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Unsolved prostitute murder February 1889 - Louisa Smith

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  • Unsolved prostitute murder February 1889 - Louisa Smith

    I first picked up on this case, which I haven't read about before, from the MEPO report from 1891 (which referred to the statistics for 1889) as below:

    The Times
    3 February 1891

    THE METROPOLITAN POLICE
    Colonel Sir Edward Bradford, Commissioner of Police of the metropolis, has presented his report for the year 1889 to the Secretary of State.

    The criminal returns for the year show a marked improvement upon the statistics for 1888. It is noticed that 17 murders were recorded without a single conviction having been obtained. The explanation given of this may be interesting:-
    "In eight of these cases the persons actually causing deaths were made amenable, but escaped the capital penalty; two of them on the ground of insanity, and the others because the homicides were held not to amount to murder. In four of the nine remaining cases the persons against whom coroners' juries found verdicts of wilful murder had committed suicide before their crimes were discovered. In one the murderer was tracked to New York and arrested there, but committed suicide in prison. There are four cases only, therefore, to be accounted for. One of these was the case of a prostitute who was found lying in Algernon Road, Lewisham, on the 10th of February, and who died on the 14th from a fracture of the skull, supposed to have been caused by a blow. The second was the case of Elizabeth Jackson, also a prostitute, portions of whose dismembered body were found, some in Chelsea, and some in the Thames. The next was the case Alice M'Kenzie, whose death in Castle Alley, on the 17th of July, was the last of the crimes known as the Whitechapel murders. And the last was a case where a portion of a woman's body was found in a railway arch in Pinchin Street, St George's East, on the 10th of September."


    The inquest into the death in Lewisham in February reads as follows:
    The Times
    20 February 1889

    INQUESTS
    Mr Wood, deputy coroner for West Kent, held an inquest at Lewisham Workhouse on the body of Louisa Smith, aged 35, of 7 Giffin Street, Deptford. The evidence showed that she lived there with a labourer named John Luxford, and on Saturday morning was with a woman named Emily Atkinson, who left her at a quarter to 11 at night, talking to another woman, named Emma Maguire, at a corner near Hilly Fields at Lewisham. Shortly after, John Brown, living at Lee's Fields, Lewisham, saw the deceased and a man near the gate, and turned them outside. On Sunday morning, about half past 12 o'clock, John Cheeseman, of 171 Algernon Road, Lewisham, found the deceased lying about a yard from the kerb, about 150 yards from Lewisham Road; and Police Constable Davis, 7P, on being called, found her on her back, unconscious, with her mouth cut and bleeding. She was taken on an ambulance to Lewisham Police Station, where she was seen by Dr Visger, who ordered her removal to the Lewisham Union Infirmary. The constable had been unable to obtain evidence as to how the injuries were occasioned. Mr Lewis Robinson, surgeon at the infirmary, said deceased was admitted about 3 o'clock on the morning of Sunday, the 10th, insensible and bleeding from the mouth and right ear, behind which there was a depression, and above that a bruise. Her face was paralysed. She died last Thursday evening. He had made a post mortem examination of the body. There was a cut on the outside of the lips, and the inside was cut by the teeth, which were not loosened. That indicated that no great force had been used. The membranes of the brain were full of blood, with clots of blood in the lower part of the brain, which was lacerated. There was a fracture of the base of the skull. The blow must have been given with tremendous force, the weapon probably having a smooth surface. He thought the cut on the lip was caused when the deceased fell, on being struck from behind. The jury returned a verdict of "Wilful murder against some person or persons unknown."

