Originally posted by Michael W Richards
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So Diemschitz sees a clock that says 1.00 just as he’s about to turn into Berner Street. He knows that he’ll arrive at the gates 30 seconds or so later so he assumes that this particular clock will still say 1.00 by that time. If he’d spoken more accurately he should just have said “the clock that I saw said 1.00.” Obviously it could have gone onto 1.01 by the time that he arrived. But, and this is the vital point, none of us have any way of confirming the accuracy of that clock. It could have been fast or slow. And if Lamb estimated his time from a different source (which is possible) then those two clocks could have been poorly synchronised.
Of course police officers needed to keep a reasonable grasp on times but it’s unrealistic to suggest that they could have known the exact time at every point on their beat. Especially for an officer like Lamb who didn’t have a watch. So every single time needs to have an ‘approx’ attached to it with the acceptance of a margin for error. Then a reasonable timeline can be created. Any times that are miles out are likely to have been wrong. Why accept Kosebrodski and Heschberg and yet dismiss Diemschitz, Eagle, Gilleman etc?
Diemschitz finds the body at approx 1.00 (maybe in real-time it was 12.57 or 12.58 who knows)
He and Kos go looking for a PC at approx 1.01 (maybe it was actually 12.58 or 12.59)
Diemschitz and Spooner return at approx 1.03 (maybe it was actually 1.01 or 1.02)
Eagle finds Lamb at approx 1.05 (maybe it was 1.03 or 1.04)
Lamb arrives with Eagle at approx 1.06 - 3 0r 4 minutes after Spooner and Diemschitz.
None are exact because we can’t do exact. Exact is impossible. So we have reasonable estimations based on a reasonable, very understandable margin-for-error.
FrankO, Jeff, myself and George have all done perfectly workable, feasible timelines. But if you make the false assumption that every stated time was accurate and perfectly synchronised then it’s impossible. Errors are a part and parcel of any assessment. They have to be Michael but you won’t accept this obvious fact.
An example is Halse and Long who both said that they passed down Goulston Street at the same time but they didn’t see each other. Was one of them lying? Or, in reality, we’re there watches simply poorly synchronised? I know what the vast majority would go for. So what about Mortimer and Schwartz both saying 12.45? Was one of them lying or were there times simply out by a minute or two? A more likely explanation is that whatever time Schwartz passed it was a time when Fanny wasn’t on her doorstep and she herself admitted that she’d gone indoors twice in that 30 minute period.
So simply, everyday timing disagreement or plot?
Which is the likelier?
You say plot. The overwhelming majority would say error.
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