Jack the Ripper Black Magic Rituals--Satanism, the Occult, Murder...The Sinister Truth of the Doctor who was Jack the Ripper

by Ivor Edwards

  Also, I find it difficult to believe that the police would let a witness go after he or she had potentially identified Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper, and then refused to state this in a court of law. The police would have asserted a great deal of pressure on the witness if only to save their own reputations.

  CHAPTER SIX

  THE FOURTH VICTIM

  SUNDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 1888, ALDGATE

  Alias: Catherine Conway

  Age: 46

  Height: 5ft

  Profession: Prostitute

  Hair: Dark Auburn

  Eyes: Hazel

  Nose: –

  Complexion: bronzed

  Dress: Black cloth jacket, imitation fur edging. Black straw bonnet, brown linsey bodice dress. Pair of men’s lace-up boots. Brown ribbed stockings. Very old ragged blue skirt and a white calico chemise

  CATHERINE EDDOWES, ALIAS Mary Ann Kelly, was born in Wolverhampton in 1842. She moved to Flower and Dean Street in 1881 with John Kelly, who knew her as Catherine Conway. Her occupation was listed as a hawker who sold matchboxes and other small items.

  In September 1888, she returned from a few weeks’ hop-picking at Hunton, Nr. Coxheath, Kent. She walked back on foot with John Kelly. They arrived back in London on 28 September. Catherine stayed at Shoe Lane Workhouse while John Kelly slept at 55, Flower and Dean Street. The newspaper story below, which relates to Eddowes knowing the identity of the killer, is not supported by any known police evidence.

  Upon her arrival at the workhouse she told the superintendent she knew the identity of Jack the Ripper and that she was after the reward. The superintendent warned her to be careful that she was not murdered herself. Her reply was, ‘Oh, no fear of that.’

  On 29 September at 8.00am she arrived at 55, Flower and Dean Street after she was thrown out of Shoe Lane Workhouse. She spent her time with John Kelly until 2.00pm at which time they parted company. PC Robinson saw her at 8.30pm outside 29, Aldgate High Street causing a drunken disturbance.

  Robinson, with assistance from PC Simmons, took her to Bishopsgate Police Station. She gave her name as ‘Nothing’ on admittance and Station Sergeant Byfield locked her in a cell. At 1.00am she was released, giving her name as Mary Ann Kelly residing at 6, Fashion Street, Spitalfields. When released by PC Hutt she asked the time and was told that it was too late for her to obtain drink.

  She was seen to turn left on leaving the station and proceeded to walk in the direction of Aldgate, where she was supposedly picked up. To go in the direction of her home she should have turned right on leaving the station.

  From Bishopsgate Police Station to Mitre Square it is a walk of about eight minutes. Harry Harris, Joseph Hyam Levy and Joseph Lawende had been drinking in the Imperial Club at 16–17, Dukes Place, Aldgate. Because of the foul wet weather they were late in leaving. Lawende checked the time by the club clock and his own watch and stated the time was exactly 1.30am when they got up to leave. Lawende said they finally left the club about five minutes later. Levy stated they got up to go at 1.30am but left the club three to four minutes after the half-hour.

  Seconds after leaving the club at 1.33–35am they saw a man and a woman in Duke Street standing at the entrance to Church Passage; this was a covered passage which led into Mitre Square. According to Lawende, the club was 15–16ft from the entrance to Church Passage. Lawende was the only witness to take in the suspect’s appearance.

  The woman was facing the man with her hand on his chest and was talking amicably to him. He was of medium build and was of a ‘sailor’s appearance’, wearing a pepper-and-salt-coloured loose jacket, grey cloth cap with a peak of the same colour and he had a red neckerchief. He was 5ft 7-8in tall, aged about 30, with a fair complexion and he had a moustache.

