Ch17: Will there be light!

On the night of Saturday 14th February 1891, Detective-sergeants Record and Kuhrd managed to locate Frances Coles's father, James William Cole, who was in Bermondsey Workhouse, and Mary Ann Coles, her sister, who lived in Kingsland. According to the East London, Advertiser:-The very feeble old man was taken to the mortuary in a cab and had no difficulty in identifying the body as that of Frances Coles, his daughter. Another sister, named Selina, is also known to be living at Kingsland. The deceased was at one time engaged as a labeller at a wholesale chemist's factory in the Minories. It has transpired that she left her lodgings in Thrawl-street about five weeks ago, but on Thursday last, between 9 and 10 o'clock, returned and asked her landlady, Mrs Hague, to let her come back, and promised to pay what she owed. She then went away, but Mrs Hague subsequently saw her in a public house at the corner of Montague-street. She was with a man, who was treating her to drink. He was of fair complexion and had a light moustache. Mrs Hague also identified the body.

It soon transpired that her companion had been James Thomas Sadler, a fifty-three-year-old merchant seaman and fireman on the S.S. Fez, whom she had met in the Princess Alice Pub on February 11th, two days before her murder. Sadler was a former client of hers and, after a few drinks, they decided to spend the night together.They spent most of February 12th 1891 on a pub crawl around the area and by evening both of them were extremely intoxicated.At around 7.30 pm that evening, Frances turned up at a millinery shop at 25 Nottingham Street where she bought a black crepe hat, paying for it with 2s. 6d. That Sadler had given her some hours before.

According to Peter Hawkes, who appeared on the second day of the inquest, on the previous Thursday, 12th February, a woman came into the shop and asked to be shown some hats. He showed her several and she selected a black crepe hat, the price of which was 1s 11d. After Hawkes told her the price, she went outside the shop and spoke to a man who had been looking in at the window. She went away in the company of the man but returned shortly after having decided to buy the hat. She handed over 2s and Hawkes gave her half-penny change. She was already wearing an old black hat with an edging of beads.Having been to the mortuary, Hawkes identified the body of Frances Coles as being the woman who bought the hat. He also said that whilst at the Police Station, he saw several men, one he claimed was James Sadler, the man outside his shop.

Later that night, as they were making their way along Thrawl Street, Sadler was attacked by a woman in a red shawl who came upon him from behind. Two men who were with the woman then robbed him of his watch and money.

It appears that Frances watched the attack and failed to intervene, much to Sadler's disgust who told the police during questioning that he had been angry at Frances for not helping him when he was down. An argument ensued and the two of them went their separate ways.

At 11.30 pm a very drunk Frances Coles turned up at the lodging house where they had spent the previous night. Sitting down on a bench in the kitchen she rested her head on her arms and promptly fell fast asleep.

A very belligerent Sadler turned up soon after, his face bloodied and bruised. "I have been robbed," he told Charles Guiver, the night watchman, "and if I knew who had done it I would do for them." Guiver helped Sadler clean up in the backyard.

But since Sadler didn't have any money to pay for a bed he had no choice but to ask him to leave.

At 12.30 am on 13th February Frances woke up and, since she also lacked the money for a bed, was forced to leave the lodging house.At 1.45 am Frances met fellow prostitute Ellen Callanan on Commercial Street. Shortly after this meeting, according to Calana's later testimony, she said, She told me she had been turned out of Shuttleworth's, where she had been having something to eat. I went by the public house clock. I walked up Commercial-street towards the Minories with her and asked her what she was going to do. A man spoke to me. He was a very short man, with a dark moustache, shiny boots, and blue trousers, and had the appearance of a sailor. It was not Sadler. Because I would not go with him he punched me and tore my jacket. Frances was about three or four yards away at the time. We were both just getting over drunkenness. He went and spoke to Frances then, and I said, "Frances, don't go with that man, I don't like his look." She replied, "I will," and I then said, "If you are going with that man I will bid you goodnight." I left them at the bottom of Commercial-street going towards the Minories, and I went to Theobald's lodging house, Brick-lane. I watched them till they turned round by the public house into White street. I first heard of the murder on Friday at 5 a.m., and in consequence of advice, I went to Leman-street Police station and stated what I knew. I was then taken to the mortuary and identified the body as that of Frances.'''

"I have never told anyone that it was 3 in the morning when I saw Frances with a man. I made a second statement to the police, and I then said it was a mistake. It was not 3 o'clock. I had been drinking with Frances on and off all day. The deputy at Theobald's lodging house could tell the time I arrived there."

Meanwhile, Thomas Sadler had tried to force his way back on board his ship, the SS Fez, and had become involved in a violent altercation with a group of dockworkers in the course of which he sustained a nasty scalp wound.Having made two attempts to get into a lodging house in East Smithfield, Sadler was next spotted on the pavement outside the Royal Mint by Sergeant Edwards who later recalled that he had appeared "drunken and bloodied." The officer could see that Sadler had been assaulted and questioned him. Sadler stated that he had been attacked by some men, against the London Dock gates, who had "brutally ill-used him."

