The police have at last succeeded in establishing the identity of the unfortunate woman who was found dead Thursday last in Clarke’s-yard, High Street, Poplar, but they have been unsuccessful in tracing anything like a connected chain of the deceased antecedents. The first person to give the police any clue regarding the deceased’s identity was Mrs. Hill of Simpson’s-row, poplar, who recognized her as Alice Downey or Downe. Others knew her in the neighbourhood as “fair Clara” and “Liz;” while Alice Groves recognized her as Lizzie Davis. It appeared that the murdered woman was known in Poplar by the name Downey or Downe and in Whitechapel, which it has been discovered was the last neighbourhood in which she resided, by the name of Davis. Both these names have, however, been discovered to be assumed, and would appear to be conclusive evidence that the deceased is one of the many unfortunates in the metropolis who, having left their friends, perhaps in the provinces, are lost to them forever. Beyond Mrs Hill, no one appears to know the deceased in the district where she was found murdered, but in Whitechapel she is well known. The police after some considerable difficulty secured the attendance at the Polar mortuary yesterday of Elizabeth Usher, the head nurse at the Bromley Sick Asylum, where the deceased woman was stated to have been an inmate. Miss Usher immediately recognized the woman as Rose Milett, or Mylett, who had been an inmate of that institution on several occasions. There can be little doubt that the name under which miss Usher recognized her is her real name. For the books of the asylum were referred to and it was discovered that the deceased last entered the asylum on the 20th of January, 1888, and discharged herself on the 14th of March last. On each occasion she went in under the same name. The deceased had informed some of her acquaintances that her mother lived in Baker’s row or Old Montegu-street, Spitalfields. The police have, however, failed to discover any relatives in that neighbourhood, but found that the deceased lodged in a common lodging house in George-street. Mary Smith, the deputy at this establishment, states that the deceased lodged wither for about three months, and had until within the last fortnight had a male companion-a man named Goodson, but this man, she added, had not seen the deceased for the past two weeks.
A young girl named Neos Green, residing in High-street, Poplar, has made a statement regarding two men, apparently sailors, whom she saw near Clarke’s-yard. She says that a short time before Sergeant Golding found the body of Rose Millett two sailors came up to her in a great hurry I the High-street and inquired the way to the West India Docks. It will be remembered that Alice Grove stated that she saw two sailors in company with the deceased n the Commercial-road, and it is thought that these may have been the men seen by the girl Green. Detective Inspector Swanson, of Scotland-yard, assisted by Inspector Wildey and Sergeants Breed, Golding and Bradshaw are working energetically to clear up the mystery, but up to midnight they had made no arrest.
