Jack the Ripper - The Murders

# 2 Annie Chapman 8 September 1888

29 Hanbury Street is at the western end of Hanbury Street, close to the site of Spitafields Market. To walk there from Site 1 will take a mere 15 - 20 minutes. When I first went to school in Whitechapel Road (from 1956 - 1962) all the sites, except Site 5, were "intact" i.e. before re-developments which began to happen in the latter 1960's.

As I remember all of Hanbury Street, Dorset Street and the adjoining streets from Davenant Street, Old Montague Street and the side streets looked very similar to the small photo above, except for the presence of cars & trucks. The left hand photo below i.e. a run down slum, is of 29 Hanbury Street. This photo looks as I remember the site in c1958; it could be from either 1920 or 1958. It is interesting to visit Google Maps and type in 28 Hanbury Street London E1 then click onto Street View. Here you will see the present day view of Hanbury St. Number 29 has been re-developed but number 28 opposite, whilst re-furbished, is still the original building. I think Google Street View tends to make the street look narrower by about 25%.

Annie Chapman was murdered just before dawn on the morning of Saturday 8 September 1888. Her body was found in the small (3ft) recess between the stone steps and fence (see picture below) in the rear yard of 29 Hanbury Street just before 6am by John Davies. Mr Davies was a tenant occupying the top front room (facing Hanbury St) on the 3rd floor. Opening the yard door on his way to the closet in the rear yard he saw Annie's body. John went back out through the passageway to the front door, which he testified at Annie's Inquest was wide open. The front door in question is the left one of the two shown in the photo above. The Right Hand door being the shop door. It is believed the shop front & shop door was added soon after World War 1. It is not possible to confirm this fact (though).

John Davies testified the front door was never securely locked, merely latched.

Davies went back the corridor to Hanbury Street and called two workmen (James Green & James Kent) who were across the street walking towards 23 Hanbury Street. Number 23A being their workplace at Bailey's Packing Case Manufacturer. They came in response to his summons and after seeing from the passageway the sight of Annie with blood on a handkerchief around her throat and the sight of her entrails protruding the two men ran to find a Policeman. John Davies went to Commercial Street Police Station, approx 8 minutes at a fast walking pace & reported his finding to an Inspector Chandler . When they returned some Police Constables were already on sight and Inspector Chandler then took charge of the scene. Contrary to modern practice it is known other spectators viewed the scene. Some of these people reported their findings at the subsequent Inquest. At that inquest Inspector Chandler confirmed how he had been summonsed to 29 Hanbury Street and described to the Coroner how Annie's body was on it's back a few inches from the back steps and paralle but two feet from the fence.

Annie's Wedding Photo

Annie's injuries were horrific. Clearly, being off the street gave JTR cover for his attack. When analysing this attack with that of Polly Nicholls it is not a great intellectual leap to theorise JTR may well have been spooked when halfway through his task by perhaps noises of people approaching, or simply the adrenalin of the moment forced him away due to fear of being seen/ apprehended.

Although he met Annie at a later hour than Polly the opportunity she presented to take them off the street into a semblance of privacy allowed him to savagely attack Annie's body after he had killed her. From the lack of large blood splattering it is obvious JTR had gripped her throat, likely as Annie descended the step out of the passageway (see photo) and rendered her unconscious and most likely dead, or slose to it, within seconds. A worker in the neighbouring yard heard a gasp and a thud; probably as her body dropped or was lowered to the ground. JTR then slashed her throat, causing shocking wounds but virtually no blood spray which seems to indicate Annie's heart had stopped by then.

She was found laying on her back with her head between the bottom step and the fence. Her body angled so her feet were aligned to the bottom step. Her clothes were pulled up to her groin level and her legs were drawn up. A portion of her intestines had been pulled from her stoach area and , though still connected, were lying above her right should with some skin. Some pieces of skin were also on Annie's left shoulder.

Annie's wounds were trtuly horrific and, in my opinion,are the wounds Polly would have received had she & JTR been off the street. Annie's unterus had been removed from her body - and the scene - which clearly shows JTR's objective as well as the disembowelling and the placement of the intestines over the shoulder. This modus willl be seen again with victims 4 & 5.

 

 

 

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