John Richardson

[Herlock Sholmes]

The inquest statements given by John Davies may prove useful:

There was a little recess on the left. From the steps to the fence is about 3 ft. There are three stone steps, unprotected, leading from the door to the yard, which is at a lower level than that of the passage. Directly I opened the door I saw a woman lying down in the lefthand recess, between the stone steps and the fence. She was on her back, with her head towards the house and her legs towards the wood shed. The clothes were up to her groins. I did not go into the yard.

I opened the back door, and stood in the entrance.

'Seems to me John Davies did not go into the yard and probably didn't go onto a step, but he saw Annie's body.

And Davies, unlike Richardson, had no intention of descending the steps and so had no need to open the door as widely as Richardson would have had to. And yet Davies saw the body immediately he opened the door (unless he’s lying too of course) Everything point to Richardson telling the truth and to the fact that he didn’t miss the body because it wasn’t there.

[Fleetwood Mac]

And Davies, unlike Richardson, had no intention of descending the steps and so had no need to open the door as widely as Richardson would have had to. And yet Davies saw the body immediately he opened the door (unless he’s lying too of course) Everything point to Richardson telling the truth and to the fact that he didn’t miss the body because it wasn’t there.

And John Richardson informs Inspector Chandler he was sure Annie's body wasn't there, which infers he opened the door wide enough to know.

Edited to add: so at this juncture there are only two reasonable options.

1) He was lying, he didn't go to the back door at all.

2) He did go to the back door and Annie's body wasn't there.

The idea that he is was simply mistaken and Annie's body was there when he opened the door, is refuted by the statements given.

[Herlock Sholmes]

And John Richardson informs Inspector Chandler he was sure Annie's body wasn't there, which infers he opened the door wide enough to know.

Edited to add: so at this juncture there are only two reasonable options.

1) He was lying, he didn't go to the back door at all.

2) He did go to the back door and Annie's body wasn't there.

The idea that he is was simply mistaken and Annie's body was there when he opened the door, is refuted by the statements given.

And he had no reason to lie. And even if he did lie all that he had to say was that he’d pushed the door wide open, or that he’d let it close behind him, or that he’d walked over to the outside loo, or that he’d gone over to the cellar but were expected to believe that he put a knife in his own hand when he could simply have said that he’d sat on the steps for a smoke. The suggestion that he lied doesn’t hold water whichever angle you look at it from.

[Fleetwood Mac]

And he had no reason to lie. And even if he did lie all that he had to say was that he’d pushed the door wide open, or that he’d let it close behind him, or that he’d walked over to the outside loo, or that he’d gone over to the cellar but were expected to believe that he put a knife in his own hand when he could simply have said that he’d sat on the steps for a smoke. The suggestion that he lied doesn’t hold water whichever angle you look at it from.

Whenever someone is up to no good, it's because they have something to gain from it. I'm not seeing what Richardson has to gain. If anything, he stands to lose because he has employment which could be jeopardised by being involved with inquests and the like.

[GBinOz]

Imagine that you are standing in that doorway or any doorway. You then have to walk down 3 steps so that your feet are on the flags of the yard.

Hi Herlock,

At 29 Hanbury St, if you were standing in the doorway you were standing on the top step. Look at the photograph on page 1. The middle step is a block of stone sitting on two courses of brickwork. It would have a height of about 15". The bottom step is only about one brick high, about 3", and it appears in the photo that he flagging has been removed, so the bottom step was likely to be only marginally higher than the flagstones. There are not 3 steps below the doorway. Practically speaking, there is only one - the middle step.

Cheers, George

[FISHY1118]

As I've pointed out.

[FISHY1118]

Richardson could just as easily had one foot in the door way inside and the other foot on the next step ,holding the door open at 45degree angle looking down to check the cellar door lock . Just as Chandlers mentioned in his testimony.That way he wouldn't have seen the body .

As in thats what Richardson told Chandler ,and perhaps thats how he done it.

[GBinOz]

How about some perspective? I've used a random stock image of a guy tying his shoe. His image has 4 steps but I've lined up the other 3 as you can see by the opacity. If there was a body, his left foot would be right next to intestines and her right shoulder and head. Her legs were propped up with her soles flat and she was wearing bright red and white stockings. Now if that door was level with the ground there might be a case for him not seeing (if it was there) the body.

Hi Mac3,

That is an excellent job of imposing the image on the background. But I would point out that JR's problem with his boot was that a piece of leather was hurting his toe. That means that the offending leather was inside his boot in the toe area, so he would have had to take the boot off and attempt to cut of the leather by feel alone. If he were right handed he would have probably held the boot in his left hand while manoeuvring the knife inside the boot with his right hand. He would have been sitting relatively upright with the tops of his legs about horizontal and his feet stretched out to the flagging. This would bring the door back on to his hands, so I would envisage him rotating clockwise so it rested on his shoulder or arm.

