Harriet Buswell 1872

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Was every murderer in london blotchy faced? Jokes aside an interesting read i saw on a london facebook page:

[Pcdunn]

Interesting. Not the first murder I've read of near Christmas, either!

[PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 1]

Another Nordic sailor.

Maybe my idea is not so laughable after all.

[Trevor Marriott]

Another Nordic sailor.

Maybe my idea is not so laughable after all.

And not forgetting Carl Feigenbaum a killer and a German sailor who is known to have used aliases

https://www.trevormarriott.co.uk

[PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 1]

And not forgetting Carl Feigenbaum a killer and a German sailor who is known to have used aliases

www.trevormarriott.co.uk

2 U.S. sailors face murder charges in Mexico

Two U.S. sailors have been charged with the murder of a prostitute and the attempted murder of another in this northern border city, Mexican state prosecutors said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna29143872

Sailor [Eric Lockhart] Held in Slayings of 2 Prostitutes

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-07-30-me-4545-story.html

C.A. Upholds Sailor [Coby J. Portillo’s]’s Conviction in Murder of Prostitute

http://www.metnews.com/articles/port040703.htm

Ex-sailor John Eric Armstrong was convicted of murdering five prostitutes in America and claimed to have murdered others at ports around the world.

Steven Wright, a sailor, known as the Suffolk Strangler and Ipswich Ripper, murdered prostitutes.



John Taylor, a seaman, committed the murder of a prostitute in Everton on Xmas Eve in 1833.

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Sailo...ouse%27+Local+ historian+STEVEN+HORTON...-a0653457912



Bundy sailor confessed to murders before killing himself

[Richard Edward] Dorrough was extradited from WA to NSW in 2009, and faced trial charged with the murder of Sydney prostitute Rachel Campbell in 1998.
Her body was found in a church car park with stab wounds to her neck.
Although he admitted having sex with and biting Ms Campbell, Dorrough was acquitted of her murder.
The navy mechanic, who worked on the patrol boat HMAS Geelong, was also suspected of being involved in the murder of Sara-Lee Davey in Broome in 1997.
Police are now convinced he was responsible for the murder of both women.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/bundaberg/bundy-sailor-confessed-to-murders-before-killing-himself/news-story/7261ef347c01f19180c43dec276f3d7c

SAILOR GETS 35 YEARS FOR SLAYING

Anthony Goins was sentenced to 35 years in prison Tuesday for killing a woman after a sex-for-drugs deal turned sour.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-04-06-9404060136-story.html

Sailors murdering prostitutes seems to be an old tradition, yet when I suggest that is what happened in this case, the idea is laughed at.

And, as I pointed out, the area abounded with sailors.

Elamarna countered that the area abounded with Jews.

But it is sailors - not Polish Jews - who have a tradition of violence towards women, and the leading suspect was a man with the appearance of a sailor, not of Jewish appearance.

[rjpalmer]

Another Nordic sailor.

Maybe my idea is not so laughable after all.

Referring to Hessel as a 'Nordic sailor' is a heck of a stretch, P.I.

He was a German pastor who was trying to establish a religious colony in South America. That's why he was a passenger (and acting Chaplain) on the Wangerland.

Jon Bondeson has the best write-up of the case in Rivals of the Ripper (2016)

Hessel has more in common with someone like Dr. Thomas Barnardo, or the Reverend Barnett, or even the evangelistic Dr. Robert Anderson than a Nordic sailor.

[rjpalmer]

Maybe a better comparison would be to the Rev. Jim Jones.

[PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 1]

Referring to Hessel as a 'Nordic sailor' is a heck of a stretch, P.I.

He was a German pastor who was trying to establish a religious colony in South America. That's why he was a passenger (and acting Chaplain) on the Wangerland.

Jon Bondeson has the best write-up of the case in Rivals of the Ripper (2016)

Hessel has more in common with someone like Dr. Thomas Barnardo, or the Reverend Barnett, or even the evangelistic Dr. Robert Anderson than a Nordic sailor.

Do you think the suggestion that the brute with the German accent who committed that murder was a sailor is so much of a stretch, Roger?

How many German brutes were there in London murdering prostitutes and then apparently disappearing from the face of the earth, just like the Whitechapel Murderer?

If the murderer was a resident German, why had no-one ever come across him before and no-one saw him again?

[rjpalmer]

Do you think the suggestion that the brute with the German accent who committed that murder was a sailor is so much of a stretch, Roger?

