Annie Chapman - Wife, Mother, Victim: The Life & Death of a Victim of Jack The Ripper

by Covell, Mike

  The Morning Advertiser, a newspaper published in London, England, featured the following, dated September 15th 1888,

  THE WHITECHAPEL MURDER. The police at the Commercial-street police-station have made another arrest in connexion with the recent murders, and the prisoner is detained at the station. It appears that among the numerous statements and descriptions of suspected persons are several tallying with that of the man in custody, but beyond this the police know nothing against him. His apprehension was of a singular character. Throughout yesterday his movements are stated to have created suspicion, but it was not until last night he was handed over to a uniform constable doing duty in the neighbourhood of Flower and Dean-street on suspicion. On his arrival at the police-station at Commercial-street, the detective officers and Mr. Abberline were communicated with, and an investigation was at once commenced concerning him. On being searched a most extraordinary accumulation of articles was discovered upon him. Amongst other things to be seen arrayed conspicuously beside the suspect was a heap of rags, comprising pieces of dress fabrics, old and dirty linen, two or three handkerchiefs, a comparatively clean white one, and a white one with a red-spotted border; two small tin boxes, a small cardboard-box, a small leather strap, which might serve as a garter, strings, and one solitary spring onion. Two purses, such as are usually carried by females, and somewhat worn, were also found amongst the man's “effects.” The person to whom this curious assortment belonged is slightly built, about 5ft. 7in. or 5ft. 8 in. in height, and, as may be imagined, dressed in very shabby attire. He has a very careworn appearance. Covering a head of hair inclined somewhat to be sandy, with beard and moustache to match, he wore a cloth skull cap, which did not improve his miserable appearance. Suspicion is the sole motive for the man's temporary detention, for the police, although making every possible inquiry about him, do not believe his apprehension to be of any importance. Regarding the man Pigott, who was captured at Gravesend, nothing whatever has been discovered by the detectives which can in any way identify him with the crime or crimes, and his release, at all events from the custody of the police is expected shortly. In connexion with the arrest of a lunatic at Holloway on Thursday, it appears that the man has been missing from his friends for some time. The detectives have been very active in prosecuting their inquiries concerning him. He is at present confined in the asylum at Grove-road, Bow. All inquiries have failed to elicit anything as to the whereabouts of the missing pensioner who was acquainted with the woman Chapman. On the question of the hour at which the crime was committed, about which there was a difference between the evidence of the man Richardson and the opinion of Dr. Phillips, Mr. Cadoche, who lives in the next house to No. 29, Hanbury-street, has repeated a statement which he made last Saturday, and which appears to have an important bearing on the matter. He says that he went to the back of his premises at half-past five a.m., and as he passed the wooden partition he heard a woman say “No, no.” On returning he heard a scuffle, and then some one fell heavily against the fence. He heard no cry for help, and so he went into his house. Inquiry reveals the fact that some of the four murdered women were known to one another, but there is great reluctance amongst the women of the locality to give information, partly because of the shame at making public the life they are living, and also for fear of being subjected to rough usage. A rumour was prevalent yesterday that inquiries are being made by detectives at Maidstone with a view to the identification of the handwriting on an envelope found near the body, but we are informed that the report is unfounded. A statement, which is probably of some importance, has been made to a reporter by a woman named Lloyd, living in Heath-street, Commercial-road. While standing outside a neighbour's door, about half-past ten o'clock on Monday night, she heard her daughter, who was sitting on the doorstep, scream, and, on looking round, saw a man walk hurriedly away. The daughter states that the man peered into her face, and she perceived a large knife at his side. A woman living opposite stated that a similar incident took place outside her house. The man was short in stature, and had a sandy beard, and wore a cloth cap. The woman drew the attention of some men who were passing to the strange man, and they pursued him some distance until he turned up a bye street, when, after assuming a threatening attitude, he managed to escape. The funeral of Annie Chapman took place early yesterday morning. The utmost secrecy was observed in the arrangements, and none but the undertaker, the police, and the relatives of the deceased knew anything about it. Shortly after seven o'clock a hearse drew up outside the mortuary in Montagu-street and the body was quickly removed. At nine o'clock a start was made for Manor Park Cemetary, the place selected by the friends of the deceased for the interment, but no coaches followed, as it was desired that public attention should not be attracted. The relatives met the body at the cemetary, and the service was duly performed in the ordinary manner. The remains of the deceased were enclosed in a black covered elm coffin, which bore the words, “Annie Chapman, died September 8, 1888, aged 48 years.”

