Editing Mary Ann Nichols (section)

=== Spatling, John (inspector) (Sep 3) ===
Inspector John Spatling of J Division.  "Deposed that at half-past four o'clock on Friday morning he was in the Hackney-road when he received information of the finding of the body of the woman in Buck's row.  He proceeded to spot directly, and there saw Police-constable Thain, who pointed to where the body had been found.  He noticed stains of blood and water between the stones.  They told him that the body had been removed to the mortuary in Old Montague-street, where they went together.  The body at that time was on the ambulance in the yard waiting for the mortuary keeper. While waiting he wrote a description of the body. The mortuary keeper arrived, and the body was placed on the bench. He was about to take a description of the under garments when he discovered the injuries to the abdomen. He at once sent for Dr. Llewellyn. He left the examination to the doctor, who made an examination lasting 10 minutes or a quarter of an hour.

* Coroner: That was an examination of the abdominal injuries only, and not of the whole body?
* Spatling: Yes
* Coroner: Who stripped the body?
* Spatling: Two workhouse people. I don't know who they were, but I gave them no instructions.
* Coroner: It is important that the clothes should be described and the position they were in. 
* Spatling: (after saying he went to the mortuary again about twelve o'clock, the same day) The clothes were lying in a heap in the yard, and consisted of a brown ulster somewhat worn, a new brown winsey dress, grey wool petticoat, flannel petticoat, these last two being marked 'Lambeth Workhouse, P.R.' drab or brown corsets in fair condition, which had no cuts on them.
* Coroner: Were they fastened when you saw them?
* Spatling: Yes, they were fastened at the back.
* Coroner: Were they fastened at the front? This is a most important point. 
* Spatling: I did not remove them from the body, so I could not say.
* Coroner: Well, who can give us this information; or shall we have to examine them for ourselves?
* Spatling: Inspector Helston can tell you more about it. I noticed a bloodstain on the back of the dress.
* Coroner: Did you examine Buck's row?
* Spatling: Yes; between five and six o'clock in the morning, and also the railway and yards abutting on the street. I examined Buck's row and Queen-street, but found no blood stains in either. I subsequently, in company with Sergeant Godley, examined the East London District Railway embankment and the Great Eastern Railway yard for bloodstains and weapons, but found none.
* Coroner: Who wiped up the blood that we have heard of?
* Spatling: One of Mr. Brown's men.
* Coroner: Is there not a constable on duty at the gate of the Great Eastern Railway Company's yard?
* Spatling: Yes, sir; that is about 50 yards away from the spot. I have questioned him, and he heard nothing during the night. A Mrs. Green, whose rooms overlook the spot, said she heard nothing during the whole of the night, though she was up from three till half-past four o'clock.
* Coroner: How far is the slaughter-house away?
* Spatling: About 150 paces, going round by the Board school.
* A juryman: How far away form Buck's-row was the nearest constable except Neil?
* Spatling: There is another constable whose beat takes in the east side of Brady-street, which runs at the top of Buck's-row. 
* (On being questioned further the witness said that when he examined the body he came to the conclusion that the woman had been murdered in her clothes, as there was a large quantity of blood on the neck of the dress just where the head had touched it.  He did not think that the woman had been dressed after the murder.
* (One of the jury complained that the body had been left exposed to the view of the children in the street - this the police denied).