Throughout September, 1888, the Whitechapel murders began to dominate the newspapers throughout the country.
The murders of Mary Nichols and Annie Chapman were receiving a great deal of coverage, although, of course, other stories were also being published.
The Morning Post, in its edition of Monday the 17th of September, 1888, featured a story about a man who had recently returned from Australia, who had been found dead in a tunnel:-
KILLED ON THE MIDLAND RAILWAY
On Saturday afternoon the coroner for Central Middlesex, held a long inquiry at the St. Pancras Coroner’s court as to the death of John King, aged 39 years, of 9, Herriot-street, Rutherglen, Glasgow, who had been found dead in the Haverstock-hill tunnel of the Midland Railway on the morning of Wednesday last.
Mr. J. B. Young, solicitor, attended on behalf of the Midland Railway Company, and Detective-Inspector Miller, of the V Division, watched the case for the police.
RECENTLY RETURNED
A brother of King, who identified the body, said that his brother had recently returned from Australia.
He was employed at some chemical works at Glasgow, and was a total abstainer.
He came to London in the previous week.
FINDING THE BODY
William Franklin, a platelayer, deposed to finding the body, which was lying between the wall and the rails of the down line, and there were marks on the wall as if something had been dragged along it.
JOHN BROWN’S EVIDENCE
After some further evidence, John Brown, ticket collector at St Pancras, recognised the body as that of a man he had put into a third-class carriage on his saying he wanted to go to Glasgow.
He seemed quite sober.
Afterwards two other persons came up, whom he put into the same compartment. They appeared to be friendly, and began singing snatches of songs.
ALFRED WHITREAD’S TESTIMONY
Alfred Whitread, an omnibus driver, said that he got into the same compartment as King. There were three other men present, and some of them appeared to be quarrelsome.
One of them took off his coat and wanted to fight.
When the train reached Kentish-town witness got out and went into another compartment; the men then seemed quiet.
He did not know whether King got out or attempted to get out after he left to get into another compartment.
THE GUARD’S EVIDENCE
John Smith, the guard of the train, said that when they got to Kentish-town he saw three men, of whom he believed King was one, out on the platform, and asked what they were doing there, and told them to get in.
He thought they did so, but when he started the train he only noticed two men in the carriage, and on asking where the third man was the omnibus driver told him that he had got into another compartment.
On reaching Bedford he only saw one man in the compartment.
He asked him where the others were, and the man said that they had got to go out with their companions, and were together at Kentish-town.
When he reached Leicester he saw the man he had missed at Kentish-town standing in the carriage leaning forward. He had cut his head by pushing it through the glass of the carriage, but he did not see King.
INSPECTOR MILLER’S TESTIMONY
Inspector Miller said that he had made inquiries of the Glasgow police, and had ascertained that a man of the ship Ormuz had said that he was in the carriage with a stowaway; that the latter and King had quarrelled, and when the tram got to Kentish-town he got out, leaving King and the stowaway in the compartment.
He had ascertained that the man had not returned home, and his relations knew nothing about him, but thought he was still in Australia.
From all he could learn his opinion was that after the train had left Kentish-town King, finding the other man had gone to sleep, got out with the intention of joining his friends in the other compartment, and, in doing so, must have fallen from the train, and thus got killed.
SUMMING UP AND VERDICT
The coroner also thought it was probable that, finding himself alone with the second man, King got out to follow the omnibus driver whilst the train was in motion through the tunnel, and slipping from the footboard fell and was thus killed.
After some further evidence and discussion the jury took this view of the case, and a verdict of accidentally killed on the Midland Railway was recorded.