Mike Covell’s Blogg

Part 1 of a series of badly researched press reports on Stephenson!

THE ARGUS 

Source http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2002/8/1/153130.html 

Jack the Ripper Linked to Brighton

From the archive, first published Thursday 1st Aug 2002.

Jack the Ripper plotted the black magic murders of his victims from a Brighton pub, a new book claims.

Satan-worshipping Robert Donston Stephenson has been named as the mystery killer who has eluded historians just as he did the police 114 years ago.

Author Ivor Edwards also accuses Stephenson of preparing for the Ripper killings in London’s East End with a murder in a Brighton hotel.

“Just thrown up in my mouth but managed to swallow it…..!”

Stephenson, a trained surgeon, was living above The Cricketers pub in Black Lion Street, Brighton, in the first half of 1888.

“Trained surgeon, surely this must mean a trained Sturgeon, seeing as the murder sites supposedly make a big fish symbol”

The pub was a well-known haunt for prostitutes, Stephenson’s preferred company.

“And the evidence for this is to be found were?  Robert D’Onston Stephenson was never seen with a prostitute, heard discussing prostitutes, or has ever written about prostitutes!”

It was also Stephenson’s last home before his move to Whitechapel in east London on July 26, 1888. Just days later, the first of the Ripper’s prostitute victims was found dead in a side street.

Mr Edwards’ book, Jack The Ripper’s Black Magic Rituals, explains how the murderer’s motive was to violate the Christian cross by the way he killed and positioned his prostitute victims.

The first victim was 45-year-old Mary Ann Nichols, whose mutilated body was found on August 31, 1888.

Between then and November 9 four more women were found dead within a mile area - Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catharine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly.

All five victims were prostitutes and all were horrifically mutilated. The Ripper removed their hearts, kidneys, genitalia and wombs.

Many have assumed the killings were sexually-motivated.

But Mr Edwards says police at the time and historians since have overlooked signs of occult ritual murder.

Mr Edwards realised the first four victims were carefully laid facing north, east, south and west.

He found joining the sites together created two equilateral triangles, a sacred symbol used in occult doctrine to worship Satan.

Adding in the site of the fifth discovery he concluded the murders were planned on a map according to an ancient geometric symbol called vesica piscis.

This was a fish-like sign worshipped by the early Christians.

 ”So why is the killer said to be an Occultist then?”

Mr Edwards said the organs the Ripper removed were those often used in black magic rituals. For example, a prostitute’s uterus would be used in candles.

“Cite your sources sir?”

He said: “He wanted to bring into play supernatural forces and manipulate them to his own ends through the occult. He thought this ritual would give him power.”

Stephenson, also known as Dr Roslyn D’Onston, wrote extensively about the murders for the Pall Mall Gazette under the alias Tau Tria Delta.

His article referred to a process by which a sorcerer could obtain “the supreme black magical power” by following a similar course of action to Jack the Ripper.

And he said the Ripper murders marked the points of a profaned cross over London.

“And a dagger, and a giant fish, and a walking stick, and a fire poker,……”

He was arrested at least twice in connection with the murders but was released without charge.

“He was NOT ARRESTED at all!  He was accused of bein a murderer by a pseudo detective but nothing came of it!” 

But Mr Edwards also sheds light on another of Stephenson’s alleged murders.

Edmund Gurney, a psychic researcher, received a letter in June 1888 urging him to travel to Brighton. He left without telling family or friends the reason.

He checked into the Royal Albion Hotel in Black Lion Street on June 22, 1888, but was found dead the following morning with a chloroform pad over his face. The coroner’s verdict was accidental death.

But Mr Edwards claims Gurney was murdered because he was investigating Madame Bravatsky, a well-known occultist and friend of Stephenson.

“They became friends much later than this, again no sources are cited”

Mr Edwards said: “Gurney died of an overdose of chloroform, a drug Donston Stephenson was known to carry and was addicted to.

“He was staying just a two-minute walk from the hotel. I’m saying there’s a very strong possibility he murdered Gurney.

“And what about everyone else in a two minute radius?  After all Brighton was a very popular spa town and seaside resort in the Victorian Period”

“The day after the inquest he left Brighton and moved to London, which is when the Ripper murders started.”

“Train must have been slow then!  There was a lengthy period of time between the inquest and the date Robert D’Onston Stephenson was admitted into the London Hospital”

Stephenson, then aged 47, signed himself in as a private patient at the London Hospital in Whitechapel.