  St. James Gazette, a London based newspaper, featured the following, dated September 15th 1888,

  THE SPITALFIELDS MURDER. STATEMENT BY THE PENSIONER. The police were yesterday in communication with the pensioner Edward Stanley, who is known to have been frequently in the company of the murdered woman, Annie Chapman. Last night Stanley, who is a man of forty seven years of age, attended at the Commercial street Police Station and made a statement. His explanation of his proceedings is regarded as perfectly satisfactory, and as affording no possible ground for associating him in any way with the murder. He has given the police a full account of his whereabouts since he last saw the deceased woman, which was on the Sunday preceding the murder. He states that he had known Chapman for about two years, and denies that she was of a quarrelsome disposition. So far as he is aware, there was no man with whom she was on bad terms or who would have any reason for seeking her life. Stanley will attend the inquest when the proceedings are resumed, though his evidence is not expected to throw much light on the tragedy. On the question as to the time when the crime was committed, a correspondent of the Times yesterday elicited that Mr. Cadoche, who lives in the next house to No. 29, Hanbury street, where the murder was committed, went to the back of the premises at half past 5 a.m. As he passed the wooden partition he heard a woman say “No, no.” On returning he heard a scuffle, and then some one fell heavily against the fence. He heard no cry for help, and so he went into his house.

  The Macclesfield Courier and Herald, published the following, dated September 15th 1888,

  THE WHITECHAPEL MURDER. Up to a late hour last night no arrest had been made in connection with the murder of Annie Chapman, whose remains were buried yesterday with the utmost privacy. A Press Association reporter has elicited that Mr. Cardoche [Cadosch], who lives in the next house to No. 29, Hanbury-street, where the murder was committed, went to the back of the premises at 5.30 a.m., and as he passed the wooden partition he heard a woman say: “No, no.” On returning he heard a scuffle and then someone fall heavily against the fence. He heard no cry for help, and so he went into his house. Some surprise is felt that this statement was not made in evidence at the inquest. In a later telegram, the Press Association says the police made another arrest last night in connection with the recent murder. ANOTHER REVOLTING TRAGEDY IN LONDON. Early on Saturday morning a discovery was made in Hanbury-street, Whitechapel, of the body of a woman shockingly mutilated and murdered. The scene of the crime is not far from Buck's Row, where the woman Nicholls [Nichols] was recently killed. The discovery was made by John Davis, in the yard of whose house the body was found. Mr. Davis was crossing the yard at a quarter to six, when he saw a horrible-looking mass lying in the corner. While he was gone to give information to the police, Mrs. Richardson, an old lady sleeping on the first floor, was aroused by her grandson, and looking out of the back window, saw the body lying in the yard. The throat was cut from ear to ear, and the deceased was lying on her back with her legs outstretched. Her clothes were pushed u
p above the knees, and the body was ripped up from groin to breastbone. The deceased has been identified as being an unfortunate named Chapman, who had been sleeping at a common lodging house, at 35, Dorset-street, Spitalfields, where she was seen at 2 o'clock on Saturday morning. The universal opinion in the locality is that the murderer is the same man who killed Mrs. Nicholls, and possibly also the two other women who were killed earlier in the year. On the wall near where the woman's body was found were the words, “Five - fifteen more, and then I give myself up.” The inquest was opened on Monday by Mr. Wynne Baxter, coroner, and was - after evidence of identification and the finding of the body had been given - adjourned. Throughout Monday, the excitement aroused among the people of Whitechapel showed no sign of abatement, and the streets near the scene of the crime and about the police stations of the district were the resorts of crowds of people eager to gather the latest details of the affair. Several arrests were made, but with the exception of a capture at Gravesend, they appear to be people who had no difficulty in proving their entire innocence. The man arrested at Gravesend had marks of blood upon his clothes and boots, and stated that he was in Whitechapel during the whole of Friday night. He was afterwards pronounced by the police doctor to be of unsound mind. No evidence connecting either Pigott or Piser with the murder was obtained, and on Tuesday evening the latter was discharged from custody. The man Pigott, who was arrested at Gravesend was placed in the Infirmary, where he is being closely watched. A reward of £100 has been offered by Mr. S. Montague, M.P., for the capture of Chapman's murderer, but every effort of the police to trace him has failed up to the present, and they appear to be absolutely without a clue to the mystery. The inquest was resumed on Wednesday afternoon. John Piser, otherwise “Leather Apron,” who was liberated on the previous evening, gave evidence as to his movements on Friday night and Saturday morning. His story had been tested by the police and found to be correct.

