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 A Ripperoo Article 
This article originally appeared in Ripperoo, the flagship magazine of the Australian Cloak and Dagger Club. For more information, view our Ripperoo page. Our thanks to the editor of Ripperoo for permission to reprint this article.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: ELIZABETH STRIDE & CATHARINE EDDOWES
by Julian Rosenthal

There has been much debate over whether or not Elizabeth Stride was a victim of Jack the Ripper and also whether or not Catharine Eddowes had a prearranged appointment with her killer. Lets try to solve these questions, by taking a closer look at each case:

Elizabeth Stride was murdered in an alley, beside a noisy pub, which had people coming and going at every minute. Jacks previous and latter victims, were found in unfrequented areas of Whitechapel. The wounds inflicted to her throat, were caused by a knife that was “not sharp and pointed but round and an inch across”. “There was nothing in the cuts to show an incision of the point of any weapon”. Polly, Annie, Catharine and Mary all died from wounds inflicted by a sharp, pointed knife.

Although the differences in knives may not be significant, it is also possible that Elizabeth was carrying her own knife, and once assaulted by the man that Schwartz saw, took it out to defend herself, but had it taken off her and used against her. This would explain why Jack didn’t have time to use his own knife.

As to the lack of mutilations, that can be explained by the possibility that he was interrupted by Diemschutz’s donkey appearing in the alley. At the time her body was discovered, it was noticed that her blood was still forming a pool near the side door of the ‘International Workingman’s Club’. (witness: Daily Telegraph’/ Inquest 5/10/88). This would indicate that Jack was indeed interrupted before he had a chance to mutilate Stride. It should also be noted that the murder weapon used upon the other victims had been used with ‘Great violence’, so using a blunt knife would not have been been a problem for Jack, in this case.

I am of the belief that after Diemschutz entered the laneway to Dutfield’s Yard and interrupted Jack, he then disappeared into the blackness of the yard and either stayed there until the commotion died down, or took off down Berner Street as soon as Diemschutz went inside to get help. There is also a third possibility that whoever killed Stride, bolted into Dutfields Yard and jumped the fence to escape.

Leanne believes there is yet another possibility, that the killer could have hidden in the darkness to adjust his collar and perhaps change his attire, then just blended in as one of the many onlookers at the scene. Whatever the opinion, there are equal amounts of theories as to whether Elizabeth was a victim of the Ripper or not, i.e. the position of the body, the cut throat, the flowers pinned to her dress, (possibly a gift from Jack), and the darkness of the scene of the murder, are all typical ‘Jack’ signs. On the other hand, Jack never murdered so close to a place that was still ‘teaming’ with people.

Catharine Eddowes, on the other hand, is a totally different story. While the mutilations of Polly and Annie, consisted of disembowelment and severe torso lacerations, Catharine was subjected to facial mutilations as well. Catharine was found at 1:45 am, in the southwestern corner of Mitre Square, by Constable Edward Watkins.

Only five minutes earlier, Police Constable James Harvey had walked along Dukes Place and down Church Passage, (which both surround Mitre Square), and neither saw nor heard anything.

Of all the murders, Catharine’s poses the most questions. At 8:00 pm the evening before she was murdered, she had attracted a crowd in Aldgate High Street by doing an impersonation of a fire engine, after which she laid down on the pavement to sleep. She was then arrested by P.C. Louis Robinson, who found her “very drunk and lying in a heap”.

When she was taken to Bishopsgate Police Station, she gave her name as “Nothing”. Later, a piece of her apron was found beneath a piece of graffiti, which said: “The Juwes are the men that will not be blamed for nothing”. Was this a cryptic message of some sort? Had someone told her just before, to give her name a “Nothing”, if she got arrested? How did she get so drunk, if she had no money?

Here’s what I think happened:

She left her partner John Kelly at 2:00 pm, on the afternoon of September 29, with the excuse that she was going to visit her daughter in Bermondsey, to borrow some money. Instead of going to her Daughter’s, she headed to one of her local pubs in Aldgate Street, near Mitre Square. There she met Jack, who plied her with alcohol and arranged to meet her later that night in Mitre Square. Realizing that she was already drunk, he gave her a word of advice, to say “Nothing” if she got picked up by the police.

When she did get arrested and was placed in a cell, she went to sleep. At 12:30 am, she asked when she was going to be released, possibly feeling the worse for wear and remembered that Jack offered to meet her later that night. With the possibility of another drink, she headed off to Mitre Square, were Jack had been waiting.

