Charles Ludwig; characters and places

[Jose Oranto]

Mystery solved. In 1888 56 Stoney Lane was 7a Stoney Lane. Part of the Artizan Dwellings Buildings which went from Harrow Lane to Stoney Lane. Sometime between 1899 and 1914 Stoney Lane extended from Middlesex Street to Houndsditch and there was renumbering. 7a became 56.
There is nothing in the street directory for 7a in 1888. In 1895 there is Mrs Leah Assenheim, Milliner. She is there in 1899 as well and in 1914 it is Joseph Assenheim, Ice Cream Maker.

This postcard shows Middlesex Street at the Stoney Lane junction. The Assenheim shop at number 40 was number 77 when this photo was taken.

Awesome, Rob!

I have transcribed this report shared by a person in a family tree of Judah "Lawrence" Assenheim (1870-1930) on Ancestry. Surely you understand it better than me... Would the Judah pickle dealer be the same as the ice cream maker?

The Weekly Standard and Express
24 June 1899

The Hokey-Pokey Champion
Open to Make a Match with Anybody in the World
If any reader fancies his power in the seductive art of hokey-pokey making he is invited to try conclusions wit Tommy Rochford.
It takes a good deal to disturb the usual calm of an editorial office, but when the office boy announced that "the champion hokey-pokey maker of the world" was waiting to see the editor of a London evening paper, there was a mild futter of excitement.
Accompalying this intimation was the following note:
Tommy from Assenheim's of No 7A, Stoney-lane, Houndsditch, is open to challenge the world at large for from five to ten pounds in making ten boxes of hokey-pokeys by doing their own work will give anybody one hour's start. Judah or Joe Assenheim preferred.
We are a sporting nation and one frequently tumblee across the gentlement who can clean more [?] in a given time than any other person, polish more pewter pots, dress a carcase of beef, or wheel a barrow with two bushals of potatoes in it a given distance in less time than anybody else, but the man who is willing to take anybody and everybody on at making hokey-pokey was somebody out of ordinary. The office boy's eyes glistened when he was told to show the gentleman up. He obviously believed that the champion had brought some specimens of his work with him.
Tommy from Assenheim's bears his championship very modestly.
He explained his challenge in the following lucid language:
"One of 'em as I'm challengin' is the Guv'nor, that's Joe, don't you see, and o' course he might have some one to help 'im. But that ain't allowed. It's got to be from the bilin' to the finish"
"From the bilin' to the finish" included freezing, putting into moulds, taking out again, and cutting into squares and then wrapping the pink and white morsels in paper.
"There in't no animosity between me and the Guv'nor, don't you know," said the champion "It's friendly rivalry, like. Judah's his nephew."
"How did the challenge come to be issued?" "It was like this, yer see . I was a-workin' when the Guv'nor's son in law 'e come to me an' 'e says: 'and e thinks 'e can do you down at making hokey,"
"Oh, can 'e? I says: 'well, let 'im do it.' I says. 'I'll give 'im ten in thirty,' I says, 'and leave 'im a mile behind,' I says.' Well, I wanted 'im to put up a sovereign and bind a match, but 'e wouldn't, so now I'm offerin' this challenge."
It may be stated that each box contains four dozen pieces of hokey-pokey, so if this sporting event should come off each man will have to turn out 480 squares. Tommy reckons he can do the lot from "bilin to finish" in three hours and a half.
It will be noted that the champion prefers Joe or Judah, but the contest is open to the five Continents; in fact, Tommy says, "Let 'em all come."
"I been at the game twenty-five years in England, been all that time with Joe." added Tommy, "and afore that I was in 42nd Street, Bowery, New York. That's where I learnt my profession."

[Rob Clack]

Mystery solved. In 1888 56 Stoney Lane was 7a Stoney Lane. Part of the Artizan Dwellings Buildings which went from Harrow Lane to Stoney Lane. Sometime between 1899 and 1914 Stoney Lane extended from Middlesex Street to Houndsditch and there was renumbering. 7a became 56.
There is nothing in the street directory for 7a in 1888. In 1895 there is Mrs Leah Assenheim, Milliner. She is there in 1899 as well and in 1914 it is Joseph Assenheim, Ice Cream Maker.

This postcard shows Middlesex Street at the Stoney Lane junction. The Assenheim shop at number 40 was number 77 when this photo was taken.

[Jose Oranto]

My pleasure Jose. Quite an interesting section. The directory was wrong, it goes 37, Stoney Lane and then 38 (demolished). As you probably know Jacob Levy was at 36.

Quite interesting, it's a small world.

I found this couple of pictures on facebook

https://www.facebook.com/AssenheimFamily/

"This photo came up on a Jewish London site. It shows Joe Assenheim's (My great grandfather) ice cream stall in Petticoat Lane, London. The number 56 represents where the ice cream was manufactured... 56 Stoney Lane.
Posted by Irene Wise"

[Rob Clack]

My pleasure Jose. Quite an interesting section. The directory was wrong, it goes 37, Stoney Lane and then 38 (demolished). As you probably know Jacob Levy was at 36.

[Jose Oranto]

Hi Jose,

There was a Judah Assenheim at 40 Houndsditch on the corner with Stoney Lane. I don't think there was a 56 in Stoney Lane, it was a short road.

