Guildford is a town roughly 30 miles to the southwest of London.On 24th August there came a rumour that there was a body found near Guildford.It was later confirmed that, it was not the whole body but parts from a woman's right leg and foot was found near the railway station.It was different from other cases as in this case,the remains had apparently been cooked.But there were no public hearing and no one could find anything regarding it. The police were highly skeptical regarding giving out any information as most of it was still unsure about the incident. We reporters had to stick to our sources but to no avail.Thus the rumour was never confirmed.
By the end of August in 1888, the summer weather was long gone. The night of the 31st was drenched in rain and shocked by the flashes and claps of a thunderstorm.About 3.45 am in the morning,while most of the neighbourhood was still sleeping. Constable John Neil who was patrolling the area,discovered the body.He was looking down at the body,when he noticed PC John Thain passing the end of the street and flashed his lantern to attract his attention.He asked Thain to fetch doctor Llewellyn.
But the following day came an interesting news: it was a cartman called Robert Paul who found the body with another man.
According to his inquest testimony, It was exactly a quarter to four when Robert Paul passed up Buck's-row to his work as a carman for Covent-garden market.As he said in his inquest:
" It was dark, and he was hurrying along,that's when he saw a man standing where the woman was. He came a little towards Robert,but as he knew the dangerous character of the locality,Robert Paul tried to give him a wide berth. Few people like to come up and down here without being on their guard, for there are such terrible gangs working in and around the location. There have been many incidents of people being knocked down and robbed at that spot. The man, however, came towards Robert and touched his shoulder and said, 'Come and look at this woman." So, Robert Paul went with him and found the woman lying on her back.
Robert Paul:
"I laid hold of her wrist and found that she was dead and her hands were cold. It was too dark to see the blood on her body. I thought that she had been outraged, and had died in the struggle. I was obliged to be punctual at my work, so I went on and told the other man it would be better to find a policeman and inform him."They arranged her clothes to cover her body and went on their way.
Robert Paul:
I saw one Police officer in Church-row, just at the top of Buck's-row, who was going round calling people up, and I told him what I had seen, and I asked him to come, but he did not say whether he should come or not. He continued calling the people up, which I thought was a great shame, after I had told him the woman was dead. The woman was so cold that she must have been dead some time, and either she had been lying there, left to die, or she must have been murdered somewhere else and carried there. If she had been lying there long enough to get so cold as she was when I saw her, it shows that no policeman on the beat had been down there for a long time. If a policeman had been there he must have seen her, for she was plain enough to see.By this time they met PC Mizen,Interestingly enough the other man rushed towards him and informed him of the gruesome discovery.
Mrs. Emma Green's house in Buck's Row, overlooked the spot where the body of Mary Nichols was found at 3.40am on the morning of August 31st, 1888.Her house was the last one in the line of houses on the south side of Buck's Row, and it adjoined Brown's stable yard, in the gate of which the body of Mary Nichols was found.Mrs Green, who was a light sleeper, had heard nothing, despite the fact that her bedroom, which she shared with her daughter, almost overlooked the murder site.Indeed, the first she knew of the murder was when Constable Neil knocked on her door to ask if the family had seen or heard anything.
When Dr Llewellyn arrived at around 4am, he declared her dead.On closer examination he also observed that the deceased's body and legs were still warm, although her hands and wrists were quite cold.According to him,she died just half an hour ago.Her throat had been slit twice from left to right and her abdomen was mutilated by a deep jagged wound. Several shallow incisions across the abdomen, and three or four similar cuts on the right side were caused by the same knife used violently and downwards.
At first the police had no idea who the victim was.Identifying the woman, so disfigured by her attacker, was daunting at first. She was about five feet two or three inches tall with dark hair, eyes and skin. Her hair was beginning to go grey with middle age, and she was missing three teeth. Her clothing was well worn, indicating that she was likely a woman down-on-her luck. This assumption was supported by a helpful find of her petticoat which showed the mark of 'Lambeth Workhouse, P.R.'. Investigators called for someone from the workhouse on Prince's Road to come to the mortuary and help identify the body. Mary Ann Monk, arrived and recognized the body in the morgue as Mary Ann Nichols, who had lived in that workhouse months earlier.Soon several other women had come forward and identified her as Polly ,who had been living at a nearby lodging house at number 18 Thrawl Street.Following the murder Inspector Abberline was called in to give an opinion on the crimes in the immediate aftermath of the murder of Mary Nichols, which took place on 31st August, 1888.
The St James's Gazette mentioned his involvement in the case in its edition of Saturday. September 1st, 1888:-
So far the police have satisfied themselves, but as to getting a clue to her murderer they express little hope. The matter is being investigated by Detective. Inspector Abberline, of Scotland-yard, and Inspector Helson, J division.Abberline was evidently much involved with the investigation into Mary Nichols's murder at this point, and was, busily following up leads and tracing witnesses in the days immediately proceeding the murder.
