OAnnie Chapman was the second victim of the notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper. The first victim of Jack the Ripper was Mary Ann Nichols, who was murdered by the killer on the 31st of August 1888. Annie Chapman was murdered by Jack the Ripper just one week after the murder of Mary Ann Nichols.
The murder of Annie Chapman took place in the early hours of the morning of the 8th of September 1888. The last hours of Annie Chapman's life came on the evening of the 7th of September, which was a Friday, through to the early hours of the 8th of September, on the Saturday. From the events of the evening of the 7th of September 1888, it is apparent that Annie was a broken woman and in desperate need of money that evening. The events of Annie Chapman's last hours somewhat mirrors the events of Mary Ann Nichols last hours. Both women had no money to pay for a bed on the night of their deaths at their lodging houses and both women sought money through prostitution on the night of their deaths, to pay for their bed. Sadly, both of their need for money on the night of their murder, cost them their life at the hands of the Victorian serial killer, Jack the Ripper.
Annie sought to acquire money on the 7th of September from around 5 PM, we know this because of her encounter with Amelia Palmer, who met Annie Chapman in Dorset Street, at that time. Annie informed Amelia Palmer that she was ill and that she had no money for a bed that night. Annie said to Amelia ''I must pull myself together and go out and get some money or I shall have no lodgings.''
From the rest of the evening, up until 11 PM, her moments are undocumented. But, most likely she was soliciting trade in the hours. By 11.30 PM that night, she returned to her lodging house and was in the kitchen up until 12.10 AM. Annie was drinking with another lodger that night, Fredrick Stevens. Fredrick Stevens and Annie Chapman were joined by another lodger at 12.12 AM, William Stevens. Stevens said that he seen Annie taking a broken box of medication out of her pocket. This could have been to medicate Annie's illness. Soon after Stevens joined them, Annie left the kitchen and left the lodging house for a brief period of time. She returned to the lodging house a short time afterwards, at 1.35 AM. From then, Annie was eating some food when the night watchman of the lodging house, John Evans came into the kitchen. Evans was there to collect Annie's money for her bed, it was money she didn't have. Soon afterwards, Annie went upstairs to see the manager of the lodging house Donovan, Annie said to Donovan ''I haven't sufficient money for my bed'' to which she continued ''but don't let it [worry you]. I shall not be long before I am in.'' To which Donovan replied to her that ''You can find money for your beer and you can't find money for your bed.'' From this, we can assume that Annie had been drinking that night, or/and that Annie was a heavy drinker. We also know that she was out earlier for most of that night, trying to earn money for a bed. She most likely earned money for a bed that night, but the money most likely went on alcohol. A few moments after that encounter, Annie asks for them to keep a bed for the night for her. She soon left the lodging house and went out into the dangerous streets of Whitechapel. There was a killer on the lose, Jack the Ripper. Around three hours later, at 4.35 AM a resident of 29 Hanbury Street called John Richardson, where Annie Chapman was later found went out into the yard. He sat down on the steps in the yard to remove some leather from his shoes. He reportedly said that he never seen anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. He wasn't that far from where Annie's body was found, just over an hour later. Either she wasn't dead at this time, or he didn't see her. At the time when John Richardson went out into the yard, Annie was most likely still alive, given that there are two separate witness statements to indicate this. The first witness statement was from Elizabeth Long and the second witness statement was from Albert Cadosch. Though, their witness statements can seem conflicting. Elizabeth Long indicated that she had seen (or she thought she had seen) Annie Chapman talking with a man outside 29 Hanbury Street. As Mrs Long passed them both, she said that she did not see the mans face, but did hear some of the conversation that both of them were having. What Mrs Long heard was the man saying 'Will you?' and the woman replying 'Yes.' Long claimed that the time was half five, as she remembered the clock striking on the half hour. Could this have been Annie Chapman speaking with Jack the Ripper? However, at around the same time, Albert Cadosch claimed that he heard something (Annie Chapman), fall against the fence. Cadosch was on the other side of the fence but he thought nothing of the noise he had heard. Before the fall on the fence, Cadosch said he heard a man and woman talking, which most likely was Annie and Jack the Ripper. The only words he claims to have heard was the woman saying ''No!'', then the thud on the fence.
Perhaps Elizabeth Long was wrong about the time she thought it was, it could have been the clock striking at a slightly earlier time at 5.15am. If Mrs Long was wrong about the time, then it would explain things. It would mean that Mrs Long, possibly seen Annie with Jack the Ripper at 5.15am on the morning of the 8th of September 1888. Then, some fifteen minutes later, Albert heard the thud against the fence at 5.30am that morning, unknown to Albert, this was Jack the Ripper murdering Annie Chapman.
Just a half an hour later, at 6am, the murdered body of Annie Chapman was found by a carman called John Davis. John Davis was walking into his back yard, where he found Annie lying on the ground, dead. Annie Chapman died on the 8th of September 1888
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