And Concordia was at 37.

Brilliant Rob

If I'm not mistaken, Judah Assenheim, pickle dealer, was the father of Joseph, the owner of the ice cream shop. (Edit: I think I'm wrong)

We not only have the number of the Concordia but also Richter's name, 'Henry'

Thank you very much!

[Rob Clack]

Hi Jose,

There was a Judah Assenheim at 40 Houndsditch on the corner with Stoney Lane. I don't think there was a 56 in Stoney Lane, it was a short road.

And Concordia was at 37.

[Jose Oranto]

Hello Jose

did you see the report from a hotel manager in Finsbury? I don’t know if the hotel is known? But from the date he was turned out, it would be at Johannes’ in Church Street? Or is it the German club, which also turned him out on Monday?

Hi Kattrup,

I don't think it's possible to determine which hotel it was from the scant data we have. We can only speculate... Ludwig, apparently, could not speak English, but he was talking to the hotel manager, that would indicate that he was also German or he could speak German. I have found a hotel called Seyd's Hotel, at 39 Finsbury Square owned by a 54 year old German man named William Julius Seyd. It was open from at least 1875 to 1889 (? when he passed away in January. Maybe his family continued with the business, I have not gone further)

[Jose Oranto]

Hello Jose

did you see the report from a hotel manager in Finsbury? I don’t know if the hotel is known? But from the date he was turned out, it would be at Johannes’ in Church Street? Or is it the German club, which also turned him out on Monday?

Thank you Kattrup

Unfortunately I don't think we have anything to trace back to the Finsbury hotel.

I think it was on Monday morning the 17th that Johannes asked him not to come back again. Around ten o'clock at night he went to the Concordia drunk and Mrs [from memory I think it was Mrs and not Mr] Richter kicked him out. Later, around one in the morning, he went to the Finsbury Hotel, where the manager refused him to stay.

What is strange is not finding Alexander Freinberg... "although he is already found"... we have his name and variants of it, age, address, nationality and job. I just wanted to locate him to confirm his name.

[Kattrup]

Hello Jose

did you see the report from a hotel manager in Finsbury? I don’t know if the hotel is known? But from the date he was turned out, it would be at Johannes’ in Church Street? Or is it the German club, which also turned him out on Monday?

The Landlord of the hotel in Finsbury, where the man Weitrel (yesterday called Ludwig), now in custody, charged with attempting to stab a youth in Whitechapel, stayed at various times, has made the following statement:- "I must say I have been very suspicious of the man since the last murder at Whitechapel. On the day after that event, that is Sunday, he called here about nine o'clock in a very dirty state, and asked to be allowed to wash. He said he had been out all night, and began to talk to me about the Spitalfields affair. He wore a felt hat, a dirty greyish suit, and yellow sea-side slippers. He brought with him a case of razors, and a large pair of scissors, and after a time he wanted to shave me. I did not like the way he went on, and refused. Previously to this I had not seen him for about eighteen months, and he made most contradictory statements as to where he had been. I did not see whether he had any blood on his hands, as has been said, for I did not watch very closely, and wanted to get him out of the place as soon as possible. He is a most extraordinary man, is always in a bad temper, and grinds his teeth in rage at any little thing which puts him out. I believe he has some knowledge of anatomy, as he was for some time an assistant to some doctors in the German army, and helped to dissect bodies. He always carried some razors and a pair of scissors with him, and when he came here again on Monday night last he produced them. He was annoyed because I would not let him sleep here, and threw down the razors in a passion, swearing at the same time. If there had been a policeman near I should have given him into custody. I noticed on this occasion a great change in his dress. Whereas on the former visit he looked very untidy, he was this time wearing a top hat and looked rather smart. He has told me that he has been living in the West-end, but I believe he is well known at the cheap lodging-houses in Whitechapel. From what he has said to me I know he was in the habit of associating with low women. On Monday last he remained here till about one o'clock, and I then turned him out, as he is a very disagreeable fellow and very dirty in his habits."

[Jose Oranto]

I am trying to locate the places and characters that appear in the story of Charles Ludwig.
I have taken as a reference this report shared long ago by How (London Standard, September 19, 1888)

If anyone has gone through this before and would like to add something, that would be great, as aside from a couple of tiny inquiries, I haven't gotten much further.

I haven't been able to locate Alexander Freinberg (Fineberg, Finlay, Lineberg) or Johannes... let alone Ludwig (Charles, Karl, Wetzel, Weitzel).
I have not found a contemporary (1888) address for Messrs. Assenheim's ice cream shop, on Petticoat Lane. (Ice Cream Joseph/Joe Assenheim. 56 Stoney Lane?)

So far I have only been able to locate Mr. C. A. Partridge. His name was Charles Arthur Partridge. His hairdressing, perfumery and wig shop was located at number 1 Minories, coinciding with the address given by Ludwig.

I was able to find the German club 'Richter’s', it was called Concordia, in Houndsditch, but could not find its number or Mr. Richter's first name

This may be of interest: Notebooks of Charles Booth's survey of London BOOTH/B/160/p66 - https://lse-atom.arkivum.net/uploads..._0149_0001.pdf