Detective-inspector Abberline asked for an adjournment of some length, as certain things were coming to the knowledge of the police, and they wished for time to make inquiries.The coroner required that on Monday he would like to hear on Monday the two butchers who had been referred to.Inspector Abberline having stated that the butchers had been summoned, a juryman asked if the husband could be produced?
"Yes," said Inspector Abberline, and, immediately after the inquiry had been adjourned till Monday he proceeded to find the husband and brought him to the mortuary.
So soon as the lid of the shell had been removed, he looked at the contents, and then, with a shudder, turned to Inspector Abberline and said it was his wife. William had exclaimed: "I forgive you, as you are, for what you have been to me."
Further investigations with her fellow women and her relatives revealed that Nichols was born to Edward Walker, a locksmith, and his wife Caroline on 26 August 1845. She went on to marry a man called William Nichols, a machinist for a printer, in 1864 at Saint Bride's Parish Church in the City of London and was witnessed by two individuals named Seth George Havelly and Sarah Good. Following their marriage, the couple briefly lodged at 30–31 Bouverie Street before residing with Mary Ann's father at 131 Trafalgar Street. Between 1866 and 1879,the couple had five children Edward John Nichols, Percy George, Alice Esther, Eliza Sarah and Henry Alfred.They were together for over fifteen years. On 6th September 1880, the couple moved into their own home at 6 D-Block, Peabody Buildings, Stamford Street, Blackfriars Road, paying a weekly rent of 5 pence .Shortly thereafter, the couple separated due to disputed causes, with William later relocating with four of his children to an address near Old Kent Road.Polly's father, Walker, was incensed by the break-up and passed around rumours that William Nichols had been responsible for the dissolution of the marriage. He claimed that Polly had been confined with ill health, and her husband had taken up with her nurse. Nichols did not deny the affair with the nurse, only the idea that this affair had been the reason for the marriage's demise.
Walker's rumour, however, was so widely believed that it was addressed at the inquest into Polly's death. Nichols claimed that, though there had been an affair, it had occurred after Polly herself had left the marriage. He produced a birth certificate, testifying that his son with his mistress was born after Polly had left.Regardless of when Nichols became involved with another woman, it is clear that Polly had plenty of demons of her own. Alcohol addiction interfered with her domestic life, her relationship with family members and her ability to keep her head above water in a financial sense. During their marriage, Nichols claimed, Polly had left him "five or six times" until finally leaving for the last time in 1881.
All five children remained with their father, and William used to pay Polly for two years. He found out, however, that Polly had been living as a prostitute, and discontinued payments. Polly sent summons for him to keep sending her money, but William was able to win his case by proving that she was living with another man. From 1882 onward, Polly drifted from one workhouse to another, at some points completely disappearing from view of her family and public record. By 1887, she had formed a relationship with a widower and father of three named Thomas Stuart Drew, although the couple separated on 24 October. By December 1887, Nichols had begun sleeping rough in Trafalgar Square, although a clearance of the area on 19 December resulted in her returning to Lambeth Workhouse. On this occasion, she remained at this workhouse for less than two weeks.Records shows that in April 1888, the matron of Lambeth Workhouse, a Mrs Fielder, found Nichols employment as a domestic servant to a Mr and Mrs Cowdry in Wandsworth. Shortly after taking this employment, Nichols is known to have written a letter to her father describing her general contentment with the position, stating: "I just write to say you will be glad to know that I am settled in my new place, and going on all right up to now. My people went out yesterday, and have not returned, so I am in charge. It's a grand place inside, with trees and gardens back and front. All has been newly done up. They are teetotallers, and religious, so I ought to get on. They are very nice people, and I have not too much to do. I hope you are all right and the boy has work. So goodbye for the present. From yours truly, Polly."
Possibly because Nichols was an alcoholic and her employers were teetotallers, she left this employment after just three months of service, stealing clothing worth £3.10s. and absconding from the premises. Her father was informed of this fact via postcard on 12th July, in response to his attempted return correspondence with his daughter.By the summer of 1888, Nichols resided in a common lodging-house at 18 Thrawl Street, Spitalfields, where she shared a bed with an elderly woman named Emily "Nelly" Holland.She relocated to an alternative common lodging-house at 56 Flower and Dean Street, Whitechapel, on 24 August.At the time of her death, William Nichols had not seen his wife in well over three years.
At approximately 11:00 p.m. on 30th August, Nichols was seen walking along Whitechapel Road. She visited the Frying Pan public house in Brick Lane, Spitalfields, leaving at exactly 12:30 a.m. on 31 August. By 1:20 a.m., she had returned to the kitchen of her Flower and Dean Street lodging-house. Fifty minutes later, she was seen by the deputy lodging house keeper, who asked her for the 4 pence she required for her bed. When Nichols replied she did not have the money, she was ordered to leave the premises. Unconcerned, Nichols motioned to her new black velvet bonnet, replying: "I'll soon get my doss money. See what a jolly bonnet I've got now."She then left the lodging-house.Nichols was last seen alive by Emily Holland, walking alone down Osborne Street at approximately 2:30 a.m.According to Holland, Nichols was notably drunk, at one stage slumping against the wall of a grocer's shop.Holland attempted to persuade Nichols to return to her Thrawl Street lodging-house, but Nichols refused, stating: "I have had my lodging money three times today, and I have spent it."Holland noted Nichols seemed unconcerned about her prospects of earning the 4d. required to pay for her bed. The two parted company, with Nichols walking towards Whitechapel Road.
