K.A.W PRESENTS

THE MURDER OF ELIZABETH STRIDE

Early on the morning of September 30, 1888 at around 1 AM, Louis Diemshitz, the Secretary of the Socialist Club was returning to the club in a pony drawn barrow. Upon entering Duffield's Yard on Berner Street, where the club residence was located, Diemshitz's pony shied. He then noted a heap on the ground to the pony's left and prodded the object with his whip. Upon jumping down from the barrow he lit a match and examined the object further. He noted it was the body of a woman, although he was unable to determine whether she was drunk or dead.

Diemshitz entered the club and notified his wife, and several other members who were inside. He found a candle, and led several of the members back outside to examine the find. For the first time, Diemshitz saw blood in the vicinity of the body, and immediately set out to find a policeman.

After running several blocks and shouting for the police, he was unable to locate a constable. So he returned to the site with a young man he met on Grove Street. The man lifted the head, and it was apparent that the woman's throat was cut.

At that moment, Police Constable Henry Lamb and another officer arrived on the scene. They immediately sealed off the area and searched all the people who had gathered in the yard. The constables also immediately sent for a doctor.

Dr. William Blackwell arrived on the scene first, noting that the woman's legs were drawn up and the throat deeply cut. Her neck and chest were still warm, and the face and legs were slightly warm. He estimated that she had been dead between 20 minutes and a half hour. About 10 minutes later, Dr. Phillips arrived at the scene.

The woman was described as being in her 40's, and about 5'2" tall. Post-mortem examination determined that she had probably been murdered with a short bladed knife.

BACKGROUND

One of the difficulties police encountered in the investigation of this murder was the initial misidentification of the deceased. Identifying the downtrodden prostitutes of Whitechapel was always a challenge, especially since they frequently were known by several names.

The problem was especially accute in this case because Mary Malcolm initially identified the dead woman as her sister, Elizabeth Watts, aka Long Liz. She professed certainty as to the identity at the inquest. However, Watts turned up alive and well a few days later.

Eventually, several other witnesses identified the woman as Elizabeth Stride. She was 45, Swedish, and had lived in England for about 22 years. By one of the many curious coincidences that plagues investigation of this case, she was also commonly known as "Long Liz."

ERRATA

Confounding coincidences made identification of the dead woman difficult in this case. Not only did both have the same nickname, but both apparently had a scar from a viper bite on the same leg.

Some researchers have discussed the discovery of a knife about a block from the murder scene by police constable Joseph Drage on the Monday following the murder. It was wrapped in a hankerchief and stained with blood. Dr. Phillips later examined the knife and while he couldn't rule it out as the murder weapon, he did not believe it was the instrument used.


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Introduction
The Murder of Mary Ann Nichols
The Murder of Annie Chapman
The Murder of Catherine Eddowes
Doubts About the Double Event
The Murder of Mary Jane Kelly
Physical Evidence
The Prime Suspects
A Royal Conspiracy?
Other Murders
Conclusion
Kex's Amazing World