“He Never signed himself in, a quick look through the Hospital Minutes books reveals the Hospital was suffering financially, any hangers on were sent elsewere!”

He was there for 134 days from July 1888 to December 1888, covering the period of the five murders.

Stephenson complained of neurosthenia, a condition whose main symptom is excessive fatigue.

The cure lay in rest and fresh air.

But Mr Edwards, 56, questions why Stephenson would move from a healthy seaside resort to dirty east London.

“Because his brother was living in Islington, because Robert D’Onston Stephenson’s wife was still living in Islington, and because he was ill and needed treatment”

He also suspects Stephenson killed his wife, Anne Deary, the previous year.

“ppffft….sorry just spit my mouthful of tea at the computer screen!  If this is the case, why did he nter on the 1888 entry of the London Hospital that he was still married? Not to mention she was alive and well, and died at a much later date!”

Stephenson had been ostracised by his wealthy family after marrying Deary, his mother’s maidservant, in 1876.

“So thats why his father went to the wedding, because he didn’t want anything to do with him!”

Deary disappeared in 1887 and was never seen again.

“See above!”

There were suspicions a dismembered body found in a canal near their Brighton home that year was hers.

“Brighton home!!, this is a new one, even to me!  This possibly refers to the Torso washed up in an area along Regents canal?  Anyway as deary was still alive, she is hardly going to be a torso is she!!”

Stephenson published a book called The Patristic Gospels in 1904 but then disappeared without trace. No death certificate has been found.

“Except it has, and so has his grave!”

Mr Edwards himself was a career criminal for 30 years, notching up convictions for burglary and robbery.

“Robbery, is that taking something without the owners consent?  Does that exist in the publishing world?”

He said: “My time in prison means I’ve met many killers and has given me more of an insight into their minds.”

“………..”

Cuttings and pictures about the Ripper are on display above the bar in The Cricketers.

Mr Edwards’ book goes on sale next month, published by Blake Publishing.

There are still some “Holes” that need looking into regarding Robert D’Onston Stephenson, one of which are the claims that his records exist covering his employement at Hull Customs during the latter half of the 1860’s.

One author actually stated they were in Hull…..Not so!

I have spoke to staff at Hull Uni Archives, Hull City Archives, Hull Local Studies, Hull Museums and Art Galleries, Hull Uni Maritime Studies Section, and several smaller groups associated with Hull’s history.

I spoke to the National Maritime Museum in Liverpool, who were sadly unable to help, unless I took out a second mortgage to pay for research!

Then I contacted the National Archives.

Now, I understand the importance of preserving history, and making it accessable, but what I discovered shocked me.

For 15 minutes research, I would be charged £15!! 

So for a researcher from their team to look for documents I would have to pay £15 per 15 minutes, lets say this runs over, £60 an hour!!

Now I used to work in a very busy retail store, running both my own shop and assisting with the running in other stores within our area, often meaning long travelling, long hours and for £8 an hour, which was considered a great wage!

Imagine then these guys are getting £60 an hour just to look!!

Add to that the cost of copying and postage!!

I have decided to take a trip there when I am better and do it myself, after all a return ticket from Hull to Kew is £86.00, which gives me a full day to research!!

By MIKE COVELL

Just what did happen in July 1868 off the east coast of England that allegedly set in motion the chain of events that would lead to Robert D’Onston Stephenson being Jack the Ripper?

During the writing of my upcoming book, as a resident of Kingston upon Hull, I was inundated with tips about Hullborn Robert D’Onston Stephenson and told to look closely at this gentleman. I was especially advised to look at his early life and at events that occurred in the summer of 1868.(1) I was told that there was a shooting incident involving Stephenson and that I could find the evidence in newspapers at either Hull or Bridlington libraries.

With this date in mind, I made tracks for the local studies libraries to arrange to view all the newspapers that covered the period. I wasn’t disappointed. I discovered a number of articles that described a shooting that took place in early July 1868 off Flamborough Head.

Serious Injury to a Customs Man

The first article I discovered was from the Bridlington Free Press of 11 July 1868 — a Monday. The report stated:

SERIOUS GUN ACCIDENT

It would appear that Robert D’Onston Stephenson, who was a Customs Officer during this period of time,(3) was involved in an accident involving a shotgun whilst on board a chartered vessel. The vessel was chartered from Bridlington Quay, which is a mere five miles southwest of Flamborough Head. One of the passengers on board was experienced enough to offer assistance to the stricken man, and the vessel returned to the Quay so that Stephenson could be taken to the Black Lion Hotel, which was 1.4 miles away.

