1st Sep 1888 - Reporting on Polly Nichols' Death
We rejoin Whitechapel in 1888 for #RipperLive. It is Saturday 1st September and all the talk is of the murder yesterday morning.
Newspaper today: "Constable found the dead body of a woman, her head was found to have been very nearly severed from her body. The lower portion of the abdomen was completely ripped open, casuing the bowels to protrude. Her clothing consisting of a threadbare cloak with a hood, brown dress, and a petticoat, with the mark of Lambeth Workhouse. It is conjectured that a knife such as would be used by butchers was weilded in the murderer's hand. When the body of the unfortunate creature was examined, the wounds were of a character too horrible to mention in detail. An officer said: 'These injuries were such that they could only have been inflicted by a madman. Martha Turner died from injuries, some of which are very similiar in character to those inflicted on the unknown woman. It is surmised that several of the crimes have been inflicted by one person, whom they think is a madman. A feature only accounted for by classing her murderer as a maniac is the injuries perpetrated for the purpose of mutilation. Yesterday morning fresh blood stains were observed for a distance along the side walk. Drops 2-3 feet apart."
In Feb, Annie Millwood was knifed in the legs by a stranger who escaped. Less than 4 wks ago Martha Tabram murdered. Now this. The Millwood stabbing wasnt publicised but many in Whitechapel knew of the motiveless attack. 6 mths later more random stabbings. Tabram was killed in seclusion but this new attack yesterday has brought a new level of fear, due to the exposed murder site. Completely motiveless murder is rare. In the whole of London there are only two or three murders per month. The chances of Whitechapel having three, crazed knife-attackers on the loose is small. Now we have 2 murders in 4 weeks with much in common: Opportunistic, brutal, motiveless, geographically close, stabbings. Some are saying Tabram & Nicholls have different attackers but the papers don't think so, and it would be statistically unlikely.
We'll leave Whitechapel in a frenzy for now, excitement & uncertainty in the streets. Somewhere, a murderer goes about his day.