What EXACTLY did Maurice Lewis say?

[Wickerman]

I wonder how much credence we should give to a report describing someone as selling oranges in Billingsgate Market?

The error might not be the name of the market. Dan may have worked at both markets Billingsgate & Spitalfields.
Dan Barnett was a Fish Porter by trade, but he might have sold oranges at the Spitalfields mkt.
Joe Barnett had lost his Porters license in July.

[Joshua Rogan]

The error might not be the name of the market. Dan may have worked at both markets Billingsgate & Spitalfields.
Dan Barnett was a Fish Porter by trade, but he might have sold oranges at the Spitalfields mkt.
Joe Barnett had lost his Porters license in July.

It's possible some witnesses just said he worked at the market, and reporters jumped to the conclusion it was the nearby Spitalfields market.
McCarthy is reported at one point as saying he was a coal-porter.
Barnett himself said in court "I am a labourer and have been a fish-porter".

An unnamed source said in the Daily News;
"Barnett is a very inoffensive man, and occasionally works as a porter at Billingsgate Market, filling up his time by hawking fruit."

[Joshua Rogan]

Are there any reports other than the Illustrated Police News on 17th Nov that atrribute the sighting of Kelly in the pub on the morning of her death to Lewis? As far as I can work out (and as Wickerman posted earlier) there were several press reports saying he had seen her leave her house early, and return, one or two adding that she bought milk, eg;

Echo 9 Nov
"Morris Lewis, a tailor, states that he was playing "pitch and toes" in the court at nine o'clock this morning, and an hour before that he had seen the woman leave the house, and return with some milk. There is no evidence as to who was in the house with her."

These are usually accompanied by an unattributed story of the sighting in the pub, although one at least specifies that the source was a woman.

Echo 10 Nov
"Another statement was made last evening by a woman, who asserted that the deceased had been seen by her alive and well, and in company with a man, at the Ringers public-house, at the corner of Dorset-street, at half-past ten yesterday morning. It seems certain, however, that this statement was either due to a mistake, or was one of those mischievous inventions which add so immensely to the labours and worries of the police."

There is also this, also from the Echo;

Echo 10 Nov
"Many persons who have been interviewed, state that the unfortunate woman never left her house at Dorset-street after she had entered it on Thursday night, while, on the other hand, numerous persons, who declare that they were companions of the deceased and know her well, state that she came out of her house at eight o'clock on Friday morning for provisions, and furthermore, that they were drinking with her in the Britannia, a local tavern, at ten o'clock on the same morning as her mutilated body was found at eleven."

Was Lewis one of these 'companions'? Or could he simply have exaggerated his part by incorporating details that were circulating in the area and the press into his IPN interview published a week later?

[Joshua Rogan]

There is also an interview with an unnamed male friend of Mary Jane. It's not incompatible with being Maurice Lewis, but doesn't contain any of his sighting details. Does anyone know if this can be attributed to anyone specific?

Echo 9 Nov
"A FRIEND OF THE VICTIM'S - HIS STORY
A friend of the murdered woman's spoke as follows to our reporter: - "I have known the murdered woman for some considerable time. She was an unfortunate, and given to drink. Her age would be somewhere about 26, and she had led her present life for about seven years. I have known her frequent the common lodging-houses of the locality. I believe she has been in custody a good many times for drunkenness. I cannot say that she had been for any length of time with any one particular man, but I have heard that she lived with a man. She was always shabbily dressed, but against this she was clean in her personal habits. She was on fairly good terms with the other people in the Dorset-street, who Number, I should say, about fifty."

[packers stem]

Are there any reports other than the Illustrated Police News on 17th Nov that atrribute the sighting of Kelly in the pub on the morning of her death to Lewis? As far as I can work out (and as Wickerman posted earlier) there were several press reports saying he had seen her leave her house early, and return, one or two adding that she bought milk, eg;

Echo 9 Nov
"Morris Lewis, a tailor, states that he was playing "pitch and toes" in the court at nine o'clock this morning, and an hour before that he had seen the woman leave the house, and return with some milk. There is no evidence as to who was in the house with her."

These are usually accompanied by an unattributed story of the sighting in the pub, although one at least specifies that the source was a woman.

Echo 10 Nov
"Another statement was made last evening by a woman, who asserted that the deceased had been seen by her alive and well, and in company with a man, at the Ringers public-house, at the corner of Dorset-street, at half-past ten yesterday morning. It seems certain, however, that this statement was either due to a mistake, or was one of those mischievous inventions which add so immensely to the labours and worries of the police."

There is also this, also from the Echo;

Echo 10 Nov
"Many persons who have been interviewed, state that the unfortunate woman never left her house at Dorset-street after she had entered it on Thursday night, while, on the other hand, numerous persons, who declare that they were companions of the deceased and know her well, state that she came out of her house at eight o'clock on Friday morning for provisions, and furthermore, that they were drinking with her in the Britannia, a local tavern, at ten o'clock on the same morning as her mutilated body was found at eleven."

Was Lewis one of these 'companions'? Or could he simply have exaggerated his part by incorporating details that were circulating in the area and the press into his IPN interview published a week later?

The one in the star of the 10th does mention Barnett also .... poss mix up for Dan
A tailor named Lewis says he saw Kelly come out about eight o'clock yesterday morning and go back. Another statement is to the effect that Kelly was seen in a public-house known as the "Ringers," at the corner of Dorset-street and Commercial-street, about ten o'clock yesterday morning, and that she there met her lover Barnett, and had a glass of beer with him. This statement also is not substantiated.

[packers stem]

There's also the Times of the 12th where we have another sighting by an unnamed women .

Mrs. Maxwell further stated that after that she went into Bishopsgate-street to make some purchases, and on her return saw Kelly talking to a short, dark man at the top of the court. When asked by the police how she could fix the time of the morning, Mrs. Maxwell replied, "Because I went to the milkshop for some milk, and I had not before been there for a long time, and that she was wearing a woollen cross-over that I had not seen her wear for a considerable time". On inquiries being made at the milkshop indicated by the woman her statement was found to be correct, and the cross-over was also found in Kelly's room. Another young woman, whose name is known, has also informed the police that she is positive she saw Kelly between half-past 8 and a quarter to 9 on Friday morning.

Fact that it says "who's name is known" is added strength in my mind that the reporter spoke to someone who just wished to remain anonymous rather than a fake report
Or stronger still , that the police told the reporter this