Murder was, and had been, a regular occurrence in London in London in general, and in Whitechapel in particular, in the decades preceding the Jack the Ripper atrocities.
One of the most common forms of homicide was wives being murdered by their husbands, or at least, their live in partners.
The Morning Post, in its edition of Saturday the 27th of August, 1853, carried the following story about one such tragic and horrible case:-
THE LATE MURDER AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE
CORONER’S INQUEST ON MRS. MOBBS
Yesterday (Friday) Mr. Baker opened an inquiry in the London Hospital, respecting the death of Mrs. Caroline Mobbs, aged 42, the unfortunate woman who was murdered by her husband, Nathaniel Mobbs, in Enoch-court, Minories, on Wednesday last, some particulars of which appeared in this journal of Thursday and Friday.
The jury having been sworn, the Coroner inquired whether any one attended professionally on behalf of the husband.
Webb, the summoning officer, replied in the negative, when the Coroner said that he supposed he had not a friend living.
THE BODY VIEWED
The body of the unfortunate woman was then viewed by the jury, which presented a fearful spectacle – the chin being cut right through; there were three or four cuts about the cheeks, and the head was nearly severed from the neck.
THE EVIDENCE OF JOHN REARDON
Upon the return of the jury to the inquest room, the following evidence was taken:-
John Reardon, of No. 7, Enoch-court, St. Botolph, Aldgate, said that he was a nautical instrument maker.
The deceased and her husband lived in the same house.
He believed the deceased was married to Nathaniel Mobbs, a wine cooper, in the employ of Walter Howell and Co., wine merchants.
He had known them since Easter Sunday last. They lived very unhappily together, and were very often quarrelling.
He never saw the deceased the worse for liquor since she had been there, but her husband was very often drunk. When in that state he used to beat and ill-use his wife. He was so riotous in his conduct towards her that she could not get any sleep at night.
Owing to his conduct towards his wife, he went by the name of General Haynau.
A TYPICAL BEATING
He had seen her after he had beaten her.
She has had two black eyes for some time. He first saw her with black eyes a week ago. She had the same marks, now that she was dead.
THE THINGS HE ACCUSED HER OF
On Tuesday night he heard him quarrelling with the deceased.
They occupied the room over witness’s, and he could hear when a disturbance took place.
He used to charge her with sleeping out and corresponding with a policeman.
On Tuesday last he ordered her out of the house, and told witness’s father not to let her in again.
He was not present when he pulled her by the hair, and tried to tear her breasts.
He had four children, not by the deceased, but by a former wife.
THE DAY OF THE MURDER
On Wednesday he received information that something had happened, and he, in consequence, went up stairs to their room, when he saw the man lying on the floor, near the door, with his throat cut.
He believed that the deceased returned home at five o’clock on Wednesday morning, as he heard a scuffling in the passage.
The deceased had been at work during the night at No. 4, in the same court.
ORDERED HER OUT
One of the girls working with her came out and asked Mobbs what time it was, when, on finding who the party was, she ran back to the deceased.
The husband then ran to the house and ordered her out, and brought her to his own residence.
In the afternoon, when he found him with his throat cut, ho was not aware that his wife had come into the court with her throat also cut.
WHERE MOBBS WAS
The man was lying on bis back, with a brown-handled table knife in his right hand.
He turned over, and partially got up, and laid hold of witness’s arm.
He tried to speak, but he could not make out what he said.
BLOOD IN THE ROOM
There was a quantity of blood in different parts of the room – one pool in the middle of the room, and one where he laid.
As he got up, the knife fell from his hand.
Witness and two men picked him up, and he was placed upon a chair.
A surgeon came, and he ordered him to be removed to the London Hospital, which was done.
He is still in that institution, and alive.
A MOST UNREASONABLE MAN
Witness never heard him threaten to murder her.
Witness thought he was a most unreasonable man, for when at home he ordered her out, and when she was out he wished her back.
He never noticed any derangement of his mind, but when drunk he was always violent.
FRANCES LANCASTER’S TESTIMONY
Frances Lancaster, a married woman, residing in the same house, said that her room was over that of the deceased.
She frequently heard the man quarrelling with the deceased, and about six weeks ago, only a week after witness was confined, there was such a terrible disturbance, that it so frightened her as to make her jump out of bed and open the window, which had given her a severe cold.
A GREAT ROW
A week last Saturday there was a great row, and she had noticed that the deceased had her eyes blackened ever since.
On Tuesday night last she heard the children in the court calling out to him, “General Haynau,” the name he went by in the neighbourhood.
They gave him that name on account of his ill-usage towards his wife.
She looked round as he was at the gate, and saw the deceased standing inside of her room.
She said, “Oh, Mrs. Mobb9, do go down,” when she replied that he would ill-use her; and witness’s husband allowed her to remain till nine or ten o’clock.
SHE WALKED AROUND
She said that she would walk about that night, and the next morning would apply for protection.
Witness lent the deceased her cloak, which she returned the next morning at 10 o’clock.
A CRY OF “MURDER”
She then said that she was going to the Mansion House to bind him over to keep the peace.
About a quarter past two o’clock, witness went into the court and heard them talking together, apparently very friendly, but in about a quarter of an hour afterwards she heard the deceased, in a feeble voice, calling out “Murder,” and “Help.”
Witness sent some children for a policeman, when some one ran upstairs and knocked at the door, and said “Let the woman out.”
She then heard a box pulled from behind the door.
THE DECEASED WAS INJURED
The deceased faltered out of the room, and walked downstairs with her head rolling from one side to the other.
Her throat was cut, and blood was running over her clothes.
She looked at the witness, moved her hands up and down, but she could not speak.
There was no one in the room except the deceased, her husband, and a little child.
As the witness passed the door, she saw the man lying near the door in a pool of blood, and, his child, four years old, sitting in a high chair.
THE CORONER’S MISGIVINGS
The Coroner, at this stage of the proceedings, said that he had some misgivings of the case as far as the evidence had yet gone.
At present they had no direct proof as to how these throats were cut, but presuming that they were by this man, and he were to survive, he should have to speak to them in very different terms to what he should were he to die.
THE INQUEST ADJOURNED
He suggested that the inquiry should be adjourned, to allow sufficient time to see whether he will recover, and to allow for the production of other witnesses.
The inquiry was then adjourned.