Thursday 8th Nov 1888
Good evening from Whitechapel on Thursday November 8th 1888. A terrible wind has blow and there has been much rain all week.
Down in Miller's Court today, Mary Jane Kelly has been going about her business. You can ask the woman who lives opposite... Julia Venturney, a charwoman living with Harry Owen, #1 Miller's Court saw Kelly having breakfast with a woman in her room. Last week you may recall Mary fell out with her man Joseph Barnett, who disapproved of other prostitutes staying in the room. The girl in question of late has been Maria Harvey, a laundress, who was with Kelly today. She has been staying over this week.
8.40pm
Upon leaving, Maria left 2 men's shirts, a boy's shirt, a black overcoat, a black bonnet, a pawn ticket, and a petticoat. After spending the afternoon together, Mary Jane went back to her room. A couple of hours ago Joseph Barnett came to visit her. Shortly after, they were joined by Lizzie Albrook, a friend of Kelly's who works in Dorset St, at the lodging-house. When Albrook left, she was told by Kelly, "Whatever you do don't you do wrong and turn out as I have."
8.50pm
Just an hour ago, Joseph left on good terms with Mary, and Mary has been getting herself ready to go out drinking.
Far from this slum, there has been a political development as the pressure on the head of police has finally taken its toll. Sir Charles Warren tendered his second resignation to the Home Secretary, Henry Matthews, which was accepted. We'll leave Mary Jane Kelly in her lodging-house for now. But come back in exactly two hours to see if we can find her.
11.00pm
Welcome back to Whitechapel on Thursday November 8th 1888. Earlier tonight we caught up with the beautiful Mary Jane Kelly. Mary Jane can draw, and she did well at school. She tells stories of visits to Paris. She is not your typical "unfortunate". She's been out on the town drinking tonight, after seeing her man ealier this evening. He didn't have any money for to donate. She's wearing a linsey frock and a red knitted crossover shawl, and is in a jolly mood. Mary Jane can be a bit of rough drunk though, and she's met up with her friend Elizabeth Foster as they find a new pub.
11.30pm
For a while they'd been in The Horn of Plenty, on the corner of Crispin and Dorset St, with Danny and Julia. Now they've moved on to The Britannia, at 87 Commercial St, where they've been drinking since 11pm. Another favourite pub of theirs is the Ten Bells, in the top right of this photo. Here is a closer view of the pub.
11.45pm
Mary Jane has made the acquaintance of a man in the pub, and they decide to go back to Mary Jane's room. He takes his drink. Mary Jane and the man cross the street and make the short walk to Miller's Court, through this arch.
11.50pm
Another unfortunate called Mary Ann Cox enters the court just behind the couple, and she takes notice of the man with Mary Jane. He is short, stout, with a blotchy faced. He's in his thirties, has a short carroty moustache, and a billycock hat. He has a longish dark shabby coat, and a quart pale of beer. Cox says, "Good night, Mary Jane."
Mary Jane replies, "Good night. I'm going to have a song." Cox can tell the girl is drunk, and Mary Jane starts singing. Cox observes the man makes no noise, but he closes the door behind them as they go into Kelly's room.
Midnight
There is a light from the window, but the shade is drawn. Male companions are not uncommon and Cox continues onto her room. Mary Ann Cox sorts a few things out in her room, and finds something to wrap herself up against the cold.
12.05am - Friday 9th November
She leaves to go soliciting, and notes that Mary Jane Kelly's light is still on, and she's still singing.
Inside Mary Jane Kelly's room, it is cramped. The room is around 12 feet long. The window is broken and stuffed with rags. Opposite the door is a fireplace. To the right of the door is a bedside table so close that the door it hits when opened. Next to the table is a bed with the head against the door wall, its side against the right wall. The room contains two tables and a chair and a cheap print entitled "The Fisherman's widow" hanging over the fireplace. Opposite the fireplace is a small cupboard which contained cheap crockery, empty ginger beer bottles and a little stale bread.
With the effect of drink, and with little thought for her neighbours, Mary Jane Kelly starts to sing merrily. The words she's singing go, "Scenes of my childhood arise before my gaze, Bringing recollections of bygone happy days, When down in the meadow in childhood I would roam; No one's left to cheer me now within that good old home." It quite a happy melody but continues, "Father and mother they have passed away. Sister and brother now lay beneath the clay; With sweet sentiment: But while life does remain, to cheer me I'll retain This small violet I plucked from mother's grave." Chorus: "Only a violet I plucked when but a boy, And oft' times when I'm sad at heart, this flow'r has given me joy, But while life does remain, in memoriam I'll retain This small violet I plucked from mother's grave."
12.30am
After half an hour of the noise, a resident called Catherine Pickett, is contemplating complaining about this singing. But she decides not to go and say anything.
