Jack the sweeper finds a torso.

[jerryd]

Here is the link to this interesting case.

http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/louis_voisin.htm

[Mike Covell]

What a gruesome find, but an intresting case.

It appears that Torso murders were quite a popular method of "offing" someone back then!!

Nowadays it wouldn't be long before DNA discovers the identity of the victim!

There are several reports of Torso finds in London over on the Victims threads, they are right at the bottom.

[jerryd]

Hey Mike,

A gruesome find indeed. I wonder if JTR could have had access to a coal cellar like the one in the article. Would have been a nice place to hide out for a few or even stash some body parts.

I am curious to the location of these coal cellars. Were there any near the bodies of the victims in Whitechapel by chance?

[Mike Covell]

As a matter of fact coal cellers were quite common place in most buildings of the period, I was knee deep in one on a paranormal investigation just before Christmas!!

Eddowes was found next to one in Mitre Square I believe, and I am sure there was pne in the yard at Hanbury Street!!

The Pinchin Street Torso was found under an arch!!

You could be onto something here, AP Wolf and Myself posted some articles about a suspect with a blacked out face, possibly a minstrel, possibly a coal man!!

[jerryd]

Mike,

I was re-hashing a snippet I posted on the boards before the crash. It is from the Star, Oct 4. Here is the snippet.

Only Twenty Yards Away.

In connection with the Mitre-square murder, the foreman of the sewer hands who are engaged at Aldgate in sweeping the streets in the early hours of the morning has stated most positively that at the time when the murder is supposed to have been perpetrated he was standing not more than 20 yards away from the spot where the body was found. He never heard any woman's cries for help, nor any sounds of a struggle.

This guy has bugged me for a long time. I always wondered why he wasn't questioned further and where in the square he could have been to be only 20 yds. away and not see or hear anything.

[Mike Covell]

Is it possible he was in Mitre Street, the square is extremely tiny, and I was shocked at just how small it was, back then there was also the issue of lighting with the square having little illumination.

Just how noisy would you have to be to kill some one?

I had not heard of that report and I collect newspapers, is it possibly a "Press Fabricated Piece" made to sell more papers??

Good find though Jerry

[RockySullivan]

Is there anyway to find a record of the foreman's name? It seems like a coincidence with the "what's on guv" sweeper and the torso case possible sewer connections

[Harry D]

Nowadays it wouldn't be long before DNA discovers the identity of the victim!

Quoting a seven year old post here, but that's not exactly true. Just look at all the unidentified victims they have in the US even with the benefit of DNA and facial reconstructions.

[RockySullivan]

Quoting a seven year old post here, but that's not exactly true. Just look at all the unidentified victims they have in the US even with the benefit of DNA and facial reconstructions.

Yes I'm not quite sure how DNA could ever possibly identify the torso victims. But on that note, what ever happened to the victim's clothes? Since they were never identified would the police hold on to the clothes as clues in hopes of someday getting an id? I know the ripper victims clothes were apparently discarded quickly...but since the clothes were used to wrap the pieces and were the only clues the police had it seems like basic police work 101 to save them. Were they thrown away or kept for a time? Were all the torso files mixed in with the ripper stuff and lost over the years?

[GUT]

Quoting a seven year old post here, but that's not exactly true. Just look at all the unidentified victims they have in the US even with the benefit of DNA and facial reconstructions.

Presuming they had some material of the torso to test and some material from a suspected victim to test they could do it, but they aren't going to run a not inexpensive test unless they have the material to test and good reason to suspect they have the right potential victim.