  Mitre Square showing the view from the entrance to Church Passage, the spot where Eddowes was seen with the suspect by Mr Lawende and company. The body was found at the spot marked ‘X’. The original line of the old enclosed passage is still visible today. PC Harvey walked to the end of this passage at 1.41–42am. The end of the original passage can be seen 12 inches past the bollard on the far left. This gives a good indication of the distance involved. It took me 29.78 seconds to walk from the entrance to the passage in Duke Street to the spot where the victim was found. The killer may well have used one of the empty houses (located where the brick enclosure now stands, to the rear of the spot marked ‘X’) weeks in advance to check on the police beat times. The square still retains the old cobblestones which were in evidence in 1888. The line of the square is much as it was at the time of the murders. Nothing remains of the buildings which stood silent witness to such an infamous murder. The killer left this site to get straight back on to Aldgate High Street

  The square was checked at 1.30am by PC Watkins walking in from the Mitre Street entrance, and all was clear. At 1.41– 42am PC James Harvey walked up Church Passage from Duke Street and stood viewing the square from the end of the passage, but he did not enter the square. He stated that all was clear. PC Harvey took his time from the post office clock in Aldgate at 1.28–29am.

  At 1.44–45am, PC Watkins again entered the square from the Mitre Street entrance and found the body. He stated that the body was not there at 1.30am when he last checked the square on his beat. PC Watkins called George Morris, the watchman from Kearley & Tonge’s, to assist him. Morris ran into Aldgate finding Constables Harvey and Holland. Harvey brought Dr Sequeira from Jewry Street on to the scene.

  Plan of Mitre Square and surroundings

  News of the murder reached Inspector Edward Collard at Bishopsgate Police Station about 10 minutes after the body was discovered. Police surgeon Dr Gordon Brown was then summoned to attend the crime scene. He arrived at Mitre Square just after 2.00am. Sergeant Foster, Superintendent McWilliam and Commissioner Warren, among others, would be attending the scene before daybreak; this was the only murder site Warren attended.

  Drawing of Mitre Square and the body of Eddowes

  Police Constable Edward Watkins of the City Police discovering the mutilated remains of Catherine Eddowes in the corner of Mitre Square

  A brief summary of the sight which confronted Watkins can be found in the following extracts taken from Dr Brown’s medical report:

  The body was found on its back, the head turned to the left shoulder. The right leg drawn up, the other leg in line with the body. The arms were by the side of the body as if they had fallen there. Her throat was cut across twice to the extent of about six to seven and a half inches. Her face had been badly mutilated. Mutilations were carried out to the body and the intestines were found placed over her right shoulder – they were smeared over with some feculent matter. A piece of about two feet was quite detached from the body and placed between the body and left arm, apparently by design. The lobe and auricle of the right ear was cut obliquely through. No sign of superficial bruises. No secretion of any kind on the thighs. No spurting of blood on the bricks or pavement around the victim. No blood on the front of the clothes. No traces of recent connection. Body parts, including the left kidney and the womb, were taken. A portion of the victim’s apron had been cut away and was missing. There was no sign of a struggle.

  Dr Brown concluded that there would not be much blood on the murderer.

  The body was taken to Golden Lane Mortuary for a full examination by Dr Gordon Brown. The full post-mortem report by Dr Brown can be seen in the Corporation of London records. This victim was asphyxiated standing up and then placed on her left side. The left side of her face had mud on it, which supports this. Her throat was then cut twice, left to right. The killer was placed behind her at this stage. She was mutilated after being placed on her back.

  Mortuary photograph of Eddowes

  It has been suggested that the killer cut a piece from the victim’s apron at Mitre Square and then walked to Goulston Street where he cleaned his knife and left the apron piece in the doorway. This assumption is incorrect. The killer is not going to use his knife, conceal it befo
re cleaning it, then take a walk to Goulston Street to clean it. He would have cleaned his knife (and hands) in Mitre Square. He did not take the apron piece for the purpose of cleaning his knife elsewhere. Neither did he do as one would expect and wipe his hands and knife on the apron and leave it intact.

  Diagram drawn at the time of the murder showing the cuts to the face and symbols cut into the eyelids and cheeks

  He needed the apron piece for three reasons, one of which is dealt with here; the other two reasons are included later. According to Dr Brown the victim’s apron which had originally been white was, at the time of her demise, black with dirt and grime. A very large piece of the victim’s apron had been taken with a clean cut of the killer’s knife. Certain items taken by Jack were fouled with faecal matter.

