The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-10-09 00:00:00

THE WHITECHAPEL MYSTERY.
COMPLETION OF LAST WEDNESDAY'S

PROCEEDINGS.

Mr. F. G. Larkin, the medical man who first saw
the remains, was here called. He commenced by
saying that he had been requested not to use anatomi-
cal language, and he should comply. The examina-
tion on the 13th of September was then read. It
stated that the witness saw the remains on Saturday,
the 11th, at the police-station, and that he described
the appearance of the parcels found in the possession
of the prisoner Henry Wainwright. It said that the
remains were of a wcAnan who had had a cut throat,
and that the body had been dismembered roughly,
and by an unskilful person. He now proceeded—
After that I made examinations of the body, and at
other times. Mr. Bond and I assisted each other in
thoroughly examining the body. The remains con-
sist of ten parts, and formed a complete human
body. The parts are—a head and neck, trunk, two
thighs, each thigh including portions of the pelvis,
two legs and feet connected, the two arms, and two
hands. They formed the body of a female about 25
years of acre. Her height was as near as possible
sft., and she was slender. Her feet and hands were
proportionate to lithe size of the body. The feet, I
should say, were thin. The dismencbership had been
performed roughly by a person cf no skill. The axe
I have seen might have done this dismembership. I
found portions of chloride of lime on the body. I
examined carefully the skull. I found on the outside
a fracture above and behind the right ear. I found
it to be an old fracture. It possibly might have been
done so long ago as a year. It was an elongated
fracture off three-quarters of an inch. It was such
as might have been caused by a bullet shot. The
appearances of the brain on opening the skull were
such that I deemed it prudent not to disturb the
brain in the least, as it was in a semi-fluid or pulpy
condition, which would prevent me from iemoving it,
as I had the other viscera, for subsequent inspection
by an expert • and my evidence then would not have
been confirmed in reference to bullets found inside
the brain. I afterwards found with Mr. Bond, in a
line with the fracture, a bullet in the back part of
the brain. It appeared to have struck the other side
of the skull. lam of opinion that it entered during
life. My reasons for so thinking are because, on ex-
amining the inside of the skull corresponding with
that fracture. I found a very even layer of congealed
blood, one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness spread
over and around the immediate neighbourhood. I
produce the bullet, which in my opinion may possibly
have caused death. I say "possibly " for a reason.
There was another fracture on a level with the top of
the ear in front. We found this from the inside,
and we saw from tracing from that fracture another
bullet in the brain. That had lodged itself on the
base of the skull in the middle. That had penetra-
ted the skull and brain during life or immediately
after. Either of these would be sufficient to cause
death. The second bullet is produced, and has the
appearance of having been fired and having come
into contact with a hard substance. The second
was an old fracture as well as the first. The
separation of the head from the body was
effected recently to the 11th of September.
There was besides the severance an old cut in the
throat. It commenced immediately on the right
side of the right side of the middle of the throat,
and extended backwards and slightly upwards to
the left, opposite the angle of the lower jaw. It
had dissevered all the structures in front and on
the left side of the neck down to the third cervicle
vertebra. That was such a cut as might have
been done with an ordinary large knife. That
was done during life or immediately after death.
That in itself would be sufficient to cause death.
This cut appeared to 1128 to be continued into the
body of the vertebrae, but I will not speak posi-
tively that the wound in the body of the vertebrw
was inflicted at the same time as the cut in the
neck. There were no other fractures or wounds
which appeared to have been caused in life or
immediately after death. I examined the hair on
the head. It was fastened up with a pad at the
back with a Very large number of hair-pins and
the hair was fastened over the pad.. There was a
piece of velvet, rotten, tied round the hair in the
usual way. There was more or less dried blood
everywhere about the head, especially in the
neighbourhood of the wounds. I took the pad off
the head and found the hair-pins, some bent and
broken. I found a third bullet in the pad, sticking
to it. It appears to have been fired, and to have
come into contact with something. This was in
the pad, and it was adhering to it with dried
blood. I gave the pad up to Inspector Fox, and
I have seen it here. I cut off some of the hair and
washed it. I also gave that up to the Inspector
I call it very light auburn hair. I am verz
strongly of opinion that this woman had borne a 7
child. I formed that opinion when with Bond, and
also from independent inspection. I have made
inspections since the inquest, and I am of opinion
that this is the body of a woman who has borne a
child. The police brought me a pair of boots—
Inspector Fox, who now produces them, brought
them. (The boots from Harriet Lane's box pro-
duced). I compared the boots with the left foot
I am of opinion that this boot was worn by that
person. I went with Mr. Bond to 215, White-
chapel-road. I examined the back part of the
premises and found a considerable quantity of
chloride of lime in dirt, and loose hairs there, too,
in the dirt. I examined the stones there, and saw
what seemed to be marks from a chopper on the
stones, and there was a mess on the stOraes such
as there would be from the cutting up of a body
in the condition of this. I was here when Mr.
Lane and Mrs. Taylor were examined, and heard
a scar mentioned. At that time we had not dis-
covered any scar, but in consequence of what we
heard here, and only from that, we examined the
right leg; it was about four inches below the
middle of the knee in front and on the outer side;
it was about the size of a shilling, but it was
elongated. It would require some hot material
to produce that in life. A hot poker would pro-
duce it. A mere scald would not have done it
It was very thick, and was puckered—the pucker-
ing, of course, making it appear larger than it
originally was. After we had examined it we at-
tended the inquest; but we had not given the
slightest intimation of our discovery to any per-
son whatever. We agreed not to do so. There
was present when we discovered the scar a medical
gentleman, as representing the prisoner. Mrs.
Taylor and John Lane were then specially asked
about the scar before the Coroner, but until they
had been examined no intimation or information
was given to anybody on this point but us. I did
not cut the scar out. - _

