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Annie Chapman - Wife, Mother, Victim: The Life & Death of a Victim of Jack The Ripper

Page 74

by Covell, Mike


  September 28th 1888

  The Morning Advertiser, a newspaper published in London, featured the following, dated September 28th 1888,

  The Whitechapel Murders - The Press Association says: As a concequence of the startling statement made by the coroner on Wednesday, public interest in the fate of the unfortunate Annie Chapman has been stimulated afresh, and the clue afforded is being followed up by the police, who have now had the information in their possession for a week; but it has not transpired whether they have yet obtained any tangible result. The inquiries of the police would necessarily extend to America, and on that account it may be some time before fresh facts could be in the hands of the public. An important point yet to be made clear is as to whether the object of the murderer was the same in the case of the woman Nichols as in that of Annie Chapman. The coroner in the former case, when he summed up last Saturday, appeared to think that it was, and at the time of expressing that opinion he must have been in receipt of the important communication from the sub-curator of the pathological museum attached to one of the metropolitan hospitals to which he referred in his summing up on the body of Annie Chapman. The opinion he expressed last Saturday regarding Nichols' case thus carries weight. The “shabby genteel” man who was seen in Chapman's company shortly before her murder is being sought for; but up to the present it would appear without success. From inquiries made at some of the great medical institutions it has been ascertained that requests similar to that of the American gentleman had been made before, but the peculiar conditions attaching to the requests could not possibly be complied with, unless the operation were performed before or immediately after death. From inquiries made at a late hour last night it was ascertained that the man John Fitzgerald, who was arrested on his own confession at Wandsworth on Wednesday for the murder of Annie Chapman, was still detained in custody at the Leman-street (Whitechapel) police-station. Numerous detectives throughout yesterday were engaged in investigating Fitzgerald's antecedents, but nothing was discovered to justify the authorities in charging the man with the murder.

  Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser, a newspaper published in Dublin, Ireland, featured the following, dated September 28th 1888,

  THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS. The Press Association says - As the consequences of the startling statement made by the Coroner yesterday, public interest in the fate of the unfortunate Annie Chapman has been stimulated afresh, and to-day the subject again occupied the foremost place in conversation. The clue afforded by the Coroner is, of course, being followed up by the police, who have now had the information in their possession for a week, but it has not transpired whether it has yet led to any tangible result. The inquiries of the police necessarily extend to America, and on that account it may be some time before fresh facts can be in the hands of the public. An important point yet to be made clear is whether the object of murder was the same in the case of the woman Nicholls and of Annie Chapman. The Coroner in the former case, when he summed up last Saturday, appeared to think that it was, and at the time of expressing that opinion he must have been in receipt of important information from the sub-curator of the Pathological Museum attached to one of the Metropolitan Hospitals, to which he referred in his summing up on the body of Annie Chapman. The opinion he expressed last Saturday regarding Nicholls' case thus carries weight. The “shabby genteel” man who was seen in Chapman's company shortly before her murder is being sought for, but up to the present it would appear without success. Inquiries at some fo the medical institutions show that similar requests have been made for anatomical specimens, but the conditions could not possibly be complied with. The Woodford Times, a newspaper published in Essex, featured the following, dated September 28th 1888,

 

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