The first mystery was why a man who has suffered a gunshot wound would be taken to a hotel 1.4 miles from Bridlington Quay when the area around the Quay was rife with hotels and inns. Bridlington during this period of time was renowned for its wonderful spas with healing spring waters, which were all the rage in the Victorian period. In fact, to this day, the Victorian spa is still in existence on the town’s sea front.

Is it possible that Robert D’Onston Stephenson was staying at the Black Lion Hotel previous to the incident? Indeed so: I discovered that an advertisement appeared in the Bridlington Quay Observer on 11 July showing a list of guests who were staying at the hotel, and among them was a Stephenson, D O, Esq from Hull.(4)

We can see that the Bridlington Free Press article states that the incident occurred ‘Tuesday last’ which gives us a date of Tuesday, 5 July 1868, for when the incident actually occurred.

Accident On Board the Flying Scud

In Kingston upon Hull, The Eastern Morning News and Hull Advertiser, of Monday, 13 July reported on the same incident in its third edition, but elaborated on several points:

SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO A HULL GENTLEMAN

This is an interesting story as it gives us the first mention of the name of the vessel, The Flying Scud. In fact, The Flying Scud was a popular name for a vessel during this period and several were listed in Lloyds Shipping Registries between 1868 and 1870,(6) and yet none were used for commercial purposes and the lightest came in at 151 tons,(7) which is a little heavy for a yacht and a little too big for the Quay at Bridlington.

The Eastern Morning News article also elaborates on the other passenger who was, in this version of events, trained to administer first aid. It tells us that Stephenson was landed from the vessel at Flamborough and not Bridlington Quay, making the journey to the Black Lion even more agonising. Again this is a mystery in itself. Just why would the landlord of the Black Lion have a fishing cart all the way out at Flamborough? I am aware of the important role that Flamborough had in the fishing trade along the East Coast but surely it would have been easier, quicker, and cheaper to have the cart at Bridlington Quay? Unless the cart was awaiting the group at Flamborough. But how did they know that was the destination? Is it possible that the cart was there for another reason? One would love to speculate on romantic notions of smuggling, but this neither furthers our research nor gives us any answers.

The mention of Drs Brett and Mackay is important as it gives us another source from which we can verify the story. Unfortunately, I have had difficulty tracing a doctor by the name of Mackay. Brett, however, is another story. A quick search of the 1871 Census revealed four members of the Brett family residing at St John Street in Bridlington.(8) The entry shows:

Flora M Brett, Surgeon, aged 30
Francis C Brett, General Practitioner, age 26
Helen S Brett, Physician, age 31
John A C Brett, Student of Medicine, age 21

The location of the family house is also significant as it lies just off High Street where the Black Lion was situated. Interestingly, the junction south of High Street along St John Street is now named Brett Street.

Another significant name mentioned is that of Edwin Gray who was a Hull-based timber merchant. The 1871 Census shows that Edwin Gray, age 44, Head, Timber Merchant, resided at 6 Myerson Terrace, Spring Bank.(9)

His occupation as a timber merchant will have no doubt put him in contact with the Stephenson family as Richard Stephenson, Jr, was involved in the company Rayner, Stephenson, and Co, who were merchants and ship owners also based along High Street.(10)

Finally, note the statement in the Eastern Morning News that ‘The greater part of the shot were removed’ implies that Stephenson thereafter not only had to carry on with shot still embedded in his leg, but that this may well have affected the way he walked and possibly given him pain whilst attempting to walk, particularly in the cold weather that plagues Britain in the autumn and winter months.

On 14 July, the Bridlington Quay Observer published a verbatim copy of the Eastern Morning News report.(11)

Medical Knowledge

On 17 July, the Hull Packet carried an article that seems to be an amalgamation of the previous stories, mentioning the same facts, people, and locations. Again, however, it is notable that it once more emphasizes the point that it was Stephenson’s friend who had surgical knowledge, and not Stephenson. This is interesting because Stephenson claimed to have medical degrees, of which there is no evidence. It was also prior to this incident that Stephenson was said to have served under Garibaldi as a field surgeon, yet other than nonconclusive muster rolls held at the Bishopsgate Institute, there is no evidence to suggest he ever left Britain to serve with Garibaldi. The article also states that Dr Brett was a member of the Coast Guard – although a recent search of Coast Guard records failed to verify this.

