Jack The Ripper - Mark Whitehead [21]
By 1885 she was living with Michael Kidney, a waterside labourer, either at 38, Dorset Street or 36, Devonshire Street, Commercial Road (again, accounts differ).The latter’s proximity to the docks seems the more credible. They supported themselves on Kidney’s earnings and Stride’s domestic work. Kidney testified that, during their three years together, she’d been away from him for about five months in total. He blamed her liking for drink. Between 1887 and 1888 she had been convicted eight times for drunkenness. But this is probably not the whole truth. There is no doubt that they quarrelled, and Kidney does not seem to have been as mild-mannered as he presented himself at the inquest. In April 1887, Stride had him charged with assault but then she failed to appear in court to prosecute him. It seems likely that, after quarrels, she would leave to avoid further assaults.
Kidney claimed that he had last seen her in Commercial Street on 25 September and was surprised that she was not home when he returned from work that evening. She probably returned to 32, Flower and Dean Street, and was cer-tainly there on 26 September. This verification comes from a surprising source – Dr Thomas Barnardo. He had been talking to the residents of 32 on Wednesday evening, eliciting responses for his proposals to save the children of prostitutes from the streets. He had occasion to view the remains of ‘Long Liz’ and recognised her immediately as one of the women that he had seen in the kitchen of the lodging house that evening. The same day, Stride had returned home to remove some personal belongings, another sign that they had quarrelled recently and she planned to stay out of Kidney’s way for some time. Stride was only an occasional prostitute, relying more on money from Kidney and charring work. Elizabeth Tanner recalled being told that she ‘was at work among the Jews’, and on 29 September Stride cleaned two of the lodging rooms, for which Tanner paid her sixpence. Tanner last saw her when they met for a drink at
6.30 that evening at the Queen’s Head, Commercial Street and walked back to the lodging house together.
It is known that Stride left again after 7.00pm but there are no other sightings of her until around 11.00pm when Mr J Best and John Gardner saw her leave the Bricklayer’s Arms in Settle Street in the company of a young Englishman of ‘clerkly’ appearance. He had a black moustache and wore a morning suit and a billycock hat. They headed in the direction of Commercial Road and Berner Street. Forty-five minutes later, William Marshall saw her with an Englishman on Berner Street heading toward Dutfield’s Yard. The man he described was similar to Best and Gardner’s descriptions. Supposedly he overheard the man say: ‘You would say anything but your prayers.’
PC William Smith saw the couple at the same place at 12.35am. He noticed that the woman had a red rose on her coat and would later identify the body as that same woman. He described the man as 28, 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a dark complexion and a small dark moustache. He was wearing a black diagonal coat, a hard felt deerstalker hat and a white collar and tie. In one hand he was carrying a parcel wrapped in newspaper. Both appeared to be sober. Smith heard none of their conversation.
More important is the testimony of Israel Schwartz, a Hungarian Jew who lived in Ellen Street (which crossed Berner Street). Inspector Swanson’s report to the Home Office on 19 October is the only record of this testimony, given at Leman Street police station on 30 September. Schwartz had got as far as the gateway to Dutfield’s Yard when he saw a man stop and speak to a woman stood in the gateway.The man tried to pull her into the street but turned