Pearly Poll's Husband

[MrBarnett]

I have always assumed that those who are active on here also keep abreast of things on Howard Brown's excellent JTRForums site. I know that many do, but for those who may not visit there as often as they do here - or at all - and may have missed the find, here's a photo of Thomas Fogarty, the 'vicious blind beggar' who married Pearly Poll in 1895.

When the 1893 Catholic Census was digitised on FindMyPast, he and Poll were discovered living together in North East Passage, St. George in the East. The priest who carried out the census bracketed the two together and commented 'not married'. The discovery slotted into the painstaking research on Poll that had been undertaken by Debra Arif, (Gareth Williams and Robert Linford also made significant contributions - I hope I haven't missed anyone) and led to the couple's marriage, subsequent history and deaths. More info about Fogarty can be found here:

http://www.jtrforums.com/showthread.php?t=27058&highlight=Fogarty

Crown Copyright (expired 1956).

The original is held at The Keep (the E. Sussex Record Office) under reference HE 26/3 (page161).

[MrBarnett]

I've just noticed a typo in my post. The happy couple were in fact joined in holy matrimony in 1893 (2nd December) at the Church of the English Martyrs in Great Prescott Street.

[Bridewell]

Thanks for that. I realise that he was blind but I wonder if he was born without eyes. He certainly appears to have none in the photograph.

[Debra A]

Thanks for that. I realise that he was blind but I wonder if he was born without eyes. He certainly appears to have none in the photograph.

Colin, he was ex army, discharged in 1887, so probably went blind some time after that.

[Pcdunn]

Colin, he was ex army, discharged in 1887, so probably went blind some time after that.

Interesting. He might have been starting to go blind when he was discharged, too. His face in that photo is fascinating, with such deep-set eyes, only open a slit. Depending on his age at that time, he might have had cataracts or another eye disease, or something happened to him during his military service.

[Debra A]

Interesting. He might have been starting to go blind when he was discharged, too. His face in that photo is fascinating, with such deep-set eyes, only open a slit. Depending on his age at that time, he might have had cataracts or another eye disease, or something happened to him during his military service.

That's true, Pat. His army discharge or pension papers don't seem to have survived which would have recorded if he had been discharged on account of going blind, along with listing all the medical conditions he'd had treated whilst in the army.
He died in Hellingby asylum in 1906 aged 51. Mary Ann Connolly had been treated in the infirmary for syphilis in the 1880's and in the 1890's was also admitted to St George in The East infirmary with a venereal disease. I don't know much about it but maybe Foggerty was also suffering from a version affecting his sight? I believe there's something called ocular syphilis but I really don't know anything about it. It could simply have been cataracts as you suggest.

[MrBarnett]

I think the earliest specific reference to Fogarty's blindness is on the 1891 census. He was then recorded as living in a lodging house in Brick Lane. Aged 42, he was described as a 'hawker coster' and his place of birth was given as East Smithfield.

[MrBarnett]

There seems to be a deformity of some kind on the left side of his face. Something congenital, perhaps, or a trauma?

[MrBarnett]

From Fogarty's Hellingly Medical Notes, 1906:

January 12th.

Is suffering from mania. He is noisy and excitable at times and has delusions of persecution. Says he has been starved for three years. Memory impaired. Is totally blind and very deaf but in fair bodily health and condition.

January 26th.

Patient is dull, quite helpless and uninterested in his surroundings.

January 30th.

Patient is quite preoccupied. He can do nothing for himself.

February 7th.

Patient is dull, listless and apathetic . Restless and excitable at times and at others depressed. Memory very poor and he is practically lost in his surroundings.

March 25th.

Patient has recently been excitable and interfering with other patients. He is dull and lost to his surroundings.

June 2nd.

Patient is in bed suffering from tuberculosis (something). Moist rales can be heard all over the chest. He brings up a lot of green offensive mucous. Temperature varies between 100 and 106.

June (?) 5th.

Patient has become rapidly worse during last week. Both lungs choked up with coarse rales, rapid failure of strength. Death occurred today at 3.40 pm. Autopsy.

[Paddy]

Workhouse 1881/2

James Fogarty was admitted to Stepney Workhouse June 1882 His address was 5 Flower and Dean street and his complaint was Opthalmia which sound like it was related to his eyes... Is this him? He was single.
Pat...

[Pcdunn]

I think the first name is wrong, isn't it, for Poll's fella.

[MrBarnett]

Thanks Pat and Pat D.

No, it isn't our man. Wrong Christian name and age. From something Debra found we believe our guy was in the army until 87/88.

Our Fogarty had a few spells in the Whitechapel infirmary, but by and large he was a St Geo E man. He was shown as a carver/wood carver on some of the early records, but in later years his occupation was shown as either hawker or beggar.

In 1893 he and Poll were shacked up together in Northeast Passage off Wellclose Square. The priest carrying out the RC census bracketed them together and wrote Not Married beside their names. They took the hint and shortly afterwards tied the knot at The Church of the English Martyrs in Great Prescott Street.

[MrBarnett]

The 1901 census shows Thomas Fogarty in Wandsworth Prison.

Interestingly, his occupation is given as a hawker of laces, the same as that of the blind man who reportedly stabbed his female guide in broad daylight on the morning of Annie Chapman's murder.

[MrBarnett]

This incident reportedly took place on the morning of Annie Chapman's murder.

ANOTHER WOMAN STABBED

On Saturday a man suddenly attacked a woman in the Spitalfields Market while she was walking through. After felling her to the ground with a blow he began kicking her and pulled out a knife. Some people who had collected, having the terrible tragedy that had brought them there still fresh in their minds, on seeing the knife raised such piercing shrieks of "Murder!" that they reached the crowds in Hanbury Street. There was at once a rush for Commercial Street, where the markets are situate, as it was stated by some that there was another murder, and by others that the murderer has been arrested. Seeing the immense crowd swarming around him, the man who was the cause of the alarm made more furious efforts to reach the woman, from whom he had been separated by some persons who had interfered on her behalf. He, however, threw these on one side, fell upon the woman, knife in hand, and inflicted various stabs on her head, cut her forehead, neck and fingers before he was again pulled off. When he was again pulled off the woman lay motionless - the immense crowd took up the cry of "Murder", and the people who were on the streets raised cries of "Lynch him!" At this juncture the police arrived, arrested the man, and after a while had the woman conveyed to the Police Station in Commercial street, where she was examined by the divisional surgeon. She was found to be suffering from several wounds, but none of them were considered dangerous. She was subsequently removed to the London Hospital, where she was detained as an in-patient. Her assailant is described as a blind man who sells lace in the streets, and whom she lead about from place to place. The blind man is described as having a most ungovernable temper, and he was seen whilst the woman was leading him along to stab her several times in the neck. The affair occurred mid-way between Buck's row and Hanbury street, where the last two horrible murders have been committed.

[MrBarnett]

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