  To overcome the problem of contaminating his person Jack wrapped the stolen body parts in the large piece of apron cut from the victim to carry them off in. When found at Goulston Street the apron piece did contain traces of blood and faecal matter.

  Sketch taken at the mortuary showing cuts to the body

  I do not believe that Jack killed Eddowes without prior knowledge of police activity in Mitre Square. A City of London policeman, PC Pearse, actually lived at No. 3 Mitre Square with his wife and they heard or saw nothing. George Morris, the night watchman from Kearley & Tonge’s in Mitre Square, was an ex-policeman!

  In spite of the presence in the square of one serving policeman, one ex-policeman and police activity to and from the square, Jack still achieved his objective. This was not achieved by sheer speculation or luck on the part of the killer. A cautious planner would have undoubtedly checked out the beat times on this site.

  Only a fool would kill on speculation without finding out that the site was checked by police at 1.30am, 1.41–42am and 1.44–45am. To even contemplate such a move would be akin to suicide. Failure would have meant death by hanging (if the killer was proven sane) if caught. We are not dealing with the village idiot here.

  The corner of Wentworth Street looking down Goulston Street. The doorway is marked ‘X’. It is sometimes incorrectly assumed that the door to the left of the ‘X’, with the awning, is the correct doorway

  At exactly 2.55am, one hour and 19 minutes after the body was found, PC Long found the missing apron piece at Goulston Street. Placed above it on the wall was a message from the killer. It was misinterpreted as ‘The Juwes are the men that will not be blamed for nothing.’ This will be discussed in depth later.

  The killer on leaving Mitre Square would have wanted to go to ground as soon as possible with the incriminating stolen body parts covered in the apron piece. He would have known that it would only be a matter of minutes before the victim was found by the beat constable. He could not afford to be on the streets heading towards Goulston Street when the hue and cry went up. He did the sensible thing by going straight to a bolthole near the centre of the main junction which he reached about seven minutes after leaving Mitre Square.

  He did what he had to do at his bolthole, possibly changing clothes. He then waited until he thought it safe before venturing forth to leave the apron piece and message at Goulston Street. On leaving his bolthole he would be free of any blood on his person so would be safe in that respect. The police were looking for a killer with blood on him.

  Map showing Mitre Square in relation to Goulston Street. At the ends of the black line marked with ‘+’ appear the locations of the victim at Mitre Square and the doorway in Goulston Street where the writing and apron piece were found

  We also know that some suspects stopped after the murder of Eddowes were not searched. One misconception relating to the killer is that he was left-handed. Such a conclusion has been drawn by those who misinterpret the known facts. Due to the killer’s MO and the medical evidence I believe Jack was right-handed.

  Professor James Cameron, a specialist in forensic medicine who has investigated this aspect of the case, agreed with my conclusion recently by stating that the killer was right-handed.

  Eddowes was buried in an unmarked grave in Ilford on 8 October 1888. Ripper expert Philip Sugden, author of The Complete History of Jack the Ripper, believes that in the case of Chapman and Eddowes there does seem to have been some eerie ritualistic element in evidence.

  Rewards were offered by the City police and a Vigilance Committee presided over by Mr Lusk of Alderney Road, Mile End. Mr Lusk received a three-inch-square box wrapped in brown paper on 15 October 1888. The postmarks on the parcel were indistinct so that it was impossible to state whether the package was posted in the E or EC districts. The parcel contained half of a human kidney.

  The kidney was submitted to Dr Openshaw, curator of the London Hospital Anatomical Museum who pronounced it to be a human kidney preserved in spirits of wine. The kidney was then handed over to the City police. The kidney was then examined by Dr Gordon Brown of the City police.

  He stated that he could not tell if it was a left kidney. He went on to add that it must have been cut previously to its being immersed in the spirit for more than a week. Brown added that there was no portion of the renal artery adhering to it, it having been trimmed up, so consequently there could be no correspondence established between the portion of the body from which it was cut. No proof was ever shown that the kidney came from Eddowes.

