Jack the Ripper: The Secret Police Files Read Online Free PDF

matching her description is seen talking with a male outside of Mitre Square shortly before her lifeless and mutilated body was discovered by Pc Watkins.

    The inquest was opened on October 4th 1888 by Mr. S. F. Langham, coroner for the City of London. The first police witness was Pc Watkins who first discovered the body his testimony was:
    “I was on duty at Mitre-square on Saturday night. I have been in the force seventeen years. I went on duty at 9.45 upon my regular beat. That extends from Duke-street, Aldgate, through Heneage-lane, a portion of Bury-street, through Cree-lane, into Leadenhall-street, along eastward into Mitre-street, then into Mitre-square, round the square again into Mitre-street, then into King-street to St. James's-place, round the place, then into Duke-street, where I started from. That beat takes twelve or fourteen minutes. I had been patrolling the beat continually from ten o'clock at night until one o'clock on Sunday morning.”
    Coroner: Had anything excited your attention during those hours?
    Watkins: No .
    Coroner: Or any person?
    Watkins: No. I passed through Mitre-square at about 1.30 on the Sunday morning. I had my lantern alight and on - fixed to my belt. According to my usual practice, I looked at the different passages and corners .
    Coroner: At half past one did anything excite your attention?
    Watkins : No .
    Coroner: Did you see anyone about?
    Watkins: No .
    Coroner: Could any people have been about that portion of the square without your seeing them?

    Watkins: No. I next came into Mitre-square at 1.44, when I discovered the body lying on the right as I entered the square. The woman was on her back, with her feet towards the square. Her clothes were thrown up. I saw her throat was cut and the stomach ripped open. She was lying in a pool of blood. I did not touch the body. I ran across to Kearley and Long's warehouse. The door was ajar, and I pushed it open, and called on the watchman Morris, who was inside. He came out. I remained with the body until the arrival of Police-constable Holland. No one else was there before that but myself. Holland was followed by Dr. Sequeira. Inspector Collard arrived at about two o'clock, and also Dr. Brown, surgeon to the police force .
    Coroner: When you first saw the body did you hear any footsteps as if anybody were running away?
    Watkins: No. The door of the warehouse to which I went was ajar, because the watchman was working about. It was no unusual thing for the door to be ajar at that hour of the morning. I was continually patrolling my beat from ten o'clock up to half past one. I noticed nothing unusual up till 1.44, when I saw the body. I did not sound an alarm. We do not carry whistles. My beat is not a double but a single beat. No other policeman comes into Mitre-street .
    The second police witness was Police Constable Harvey whose beat bordered on Mitre Square he stated, “ At 1.40 am I went down Duke Street and down Church Passage and into Mitre Square. I saw no one. I heard no cry or noise.”
    The next witnesses were the doctors who attended the murder scene and later carried out the post-mortem. The first doctor who attended the murder scene was Dr. Sequeira his testimony was:
    Dr. G. W. Sequeira, surgeon, of No. 34, Jewry-street, Aldgate, deposed: “On the morning of Sept. 30 I was called to Mitre-square, and I arrived at five minutes to two o'clock, being the first medical man on the scene of the murder. I saw the position of the body, and I entirely agree with the evidence of Dr. Gordon Brown in that respect. I am well acquainted with the locality and the position of the lamps in the square. Where the murder was committed was probably the darkest part of the square, but there was sufficient light to enable the miscreant to perpetrate the deed. I think that the murderer had no design on any particular organ of the body. He was not possessed of any great anatomical skill.”
    Coroner: Can you account for the absence of noise?
    Dr.