Elizabeth Stride: Jack the Ripper's third victim
Elizabeth Stride is one of the five canonical victims of Jack the Ripper, one of the most infamous serial killers in crime history.
Elizabeth stands apart from the other four women that the Ripper killed, as her death seemed to be somewhat rushed. Her wounds were not as severe, and less than an hour after her murder, the Ripper claimed his next victim.
Many historians believe that the Ripper was interrupted while brutally attacking Elizabeth. Some even think that he did not kill her at all.
Join us here at Crime+Investigation as we take a closer look at Elizabeth Stride and her murder at the hands of Jack the Ripper.
Who was Elizabeth Stride?
Elizabeth Stride – nicknamed 'Long Liz' – was born on 27th November 1843. She was Swedish, born in the rural village of Stora Tumlehed, west of Gothenburg. Her birth name was Elisabeth Gustafsdotter.
In 1860, Elizabeth left Stora Tumlehed and headed to Gothenburg to find work. She was initially a domestic servant.
She was arrested for solicitation and was treated for venereal disease twice. Stride also gave birth to a stillborn baby girl in April 1865.
Life in London
Elizabeth moved from Sweden to London in 1866 and in 1869, she married a man named John Stride. By 1874, Elizabeth and John’s marriage began to collapse.
Following the separation, she was recorded as moving between various lodging houses and men’s apartments. She also made some extra money from house cleaning and sewing.
By 1888 – the year of her murder – Elizabeth was living in a lodging house at 32 Flower and Dean Street.
The murder of Elizabeth Stride
On the evening of 29th September 1888, Elizabeth left the lodging house for a night out at 7:30 pm. She was dressed in her best attire, likely hoping to make some money.
Elizabeth’s case had the most witnesses of any of the Ripper victims. The first to see her were two laborers, John Gardner and J. Best. They reportedly saw her with a man at around 11pm as they entered the Bricklayer’s Arms pub.
Her male companion was described as around five foot five inches tall, wearing a billycock hat and morning coat and sporting a black mustache.
The two tried to get them to join them for a drink, and when they refused, they commented, 'That’s Leather Apron getting round you!' This was a reference to another suspect being investigated for the Whitechapel murders.
The heckling caused Elizabeth and the man to leave. Another witness, laborer William Marshall, saw them not long after outside Berner Street. Marshall reported that he heard the man say to Elizabeth, 'You would say anything but your prayers.'
Another witness, police constable William Smith, saw the couple together. He noted that the man was carrying a parcel wrapped in newspaper.
The final witness was Israel Schwartz, who saw someone speaking with Elizabeth in the early hours of 30th September. He claims he saw the man throw her on the sidewalk before hearing screams.
Schwartz then said he saw another man lighting a pipe on the other side of the street. Afraid for his life when the first man shouted out 'Lipski' to the man with the pipe, Schwartz fled. He was able to identify Elizabeth’s body when she was taken to the mortuary.
The body of Elizabeth Stride was found at 1am on 30th September. There was blood still emerging from her slit throat. Blood on the cobble beneath her body was still wet and parts of her body were warm.
Elizabeth Stride’s murder leaves many questions. Even though she is considered a canonical Ripper victim, there is a chance that she was an unfortunate victim of another violent attacker. If Schwartz’s account of a second man was correct, and she was definitely a Ripper victim, then it could be that there was an accomplice.
Elizabeth had not been mutilated like the other victims, but only an hour after her death, another victim – Catherine Eddowes – was found. Catherine had the telltale mutilations of the Ripper.
The closeness of the two deaths and the rushed state of Elizabeth's murder made police believe the Ripper was interrupted and fled before he could complete his gruesome work. This is still the most common theory to this day. However, there is no doubt that Elizabeth’s Stride murder is the most rushed and out of character for the Ripper’s modus operandi.
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