Israel Schwartz - new information

[D.J.Adams]

[Chris Phillips]

Major Henry Smith described a witness he interviewed as a sort of "hybrid German." Presumably this was a witness in one of the double event murders, although the identity remains questionable.

His account confuses some of the details (which police reminiscences don't?) but I really don't think there's any doubt he's talking about Lawende.

[D.J.Adams]

RL Stevenson's cousin,who no doubt supplied much of the information for "Strange Case of Dr J and Mr H",based on Henry Gawen Sutton's hypocrisy.
Same guy who had Sutton examine Eddowes' kidney.

Smith took a particular interest in Joseph Lawende.

[Scott Nelson]

Major Henry Smith described a witness he interviewed as a sort of "hybrid German." Presumably this was a witness in one of the double event murders, although the identity remains questionable.

[Gary Barnett]

I deleted my last post because it was rubbish.

[Chris Phillips]

I’m not sure Brunswick Street had odd numbers on one side and evens on the other.

There were still a handful of brothels there in 1887:

13
20
21
22
30

According to Booth’s researcher, ‘Formerly a very bad street known as Tiger Bay. The Jews have gradually ousted the old inhabitants and the place is more respectable.’

Stride apparently had a friend who lived in ‘Tiger Bay’ (probably Brunswick Street), an ex-prostitute who then cleaned the rooms of prostitutes.

For Brunswick Street, I have a Goad map to hand that shows the numbers went from 1 to 18 from the north to the south end on the west side. I assume the higher numbers went back up the other side rather than coming down again. For Ellen Street I counted even numbers along the south side from the west end (based on the directory). So I think the positions are at least approximately right.

[Edit: I just realised I have a later map showing the position of 19 Brunswick Street, so the Brunswick Street ones are correct.]

[Chris Phillips]

My source believes it to be a good rendering if one is trying to pronounce Raciaz in English.

Thanks.

[John Malcolm]

It's a small world. But that means we should be able to get an expert opinion on whether Ruchous is a plausible phonetic rendering of Raciaz!

My source believes it to be a good rendering if one is trying to pronounce Raciaz in English.

[Gary Barnett]

I’m not sure Brunswick Street had odd numbers on one side and evens on the other.

There were still a handful of brothels there in 1887:

13
20
21
22
30

According to Booth’s researcher, ‘Formerly a very bad street known as Tiger Bay. The Jews have gradually ousted the old inhabitants and the place is more respectable.’

Stride apparently had a friend who lived in ‘Tiger Bay’ (probably Brunswick Street), an ex-prostitute who then cleaned the rooms of prostitutes.

[Chris Phillips]

It is striking just how close the witness's address in October 1888, 22 Ellen Street, was to the two addresses of this Israel Schwartz in December 1890 and March 1891, 16 and 19 Brunswick Street respectively (assuming I've counted the houses correctly):

[Gary Barnett]

I wonder how he got to work - the quickest route would have been through Shovel Alley.

[Chris Phillips]

Here he is on a 1921 directory of Cable Street.

According to my notes he is listed in the Post Office Directory as a watchmaker at that address for 1920, 1925, 1928 and 1929, but not in 1919 or 1930, and not as a private resident in 1930 or 1935 (of course only a relatively small number were listed in that category then).

[Gary Barnett]

Here he is on a 1921 directory of Cable Street.

[Chris Phillips]

I apologise for straying off topic slightly, but my wife's mum went to school in Raciaz and my wife was born in Plock.

It's a small world. But that means we should be able to get an expert opinion on whether Ruchous is a plausible phonetic rendering of Raciaz!

In my post above, I omitted the rather crucial detail that the birth of Izrael Szwartz on the JRI Poland index is indeed at Drobin. Not just a birth somewhere in Poland at the right time.

Also, I realise I had been extremely slow on the uptake in never realising that Schwartz meant "black" in Yiddish as well as German.

The identification of Israel's birthplace puts to rest any idea that he might have come from a part of Poland that had at one time been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. But as in 1901 he was described as a Russian subject, that was never really a possibility.

I feel he is by far the likeliest candidate as the witness, and that the reference to Hungary in the newspaper report is probably just a mistake. But so little information is recorded about the witness that I think we're very unlikely ever to get definite confirmation of that.

[Gary Barnett]

As the 1921 census gives more detailed information about the places of birth of those born outside the UK, I thought it might be interesting to look at the entry for the Israel Schwartz who lived in Princes Square, who is the subject of this thread.

He was living at 26 Princes Square, aged 58 years and 6 months, born Drobin, Poland, Resident Polish, Watchmaker, working on Own Account at 35 Cable St E1.

His wife Eva was 55 years and 8 months, born [probably] Ruchous, Poland, also Resident Polish [no occupation].

With them were their children Abraham (20 years and 1 month, single, Furrier, employed by L. Shorts, 25 Paper St, EC, but Out of Work) and Monte (19 years and 1 month, single, Furrier, employed by W. Bernstein at 12 King Henry's Walk, Dalston N). Both born in St George's London.

There is also a nephew Lew Levy, aged 30 years and 3 months, single, born Drobin, Poland, Resident Polish, a Tailor's Machinist, employed by A. Cohen, at 43 Plumbers Row, Whitechapel E. There is a deleted comment "Father Dead" for him.

That all seems consistent with what we know, and it does give us places of birth for Israel. Drobin is in the gubernia of Płock, and there is a place called Raciaz about 5 miles to the north east that seems a likely candidate for "Ruchous".

Turning to the JRI Poland database at jri-poland.org, there is indeed the birth of an Izrael Szwartz in 1863, which is number 31 for that year on LDS microfilm 729205. Unfortunately no more details in the index, but the film should be available in digital form at any LDS Family History Centre.

I didn't have any luck finding a marriage for him, or a birth for his wife, though.

Great work, Chris.

And to go off topic a little, my maternal grandmother used to char for some Jewish families in Princes/Swedenborg Square in the 1920s.