DANGEROUS ACCIDENT TO A HULL CUSTOMS OFFICER

On 18 July, the Hull and North Lincolnshire Times carried a word-for-word reprint of the Hull Packet story.(13)

Stephenson’s Version of Events

Finally, we have the recollections of Robert D’Onston Stephenson himself which were published in the Review of Reviews 1892 (New Year’s Extra Number) under the title ‘Dead or Alive’:

The next year [1868] . . . passed rapidly for me until the first week in July, when I was shot dangerously in the thigh by a fisherman named Thomas Piles, of Hull, a reputed smuggler. A party of four of us had hired his 10 ton yawl to go yachting round the Yorkshire coast, and amuse ourselves by shooting sea-birds amongst the millions of them at Flamborough Head. The third or fourth day out I was shot in the right thigh by the skipper Piles; and the day after, one and a quarter ounce of No.2 shot were cut there from by the coastguard surgeon at Bridlington Quay (whose name I forget for the moment), assisted by Dr. Alexander Mackay, at the Black Lion Hotel. The affair was in all the papers at the time, about a column of it appearing in the Eastern Morning News, of Hull

So in Stephenson’s own words he was shot by a ‘Thomas Piles, of Hull.’ The 1871 Census reveals a fisherman in Hull during this period named Thomas Piles. The Census states, ‘Thomas Piles, Yorkshire, Captain of the Advance a 61-ton Smack used for the Fishing Trade.’ The entry also mentions that he was born in Brixham, and was docked in the port of Hull, Albert Dock, on 7 April 1871.(15) It was common practice for those involved in the industry to come to Kingston upon Hull for employment as it was one of the largest ports in Great Britain during this period. Other industries began to thrive and the port expanded at a sizeable rate.

With these clues in mind, I looked for whatever was available on the fishing smack Advance. This is when I discovered HullTrawler.net, a website devoted to the fishing trade in Kingston upon Hull and to all the brave men who perished while carrying out the trade.

It was on this website where I found this piece of information:

Smack Advance H249, Built 1867, Location Rye, Official Number 56258, Length in Ft 69.2, Tons Gross 61.4, Registered Owner Robert Jordan. Fate 13 Dec 1876 Listed as Missing in the North Sea.(16)

On the same page is a table of those who lost their lives in the disaster, but further down is the crew list featuring Thomas Piles.

So What of the Flying Scud?

I made a search of the shipping lists at Hull City Archives and I discovered that there was in fact a vessel called The Flying Scud:

The vessel in question was built by J P Rennoldson of South Shields in 1866. It weighed in at 100 tons and measured 98ft by 18ft. It had a single mast but was more commonly used as a steam paddler. It had 1 engine, 1 deck, 1 mast and was constructed entirely of wood. Its registered ship number was 53404. The vessel’s registered owner was Thomas Gray.(17)

Lloyds Shipping Registry, 1869/70, showing the Flying Scud. The image has been cropped to show the headers at the top. Lloyds Shipping Registry, 1870/71, showing the Flying Scud. Ripperologist 89 March 2008 20 You may remember that Edwin Gray supervised the landing at the Quay in Bridlington, and it was Edwin who lived close to the Stephenson family in Hull. Could the two men have been related? Unfortunately when I made a Census search I was unable to establish a link between the two individuals. Lloyds Shipping Registries showed some interesting entries but none of the vessels listed for 1867–1868, 1868–1869, and 1869–1870 seemed to match the vessel mentioned in the newspaper articles.

Conclusion

Much has been written in regards to Robert D’Onston Stephenson as a fantasist. The articles he wrote for Borderlands are certainly filled with vivid and colourful encounters, such as the episode with the Flying Woman of the Susu. However, his ‘Dead or Alive’ story for Review of Reviews 1892 does have a ring of truth to it. But does his seeming adherence to the truth in this instance mean we must believe everything he writes? And what of Thomas Piles, the supposed smuggler? So far searches have failed to turn up any evidence that fishing boat captain Thomas Piles of Kingston upon Hull was a smuggler. There was, however, an article published on 28 March 1849 in The Times that named a Thomas Piles, a seaman of the Sidon steam frigate, as one of two sailors convicted at Portsmouth Borough Police Court of smuggling tobacco.18 The problem we have here is that with the article being dated 1849, this adds considerable years onto this Thomas Piles, and would a clerk from the Customs Service have associated with a smuggler? If Robert D’Onston Stephenson was on board and knew Piles was a smuggler, was he working undercover? It seems unlikely, because Stephenson was a mere clerk: a pen pusher with delusions of grandeur. I am sure that if Stephenson was an undercover operative for the Customs Service, he would have been the first to tell us in his many writings – which he fails to do! It is my belief that Stephenson learned in later years that a Thomas Piles was a smuggler. Whether or not it is the same Thomas Piles remains to be seen, and is certainly open to debate.

