Originally posted by Curious Cat
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I’m not sure I agree with your statement above. There are reasons to suspect that Kelly may well have maintained some contact with her erstwhile employers/customers in the Ratcliff Highway. Let’s not forget that Hutchinson, the man who had in the past spent time in her company and given her a few shillings, was said to have known her for about three years. That was probably when she was plying her trade in the Highway and living at 79, Pennington Street. Kelly had moved away from the Highway around two years prior to her murder, but Mrs ‘Phoenix’, the sister-in-law of Johannes Morgenstern, had been kept informed of her activities in the Commercial Road (I suspect that should have been Street). And shortly before her death Kelly was said by ‘Mrs McCarthy’ to have returned to her former lodgings, presumably 79, Pennington Street, with a strange man in tow and asked for a room for the night. The request was granted and the punter coughed up a ‘few shillings’ for his night of pleasure - 2/- for the room plus whatever other costs were demanded.
It’s not too much of a stretch to suggest that Hutchinson may well have known Morganstone, Buki etc. - and their next door neighbour, Stephen Maywood, the brothel keeper/horse dealer with connections to Romford.
There are also reasons to suspect that Kelly may have known Maria Harvey from her Highway days.
Gary
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