And so Mary Jane Kelly's voice continues on into the night ... "Well I remember my dear old mother's smile, As she used to greet me when I returned from toil; Always knitting in the old arm chair, Father used to sit and read for all us children there. But now all is silent around the good old home, They all have left me in sorrow here to roam; White life does remain, in memoriam I'll retain This small violet I plucked from mother's grave."
Thus ends the second verse, and Mary once again breaks into the chorus of this shrill but quite cheerful song. Chorus: "Only a violet I plucked when but a boy, And oft' times when I'm sad at heart, this flow'r has given me joy, But while life does remain, in memoriam I'll retain This small violet I plucked from mother's grave."
1.00am
Having been out an hour, Mary Ann Cox returns to her room and hears Mary still singing, and her light is still on. But Cox is only there to collect something, and heads out again straight away to look for more male customers.
1.15am
The woman who lives directly above Mary Jane is called Elizabeth Prater. She's been out since 5pm but has now returned. But she's been standing at the archway of Miller's Court for ten minutes, waiting for the man who lives with her.
1.20am
She becomes tired of waiting and goes to McCarthy's Shop.
1.25am
Elizabeth Prater leaves McCarthy's shop, goes up to her room. As she passes Mary Jane Kelly's room she sees the light is out.
1.30am
Elizabeth gets ready for bed, and is thankful that Mary is not singing so she can get some sleep.
2.00am
A strange incident from two nights is about to come back to haunt a girl called Sarah Lewis who is nearby. Sarah Lewis is a laundress, who lives at 29 Great Pearl Street. On Wednesday night at 8pm a man approached them. On Bethnal Green Rd, the two girls were verbally accosted by a suspicious fellow and she was most unsettled by the experience. Tonight has been another bad night for Sarah as she and her husband have just had a fight. She departed, most upset.
2.30am
So now she is on her way to Mr and Mrs Keyler's who live in Miller's Court, and she is walking along Commercial Street. But as she nears the Britannia pub, she sees a man talking to a woman. She realises, with dread, that she recognises him. It is the same man from Wednesday night. The man looks at Sarah and she hurries along, unsure if he recognises her.
Sarah Lewis then sees a second man, standing against the lodging-house wall, across from Miller's Court. The second man is not tall, and he is stout, wearing a black wide-awake hat. Another woman passes down the street.
2.45am
He was looking up at Miller's Court, as if waiting for someone to come out. Sarah enters the archway, into Miller's Court. Further up the court, Sarah Lewis sees a man and a woman. The woman is clearly drunk. Sarah continues on up to the Keyler's, which is number 2 Miller's Court. Once there, she falls asleep in a chair.
3.00am
Elizabeth Cox is returning home once again, and heading towards her familiar archway at Miller's Court. Here is a photograph of the archway she now enters. She passes Mary Jane Kelly's room once again. The light is out, and the place is completely silent. Here is a photograph of the outside of Mary Jane's room.
3.20am
Elizabeth gets ready for bed and settles down to sleep.
The night is quiet, but she cannot sleep. She lies awake with only the occasional distant noise for company.
3.40am
The other Elizabeth, surname Prater, who lives above Mary Jane Kelly, has had no problems sleeping. Her cat Diddles on the other hand is restless, and in need of some attention. He jumps up on to the bed. Prater wakes as the cat clambers over her face. In her half-asleep state she hears a cry of, "Oh, murder!" from nearby.
Sarah Lewis is also suddenly awoken by the cry of "Murder!" too. She has been asleep in the chair all this time. But neither women who hear the scream think much of it, since such alarming cries are no uncommon. No-one goes out to investigate where the scream for help has come from, or whether there's a women who needs help ...
4.00am
And so, as the rest of Miller's Court drifts in an out of sleep, no-one is aware of what has just happened ... In Mary Jane Kelly's room, her body lies lifeless on the edge of her bed, her throat cut across. The man in her room puts down his blood-stained knife, and picks up a couple of items of clothing that are lying around. They belong to Mary Jane's friend Maria Harvey, who left behind men's shirts, and overcoat and a petticoat. The man starts a fire using the clothing, enough to cast some light around the small, squalid room. Enough light for his work. And so, knowing he will not be disturbed, and away from the policemen on their beat, he can satisfy his blood-thirsty desires. In the light of the burning clothes, he pulls her body into the middle of the bed and splays her legs. He picks up his knife...
And so we leave poor Mary Jane Kelly's body in the hands of the man who took her life. That's all from 1888 ... for a few hours.
5.30am
Above Mary Jane's room, Elizabeth Prater gets up, and she goes over the road for a tot of rum at the Ten Bells public house.
5.45am
Elizabeth Cox has been sleeping fitfully and, as had happened a few times in previous hours, hears someone leave the court.