  • #2
    Details for John Cheeseman:
    1891:
    171 Algernon Road, Lewisham
    Head: John Cheeseman aged 49 born Charing, Kent - Barrister's Clerk
    Wife: Sarah L Cheeseman aged 52 born Dover
    Children:
    Alice aged 18 born New Cross
    Percy aged 15 born New Cross - South Eastern Railway Clerk
    Mother in Law: Jane Stockwell aged 89 (Widow) born Deal

    Comment


    • #3
      7 Giffen Street, Deptford in 1881
      Head: John Norrigan aged 56 born Cork - Boiler maker
      Wife: Hannah Norrigan aged 63 born Cork
      Children:
      Mary aged 25 born St Johns, Kent
      Michael aged 23 born Deptford - Boiler maker
      Ellen aged 16 born Deptford
      Boarder: Ada Cooper aged 18 born Lewisham

      Head: Frederick Todman aged 21 born Deptford - Painter
      Wife: Alice Todman aged 24 born Greenwich
      Child:
      Mary aged 4 born Woolwich

      William Loft aged 26 born Greenwich - Carman (listed as blind)
      Wife: Louisa Loft aged 26 born Perth, Australia

      The Louisa listed here is the same age (within one year) of the Louisa Smith mentioned in 1889. But I have yet to establish any connection between the two.

      Comment


      • #4
        Interesting stuff there Chris. Wonder who that murderer was who killed himself here in the States while confined.
        Last edited by sdreid; 08-18-2008, 01:27 AM.
        This my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, that is, if I'm not joking.

        Stan Reid

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        • #5
          Hi Stan
          Thanks for the message
          yes, interesting point
          Anyone know which case this refers to?

          Comment


          • #6
            The doctor mentioned is listed as follows:
            1891
            279 High Street, Lewisham
            Head: Harman Visger aged 43 born Westbury, Gloucestershire - Surgeon and apothecary
            Servant:
            Elizabeth Campbell aged 33 born Island of Mull, Scotland

            Comment


            • #7
              The infirmary doctor, who carried out the post mortem, is listed as follows:
              1891:
              162 High Street, Lewisham
              Head: Louis (sic) Robinson aged 33 born Saddiscombe, Sussex - Medical practitioner
              (His place of birth is given in 1881 as Saddlescombe, but is now called Sedlescombe)
              Wife: Edith A Robinson aged 25 born Stockton, Durham
              Children:
              Martin A aged 1
              Bernard C aged 5 months
              Both born Lewisham
              Servants:
              Amelia Bishopp aged 22 born Deptford - Domestic servant
              Gertrude M Phillips aged 19 born Erith - Nursemaid

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              • #8
                This looks like the murderer/suicide.

                ST PAUL DAILY NEWS Feb 24th 1890
                Attached Files

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                • #9
                  PS The paper had him as a murderer before he'd even stood trial.

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                  • #10
                    That's a very good find Robert although my assumption was that the English victim was a woman. Perhaps I was off base. It's hard to imagine that two English murder suspects would kill themselves in U.S. custody at about the same time.
                    This my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, that is, if I'm not joking.

                    Stan Reid

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Sounds like a reasonable match. Not everyone murdered at the time was female, and the article doesn't suggest a gender either way.

                      Dan Norder
                      Ripper Notes: The International Journal for Ripper Studies
                      Web site: www.RipperNotes.com - Email: dannorder@gmail.com

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Here are a couple of Times items from Jan 21 and 28 1889.

                        Turner was subsequently found not guilty.
                        Attached Files

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                        • #13
                          Has it ever occurred to any of you that somewhere, Jack the Ripper's name is sitting in print waiting to be read? Maybe it's been read a million times in a register, in a paper, on a gravestone, and no-one's realised.

                          Sends chills down my spine.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Robert View Post
                            This looks like the murderer/suicide.

                            ST PAUL DAILY NEWS Feb 24th 1890
                            Wonder how long it will be before someone suggests Barrett as a Ripper suspect
                            Best regards,
                            Adam


                            "They assumed Kelly was the last... they assumed wrong" - Me

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Did anyone glean anymore info on the Louisa Smith murder? This is an interesting one.
                              Best regards,
                              Adam


                              "They assumed Kelly was the last... they assumed wrong" - Me

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