Jack The Ripper - Mark Whitehead [32]
By the time the doctors had examined the body at the site, the news of the Ripper’s latest outrage had reached the crowds at the Lord Mayor’s Show and thousands converged on Dorset Street. Police cordons held them at bay but they clogged the surrounding streets. Kelly’s remains were removed to Shoreditch Mortuary at around 4pm and 13, Miller’s Court was boarded up and padlocked to keep out the curious.
The next day, Inspector Abberline returned to the Court to examine the fireplace. The heat that it had produced appeared to have been so fierce that it had partly melted the solder and spout of a kettle hung above (although there is no evidence to show that this hadn’t occurred at a previous time). All that remained in the fire were some remnants of women’s clothing. As Kelly’s clothing was still piled on a chair, it was presumed that the clothes had been those left by Maria Harvey and that the fire had been lit by the Ripper to help him see what he was doing.
Phillips and Bond disagreed on the time of death, both of them estimating according to the onset of rigor mortis, the temperature of the body and the coldness of the weather. Bond put death at about 1–2am, Phillips much later at 5–6am. It is entirely possible that the middle period, 3–4am is within both estimates. This suggests that the cry of ‘Murder’ that Mrs Prater and Mrs Lewis heard was Kelly’s final utterance. The marks on her thumb and hand certainly suggest that she attempted to fight off her attacker, if only briefly before she was overpowered. If so, it is likely that she would not have done so silently.
On the day of Kelly’s discovery, Sir Charles Warren resigned. Kelly’s death has often been read as the cause but, in fact, the ongoing power struggle between Warren and the Home Office over control of the Met was the main factor. Warren had written an article on ‘The Police of the Metropolis’ for Murray’s Magazine and, contrary to official procedure, had not had it cleared by the Home Office before publication. Reprimanded by Matthews for this infraction, Warren tendered his resignation on 8 November. It was accepted and announced the following day and the coincidence was too good for many to read anything else into it. The radical press were especially pleased. The Star announced ‘Whitechapel has avenged us for Bloody Sunday’ and so the belief has continued. It is still felt by some theorists that Warren’s squabbles with Matthews diverted his attentions from giving the Ripper case the attention it deserved.
With renewed uproar about the murders and continued cries for rewards for information leading to his capture, the Home Secretary offered a pardon to any accomplice of the Ripper who came forth with information. This can only be seen as a cynical face-saving exercise. His reasoning, that the other murders did not suggest accomplices but Kelly’s did, is a blatant piece of bluster, if one considers Schwartz’s testimony of Stride’s murder. No one took up the offer and it continues to seem unlikely that this elusive killer ever employed an accomplice. After forcing Warren’s resignation, Matthews remained, despite offers to resign. Prime Minister Lord Salisbury believed that his resignation could only further harm his government.
The inquest into Kelly’s murder was held at Shoreditch Town Hall on 12 November.The removal of Kelly’s body to Shoreditch Mortuary meant that the coroner for the inquest was Dr Roderick MacDonald, Wynne Baxter’s rival. Like the Eddowes inquest, it was a brief affair. Phillips’ testimony was especially truncated, stating that Kelly had been found dead from