De Jong Photos From The Continental Archives

[Howard Brown]

Two documents from Belgian (Ghent Police ) archives concerning Henrik De Jong courtesy of new Forums member and De Jong researcher Arie Vestering.

Arie is working on a project related to De Jong and the mystery surrounding him.

[Anna Morris]

WOW! Many thanks to Arie!

This man just surfaced in our research here not long ago. He had the right connexions...I'd sure consider him for JtR. It would be great if we could connect him to the other Dutchmen we know in the East End circa 1888.

[Jan Bondeson]

It would be interesting to know de Jong's full police record - was he just a con artist or was he capable of violent crimes? The case against him for murdering his two wives for money remains a black one although he got off due to lack of evidence & the corpses never being found. Also nothing is known about his life after the 1890s.

[Bart Droog]

Reconstructed Police record Hendrik de Jong

As far as I could reconstruct it:

1. Unconfirmed conviction for swindle in 1883. Sentence: 2 years and 6 months prison. Source: Hans van Straten. Moordenaarswerk, Arbeiderspers, 1990 (2nd edition), page 31.

2. Confirmed: Arrested January 1888 in or around Nijmegen on suspicion of theft. He simulated insanity, was sent to the lunatic asylum Coudewater at Rosmalen, March 1888. Unknown is how long he stayed there. Sources: Dutch newspapers, 1889.

3. Confirmed: Arrested on 18th April 1889, for swindle. On trial in September 1889. Sentence: 2 years and 6 months prison.

4. Possible: One night in police custody in Middlesborough, November 1892, for not paying import taxes on cigars.

5. Confirmed: Arrested in september 1893, on suspicion of killing the disappeared Sarah Anna Juett and Maria Sibilla Schmitz (name as on birth certificate). Because there were no bodies, he couldn't be charged for murder. Therefore he was charged for a minor crime (theft) and convicted to 3 years. Sources: contemporary Dutch newspapers.

6. Confirmed: After he is released on 18th August 1897 he beswindles a widow. End September 1897 he is arrested again. Trial January 1898. Convicted for 2 years, but after appeal (March or begin April 1898) acquitted and released.

7. In April 1898 he moves to Belgium. In the night of 18/19 July 1898 he murders two Belgian women in Ghent, Philomène Wauters (46, name also spelt as Wouters) and Jeanne Pauwels (25). As he had courted Jeanne Pauwels he was accused of the murders. He was - in absence -sentenced to death, December 1900.

It was after these murders believed that he fled via Ostend, Dover and Liverpool to New York, and from there possibly to Buenos Aires.

All swindle cases were more or less the same: he seduces a woman, tells her and her family that he's very wealthy and then tries to suck them out, financially. In case 3 (1889), he married a 17 year old girl. He stole from her and her mother, and mistreated her. So yes: he was violent, years before he - verry likely - killed the two women in 1893. The 1898 killings are more prove of his violent nature.

Sources: http://www.bartfmdroog.com/droog/cct...tml#hdjbronnen

[Kattrup]

Very interesting.
Thank you Arie and Bart

[Jerry Dunlop]

I tried to translate the best I could to get a detailed description of De Jong. Then I compared it to Hutchinson's man. The results are interesting with the exception of the Astrakhan trimmed jacket. He even carries a small bag covered in cloth/canvas. I left out one part of the translation that said something like he was known to always carry a hammer (at least in Austria and Holland).


De Jong

Height-5'6"

Face-Oval

Hair and eyebrows-Dark blond

Forehead-high and wide

Eyes-Grey white or sky blue; absolutely characteristic and leaving an ineffaceable impression; hard look

Nose- Sharp

Mouth- small, thin lips, nice teeth

Chin-wide and salient

Complexion- pale dark skin

Moustache- little dark moustache that often he shaves

Hands- large

Body- average; solidly built


Marks-Warts on body especially above the right eye and next to the right ear; slightly arched legs

Clothes- dark gray suit or black suit; long beige overcoat with large buttons, straight collar with folded ends, white tie, cuffs, black tall hat with black silk lining and leather of the same color, lace ankle boots on shoes varnished, set like a gentleman, but without taste and rather has good house domestics.