When she got there, Jack asked her where she’d been, she placed a hand on his chest, (‘but not in a manner to suggest that she was resisting him’), and told the story of her arrest. Jack then took her to a dark corner of the Square and murdered her.

Some other interesting aspects of this murder are:

When she pawned a pair of John Kelly’s boots the day before her murder, she did so under the name of “Jane Kelly“. When she was released from the police station, she gave her name as “Mary Ann Kelly“. Does this mean that she knew Mary Jane Kelly, Jack’s next victim or was she just making up Christian names to fit in with her partner’s surname?

Why did it take her 30 minutes to get from the police station to Mitre Square, a walk that would normally take about five minutes? Why did Jack mutilate Catharine’s face so horrifically? And where did he go after the murder, until he left part of Catharine’s apron in Goulston street, an hour later?

Did Catharine really know who Jack was? Although it’s unconfirmed, she was reported as saying to the superintendent at the casual ward in Shoe Lane, that she’d returned from hop picking to pick up the reward for Jack’s arrest, as “I think I know him”.

Although it’s not confirmed that she did say this, it is quite possible that she did know Jack, whether she knew this or not. For what we know about serial killers today, they are people you’d never suspect, so it’s quite possible that Jack was a local lad, who got on pretty well with everyone and therefore didn’t attract attention to himself.


