Dr. Clarke versus Hart. January 1890

[A.P. Wolf]

I have just been reading the most extraordinary case of Dr. Clarke versus Hart from January of 1890.
It is a complicated issue but basically Dr. Clarke is suing Hart for slander, because in November of 1888 at the ‘height of the Jack the Ripper murders’, Hart was employed as an amateur detective in Whitechapel, and supplied Scotland Yard with detailed information about a suspect he had followed to Dr. Clarke’s home, afterwards Dr. Clarke finds himself ‘shadowed’ by the police, and eventually his home is entered by the police and searched.
Dr. Clarke is claiming that his reputation and income has been damaged by the incidents.
But who was the suspect; and why did it take two years to resolve?

[A.P. Wolf]

One has to mention also that this Dr. Clarke was the assistant divisional police surgeon of 'H' Division, Whitechapel, who stood in for Dr. Phillips when he was on holiday at the time of the Pinchin Street fiasco, and examined the body of the victim... or what was left of it.

[How Brown]

A.P.

This smacks of Stephenson's fitting up of Davies,doesn't it?

Any chance a first name for "Hart" available? This is interesting and like you I wonder whom this "suspect" was.

Is there a case number for the complaint?

Thank you,sor.

[A.P. Wolf]

Thanks How
at the moment I don't have a first name for Hart, but can probably find one tonight.
All I know so far is that he was described as a 'tobacconist of Mare-street, Hackney'.

[A.P. Wolf]

I now see that this case was dug up by Chris, and then expanded by Robert and others, on the Casebook site back in 2005. My sincere apologies to them for stepping on their toes over two years later.
However the interesting fiasco was never successfully resolved... I don't think.
Robert named this Hart as James C Hart, age 37, of 293 Mare Street Hackney, tobacconist, civil engineer and parish secretary.
James Hart appears to have been quite a respectable gentleman, as Robert found him in The Times saving children on the street in his capacity as a member of the London School Board.
So one wonders what the devil he was doing charging around Whitechapel at night following suspects around and then passing information on to Scotland Yard about them?
I'm not sure, but perhaps Robert can confirm it, were not the majority of Hart's of the Jewish persuasion?

[Robert Linford]

Hi AP

I vaguely remember this. Re the Hart name, I'm not aware of its being particularly Jewish.

Robert

[How Brown]

A.P.

Wouldn't the job title, "parish secretary" designate this Hart was Catholic?