Hutch's Man

[Sam Flynn]

I certainly find more to believe in with Blotchy and Hutch (god...shades of a cart with a go-faster stripe )

Presumably Mr Astrakhan was Huggy Bear.

[Joshua Rogan]

Daily News
"I know a Mrs. Keiller, in Miller's-court, and went to see her on Friday morning at 2.30 o'clock by Spitalfields Church clock."

"On Friday morning as I was going to Miller's-court, about half-past two, I saw him again with a female in Commercial-street"

Daily Telegraph
"went to her house at 2, Miller's-court, at 2.30a.m. on Friday. It is the first house. I noticed the time by Spitalfields' Church clock."

"On Friday morning, about half-past two a.m., when I was going ing to Miller's-court, I met the same man with a woman in Commercial-street"

Echo
"On Friday morning witness was at No. 2 Room, Miller's-court, at half-past two o'clock. She went to call on a woman she knew - Mrs. Keyler. It was half-past two by Spitalfields' Church clock."
"On Friday morning last, when going to Miller's-court, about half-past two, I met the same man with a female."

MA
"I know Mrs. Keyler, in Miller's-court, and saw her on Friday morning about 2;30 a.m. This I noticed by Spitalfields Church clock"
"On Friday morning, about half-past two, on my way to Miller's-court, I met the same man"

St James' Gazette
"said she was at No 2 Room, Miller's court, at half past two o'clock on Friday morning."
"At half past two o'clock on Friday morning the witness saw the same man with a woman near the Britannia public house in Commercial street."

Times
"she went to the house of Mrs. Keyler, in Miller's-court, on Friday morning about 2:30"
"on Friday morning about 2:30 she saw him again, speaking to a woman in Commercial-street"

[Cogidubnus]

Blotchy is a good suspect, but I do strongly feel that there was no way that Jack was going let himself be seen by anyone. The next suspects in no particular order are Astrachan Man, Bowyer and Hutch. Failing that MJK must have come out of her room after Astrachan man if this sighting by Hutch is correct. By this time Hutch has gone, Ms Lewis is tucked up in bed as is Mrs Cox, Prater and Mrs Kennedy if she also exists. Bowyer saw nothing (or did he?) whilst using the tap. It might just be fair to say that the 0.400am call of murder was indeed MJK. Jack obviously felt comfortable going to the court, went in to the room, murdered and took off again before he was seen and yes, he would have been a trapped rat if he stayed any longer than he felt comfortable with. Jack 1, everyone else a big fat 0.

Ms Lewes was possibly sleeping less than comfortably, downstairs, in one of her host's chairs...the dwellings in the court weren't very large...so it might not take much to arouse her...possibly less a scream than a call?

I certainly find more to believe in with Blotchy and Hutch (god...shades of a cart with a go-faster stripe ) than A-Man, who always strikes me as an over-detailed invention...

Dave

[Cogidubnus]

Jon,
Suppose you surprise me.Which one did you select.Perhaps my source was not from a newspaper.

Daily Telegraph report of the Inquest is the one more usually quoted isn't it?

Dave

[Abby Normal]

Blotchy is a good suspect, but I do strongly feel that there was no way that Jack was going let himself be seen by anyone. The next suspects in no particular order are Astrachan Man, Bowyer and Hutch. Failing that MJK must have come out of her room after Astrachan man if this sighting by Hutch is correct. By this time Hutch has gone, Ms Lewis is tucked up in bed as is Mrs Cox, Prater and Mrs Kennedy if she also exists. Bowyer saw nothing (or did he?) whilst using the tap. It might just be fair to say that the 0.400am call of murder was indeed MJK. Jack obviously felt comfortable going to the court, went in to the room, murdered and took off again before he was seen and yes, he would have been a trapped rat if he stayed any longer than he felt comfortable with. Jack 1, everyone else a big fat 0.

hi Busy
if the cries of murder were from Mary, and I think they were, then her TOD is around 4 am. so either Aman was her killer or someone else. I would posit that hutch was probably lying about Aman, which IMHO would leave blotchy or hutch as suspects 1 and 1a.

in my favored scenario, hutch waited around until three to either see if aman left (doubtful) or got sick of waiting for whoever really was in there (probably blotchy) to leave, and left about three (to go look for another victim?, kill time etc.) and then returned to marys room around four discovered she was now alone and gained access to her room and murdered her.

I also don't rule out Bowyer and Barnett either going to her room at 4 am and killing her also. to me seems the circs point to mary knowing her killer.

[Busy Beaver]

Blotchy is a good suspect, but I do strongly feel that there was no way that Jack was going let himself be seen by anyone. The next suspects in no particular order are Astrachan Man, Bowyer and Hutch. Failing that MJK must have come out of her room after Astrachan man if this sighting by Hutch is correct. By this time Hutch has gone, Ms Lewis is tucked up in bed as is Mrs Cox, Prater and Mrs Kennedy if she also exists. Bowyer saw nothing (or did he?) whilst using the tap. It might just be fair to say that the 0.400am call of murder was indeed MJK. Jack obviously felt comfortable going to the court, went in to the room, murdered and took off again before he was seen and yes, he would have been a trapped rat if he stayed any longer than he felt comfortable with. Jack 1, everyone else a big fat 0.