  The Irish Times, a newspaper published in Dublin, Ireland, featured the following, dated September 15th 1888,

  The HOME SECRETARY as well as the Commissioner of Police and his subordinates have been assailed with severity for their failure to discover the murderers of the woman CHAPMAN. It is most necessary that they should understand that the public will not bear with failure in the matter from them. No mistake will be tolerated, and their ingenuities do appear to have been very limited. We shall not say that our Irish detective department would have done better, because they have themselves on occasions been compelled to take a good deal of time in perfecting inquiries when a clue had been obtained. But that any such organisation, with all the means and appliances at its command, and a public to boot ready and willing to assist, could be baffled for any length of days in tracking a crime of the sort, having no political element or probably any plot behind it, is calculated to create an impression that police vigilance there is an unreality. But whether London high officials and their agents are properly blamed in connection with the murder inquiries or not, what answer have they for such a statement as is made in a morning journal by J.F.S., who writes thus - “Yesterday, at eleven a.m., a gentleman was seized and robbed of everything in Hanbury street. At five p.m., an old man, of seventy years, was attacked and served in the same way in Chicksand street. At ten a.m. to-day a man rushed into a baker's shop, at the corner of Hanbury street and King Edward street, and ran off with the till and its contents. All these occurred within one hundred yards of each other, and midway between the scenes of the last two horrible murders.” The people of that district might better at once take measures for their own protection if Sir CHARLES WARREN is unable to do more for their safety than this story exhibits. There is little wonder that something like panic prevails in the neighbourhood. THE WHITECHAPEL MURDER. (BY TELEGRAPH) LONDON, FRIDAY. No further arrest has been made up to this evening. On the question of the hour at which the crime was committed, concerning which there was a difference between the evidence of the man Richardson and the opinion of Dr Phillips, a reporter to-day elicited that Mr Cladoche, who lives in the next house to No 29 Hanbury street, where the murder was committed, went to the back of the premises at half-past 5 a.m., and as he passed the wooden partition he heard a woman say “No, no.” On returning he heard a scuffle, and then someone fell heavily against the fence. He heard no cry for help, so he went into the house. Some surprise is felt that this statement was not made in evidence at the inquest. Inquiry reveals the circumstances that some of the four murdered women were known to one another, but there is a great reticence amongst women of the locality to give information, partly because of the shame at making public the life they are leading, and also from fear of being subjected to rough usage. Although there is not so much surface excitement as earlier in the week, there is a very strong feeling in the district, and a large number of people continue to visit the locality. A rumour was prevalent to-day that inquiries were being made by a detective at Maidstone with a view to the identification of the handwriting on the envelope found near the body, but a correspondent states that this is incorrect. The police have to-day been in communication with the pensioner, who was said to have been seen in the company of the murdered woman, Chapman. He has voluntarily explained his connections with the deceased and antecedents. His statements were, it is understood, entirely satisfactory, and he will be produced as a witness when the inquest is resumed. In the course of to-day's investigation the police have become possessed of some further important information, from which it is hoped important results will follow. All ranks are working in a most indefatigable spirit, and a complete sense of security seems to be entertained by the inhabitants. (LATER) A man has been arrested on a charge of threatening to stab people in the neighbourhood of the Tower. A roughly sharpened knife was found on him. He is a short, stout man, with a sandy beard, and wears a dark cap. The police offer no opinion as to the value of this latest arrest. On being searched, the most extraordinary accumulation of articles was found, including two purses usually carried by females and several pocket-handkerchiefs. The man has no fixed abode. The detectives are investigating his recent movements.

  Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser, a newspaper published in Dublin, Ireland, featured the following, dated September 15th 1888,

  THE WHITECHAPEL MURDER. London, Friday. The Press Association says - A statement was made last night to a reporter by a person named Lloyd, living in Heath street, Commercial road, which may possibly prove of some importance. While standing outside a neighbour's door on Monday night she heard her daughter, who was sitting on the door step, scream, and on looking round saw a man walk hurriedly away. The daughter states that the man stared into her face, and she perceived a large knife at his side. A lady living opposite stated that a similar incident took place outside her house. The man was short of stature, with a sandy beard, and wore a cloth cap. The woman drew the attention of some men who were passing to the strange man, and they pursued him some distance. He turned up a bye-street, and was eventually lost sight of. No further arrest has been made up to this evening. On the question of the hour at which the crime was committed, concerning which there was a difference between the evidence of the man Richardson and the opinion of Dr Phillips, a Press Association reporter to-day elicited that Mr Cradoche, who lives in the next house to No 29 Hanbury street, where the murder was committed, went to the back of the premises at half past five a.m. and as he passed the wooden partition he heard a woman say, “No, no.” On returning he heard a scuffle, and then some one fell heavily against the fence. He heard no cry for help, so he went into the house. Some surprise is felt that the statement was not made in evidence at the inquest. Inquiry reveals the circumstances that some of the four murdered women were known to one another, but there is great reticence amongst the women of the locality to give information, partly because of the shame at making public the life they are leading, and also from fear of being subjected to rough usage. Although there is not so much surface excitement as earlier in the week, there is a
very strong feeling in the district and a large number of people continue to visit the locality. A rumour was prevalent to-day that inquiries were being made by a detective at Maidstone with a view to the identification of the handwriting on the envelope found near the body, but the Press Association correspondent states that this is incorrect.