At about 4.45 am Sadler went into London Hospital, where William Fewell dressed his wounds. He appeared on the third day of the inquest. According to him:A little before 5 on Friday morning I was on duty in the receiving room when the man in the dock came in with a lacerated scalp and a small cut over the eye. I trimmed the hair from the scalp wound, which was on the right side, and also washed his face. I asked him how he came by it, and he replied, "The truth of it is, I have been with a woman and she has done me." I asked him whether it was for much. He replied, "Only for 7s. or 8s. and a watch. I shouldn't have minded that, but they knocked me about." The prisoner was trembling very much, and I asked him why he trembled so. He said. "I am so cold. I have been walking about. Can you give me something to warm me?" I told him I had nothing to give him, and persuaded him to go on to his lodgings. He said, "Unfortunately, I have got none. I have only been on shore one night, and have not secured any." He also told me his ship was lying in the London Dock. I saw there was blood on his hands and asked him if they were cut. It was a few seconds before he answered, and before doing so he put up his hands and looked at them. He then said, "Yes, my finger is cut. He (or they) had a knife." I looked at the finger and saw that it was only a slight cut. I then said, "All the blood cannot come from that little cut." He replied: "Well if it didn't come from that, it came from my head." I asked him where it happened, and he said, "In Ratcliff-highway, near Leman-street." He also added that he had been into one or two places to get a few halfpence so that he could buy refreshments, but they chucked him out. If he could borrow a little he would be willing to pay treble for it, as he had £5 to draw. The receiving room nurse then dressed his wound, as it was too slight for the doctor to be called. As he seemed so queer I let him lie on a sofa, and he went to sleep. He slept for an hour and a half. Then I woke him up and told him he would have to go, as I was soon going off duty. I gave him a penny, and he seemed grateful for it and went away.

On a Saturday morning, acting on descriptions and information from various witnesses, including Sergeant Edwards, Detective-sergeant Don and Detective Gill tracked Sadler down at the Phoenix beer house and arrested him.Saddler offered no resistance and was arrested and taken before Chief Inspector Donald Sutherland Swanson, who, having cautioned him, subjected him to a searching examination.Sadler admitted to have known Frances Coles and to have also been in her company. However, he was adamant that he had nothing to do with her murder.

There were reports in the press that the cut on Frances Cole's throat was very like the cut on Alice Mackenzie's throat and there was some suspicion that he might also have been responsible for that crime, if not the other Whitechapel murders.

On 17th February 1891, The Times reported that:-The police, after detaining the man James Thomas Sadler for upwards of 40 hours in the Leman-street Police-station, considered that they had then sufficient evidence to charge him with the wilful murder of the young woman, who has now been positively identified as Frances Coles; and the charge was formally preferred by Detective Inspector Moore about midnight on Sunday.

Police enquiries had also uncovered a man by the name of Donald Campbell, one who claimed that he had purchased a knife from Sadler on a Friday morning for one shilling. Campbell had noticed that the knife's handle was "clammy" and that its blade was stained.He, therefore, washed the knife, noticing as he did so that the water had a reddish appearance. Campbell afterwards sold the knife but was able to provide detectives with the name of the person who had purchased it from him and, according to The Times:-

By that means it was secured. On Sunday morning Campbell went to the Leman-street Police station and picked Sadler out from amongst several other men..."

On Friday 27th February 1891 the inquest into Frances Cole's death drew to its conclusion;

The Coroner, Wynne Baxter, told the jury that the case "...had many characteristics in common with the murders which had preceded it; but it was for the jury to decide, taking well into consideration Sadler's drunken condition, the conflicting evidence as to times and the connected account is given by him of his movements before and after the murder was committed, whether they could fairly charge him with the deed, or must attribute it to some person or persons unknown..."

The jury retired to consider their verdict, and on their return, the foreman said: - "We find that the deceased was willfully murdered by some person or persons unknown, and we wish to say that we think the police did their duty in detaining Sadler."

For a time it seemed as though Sadler's guilt in connection with the murder of Frances Coles was proven and there was speculation that Jack the Ripper may well have been caught at last.

But then the case against him fell apart. Sadler was able to prove that he had, indeed, been mugged and that he had not been with Frances Coles in the hours before she was murdered.When it was also revealed that his knife was probably too blunt to have inflicted the wound on Coles's throat, the case against him collapsed. He was also able to prove that he had been at sea when some of the other murders had occurred.

In early March 1891, the Director of Public Prosecutions wrote to Sadler's solicitors informing them that:

...So far as the prosecution is concerned, it is not intended to offer evidence tomorrow before the magistrate herein, and an application will be made to him to permit the adoption of this course..."