  The box contained a letter, which read:

  From hell

  Mr Lusk

  Sor

  I send you half the

  Kidne I took from one women

  prasarved it for you. tother piece I

  fried and ate it was vey nise. I

  may send you the bloody knif that

  took it out if you only wate a whil

  longer

  signed Catch me when

  you can

  Mishter Lusk

  The Daily Telegraph of Saturday, 20 October 1888, reported:

  A statement which apparently gives a clue to the sender of the strange package by Mr Lusk was made last night by Miss Emily Marsh, whose father carries on business in the leather trade at 218, Jubilee Street, Mile-end-road. In Mr Marsh’s absence Miss Marsh was in the front shop, shortly after one o’clock on Monday last when a stranger dressed in clerical costume entered, and, referring to the reward bill in the window, asked for the address of Mr Lusk, described therein as the president of the Vigilance Committee. Miss Marsh at once referred the man to Mr J. Aarons, the treasurer of the committee, who resides at the corner of Jubilee Street and Mile-end-Road, a distance of about thirty yards.

  The man, however, said he did not wish to go there, and Miss Marsh thereupon produced a newspaper in which Mr Lusk’s address was given as Alderney Road, Globe Road, no number being mentioned. She requested the stranger to read the address, but he declined, saying, ‘Read it out’, and proceeded to write something in his pocket book, keeping his head down meanwhile. He subsequently left the shop, after thanking the young lady for the information, but not before Miss Marsh, alarmed by the man’s appearance, had sent the shop-boy, John Cormack, to see that all was right. This lad, as well as Miss Marsh, gave a full description of the man, while Mr Marsh, who happened to come along at the time, also encountered him on the pavement outside. The stranger is described as a man of some forty-five years of age, fully six feet in height, and slimly built. He wore a soft felt hat, drawn down over his forehead, a stand up collar, and a very long black single-breasted overcoat, with a Prussian or clerical collar partly turned up. His face was of a sallow type, and he had a dark beard and moustache. The man spoke with what was taken to be an Irish accent. No importance was attached to the incident until Miss Marsh read of the receipt by Mr Lusk of a strange parcel, and then it occurred to her that the stranger might be the person who had despatched it. His inquiry was made at one o’clock on Monday afternoon, and Mr Lusk received the package at 8pm the next day. The address on the package curiously enough gives no number in Alderney Road, a piece of information which Miss Marsh could not supply. It appears that on leav
ing the shop the man went right by Mr Aaron’s house, but did not call. Mr Lusk has been informed of the circumstances, and states that no person answering the description has called on him, nor does he know any one at all like the man in question. The letter sent with the kidney show the word’s ‘mishter’, ‘prasarved’, ‘Sor’ and ‘tother’ which is how some Irish people would pronounce such words. The Lusk letter was possibly written to give the false impression that it was written by an Irish person. Miss Marsh stated the stranger spoke with what was taken to be an Irish accent and she was very suspicious of him. It is possible that he intended to give the false impression that he was an Irishman.

  Man seen in pub doorway Man who spoke to Miss Marsh My suspect

  Age about 35 about 45 47

  Hair light brown dark light brown

  Height 5ft 11in 6ft 5ft 11in

  Hat black felt, wide-brimmed black felt, wide-brimmed black felt, wide-brimmed

  Coat long black overcoat long black overcoat long black overcoat

  Complexion fresh sallow sallow

  Build not known slim lean & slim

  Smoker seen lighting a pipe not known known pipe smoker

  Moustache light brown dark light brown

  Combined police and medical opinions thought it possible that the ‘Lusk kidney’ could be a hoax. The kidney could have been taken from any person upon whom a post-mortem had been made for any cause by students or a dissecting room porter. In fact it could have been taken by anyone in a hospital with access to organs. Such body parts could also be bought for cash.

  If the man seen by Miss Marsh were the killer, or someone who sent the kidney as a hoax, then it would stand to reason that they would wish to alter their true appearance before putting themselves ‘on offer’ in person, by asking questions. After all, the stranger did bring suspicion upon himself by doing so. Did he disguise himself, hence the dark beard?