The Bank Holiday Murders by Tom Wescott (2014)

[martin wilson]

Thanks for posting that Mr B.
I Swung and I missed, thanks Debra.
All the best.

[Debra A]

Donovan and Lodging house ... mmmmm

Like lodging houses, violent crime and men named Donovan were commonplace in Spitalfields.
But at least one Donovan who had lived at 35 Dorset St in 1888-Timothy, had moved on to Mile End by 1890 with his wife and two sons.

[MrBarnett]

[ATTACH]16818[/ATTACH]

[GUT]

South Wales Daily Post. 16th February 1894.

FRACAS IN A LODGING HOUSE.
A MAN STABBED.

Early this (Friday) morning a fracas occurred in a lodging house in the east end of London, during which a man named Donavon was stabbed.
He was removed to the London Hospital. His assailants are three brothers,who are known to the police.

Donovan and Lodging house ... mmmmm

[martin wilson]

South Wales Daily Post. 16th February 1894.

FRACAS IN A LODGING HOUSE.
A MAN STABBED.

Early this (Friday) morning a fracas occurred in a lodging house in the east end of London, during which a man named Donavon was stabbed.
He was removed to the London Hospital. His assailants are three brothers,who are known to the police.

[martin wilson]

Trying to get back on thread after some fool derailed it with cricket nonsense.

I am aware of the commonality of names, but I do wonder if this is one of the girls.

Old Bailey online.

Elizabeth Allen. 33. Breaking peace, Wounding. 13th January 1890.

Feloniously wounding Richard Hunt, of 49 Johnson street St Pancras with intent to do him grievous bodily harm.

Full details on the OBO but essentially a domestic, both had been drinking.
and during a row Allen stabbed him in the upper lip with a knife.

Guilty. To enter into her own recognisances in £10, and to appear for judgement if called upon.

All the best.

[martin wilson]

Hi GUT

Well, y'know perfidious Albion and all that. Rain is our 12th man, at say, 9-150 chasing 300 we have been thankful for the heavens opening, and in best English sporting tradition we have called it a draw.
I haven't heard if Glenn 'mind that ball' McGrath has come out with his usual 5-0 yet, I did read in the Guardian that cricketing nonentity and Jack Douglas impersonator Steve Smith has opened his gigantic Australian mouth and made some hopefully ill advised comments.
Actually, he's probably right, but it's the vibe of the thing.

Sorry Tom, this properly belongs on the Druitt thread.

[Scott Nelson]

Can I get an abbreviated summary somewhere?

[GUT]

it's a real page turner, and beautifully written in plain English, for me always a sign of a quality book as it speaks to intention, the writer has something to say and is doing their utmost to ensure the reader can understand it.
Outside of scientific and other technical articles, I am suspicious of books that require a dictionary kept handy as it speaks to intention, the writer is saying, 'look at me! aren't I clever?'
Anyway, the English invented a game called Cricket Tom, we are no bloody good at it and a match takes the best part of a week, but that's beside the point, which is you have about half an hour to an hour of switching the radio on to get yourself moving or get on with something, otherwise you are inexorably sucked in and other than tea and biccies you are stuck there for a day.
So, whilst listening to the English batsmen proving they couldn't bat their way out of a paper bag, even if they had been on an intensive training course with Geoff Paperbagbatter, I read your book.
And I'm very glad I did.
All the best.

The most amazing thing about that game the English invented is that it needs 4 or 5 days without rain, to play, In ENGLAND.

Triumph of optimism over reality in my books.

[martin wilson]

it's a real page turner, and beautifully written in plain English, for me always a sign of a quality book as it speaks to intention, the writer has something to say and is doing their utmost to ensure the reader can understand it.
Outside of scientific and other technical articles, I am suspicious of books that require a dictionary kept handy as it speaks to intention, the writer is saying, 'look at me! aren't I clever?'
Anyway, the English invented a game called Cricket Tom, we are no bloody good at it and a match takes the best part of a week, but that's beside the point, which is you have about half an hour to an hour of switching the radio on to get yourself moving or get on with something, otherwise you are inexorably sucked in and other than tea and biccies you are stuck there for a day.
So, whilst listening to the English batsmen proving they couldn't bat their way out of a paper bag, even if they had been on an intensive training course with Geoff Paperbagbatter, I read your book.
And I'm very glad I did.
All the best.

[Tom_Wescott]

A chance conversation led to the interesting information that you can have a Kindle App on your laptop.
So much faffing about by a computer ignoramus later, I downloaded Tom's book, and read it in one sitting yesterday.
Fantastic book, absolutely recommended, I'm going to read it again shortly.

The convention has it that Anne Chapman had spent her doss money, but after Tom's compelling reasoning re Polly Nicholls I wonder if she too was afraid to stay at the lodging house.

Anyway, hat off Tom. Magnificent.

Hi Martin, thanks a million. I'm glad you enjoyed the read. Personally I don't think I could read an entire book in one sitting on my lap top screen, so I admire and appreciate your perseverance. There are a lot of unanswered questions about Nichols and Chapman. I could be misremembering, but I believe both were murdered in the week of their birthday. It's a fact that probably has no relevance, but it's hard to say what is and isn't relevant.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[martin wilson]

Ho Ho, top man. beautifully done.

[Livia]

Though to go back to my previous question about the turnover of people at Dorset street...I suppose the point I was trying to raise/debate was whether or not most prostitutes would end up at one point or another at that address? It happens today. All be it if its crack houses/dens. Is it a coincidence that the victims all had lodgings at one time or another at 35 Dorset street?

Not all victims. Only Polly Nichols and Annie Chapman lived
at 35 Dorset St.

[GUT]

A chance conversation led to the interesting information that you can have a Kindle App on your laptop.

Yes Kindle reader can go on almost anything (now I hate reading on screen and it is a last resort) but I have Kindle on Laptop, desktop, Ipad, I phone and android tablet.


A real plus is that I can open the book on any of them and pick up reading where I left off as they all keep in sync with each other.

So much faffing about by a computer ignoramus later, I downloaded Tom's book, and read it in one sitting yesterday.
Fantastic book, absolutely recommended, I'm going to read it again shortly.

Yep, even the bits that I don't agree with were a good read.

The convention has it that Anne Chapman had spent her doss money, but after Tom's compelling reasoning re Polly Nicholls I wonder if she too was afraid to stay at the lodging house.

Anyway, hat off Tom. Magnificent.

[martin wilson]

A chance conversation led to the interesting information that you can have a Kindle App on your laptop.
So much faffing about by a computer ignoramus later, I downloaded Tom's book, and read it in one sitting yesterday.
Fantastic book, absolutely recommended, I'm going to read it again shortly.

The convention has it that Anne Chapman had spent her doss money, but after Tom's compelling reasoning re Polly Nicholls I wonder if she too was afraid to stay at the lodging house.

Anyway, hat off Tom. Magnificent.