Tweet
FACTS “ Mrs Fanny Mortimer, the wife of a carman named William Mortimer, who lived at 36 Berner St, three doors from the club, told a reporter for the evening news Evening News that she had gone outside shortly after she had ‘heard the measured, heavy stamp of a policeman passing the house on his beat’. She stood at her door for no more than ten minutes, she said, and had neither seen nor heard anything unusual. The only person in the street was a young man carrying a shiny black bag who entered from commercial Road, walked briskly down Berner Street, looked up at the club as he passed, and turned the corner by the broad School at the bottom of the street. She had returned indoors, bolted the door and prepared for bed, which in the front room on the ground floor. About four minutes later she heard a pony and cart pass by and remarked on it to her husband.
For some reason Mrs Mortimer was not called to give evidence at the inquest, which is odd because, although she didn’t see anything, her testimony is crucial to estimating the time Stride was murdered. Exactly when Mrs Mortimer went to her door is uncertain. She said she had gone outside after hearing the measured tread of what she assumed t be PC Smith passing on his beat, which would therefore have put her outside between 12.30 and 12.45 am, but if she had been outside at that time she would have seen the couple seen by PC Smith, would have seen Charles Letchford passing through the street at 12.30 am, Eagle Morris returning to the club at 12.35 am, a club member named Joseph Lave taking a stroll at or about 12.40 am and an assault on a woman outside the club at 12.45 am. Mrs Mortimer saw none of those people and none of those people said they saw her, all of which suggests that Mrs Mortimer did not go to her door immediately after hearing a policeman pass by (or if she did then PC Smith was much later than he said) We also know that the man she did see was named Leon Goldstein, who lived at nearby 22 Christian Street and went along to the police station after reading about himself in the newspaper. He had left a coffee house at Spectacle Ally and passed Berner Street shortly before 1 am. His bag, he said contained empty cigarette boxes. The evidence therefore points to Mrs Mortimer having gone to the door about 12.45 am. And returning indoors shortly before hearing a pony and cart pass by, which we know was at 1 am.”
Hi everyone
I was pacing up and down Berner Street over the weekend trying to get the various timings in my head but could not figure everything out. Fore instance where exactly was Mrs Mortimer Standing at 36 Berner Street?
So when I got home I did some checking but couldn’t find a thread on Fanny Mortimer. Also the Even News account on casebook differs slightly from the account given in the FACTS.. http://www.casebook.org/witnesses/w/Fanny_Mortimer.html
No mention of Mrs Mortimer hearing a policeman fore instance, and where does her account of the grapes come from?
So I thought I’d start a thread and see if anyone is interested in piecing together Fanny Mortimer and her story. While she may not have seen anything. Surely her account is one of the most important when considering what happened at Berner Street?
So what I’m interested in is where 36 Berner Street would be today. And how many accounts we have of Fanny Mortimer’s statement. And of course any detail on Mrs Mortimer herself?
All the best
Pirate
For some reason Mrs Mortimer was not called to give evidence at the inquest, which is odd because, although she didn’t see anything, her testimony is crucial to estimating the time Stride was murdered. Exactly when Mrs Mortimer went to her door is uncertain. She said she had gone outside after hearing the measured tread of what she assumed t be PC Smith passing on his beat, which would therefore have put her outside between 12.30 and 12.45 am, but if she had been outside at that time she would have seen the couple seen by PC Smith, would have seen Charles Letchford passing through the street at 12.30 am, Eagle Morris returning to the club at 12.35 am, a club member named Joseph Lave taking a stroll at or about 12.40 am and an assault on a woman outside the club at 12.45 am. Mrs Mortimer saw none of those people and none of those people said they saw her, all of which suggests that Mrs Mortimer did not go to her door immediately after hearing a policeman pass by (or if she did then PC Smith was much later than he said) We also know that the man she did see was named Leon Goldstein, who lived at nearby 22 Christian Street and went along to the police station after reading about himself in the newspaper. He had left a coffee house at Spectacle Ally and passed Berner Street shortly before 1 am. His bag, he said contained empty cigarette boxes. The evidence therefore points to Mrs Mortimer having gone to the door about 12.45 am. And returning indoors shortly before hearing a pony and cart pass by, which we know was at 1 am.”
Hi everyone
I was pacing up and down Berner Street over the weekend trying to get the various timings in my head but could not figure everything out. Fore instance where exactly was Mrs Mortimer Standing at 36 Berner Street?
So when I got home I did some checking but couldn’t find a thread on Fanny Mortimer. Also the Even News account on casebook differs slightly from the account given in the FACTS.. http://www.casebook.org/witnesses/w/Fanny_Mortimer.html
No mention of Mrs Mortimer hearing a policeman fore instance, and where does her account of the grapes come from?
So I thought I’d start a thread and see if anyone is interested in piecing together Fanny Mortimer and her story. While she may not have seen anything. Surely her account is one of the most important when considering what happened at Berner Street?
So what I’m interested in is where 36 Berner Street would be today. And how many accounts we have of Fanny Mortimer’s statement. And of course any detail on Mrs Mortimer herself?
All the best
Pirate
Comment