'Leather Apron' Discussion

[Edward Stow]

Would he have chosen the Star? I doubt it.
He seems to have followed the proceedings swiftly for 400 yards down the street as well.
And again Hackney Road is too far away to meet the description.
But I think it very likely the eyewitness was linked to that church.
Tyler wrote some booklets so his writing style could be compared.

[Tom_Wescott]

Hi Gary. Good piece of sleuthing here. It's obvious from the newspaper report that Eyewitness is misrepresenting himself and perhaps the observation that it was a Sunday and yet he was 'coming from school' is further proof of that. I think it's most likely that Eyewitness and Pizer's 'Stalwart' man are one and the same, and Stalwart Man was obviously not 85 years old. Even supposing Eyewitness was an honest witness, he must have possessed eyesight beyond that of an average human, and that's an awful lot to expect of an 85 year old man.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Gary Barnett]

A very sprightly 85.

I think that should have been 75, sorry (judging by census entries rather than press reports of his death).

He was listed on the 1889 elecoral register at 247, Hackney Road. If 247 in 1888 is the same as 247 today, it's about a mile from Durward Street, so about a twenty minute walk away.

[Scott Nelson]

Stalwart man wanted Pizer to stand him a pint. Hardly a Sunday School teacher.

[Tom_Wescott]

Stalwart man wanted Pizer to stand him a pint. Hardly a Sunday School teacher.

Damn good point, Scott.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Gary Barnett]

Stalwart man wanted Pizer to stand him a pint. Hardly a Sunday School teacher.

I don't believe Stalwart Man was Eyewitness. He was just a bystander who didn't feature in the letter because his role was insignificant.

If you walked out of your door today and witnessed an assault and an arrest, who would feature in the story when you relayed it to others? The attacker, the victim and the cop who made the arrest? Definitely. The little old lady on the other side of the road carrying a red shopping bag and the small boy on his bicycle? Probably not.

I think the reference to the Leigh Hoy pub is significant. It doesn't appear in the letter, so Eyewitness's account must have been checked out. He apparently provided his name and address, so presumably they checked it out with him.

[Gary Barnett]

Tom's interpretation of events could well be correct.

When I read the Eyewitness letter there were a couple of things that seemed odd. One was the use of the outdated street names and the other was the involvement of J division officers on H division territory.

I wonder if any of our police experts can confirm that the corner of Deal Street and Hanbury Street was in H division, whereas it seems to have been J division who launched the search for Pizer on the 4th Sept.

[Scott Nelson]

OK guys. I'm stalwart enough. Stand me a pint or two, will you?

[Lynn Cates]

round and round

Hello Scott. Normally, I'd LOVE to. But you see, I'm havin' a wee bit o' difficulty and, well, you know how it is.

I'm SURE you wish to stand first round? (heh-heh)

Cheers.
LC