Why Buck's Row?

[barnflatwyngarde]

The location of the first canonical murder has always slightly puzzled me.
The murder of Nichols has all the characteristics of a "blitz" attack.

The attack was carried out in the middle of a street with a very real chance of being seen by local residents, people coming to and from work at all hours of the day.

Is it possible that the murderer only felt confident enough to carry out the attack because he was very close to his place of residence, and could be home within a matter of seconds of committing the murder?

[MrBarnett]

But according to Tomkins, they didn't even get that far.

Some years previously the police had staked out the Fortune of War pub close by (what would become) Harrison, Barber's slaughter yard in Islington. They suspected the landlord was serving the slaughtermen out of hours, and sure enough they spotted him passing a gallon jug of ale to one of them at 10 a.m.

He got off with it, claiming that it was a regular payment that he gave them for knocking him up in the morning.

Makes you wonder whether Tomkins & co were in the habit of taking a jug back to the Winthrop Street yard.

[MrBarnett]

If we assume that one was open illegally, I'm pretty sure the police would have been aware of any such activity (but chose to turn a blind eye) and on the night grilled all drinkers.

The police weren't exactly thorough in their investigation. Spratling admitted at the inquest that apart from the Green's they hadn't made enquiries at any of the houses in Buck's Row.

[MrBarnett]

Hi Hair Bear.

I found this from James Mumford in The Echo, Sept.4, 1888>

"We all kill horses, but I'm left to attend the boilers when my mates are away at night. They always go up the top to the Grave Maurice" (a publichouse half a minute's walk from the slaughter-house, and about a minute's walk from the gateway of Essex Wharf).

"What time?"

"About twenty minutes after twelve they usually start."

"But the house closes then, does it not?"

"No, not till half-past..."

But according to Tomkins, they didn't even get that far.

[Robert St Devil]

Hi Hair Bear.

I found this from James Mumford in The Echo, Sept.4, 1888>

"We all kill horses, but I'm left to attend the boilers when my mates are away at night. They always go up the top to the Grave Maurice" (a publichouse half a minute's walk from the slaughter-house, and about a minute's walk from the gateway of Essex Wharf).

"What time?"

"About twenty minutes after twelve they usually start."

"But the house closes then, does it not?"

"No, not till half-past..."

[Hair Bear]

Originally Posted by Hair Bear View Post
Assuming there was a public house in the area, would it be open at that time of the morning?

Not legally.

If we assume that one was open illegally, I'm pretty sure the police would have been aware of any such activity (but chose to turn a blind eye) and on the night grilled all drinkers.

[Hair Bear]

Jack seems to have generally attacked from the rear first, cutting the throat (and /or strangling his victims).

On the contrary, his general MO was to first strangle from the front until dead or near dead, then slash their throat - hence the lack of arterial spray - and then mutilate.

[Pcdunn]

Position of Polly Nichols when attacked

Hmm? What forensic evidence suggests this.

Hmmm? Well, I suppose it is what I've absorbed from reading the discussions about the murders here. Jack seems to have generally attacked from the rear first, cutting the throat (and /or strangling his victims).
Certainly this passage from Casebook's page on Nichols does not make the answer clear:

Inquest testimony as reported in The Times:

"Five teeth were missing, and there was a slight laceration of the tongue. There was a bruise running along the lower part of the jaw on the right side of the face. That might have been caused by a blow from a fist or pressure from a thumb. There was a circular bruise on the left side of the face which also might have been inflicted by the pressure of the fingers. On the left side of the neck, about 1 in. below the jaw, there was an incision about 4 in. in length, and ran from a point immediately below the ear. On the same side, but an inch below, and commencing about 1 in. in front of it, was a circular incision, which terminated at a point about 3 in. below the right jaw. That incision completely severed all the tissues down to the vertebrae. The large vessels of the neck on both sides were severed. The incision was about 8 in. in length. the cuts must have been caused by a long-bladed knife, moderately sharp, and used with great violence. No blood was found on the breast, either of the body or the clothes. There were no injuries about the body until just about the lower part of the abdomen. Two or three inches from the left side was a wound running in a jagged manner. The wound was a very deep one, and the tissues were cut through. There were several incisions running across the abdomen. There were three or four similar cuts running downwards, on the right side, all of which had been caused by a knife which had been used violently and downwards. the injuries were form left to right and might have been done by a left handed person. All the injuries had been caused by the same instrument."

[MrBarnett]

Assuming there was a public house in the area, would it be open at that time of the morning?

Not legally.

[Hair Bear]

Assuming there was a public house in the area, would it be open at that time of the morning?

[MrBarnett]

If you have a look at post 14 here, you'll see that Rob Clack places 1 - 5, Buck's Row on the north side of the street between Thomas Street and Court Street, based on the 1881 census.

But rather strangely, no. 3 appears twice on the census. Once, as Rob says, between 1 and 5, and then again next door to the Collen Bawn, between 11, Court Street and 14, Thomas Street, which I have taken to be on the south side of the street.

http://forum.casebook.org/showthread.php?t=4644&page=3

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

In 1888 there was a pub at 32 Thomas Street.

It was the Sir John Barleycorn.

Regards,

Simon

[Joshua Rogan]

Hopefully this map shows it;

Edit: I see Mr Barnett got there first with the map. And it's not even blurry

[MrBarnett]

Good call Chris. After looking at the map I noticed White's Row isn't anywhere near the "Buck's Row" where Polly Nichol's was killed.

However Mr. Barnett brings up a good point. I did notice further down in the Old Bailey case (https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/brow...urne#highlight) that a witness also referred to the bar as the "Colleen Bawn". And if it was located between "Court and Thomas" street on Durward then it IS the same Buck's Row as the one where Polly Nichols was killed. One witness also said that it was 5 minutes from Baker's Row, which also makes sound like it is what is now Durward Street. I wonder if perhaps there was a second "White's Row" that was being referred to?

Mr. Barnett, how do you know that the "Colleen Bawn" was torn down by 1888?

Hi Pinkerton,

Here's the answer to your question and the confusion over White's Row:



The map of Buck's Row in 1888 is in the Casebook photo archive.

Gary

[Joshua Rogan]

Good call Chris. After looking at the map I noticed White's Row isn't anywhere near the "Buck's Row" where Polly Nichol's was killed.

However Mr. Barnett brings up a good point. I did notice further down in the Old Bailey case (https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/brow...urne#highlight) that a witness also referred to the bar as the "Colleen Bawn". And if it was located between "Court and Thomas" street on Durward then it IS the same Buck's Row as the one where Polly Nichols was killed. One witness also said that it was 5 minutes from Baker's Row, which also makes sound like it is what is now Durward Street. I wonder if perhaps there was a second "White's Row" that was being referred to?

Mr. Barnett, how do you know that the "Colleen Bawn" was torn down by 1888?

There was indeed more than one White's Row. The part of what is now Durward Street that's West of the board school (where Buck's Row and Winthrop St meet) was White's Row. Which led in turn to Bakers Row, now Vallance Street.
The White's Row in Spitalfields was to the South of and parallel to Dorset Street.