One hundred years ago
Nothing has been discovered about the Whitechapel murder, nor, unless the criminal betrays himself, or commits another murder and is caught red- handed, is it likely that the search will be successful. A witness or two claim to have seen him talking to the murdered woman, and one says he was over 40, and looked like a foreigner; but their testimony hardly helps the police, who are evidently for the moment in despair. The Home Office has refused to offer a reward, upon grounds which we have discussed elsewhere, and think suffi- cient; but private individuals have sub- scribed £300. The police have been greatly harassed by clues leading to nothing, and the Coroner who held the inquiry has not displayed his accus- tomed judgment. Acting under the im- aginary coercion of precedent, he on Wednesday directed that Dr Bagster Phillips, who made the post-mortem examination, should give his evidence in detail, and though warned that it would interfere with the course of jus- tice, persisted in his demand. Dr Phil- lips was therefore obliged to state that the murderer had cut out and carried off with him flesh from his victim's body. That, if found, would hang the wretch, and, of course, will not now be found, the first attraction of murderers, after the hand-bills, being the evening pap- ers.
The Spectator, 22 September 1888
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