![]() The Era continued its reportage on the case by reporting the testimony of Mr Henry Tate:. Police-inspector Cudmore told the court that “many known thieves loitered among the crowd that gathered outside the premises, and a large number of persons were arrested near the spot for pocket-picking and larceny.” SWEENEY TODD’S GHOST SHOW One picture showed six women lying down injured and covered with blood, and with their clothes disturbed.” THIEVES AND PICKPOCKETS The pictures that attracted most attention were those relating to the Whitechapel murders, exhibited at shop No. told the court that “as many as 200 people had assembled outside the show premises at one time. 200 PEOPLE ASSEMBLEDĪccording to The Era, in its February 9th 1889 edition, Police-constable 28 J.R. He called witnesses to show that exhibitions of all kinds – rifle galleries, fortune-telling, coconut shying – took place in the same neighbourhood, and that a great deal of the noise and obstruction was caused by these exhibitions, rather than by the defendants show. Poland said the inhabitants had been most long-suffering in this matter but the time had come when they were determined to ascertain whether they were longer to put up with the nuisance.” HE HAD THE RIGHTĪppearing on behalf of the defendant, Mr Purcell argued that the accused had a right to carry on the business of a showman if he pleased, and the only question for the consideration of the jury was whether he carried on his business in such a manner as to create a nuisance to the public. HALF GORILLA, HALF WOMANĪfter the Whitechapel horrors ceased to attract, the defendant had “a bearded woman, who was half a gorilla and half a woman,” a big fat French woman eight feet round the shoulders,” “The Female Champion Boxer of the World,” and, more recently, there had been plays lasting about half an hour. There had been a number of robberies there. ![]() A figure of “Jack the Ripper” was added to the show.Ī great deal of noise was created by the yelling and shouting which went on to induce people to enter, and the result was that a vast number of disorderly persons assembled in front of the premises. He sought to attract people by exposing a large picture outside the premises representing one of the mutilated victims but the inhabitants became so indignant that they threatened to pull it down. The exhibition consisted of waxwork figures and monstrosities of various kinds, and in the autumn of last year the defendant added figures of the poor women murdered in Whitechapel. The Site of the Waxworks, April 2016 JACK THE RIPPER’S VICTIMS DISPLAYED In the first instance the defendant was communicated with but he declined to close his show, so that the only remedy was to indict him for a nuisance and obtain the verdict of a jury. 106 and 107, Whitechapel-road, where he carried on the business of a showman, and this case had been taken up in consequence of a memorial from the inhabitants of the district complaining of the nuisance which his exhibitions caused. The St James Gazette, reporting the case on the 6th February 1888 stated that:. It was stated that the public exhibited disgust at this feature of the exhibition, and that it was modified to some extent, but the horrible crimes that had taken place in the neighbourhood was still sought to be made objects of attraction to the public.” OCCUPIED TWO HOUSES ON WHITECHAPEL ROAD ![]() “The defendant was the occupier of two houses in the Whitechapel-road and it was alleged on the part of the prosecution that finding his ordinary attractions had entirely failed to arouse public interest he took advantage of the excitement which had been caused by the murders in Whitechapel to exhibit ghastly and disgusting representations of the victims. Reporting on the case on Sunday February 10th 1889, Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper summarised the events that had resulted in Thomas Barry’s court appearance :. On Tuesday February 5th 1889 Thomas Barry appeared at the Central Criminal Court charged with “creating a nuisance by carrying on a show in the Whitechapel Road and thereby causing large numbers of disorderly people to assemble and obstruct the public highway.” ![]() The story is of interest for several reasons, not least of which being the fact that it provides an insight into how some people had found a way of cashing in on the notoriety and the horror of the Jack the Ripper crimes, even when the terror and the panic that they had created was still fresh in peoples minds. A newspaper story came to my attention this week that appeared in several newspapers over the week of February 4th 1889. ![]()
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