From the contemporary newspaper accounts, it is clear that something of significance happened to Robert D’Onston Stephenson on that summer’s day in July 1868. An incident that not only endangered Stephenson’s life but that changed it forever. But although the episode may well have altered his life, it was not in the way that certain authors would have us believe. Getting shot does not make one a serial killer. But think about this: if Robert D’Onston Stephenson was the Ripper, wouldn’t his leg have made making a getaway risky? Would he have been able to walk the distances required with his leg still carrying shot? And would the cold weather have affected his leg?

It’s a good job Robert D’Onston Stephenson was safe and warm in the London Hospital during the ‘Autumn of Terror.’

Bibliography

As well as the sources I have listed above, I used Roy Robinson, A History of the Yorkshire Coast Fishing Industry 1780–1914. Kingston upon Hull: Hull University Press, 1987.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Chris at www.HullTrawler.net for all his hard work on a fantastic website and for allowing me to quote from his work on Thomas Piles’s smack, the Advance; to Arthur Credland of Hull’s Maritime Museum for his assistance and help throughout; and to all the staff at Hull’s Local Studies Library, Hull City Archives, Hull Reference Library and Hull Museum and Art Galleries. I also thank Howard Brown and the staff at the JTR Forums www.jtrforums.com and Stephen P Ryder and everyone at ‘Casebook: Jack the Ripper’ www.casebook.org

Footnotes

1 Both Melvin Harris in The True Face of Jack the Ripper (London: Michael O’Mara Books Ltd, 1994) and Ivor Edwards in Jack the Ripper’s Black Magic Rituals (London: John Blake Publishing, 2004) mention the 1868 shooting off Flamborough Head as having been a seminal point in Robert D’Onston Stephenson’s life. Several people advised me to use this incident as a starting point for my research.

2 ‘Serious Gun Accident’, Bridlington Free Press, 11 July 1868 (available from Bridlington Local Studies Library).

3 1867 White’s Trade Directory lists, Robert D Stephenson, Chief Clerk Customs House. 1869 Mercer and Crocker’s Directory and General Gazetteer of Hull lists, Customs House, Whitefriargate, Clerks, R D’Ouston [sic] Stephenson.

4 Black Lion Hotel guest list published in the Bridlington Quay Observer, 11 July 1868 (available from Bridlington Local Studies Library).

5 ‘Serious Accident to a Hull Gentleman’, The Eastern Morning News and Hull Advertiser, 11 July 1868 (available from Kingston upon Hull Local Studies Library).

6 Lloyds Shipping Registries, 1867–1868, 1868–1869, 1869–1870; four different vessels named Flying Scud are listed each year.

7 Lloyds Shipping Registry, 1869–1870, The Flying Scud, owned by W Fleming, Mastered by A Ricketts and weighing in at 151 Tons.

8 Class RG10, Piece 4811, Folio 77, page 13, GSU roll 847358.

9 Class RG10, Piece 4791, Folio 8, page 14, GSU roll 847347.

10 1867 White’s Trade Directory. Richard Stephenson Junior, Merchant and Ship owner, Rayner Stephenson and Co, High Street, Vice Consul to Uruguay, High Street, and Residence, Willow House.

11 ‘Serious Accident to a Hull Gentleman’, Bridlington Quay Observer, 14 July 1868 (available from Bridlington Local Studies Library). Flamborough Head in relation to Bridlington Quay and the town of Bridlington.

12 ‘Dangerous Accident to a Hull Customs Officer’, The Hull Packet, 17 July 1868 (available from Kingston upon Hull Local Studies Library).

13 ‘Dangerous Accident to a Hull Customs Officer’, Hull and North Lincolnshire Times, 18 July 1868 (available from Kingston upon Hull Local Studies Library).

14 Robert D O Stephenson, ‘Dead or Alive.’ Review of Reviews 1892 (New Year’s Extra Number).

15 Class RG10, Piece 4797, Folio 156, GSU roll 847353 and 847352.

16 The website www.HullTrawler.net enabled me to trace the fishing smack Advance.

17 Hull City Archives holds Shipping Registries in a card index. The actual books containing the information are very large and a request must be made to view them.

18 ‘Naval Intelligence,’ The Times, 28 March 1849.

