exists any evidence relating to John/Jack Faircloth having an alibi, and whether he stated openly what his alibi was? Or do we just have to take the word of the police officials at the time?

I am curious as to what his alibi was (Knowing he traveled around a bit to look for work) and HOW it was proven that he was too far away geographically for him to have killed Elizabeth Jackson?

RD

Cambridge Independent Press, 12 July 1889, page 7