How many German brutes were there in London murdering prostitutes and then apparently disappearing from the face of the earth, just like the Whitechapel Murderer?

If the murderer was a resident German, why had no-one ever come across him before and no-one saw him again?

It's nothing I would care to argue about, but it is my decided opinion, having studied the case over the years, that the account given at the beginning of this thread is flawed, and the rough 'German' who murdered Harriett Buswell was none other than Dr. Hessel. It wasn't a case of mistaken identity, though that is how it was usually presented by the contemporary press.

But just as there are cases of wrongful conviction, there are cases of wrongful acquittal, and I believe Dr. Hessel dodged the hangman's noose.

[PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 1]

It's nothing I would care to argue about, but it is my decided opinion, having studied the case over the years, that the account given at the beginning of this thread is flawed, and the rough 'German' who murdered Harriett Buswell was none other than Dr. Hessel. It wasn't a case of mistaken identity, though that is how it was usually presented by the contemporary press.

But just as there are cases of wrongful conviction, there are cases of wrongful acquittal, and I believe Dr. Hessel dodged the hangman's noose.

As you are obviously more familiar with the case than I am, perhaps you could answer the following questions:

(1) Why did the police suspect that the ship docked in Ramsgate might be connected with the murder?

(2) Was it really only as a result of Hessel's identification that he became a suspect?

(3) Why was the cast taken from the apple never compared with one taken from his teeth?

[rjpalmer]

As you are obviously more familiar with the case than I am, perhaps you could answer the following questions:

(1) Why did the police suspect that the ship docked in Ramsgate might be connected with the murder?

(2) Was it really only as a result of Hessel's identification that he became a suspect?

(3) Why was the cast taken from the apple never compared with one taken from his teeth?

1) witnesses who had seen Buswell and her client described a German, so the police were investigating foreigners, particularly Germans. Some days later, the police in Ramsgate were alerted to the fact that a group of German passengers staying in town (while their ship Wangerland was being repaired) had traveled to London a few days before Christmas. The suspicions were initially centered on one of the other passengers (Carl Wolhllebe) but when the Germans were placed in a police line-up two witnesses immediately picked out Hessel as the man they had seen with Harriet Buswell.

2) There was other circumstantial evidence against him as well, but you can judge for yourself if it is compelling. For instance, it was noticed that Hessel's laundry at the London hotel stunk of turpentine; he had requested turpentine to wash some stains off his clothes, claiming he had brushed against some wet paint. Instead of letting the maid do it, he did it himself, and the suspicion was that these stains had been bloodstains. There were other strange circumstances, but of course Hessel was never convicted of the crime.

3) The cast of the apple is a bit of a mystery. It was reported that the bite didn't match Buswell's teeth, so it must have belonged to her client, but if I recall correctly, there is no information about what happened to it or if any comparison had been attempted. It was possibly of limited forensic value back in 1872. I think Jan Bondeson made some effort to trace the cast, but couldn't discover what happened to it. I'll have to go back and check.

Anyway, I recommend Bondeson's book, Rivals of the Ripper, to anyone interested in the case. A lot of good information and illustrations. One can argue the case either way, which is why it is one of the classics of Victorian crime, but I personally lean towards Hessel's guilt. That said, cases of mistaken identity are one of the chief reasons for wrongful convictions.

[PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 1]

1) witnesses who had seen Buswell and her client described a German, so the police were investigating foreigners, particularly Germans. Some days later, the police in Ramsgate were alerted to the fact that a group of German passengers staying in town (while their ship Wangerland was being repaired) had traveled to London a few days before Christmas. The suspicions were initially centered on one of the other passengers (Carl Wolhllebe) but when the Germans were placed in a police line-up two witnesses immediately picked out Hessel as the man they had seen with Harriet Buswell.

2) There was other circumstantial evidence against him as well, but you can judge for yourself if it is compelling. For instance, it was noticed that Hessel's laundry at the London hotel stunk of turpentine; he had requested turpentine to wash some stains off his clothes, claiming he had brushed against some wet paint. Instead of letting the maid do it, he did it himself, and the suspicion was that these stains had been bloodstains. There were other strange circumstances, but of course Hessel was never convicted of the crime.