Accessories- silver watch; gold chain with big rings; pocket purse with horse head;leather cigar case shaped like a glove;Cane with round pommel or silver approaching; small suitcase covered with an envelope in canvas and a large bag of a sailor


In 1893 he stayed at the Wheeler's Hotel, Bishopsgate. This Hotel was located in Devonshire Square which came up in our conversation of possible routes Eddowes took from the Police Station to Mitre Square. Here is a map showing Wheeler's Hotel (Green). The red arrow pointing downwards runs directly into Bull Yard and the Three Nuns Hotel. It was a few doors down on Aldgate from the Three Nuns that Kate was found drunk.

Is there a chance De Jong was out of the asylum soon after March of 1888?

[Anna Morris]

There are a lot of reasons why I like De Jong as JtR but his main reason for murder seems to have been based on profit and swindle. Killing destitute women in the slums doesn't fit unless he enjoyed killing and was frustrated and needing an outlet in 1888, IMO.

One small thing to consider however is that none of Jack's victims had any money and if they were soliciting it makes sense they would have gotten money up front. However, Kate and Annie had their pockets slashed open and at least partially emptied. If a criminal was capable of killing women while swindling them maybe he had a murderous aversion to women getting any of his money. I have thought of something like this as a motive for the C-5 JtR murders.

I think deeply about little bits of information in the JtR case. My latest obsession is about Hutchinson saying he stooped down and looked Mr. A. in the face. Reasonably, if Mr. A. was the killer of MJK and he knew he had been seen so closely, why would he have proceeded with a horrific murder? He might if he knew he was not known in the neighborhood and if he knew he was leaving the area soon after. That could fit De Jong on a visit to London.

I think an astrakhan coat could have been a good disguise in the East End. Instant "foreigner"/ immigrant Jew attire.

[Jan Bondeson]

In the next Ripperologist (Jan 2018), I and Bart Droog will tell you everything about Hendrik de Jong. And YES, he was definitely out and about during the Autumn of Terror!

[Jerry Dunlop]

In the next Ripperologist (Jan 2018), I and Bart Droog will tell you everything about Hendrik de Jong. And YES, he was definitely out and about during the Autumn of Terror!

Thanks Jan!

I look forward to what you and Bart have to present.

[Anna Morris]

I too look forward to the article.

I am always interested in Dutch connexions with MJK because of the Morgensterns. I wonder what is the chance that the Dutch immigrants and visitors in London would know each other? I have looked for but not found common organisations, clubs, etc. There were some groups but I never found anything that would likely attract most Dutch people in London.

Whether or not we accept Hutchinson's information, Mary must have connected with the killer and invited him home after 2:00 am. Maybe that was the way she did business but it would make more sense if this was an exception and the man, whoever he was, had fostered a level of comfort and trust in his victim.

[Bart Droog]

Hello Anna,

Juist found this, in the Algemeen Handelsblad, February 2, 1889:

The Dutchmen in London

Last Sunday the Nederlandsche Vereeniging te Londen (Dutch Society in London) held it's yearly banquet. The Dutch embassador, count Bylandt, just recovered from his illness, attended the festive meeting en toasted to our King [= Willem III]. The chairman of the Union, Mr T.C. Stoop, toasted to the 'Hollandsche Club'. Speeches were also given by the gentlemen Adama van Scheltema, baron Gevers, Schlencker and Van Essen.

The Dutch Society in in Berlin , 'Nederland en Oranje', participated in the party by sending a telegram, which was immediately responded.

At the end Mr Rozenraad gave an improvised speech, in wghich he commemorated the pillars of the Dutch Society, especially the B's in the society, the gentlemen Van Bylandt, Blijdenstein en Boissevain. The dinner was consumed in Hotel Metropole. Afterwards the evenig was spent in the trooms of the 'Nederlandsche Club'.

So, there were in fact three Dutch clubs, the 'Nederlandsche Vereeniging', the 'Hollandsche Club' and the 'Nederlandsche Club'.

Source: https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=d...5:mpeg21:a0003

[Bart Droog]

Delpher will provide you with answers

If you search here, on the names of the three clubs, you'll find plenty of information:

https://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten/

Digital Dutch Newspaper Archive, Royal Library, The Hague.

Use 'uitgebreid zoeken' (advanced search) to narrow down your search to the time period in which you are interested.

Regards,

Bart

[Jan Bondeson]

Ripperologist 159 is now out, with our long article about Hendrik de Jong, and the man himself on the cover. If you have any queries, Bart and I will try to answer them.

[Bart Droog]

Where can one order the Ripperologist? Mails to [email protected] bounce.

[Chris G.]

Where can one order the Ripperologist? Mails to [email protected] bounce.

Greetings, Bart

You can download the issue here.

Best regards

Chris