[Michael W Richards]

Jon, the issues I would have with the notion of Mary being dead by 2:30 are these...is it feasible to presume that the killer did all that work in near darkness? The room was reported as such by 2 witnesses, before 1:30am that night. There are comings and goings throughout the night according to one courtyard witness, if Mary is dead by 2:30 what on earth is the killer still doing in the room,..perhaps until around 6am. Hes a trapped rat in that room.

I think Blotchy is the best suspect here, for one we KNOW he entered the room that night with Mary, we have a courtyard resident that confirms that fact. And for another, it would seem that we cannot confirm he left that room before 1:30..only that is was dark and quiet by then. But I still cant wrap my head around a killer who I suppose could accomplish what was done in near darkness in what, an hour or so?..then staying in the room afterwards while hearing bootsteps pass the door throughout the night. The trapped rat thing.

[harry]

Jon,
Suppose you surprise me.Which one did you select.Perhaps my source was not from a newspaper.

[Wickerman]

I have checked my sources Jon.The time given for Lewis's arrival at Millers court was 2.30 AM.

Go on Harry, surprise me. Which newspaper version have you selected that says something different to what was said at the inquest?

[harry]

I have checked my sources Jon.The time given for Lewis's arrival at Millers court was 2.30 AM.

[Wickerman]

This makes no sense Jon. To use your own argument, what possible interest would the court have in hearing Lewis' evidence at all, if they already believed Kelly was dead by the time Sarah arrived at the Keyler's?

Just to expand on a point made by Michael, that of the Pardon.

If we look at the official memo's, all dated 10th Nov., it is clear this Pardon should only be considered for the Kelly murder. It is explicitly stated that there were circumstances in this murder that were not apparent in the previous murders.
The Pardon is to be offered to "any accomplice" who did not contrive or take part in the murder itself.

This again casts light on the testimony of Sarah Lewis, and the potential role of a man who she saw watching the court.

Interestingly, the one mention we have of the offer of a Pardon, dated 23 Nov. appears to allude to the fact it did not work in that case, but should be considered for the previous cases.
Matthews, in his reply mentions "certain circumstances", and these circumstance relate to their belief in an accomplice who after the crime may had assisted the murderer.
If this whole Pardon episode was because they thought the loiterer was an accomplice, then we can see why it did not materialize.
There seems to have been a belief that Kelly was dead before Lewis arrived at Millers Court, and the Pardon may have been directed at enticing the loiterer (as an assistant after the crime), to come forward.

[Wickerman]

No Jon,she does say,in her evidence to Aberline,that she arrived at the Keelers at 2.30 Arrived at. So of course she was at the Keelers at 2.30,but she was not there before that time,therefor she was not in Dorset Street about 2.15, when Hutchinson was following Kelly and her companion.

I suggest you check your sources Harry.
This is her police statement to Abberline, in its entirety.

Police Statement, 9^th Nov. 1888.

Statement of Sarah Lewis No 34 Great Pearl Street Spitalfields, a laundress.
Between 2 and 3 o'clock this morning I came to stop with the Keylers, at No 2 Millers Court as I had had a few words with my husband, when I came up the Court there was a man standing over against the lodging house on the opposite side in Dorset St. [talking to a female – deleted] but I cannot describe him. Shortly before 4 o'clock I heard a scream like that of a young woman, and seemed to be not far away, she screamed out murder, I only heard it once. I did not look out at the window. I did not know the deceased.

[marginal note – “I left the Keylers at 5:30pm”]

Sarah Lewis further said that when in company with another female on Wednesday evening last at Bethnal Green, a suspicious man accosted her, he carried a black bag.

[harry]

No Jon,she does say,in her evidence to Aberline,that she arrived at the Keelers at 2.30 Arrived at. So of course she was at the Keelers at 2.30,but she was not there before that time,therefor she was not in Dorset Street about 2.15, when Hutchinson was following Kelly and her companion.

[Wickerman]

Jon ,
Quite true the initial timing was from church clocks,and if both Lewis and Hutchinson are correct,we have Hutchinson arriving at the court about 2.15,and Lewis,according to her testimony,arriving at 2.30.

We've been over this before Harry.
In her inquest testimony Lewis claims to have been at the Keylers at 2:30.
"I was at her house at half past 2 on Friday morning".

This is not arriving at the Keylers, but she knows she was there at 2:30 because the Spitalfields clock chimed on the half hour.
We do not know what time she arrived there, she doesn't say.

[Wickerman]

It might be worth noting that the Star reporter left the inquest to file his copy after Cox's evidence but before Lewis took the stand.

Quite true, but even a week later Blotchy was still the joint prime suspect, along with Hutchinson's Astrachan, at least this is what the Echo reported.

The police have not relaxed their endeavours to hunt down the murderer in the slightest degree; but so far they remain without any direct clue. Some of the authorities are inclined to place most reliance upon the statement made by Hutchinson as to his having seen the latest victim with a gentlemanly man of dark complexion, with a dark moustache. Others are disposed to think that the shabby man with a blotchy face and a carrotty moustache described by the witness Mary Ann Cox, is more likely to be the murderer.
Echo, 19 Nov.