That is how I imagine it happened, but we can't know how it actually happened, if at all, so it is all only supposition.

Cheers, George

[FISHY1118]

How about some perspective? I've used a random stock image of a guy tying his shoe. His image has 4 steps but I've lined up the other 3 as you can see by the opacity. If there was a body, his left foot would be right next to intestines and her right shoulder and head. Her legs were propped up with her soles flat and she was wearing bright red and white stockings. Now if that door was level with the ground there might be a case for him not seeing (if it was there) the body.

Hi mac .could you do something similar as per my description in post #922 ?

[GBinOz]

I agree George, but equally that sketch of Richardson sat on the steps does not show the door pressing against his body, arm or leg.
In fact, I find it interesting that those who put faith in the sketches seem to be willing to accept none of those sketches show the door closed.
In fact, if we rely on the sketches from the time, it is apparent that door does not close by itself.

Which argument do you want to subscribe to George?
The door closed by itself, and JR sat in front of it, or
The door did not close, it just stayed open (as in all the sketches).

Can you choose?

Hi Jon,

The purpose of the sketch was to show JR on the step with the door a secondary consideration, I should think.
I set out my choice in my post #923. I would envisage JR swinging the door back and putting his left foot on the middle step and looking right to check the lock. IF he then decided to attempt some cobblery, his next step would put his right foot on the flags between the house steps and the cellar steps, followed by his left foot on the bottom step, which is for all intents and purposes, was at flagstone level. He sits on the middle step and proceeds as in my post # 923. JMO. I don't know whether he could or couldn't have missed the body under this scenario, I just suspect the former, and note that that suspicion was also raised at the time by those for whom it was possible to enact a recreation.

Best regards, George

[harry]

Another factor is how intense was Richardson's glance into the yard.Was it just a cursory glance of a few seconds,directed perhap in one direction,or a sweeping look taking in all the yard and lasting for some while? Did he focus on the recess where the body lay?
As an after thought,I don't go into butchers shops.Haven't been in one for years,so post 880 has no relevance whatsoever.
Now pedestrians have been hit by cars and trucks,even trains,and claimed they didn't see them coming.What's the relevence?It is that persons do not always pay attention to what is there.
As to memory.I got out of bed this morning,looked through the window,then went and had a pis#.In that order.Hours laterI still remember that sequence.Had the sequence been reversed,I would have had more reason to remember it. The point is? Do I have to state it?

[GBinOz]

Echo 8 Sep:
One singular circumstance in connection with the discovery is the statement of a lad, named Richardson, that at half-past five he passed through the yard, and the body was not there. This, however, can be accounted for by the fact that the body lay in a corner, and might not have been observed by the young man.

Echo 10 Sep:
At a quarter before five o'clock John Richardson, of 2, St. John-street, son of the landlady of 29, Hanbury-street, the proprietor of a packing-case business, as usual went to his mother's to see if everything was right in the back yard. A short while before there had been a burglary in this place. Richardson sat down on the steps to cut a piece of leather from his boot. The door would then partially hide the corner between the house and the fence. The man is quite clear that he saw nothing to attract his attention before he left

Irish Times 10 Sep:
It is a remarkable fact, however, that the man Richardson, who first went into the yard where the corpse was discovered says that he actually sat down on the step of the passage to cut a piece of leather off his shoe and yet did not see the body. This, however, may be explained by the circumstances that the passage door opens outward and toward the left, and so would conceal the body behind it.

Can anyone point to an account that says JR closed the door before sitting down, or JR correcting these scenarios? These journalists had the opportunity to go and re-enact the sitting on the step episode, we don't.

Cheers, George

[Wickerman]

George.

If you notice, both the early Echo reports claim the body was in a corner between the steps and the fence. It wasn't, the body was beside the fence, but ahead, forward of the steps.
Likewise, the last example claims the body could have been hidden by the door because the body was behind it, it wasn't behind the door. It was forward of the door.

[Wickerman]

Can anyone point to an account that says JR closed the door before sitting down, or JR correcting these scenarios?...

Where do we read the door rested against his body?

These journalists had the opportunity to go and re-enact the sitting on the step episode, we don't.

Can't think why they would, it has only been an issue here on Casebook.

[FISHY1118]

George.

If you notice, both the early Echo reports claim the body was in a corner between the steps and the fence. It wasn't, the body was beside the fence, but ahead, forward of the steps.
Likewise, the last example claims the body could have been hidden by the door because the body was behind it, it wasn't behind the door. It was forward of the door.

Her head was "level" with the last step ,but not in front of it,.