Inspector Abberline at the time, taking notes, failed to realise the possible significance of the order these items were laid out, and the exact location of where they were found, and instead noted them as ‘Assorted coins and brass rings close to the body of the deceased’.
Abberline had decided not to release too much detail to the press, as he so rightly said, ‘They distort everything’. The press, however, were eager for any bit of news they could lay their hands on, and when one reporter overheard a police officer mention the leather apron that had been found, he decided to run with this as a vital piece of information. Its very name conjures up a picture of a possible morgue attendant; someone who cuts up bodies and is covered with splatterings of blood.
The Manchester Guardian reported that: ‘Whatever information may be in the possession of the police they deem it necessary to keep it a secret. It is believed their attention is particularly directed to a notorious character known as “Leather Apron”.’
No such directive had been issued by Inspector Abberline, or any other member of the constabulary, but that didn’t stop the press from printing such. Not only did they report such ‘findings’ as if they were true, they also exaggerated their ‘facts’ wildly. John Pizer, a Polish Jew who made leather footwear, was known locally as ‘Leather Apron’ but he was far from being the notorious character and the crude Jewish stereotype that the press painted him as.
Local feeling nevertheless became so emphatic that something needed to be done. After reading non-stop reports of how the police were ignoring the real suspects for political reasons, the police were forced into making a number of arrests, including that of John Pizer. Inspector Abberline was furious at Pizer’s arrest, which had been ordered direct from Scotland Yard; nevertheless, he had to go through the routine, in the knowledge that they had no real evidence to even warrant questioning him, let alone arresting him. Pizer was quickly released after his alibis were confirmed.
The leather apron was later found to belong to John Richardson, a porter from nearby Spitalfields Market; he had given his apron to his mother, who lived at 29 Hanbury Street, to wash. She had washed it and left it in the yard to dry. Abberline suspected Richardson and took him in for questioning, where he did admit to being in the yard in the early hours of that morning, but said that he had only gone there to see how his mother was when on his way to work. Richardson was investigated thoroughly by Abberline and his team, but was eliminated several days later from their inquiries.
The pressure on Abberline was starting to mount. Chief Inspector Donald Swanson, at Scotland Yard, was demanding results, which was easier said than done. Abberline was working day and night, sometimes even sleeping in his office overnight, which didn’t bode too well with his wife, Emma. To add to his woes, he also had the press breathing down his neck, asking for interviews, and printing headlines that more or less labelled the police as incompetent fools.
The press were blaming everyone and anyone, with the Home Secretary, Henry Mathews, and Commissioner of Police, Sir Charles Warren, being described as ‘Helpless, Heedless, and Useless’. As if to reiterate these comments against them, Sir Charles Warren came up with the ridiculous idea of using bloodhounds to track the killer down. How on earth they were going to be able to accomplish this, no one seemed to know. While on a trial run in Tooting Common, the two dogs, Barnaby and Burgho, ran away. Telegrams were sent to all London police stations to be on the look out for the pair of canine detectives. When the press picked up on this of course, the public were convulsed with laughter, and the police were ridiculed even more.
One needs to bear in mind that Inspector Abberline was at this time not just investigating a singular
Abberline had decided not to release too much detail to the press, as he so rightly said, ‘They distort everything’. The press, however, were eager for any bit of news they could lay their hands on, and when one reporter overheard a police officer mention the leather apron that had been found, he decided to run with this as a vital piece of information. Its very name conjures up a picture of a possible morgue attendant; someone who cuts up bodies and is covered with splatterings of blood.
The Manchester Guardian reported that: ‘Whatever information may be in the possession of the police they deem it necessary to keep it a secret. It is believed their attention is particularly directed to a notorious character known as “Leather Apron”.’
No such directive had been issued by Inspector Abberline, or any other member of the constabulary, but that didn’t stop the press from printing such. Not only did they report such ‘findings’ as if they were true, they also exaggerated their ‘facts’ wildly. John Pizer, a Polish Jew who made leather footwear, was known locally as ‘Leather Apron’ but he was far from being the notorious character and the crude Jewish stereotype that the press painted him as.
Local feeling nevertheless became so emphatic that something needed to be done. After reading non-stop reports of how the police were ignoring the real suspects for political reasons, the police were forced into making a number of arrests, including that of John Pizer. Inspector Abberline was furious at Pizer’s arrest, which had been ordered direct from Scotland Yard; nevertheless, he had to go through the routine, in the knowledge that they had no real evidence to even warrant questioning him, let alone arresting him. Pizer was quickly released after his alibis were confirmed.
The leather apron was later found to belong to John Richardson, a porter from nearby Spitalfields Market; he had given his apron to his mother, who lived at 29 Hanbury Street, to wash. She had washed it and left it in the yard to dry. Abberline suspected Richardson and took him in for questioning, where he did admit to being in the yard in the early hours of that morning, but said that he had only gone there to see how his mother was when on his way to work. Richardson was investigated thoroughly by Abberline and his team, but was eliminated several days later from their inquiries.
The pressure on Abberline was starting to mount. Chief Inspector Donald Swanson, at Scotland Yard, was demanding results, which was easier said than done. Abberline was working day and night, sometimes even sleeping in his office overnight, which didn’t bode too well with his wife, Emma. To add to his woes, he also had the press breathing down his neck, asking for interviews, and printing headlines that more or less labelled the police as incompetent fools.
The press were blaming everyone and anyone, with the Home Secretary, Henry Mathews, and Commissioner of Police, Sir Charles Warren, being described as ‘Helpless, Heedless, and Useless’. As if to reiterate these comments against them, Sir Charles Warren came up with the ridiculous idea of using bloodhounds to track the killer down. How on earth they were going to be able to accomplish this, no one seemed to know. While on a trial run in Tooting Common, the two dogs, Barnaby and Burgho, ran away. Telegrams were sent to all London police stations to be on the look out for the pair of canine detectives. When the press picked up on this of course, the public were convulsed with laughter, and the police were ridiculed even more.
One needs to bear in mind that Inspector Abberline was at this time not just investigating a singular
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