Mr. Bond: I cut it out, and I have it.
Mr. Larkin.proceeded : There was a decayed
tooth on the right side of the upper jaw—a tooth
immediately behind the eye tooth, and this was
decayed down to the level of the bone on one side.
As far as I could see, it was the only decayed
tooth in the head. The medical gentleman who
represented the prisoner had a full opportunity of
seeing us examine the body for the scar, and to
examine the body for himself.
Mr. Besley said he would reserve the cross-ex-
amination of the witness.

By the Magistrate: I was present when Mr.
Lane saw the remains. They were in a coffin.
The parts were put together to represent a body
He could not have seen the scar then, and no un-
qualified person could have seen it, as the legs
were so decomposed. It was on the occasion
when M,r. Lane spoke about the scar that Mr.
Besley asked to have a medical man to examine
the body. The next time I saw the body was in
Mr. Aubin's presence and Mr. Bond's presence, and
it was then we discovered the scar—when that
gentleman was present. There was no examina-
tion of the body after Mr. Lane's statement of
their being a scar on the leg having been elicited
in this court and the examination when Mr. Aubin
was present.

As- the council were preparing to go, the magis-
trate asked if it was really impossible for them to
attend to continue the case before next Tuesday,
as he thought it should go on earlier.
• No answer was given directly to the question,
but Mr. Besley said he wouldkeep open both Tues.
antl Wednesday next.

Mr. Moody then again urged on behalf of his
client Thomas, that he had shown he had nothing
to fear by remaining in the country, and asked
that he should he admitted to bail.

The Magistrate said the cases of admitting to
bail a prisoner charged as being an accessory to a
murder were so rare that Mr. Moody could hardly
cite a case in his own knowledge of its being done.

Mr. Moody said it was a bailable case.
The Magistrate said that might be,but bail was
rarely taken.
Mr. Moody cited the case of Governor Eyre.
The Magistrate questioned the analogy of that
case to this, and then proceeded to say that as a
fact, he found by the evidence that Thomas Wain-
wright was introduced by the prisoner Henry
Wainwright, who was charged with murdering
this young women, for the purpose of causing the
friends to believe that E. Frieake had gone off
with her. It was then shown by the evidence that
Thomas Wainwright had in letters personated in
his handwriting the person "E. Frieke" thus in-
troduced by the otherprisoner, and at a time when
the woman was dead Thomas Wainwright wrote
the letter saying she was with him. She was dead
and out of the world at that time, and yet Thomas
Wainwright wrote in a manner calculated to de-
ceive, and to show that she was alive. Then, to
go a step further, a person like him called at Sid,
ney-square upon Hariet Lane, and represented
himself as ',Teddy Frieke," and was making ar-
rangements for her to leave there. Taking it al-
together, there was a curious chain of evidence,
even assuming that it was not altogether particu-
larly strong as now presented, and the prisoner
Thomas Wainwright could not be admitted to
The elm wae then adjournsd until Tuesday.