Witnesses

[Chris Scott]

From The Scotsman 14 February 1891

Relating to the Coles murder:
The woman was again seen at two o'clock, according to one account, in Royal Mint Street; and to another, in Chamber Street, near to the school. A man was with her then. The persons who noticed her at this time were William Friday, Joseph Knapton, and John Knapton, all carmen and living in the same house in Chamber Street. Joseph Knapton told his mother that when he saw the man and woman he thought they were "sweethearting." The description given of the man is, however, vague, and amounts to little more than that he wore a brown overcoat and a black felt hat. The woman wore a crape hat. Her companion was about 5 feet 7 inches, and looked like a working man. He kept his face away, and the chances of recognition are not great. These carmen are among those who daily use the arch to take their horses from the stables to the depots early in the morning. They do not seem to have seen anything in the dark passage, and Arly Shunter, who went through about two, observed nothing.


In the 1891 census:
83 Chambers Street, Whitechapel
Head: William Butler aged 49 born Whitchurch, Hampshire - Railway clerk
Wife: Jane Butler aged 52 born Torquay, Devon
Children:
William Knapton aged 28 born Whitechapel - Railway carman
Joseph Knapton aged 26 born Whitechapel - Railway carman
John A Knapton aged 24 born Whitechapel - Railway carman
Mary A Knapton aged 22 born Whitechapel - Tailoress
Boarder:
William Friday aged 22 born Islington - Railway carman

[Bulldog]

Hi Chris,

Good info. Thanks.

Where did the information about the carmen seeing the couple come from, a newspaper account?

It includes a lot more details than Thomas Arnold mentioned in his 13 February 1891 report.

Regards,

Bulldog

[Chris Scott]

Hi BD
the account comes from the 14 Feb account in The Scotsman newspaper
Chris

[robhouse]

I believe the couple seen by the Knaptons and William "Jumbo" Friday was a labourer named Thomas Fowles and his fiancee Kate McCarthy, who were standing together at McCarthy's house on Mint Street. As Fowles noted in a statement to police that he was wearing what he calls a “black pilot monkey jacket.”

Rob H

[Wolf Vanderlinden]

Rob is correct. Sadler's lawyers were able to determine that the man and woman were not Coles and Sadler but Fowles and McCarthy. This identification destroyed the case against Sadler and he was freed.

Wolf.

[robhouse]

Of course, that is no real reason why the case against Sadler should have been destroyed as he was seen lying on the pavement near the Royal Mint at about 2AM by a Sergeant Edwards. This is only 15 minutes before the murder, and very close to Swallow Gardens. I think Edwards thought Sadler was so drunk that he could not possibly have committed the murder.

Rob

[Bulldog]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for providing the source. I really appreciate it.

Regards,

Bulldog