3) The cast of the apple is a bit of a mystery. It was reported that the bite didn't match Buswell's teeth, so it must have belonged to her client, but if I recall correctly, there is no information about what happened to it or if any comparison had been attempted. It was possibly of limited forensic value back in 1872. I think Jan Bondeson made some effort to trace the cast, but couldn't discover what happened to it. I'll have to go back and check.

Anyway, I recommend Bondeson's book, Rivals of the Ripper, to anyone interested in the case. A lot of good information and illustrations. One can argue the case either way, which is why it is one of the classics of Victorian crime, but I personally lean towards Hessel's guilt. That said, cases of mistaken identity are one of the chief reasons for wrongful convictions.

I cannot help think of a very different case in which a charge of murder was dismissed - that of seven-year-old John Gill in Bradford in 1888, just three weeks after the murder of Marie Kelly.

The suspect was the last person seen with the deceased, there was no credible reason for the deceased to have parted from him at the time he claimed he did, he never arrived back home, and the accused had access to the stable where the boy's body was subsequently found.

According to Patricia Cornwell, the murderer was Walter Sickert.

[jerryd]

Hi R.J.

Have you heard of Wilhelm Krauss?

William Krauss- Harriet Buswell murder - Jack The Ripper Forums - Ripperology For The 21st Century (jtrforums.com)

Also, out of interest, Charles Hammond (of Cleveland Street Scandal fame) and his French wife, lived with Harriet Wright (landlady of Harriet Buswell) at one time at a different location than Coram Street.

[Trevor Marriott]

1) witnesses who had seen Buswell and her client described a German, so the police were investigating foreigners, particularly Germans. Some days later, the police in Ramsgate were alerted to the fact that a group of German passengers staying in town (while their ship Wangerland was being repaired) had traveled to London a few days before Christmas. The suspicions were initially centered on one of the other passengers (Carl Wolhllebe) but when the Germans were placed in a police line-up two witnesses immediately picked out Hessel as the man they had seen with Harriet Buswell.

2) There was other circumstantial evidence against him as well, but you can judge for yourself if it is compelling. For instance, it was noticed that Hessel's laundry at the London hotel stunk of turpentine; he had requested turpentine to wash some stains off his clothes, claiming he had brushed against some wet paint. Instead of letting the maid do it, he did it himself, and the suspicion was that these stains had been bloodstains. There were other strange circumstances, but of course Hessel was never convicted of the crime.

3) The cast of the apple is a bit of a mystery. It was reported that the bite didn't match Buswell's teeth, so it must have belonged to her client, but if I recall correctly, there is no information about what happened to it or if any comparison had been attempted. It was possibly of limited forensic value back in 1872. I think Jan Bondeson made some effort to trace the cast, but couldn't discover what happened to it. I'll have to go back and check.

Anyway, I recommend Bondeson's book, Rivals of the Ripper, to anyone interested in the case. A lot of good information and illustrations. One can argue the case either way, which is why it is one of the classics of Victorian crime, but I personally lean towards Hessel's guilt. That said, cases of mistaken identity are one of the chief reasons for wrongful convictions.

One witness was a greengrocer who stated he served the victim with fruit at about 12.40am. He gave a description of the man with her: “The man looked like a mechanic. He had on dark, but common clothes. He was a stern-looking young man, and I should know him again. I guess him to be about 5’ 6” to 5’ 8” in height. He had small black spots like moles on his face. He was a dark- complexioned aged about 24-25 years.” he was never called was that because his description was totally different from Dr Hessell.

www.trevormarriott.co.uk

[rjpalmer]

Hi R.J.

Have you heard of Wilhelm Krauss?

William Krauss- Harriet Buswell murder - Jack The Ripper Forums - Ripperology For The 21st Century (jtrforums.com)

Also, out of interest, Charles Hammond (of Cleveland Street Scandal fame) and his French wife, lived with Harriet Wright (landlady of Harriet Buswell) at one time at a different location than Coram Street.

Thanks, Jerry. Yes, I have heard of Wilhelm Krauss--but that's only because I saw your link back in 2022. I'm not sure what to make of it.

I can certainly understand why people would want to doubt the case against Hessel and defend his acquittal. He was even given a large settlement by the British Government for his troubles.

On the other hand, there was some monkey business with his boots at the hotel and the police were apparently convinced that he had been furnished with a bogus alibi.

I'd like to know more about Hessel's life back in Germany and why this religious colony in South America went bust. Details are sketchy, and I could be entirely wrong, but my gut feeling is that he wasn't the snow white clergyman that his supporters believed him to be.