This article appeared in Ripperologist 89,

Here is a link to the Ripperologist page,

http://www.adamwood.info/

Or the Casebook page for Ripperologist,

http://www.casebook.org/ripper_media/book_reviews/periodicals/ripperologist.html

When I am not busy researching, reading and typing, I do like to chill out and search for music videos on video sharing website “Youtube”.

With a little time on your hands its amazing what you can find,

Here is a documentary Posted by a user called JohnPersonage,

Here is his homepage, http://www.youtube.com/user/JohnPersonage

Here is part one of his documentary “Jack the Ripper”

here is part two of his documentary “Jack the Ripper”

Enjoy, comments are appreciated.

With so many Ripper related and Victorian History books bursting of my slefs, I thought I would take this opportunity to pay homage to some of my fave books on the subject.

Every Monday I will be posting my fave books, from suspect based, to reference guides, to fictional accounts, and many classics.

This week it is The First Jack the Ripper Victim Photographs by Robert J McLaughlin.

What first struck me about the book was the fact that it had both the English and French excerpts from “Vacher l’Eventreur et les crimes sadiques” which is an excellent read in itself.

Robert McLaughlin pulls out all stops and ventures were no researcher has gone before and discovers an obscure book written by a French medical student named André Lamoureux in 1894 entitled “De l’Éventration au point-de-vue medico-legal“.  The book contained a single photograph of Mary Jane Kelly.

As the Lamoureux book was released in 1894 it preceeded Lacassagne’s “Vacher l’Eventreur“, which was released in 1899 by five years.  This meaning it is the first ever publication to contain the Mary Jane Kelly photo!

Other notable additions include every known photo of the victims, post mortem, including several rather gruesome shots of Eddowes!!

McLaughlin also looks at the differences and similarities btween the photos, and takes us on an adventure in research.

I really cannot speak highly enough of this book, it’s a rarity, but if the opportunity arises, it’s one to get hold of!!

It was supposed to be a full day at the Local Studies Library, here in Kingston upon Hull.  I had discovered some new dates associated with the Stephenson family, and wanted to spend some time trawling through the Newspaper Archive to find and Press reports.

The snow however has put a stop to the visit, not because I am afraid of a bit of cold, because I have the company of my son, who would usually visit his Gran’s today!

So what should have been a day of Ripper Research, will in fact be a day of “Action Man” and “Playmobile”!!

I have booked a sitting for tomorrow, when he returns to nursary!

Last night the latest Jack the Ripper Podcast was recorded.

The usual suspects were on the show, Jonathon Menges, Howard Brown, Robert J. Mclaughlin and myself.

Paul Begg and Andrew Spallek joined us to ask our special guest questions on the case, his intrests, and just have a good old natter!!

Stephen P Ryder, the man behind the Jack the Ripper Casebook, and of course the creator of these Bloggs was the special guest, and what a show it was.

I could tell you all about it, but that would spoil the fun!!!!

Here is the link for the podcast, http://www.rippernet.com/Rippercast/Podcast/Podcast.html

Here is the link to the Casebook, http://www.casebook.org/index.html

here is the link to the jtrforums.com, http://www.jtrforums.com/

The show is becoming popular in terms of both guests and listeners, and is there for You!!

It is a well known fact that Victorian Murderer and Con Man, Frederick Bailey Deeming had visited my home town Kingston upon Hull.

He had visited the Royal Station Hotel with his new Bride, before running off to carry out a fraudulent transaction at Reynoldson Jewellers.

During my research into Deeming, I was able to trace the locations of several businesses that he had visited whilst he was here, I was also to get trade directory entries for them, maps and some recent photos.

I also wrote to Hull Prison where Deeming was imprisoned in 1891 for fraud!!

Here is there reply when I asked if they had any records of his stay,

Dear Mr. Covell

Thank you for your letter dated 13th April 2007.

Unfortunately we are unable to assist you in your request as we do not keep prisoners records for more than seven years.

I am sorry we cannot help.

Yours sincerely

A WATSON

Head of Operations

Yet another collection of press cuttings which spanned almost a year and pre dated the “Church Street Scandal”

 These cover a whole new chapter in the Stephenson family, and their brush with authority!

Again, several press reports make up the file, and the process of transcribing will begin shortly.

Last year I collected a series of press cuttings and magistrates papers on the Stephenson family.

Together they were collectively known as “The Church Street Scandal”!!!

This week I began the long process of transcribing all the articles and magistrate papers which has meant some days working upto 16 hours typing none stop!!

They are very intresting and give new insight into this intresting family.