Nikaner Benelius
Benelius, born in 1861, was a Swedish traveller, he lodged at a German lodging house, 90 Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch, and had recently come to England from American. He was arrested on 17 November 1888 after walking into the parlour of a house in Buxton Street, Mile End, occupied by Harriet Rowe, a married woman. When asked what he wanted Benelius simply grinned at her, alarmed by this she ran into the street, found a policeman and had him arrested. At the police station he was searched, but nothing was found on him. When questioned, Benelius, whose grasp of English was poor, said, he went into the house who's door had been left opened to ask directions to Fenchurch Street, as he was expecting some letters at the post office. In The Times 19 November, Benelius was described as, 'Foreign in appearance with a moustache, but otherwise cannot be said to resemble any of the published descriptions of men suspected in connection with the Whitechapel murders'. His landlord said Benelius had been acting rather strange lately and had been preaching in the street, the landlord also claimed that Benelius owed him 25s in rent. Benelius had previously been questioned about the murder of fellow Swede, Elizabeth Stride. Despite his strange behaviour he was cleared of any involvement in the murders.
