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Tom,
I tend to discount this witness but then I hadn’t thought of the very valid point Lynn made about snoozing and not realising it.
The train was timetabled for 3.30 – which I think should be kept as a constant.
The rest of the time line that night is exceptionally confused and contradictory – what a surprise.
For example Cross says he left home at 3.30 (although some accounts say 3.20).
It is seven minutes walk to the murder scene (presuming he went straight there).
So he should be there about 3.37.
Paul says he left home at 3.45. It is two minutes walk to the murder scene. He should be there at 3.47.
He was 40 yards behind Cross though at about 3.45 ish
Neil says he found the body at 3.45 as well and summoned Thain roughly at the same time.
Emma Green (next door) and Purkiss (opposite) claim to have been knocked at 4.00 – but other policemen and by-standers were there then, at a time when Neil would have almost certainly been alone.
Llewellyn reckons he got there at about 4.00. Thain fetched him and seems to have skived first by calling in at the slaughter yard to get his cape – and told the slaughtermen what had happened.
The slaughtermen went to look at the body at 4.20.
It seems to me that if Thain set off to get Llewellyn at 3.50 it is unlikely Llewellyn would have been roused, dressed and back to Bucks Row before 4.10.
Paul says it took them 4 minutes to find Mizen. But Mizen says he arrived at the murder scene at 4.15.
Paul says Mizen continued knocking up and Cross pointedly told Mizen that he was not sure that Nichols was dead.
The body was taken to the mortuary at 4.30 – but Mizen had to go to Bethnal Green police station and back to get the ambulance.
I could add other timings which would just add to the confusion.
How did humble people wake up each morning at the right time? How could they tell the time if they couldn’t hear a church clock – and most people wouldn’t be able to?
Were clockwork alarm clocks cheap?
However it is fairly clear that the discovery happened at about 3.45 which is 15 minutes after the train arrived. The earliest feasible time for the Cross-Paul discussion is 3.40.
Llewellyn said the murder had happened within half an hour – or even a smaller timescale.
She was still warm as was testified by Paul and Neil (and Cross for what his testimony is worth).
If Cross didn’t do it then he must have just missed the culprit. The signs are that the culprit was disturbed as Polly’s dress was half pulled down, covering her stomach wounds. That tells me that the culprit wanted to buy time and didn’t want it to be obvious she was dead.
I think the murder happened at about 3.40. Paul disturbed him at about 3.43. Neil arrived about 3.48. Paul and Cross met Mizen also at about 3.48.
There would have been whispering at 3.40 and 3.43.
Everyone – including Cross (for what it’s worth) say they saw no one else about.
I tend to discount this witness but then I hadn’t thought of the very valid point Lynn made about snoozing and not realising it.
The train was timetabled for 3.30 – which I think should be kept as a constant.
The rest of the time line that night is exceptionally confused and contradictory – what a surprise.
For example Cross says he left home at 3.30 (although some accounts say 3.20).
It is seven minutes walk to the murder scene (presuming he went straight there).
So he should be there about 3.37.
Paul says he left home at 3.45. It is two minutes walk to the murder scene. He should be there at 3.47.
He was 40 yards behind Cross though at about 3.45 ish
Neil says he found the body at 3.45 as well and summoned Thain roughly at the same time.
Emma Green (next door) and Purkiss (opposite) claim to have been knocked at 4.00 – but other policemen and by-standers were there then, at a time when Neil would have almost certainly been alone.
Llewellyn reckons he got there at about 4.00. Thain fetched him and seems to have skived first by calling in at the slaughter yard to get his cape – and told the slaughtermen what had happened.
The slaughtermen went to look at the body at 4.20.
It seems to me that if Thain set off to get Llewellyn at 3.50 it is unlikely Llewellyn would have been roused, dressed and back to Bucks Row before 4.10.
Paul says it took them 4 minutes to find Mizen. But Mizen says he arrived at the murder scene at 4.15.
Paul says Mizen continued knocking up and Cross pointedly told Mizen that he was not sure that Nichols was dead.
The body was taken to the mortuary at 4.30 – but Mizen had to go to Bethnal Green police station and back to get the ambulance.
I could add other timings which would just add to the confusion.
How did humble people wake up each morning at the right time? How could they tell the time if they couldn’t hear a church clock – and most people wouldn’t be able to?
Were clockwork alarm clocks cheap?
However it is fairly clear that the discovery happened at about 3.45 which is 15 minutes after the train arrived. The earliest feasible time for the Cross-Paul discussion is 3.40.
Llewellyn said the murder had happened within half an hour – or even a smaller timescale.
She was still warm as was testified by Paul and Neil (and Cross for what his testimony is worth).
If Cross didn’t do it then he must have just missed the culprit. The signs are that the culprit was disturbed as Polly’s dress was half pulled down, covering her stomach wounds. That tells me that the culprit wanted to buy time and didn’t want it to be obvious she was dead.
I think the murder happened at about 3.40. Paul disturbed him at about 3.43. Neil arrived about 3.48. Paul and Cross met Mizen also at about 3.48.
There would have been whispering at 3.40 and 3.43.
Everyone – including Cross (for what it’s worth) say they saw no one else about.
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