Related pages:
  Catherine Eddowes
       Home: Timeline - Catherine Eddowes 
       Dissertations: A Piece of Apron, Some Chalk Graffiti and a Lost Hour 
       Dissertations: Anything But Your Prayers: Victims and Witnesses on the N... 
       Dissertations: By Accident or Design? A Critical Analysis of the Murder... 
       Dissertations: Catherine Eddowes: Wolverhampton and Birmingham 
       Dissertations: Grave-Spitting & Other Tall Tales 
       Dissertations: Hyam Hyams 
       Dissertations: May My End A Warning Be: Catherine Eddowes and Gallows Li... 
       Dissertations: Stephen White, Amos Simpson and Eddowes' Shawl 
       Dissertations: The Funeral of Catherine Eddowes 
       Dissertations: The Marking of Catherine Eddowes 
       Message Boards: Catherine Eddowes 
       Official Documents: Catherine Eddowes's Inquest 
       Official Documents: Mitre Square - Census Listings 
       Press Reports: Alderley and Wilmslow Advertiser - 5 October 1888 
       Press Reports: British Daily Whig - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: City Press - 10 October 1888 
       Press Reports: City Press - 13 October 1888 
       Press Reports: City Press - 17 October 1888 
       Press Reports: City Press - 3 October 1888 
       Press Reports: City Press - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily News - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily News - 12 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily News - 2 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily News - 4 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily News - 5 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily News - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily Telegraph - 12 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily Telegraph - 5 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily Telegraph - 9 October 1888 
       Press Reports: East London Advertiser - 13 October 1888 
       Press Reports: East London Advertiser - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: East London Observer - 13 October 1888 
       Press Reports: East London Observer - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Eastern Post - 13 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Echo - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Echo - 11 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Echo - 2 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Echo - 3 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Echo - 4 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Echo - 8 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Evening News - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Evening News - 10 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Evening News - 11 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Evening News - 12 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Evening News - 20 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Evening News - 3 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Evening News - 4 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Evening News - 5 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Evening News - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Evening News - 9 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Evening Standard - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Frederick News - 2 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Freemans Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser - 1 Octo... 
       Press Reports: Freemans Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser - 12 Oct... 
       Press Reports: Freemans Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser - 2 Octo... 
       Press Reports: Freemans Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser - 3 Octo... 
       Press Reports: Freemans Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser - 4 Octo... 
       Press Reports: Freemans Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser - 5 Octo... 
       Press Reports: Freemans Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser - 6 Octo... 
       Press Reports: Illustrated Police News - 20 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Illustrated Police News - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Irish Times - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Irish Times - 12 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Irish Times - 2 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Irish Times - 3 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Irish Times - 4 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Irish Times - 5 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Irish Times - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Irish Times - 8 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Lloyds Weekly News - 30 September 1888 
       Press Reports: London Evening News - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Macclesfield Courier and Herald - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Manchester Guardian - 12 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Manitoba Daily Free Press - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Montreal Daily Star - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Montreal Daily Star - 3 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Morning Advertiser - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Morning Advertiser - 11 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Morning Advertiser - 12 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Morning Advertiser - 2 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Morning Advertiser - 4 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Morning Advertiser - 5 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Morning Advertiser - 8 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Morning Advertiser - 9 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Munster News - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: New York Times - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: North Eastern Daily Gazette - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: North Eastern Daily Gazette - 3 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Pall Mall Gazette - 01 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Pall Mall Gazette - 03 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Pall Mall Gazette - 04 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Pall Mall Gazette - 05 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Pall Mall Gazette - 06 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Pall Mall Gazette - 11 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Penny Illustrated Paper - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: People - 14 October 1888 
       Press Reports: People - 7 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Philadelphia Times - 3 December 1888 
       Press Reports: Police Gazette - 19 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Police Gazette - 5 October 1888 
       Press Reports: St. James Gazette - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: St. James Gazette - 12 October 1888 
       Press Reports: St. James Gazette - 4 October 1888 
       Press Reports: St. James Gazette - 5 October 1888 
       Press Reports: St. James Gazette - 8 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Star - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Star - 11 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Star - 3 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Star - 4 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Star - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Times - 11 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Times [London] - 1 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Times [London] - 12 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Times [London] - 16 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Times [London] - 2 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Times [London] - 3 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Times [London] - 5 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Times [London] - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Times [London] - 9 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Trenton Times - 23 May 1892 
       Press Reports: Weekly Herald - 5 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Woodford Times - 12 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Woodford Times - 5 October 1888 
       Ripper Media: Catherine Eddowes: Jack the Ripper Victim 
       Victims: Catherine Eddowes 
       Victims: Catherine Eddowes: Her Last Known Movements and Discovery... 
       Victorian London: Mitre Square 
       Witnesses: Dr. Frederick Gordon Brown 
       Witnesses: Emily Birrell 
       Witnesses: James Blenkingsop 
  Elizabeth Stride
       Home: Timeline - Elizabeth Stride 
       Dissertations: Blackwells Testimony – An Estimation of How Stride Was Ly... 
       Dissertations: Elisabeth Gustafsdotters Last Stride 
       Dissertations: Elizabeth Stride: Her Killer and Time of Death 
       Dissertations: Piecing it Together - A Possible Scenario of the Death of... 
       Dissertations: Reinvestigating Murder: How Did Long Liz Die? 
       Dissertations: Reinvestigating Murder: The Mystery of the Knife 
       Dissertations: So Long, Liz: Was Elizabeth Stride a True Ripper Victim? 
       Dissertations: The Identification of Liz Stride 
       Message Boards: Elizabeth Stride 
       Official Documents: Berner Street - Census Listings 
       Official Documents: Elizabeth Stride's Inquest 
       Press Reports: Alderley and Wilmslow Advertiser - 26 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Atchison Daily Globe - 3 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily News - 24 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily News - 3 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily News - 8 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily Telegraph - 2 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily Telegraph - 24 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily Telegraph - 3 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily Telegraph - 4 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Daily Telegraph - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: East London Advertiser - 27 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Eastern Post - 27 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Echo - 23 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Echo - 5 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Evening News - 8 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Macclesfield Courier and Herald - 27 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Manchester Guardian - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Morning Advertiser - 10 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Morning Advertiser - 24 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Morning Advertiser - 3 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Morning Advertiser - 6 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Munster News - 3 October 1888 
       Press Reports: New York Tribune - 03 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Penny Illustrated Paper - 27 October 1888 
       Press Reports: People - 28 October 1888 
       Press Reports: St. James Gazette - 3 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Times [London] - 24 October 1888 
       Press Reports: Times [London] - 4 October 1888 
       Ripper Media: Jack the Rippers Tredje Offer 
       Victims: Elizabeth Stride 
       Victorian London: Berner Street 
       Witnesses: Dr. Frederick William Blackwell 
       Witnesses: J. Best and John Gardner 
       Witnesses: James Brown 
       Witnesses: Thomas Bates 
  Julian Rosenthal
       Dissertations: Did Jack the Ripper Leave Any Clues? 
       Dissertations: Did the Police Know Who Jack Was? 
       Dissertations: Estimating Mary Kellys Time of Death 
       Dissertations: History of the Metropolitan Police Force 
       Dissertations: Why Did Jack Stop? Or Did He?