Afterwards body was found.Nichols's body was moved into the Old Montague Street Mortuary at 5:20 a.m. The injuries to her abdomen were discovered by an Inspector Spratling, who immediately sent for Dr Llewellyn, who had initially returned to his home.Upon further examination of Nichols's body, Dr Llewellyn discovered that both sides of her face had been bruised by either a fist or the pressure of a thumb before her throat wounds had been inflicted from left to right. One of these two wounds measured eight inches and the other four inches in length; both reached back to her vertebral column.Her vagina had been stabbed twice,and her abdomen had been mutilated with one deep, jagged wound two or three inches from the left side. Several incisions had also been inflicted across her abdomen, causing her bowels to protrude through the wounds,and three or four similar cuts ran down the right side of her body. These cuts had also been inflicted with the same knife, estimated to be at least 6 to 8 inches long, and possibly a cork-cutter or shoemaker's knife. Each wound had been inflicted in a violent and downward thrusting manner.Llewellyn further opined his belief the murderer possessed some anatomical knowledge.No organs were missing.Llewellyn estimated the injuries would have taken four to five minutes to complete, and also expressed his surprise at the small amount of blood at the crime scene, "about enough to fill two large wine glasses, or half a pint at the outside". He believed Nichols had been facing her attacker when he had held his hand across her mouth before cutting her throat. Death would have been instantaneous, and all her abdominal injuries, which would have taken less than five minutes to perform, were made by the murderer after she was dead. Llewellyn was able to determine this fact because wounds inflicted to an individual's body after death do not result in blood spattering and may not result in an extensive amount of blood loss from the body.
As the murder occurred in the territory of the J or Bethnal Green Division of the Metropolitan Police, it was at first investigated by the local detectives. They focussed their attention on the area of Common Lodging Houses where Nichols,Tabram and Smith had been staying at the times of their deaths. Initial investigations into the murder had very little success, although, the press linked it to the two previous murders of Martha and Smith and suggested the killing might have been perpetrated by a gang.However,the style of the murder was completely different this time.Patrick Mulshaw, a night watchman, who was working at the nearby sewer works gave a seemingly astonishing clue.He said that, at around twenty minutes to five o'clock,a passing stranger had told him,that there's a dead body down the street.But why will a passer by who happens to walk past a guy cleaning the sewer,would tell him about a murder,Patrick Mulshaw clearly stated that he didn't knew that guy.Perhaps it was the killer himself.However,he was quite drunk and didn't quite remembered his face.Investigating officers reported that there was no trace of blood on the spot,which could mean that the murder took place on somewhere else and that the body was later dumped here.This killer or killers wanted to show his hatred,and he went away with a trophy,as a memorial for his work.The Star newspaper suggested that a single killer was responsible and other newspapers took up their storyline.
A key witness,which was not collaborated by the police, was Henry Birch.Henry Birch was the proprietor of a milk-stand in the yard of Number 2, Little Turner street, Commercial Road. He claimed to have sold a glass of milk to a "frightened", suspicious-looking man on the night after the Polly Nichols murder. His story appeared in The Star:
Not later than a quarter-past eleven a man stepped hurriedly into a yard entrance at No. 2, Little Turner-street, Commercial-road. On one side of the yard is a milk stand. The man asked for a glass of milk, and, when served, drank it hurriedly, then, looking about in a frightened manner, asked if he might step back into the yard. The proprietor, Henry Birch, did not object, but presently, his suspicions being aroused, he stepped towards the man and found him drawing on a suit of new overalls over his ordinary clothes. The pants were already on, and he was stooping to take a jacket from a black shiny bag that lay at his feet when Birch stepped up to him. He seemed to be very much upset by the interruption, and for a moment could not speak. Presently he said, "That was a terrible murder last night, was'nt it?" and before Birch could answer he had added, "I think I've got a clue," and, snatching up his bag, he disappeared down the street. Mr. Birch then thought he might be a detective, adopting a disguise for some purpose, but the police believe he was the man who assaulted the woman in Cambridge Heath-road, and that he donned the overalls to mislead anyone who might be tracing him. They have the name of the woman referred to, and her description tallies with that given by Birch of his mysterious caller. The clothing was described as a blue serge suit, and a stiff but low hat. He wore a stand-up collar and a watch-chain. He wore no beard, but a slight dark moustache and his face was evidently sunburnt. Birch says he thought he was a seafaring man, or one who had recently made a long voyage. When he got the overalls on he had the appearance of an engineer. Many points of this description correspond so well to that given of the man who made such pointed inquiries about women at the Nuns Head Tavern, Aldgate, last Saturday night, and also to another description the police have received, that they are inclined to connect the man with the latest murders.