First Whitechapel Murder

Key Whitechapel prostitute murder prior to Jack the Ripper.

Location: Wentworth Street, Whitechapel

Description: The first Whitechapel Murder victim in the same era as the Ripper, was Emma Smith. She was attacked here on this corner by a local gang in the early hours of 3rd April 1888, some 6 months prior to Jack The Ripper's first claimed victim.

the dirty, narrow entrance to Brick Lane, according to John Henry Mackay, in The Anarchist, written in 1891.

They robbed her, subjected her to a savage beating, and violently thrust a blunt object into her vagina. She survived for 24 hours before succumbing the following day to peritonitis.

She said she was attacked by one of the so-called High-Rip gangs that preyed on the district's prostitutes. The police opened the file up and began investigating local murders and attacks on prostitutes, almost in anticipation of what was to come later that Autumn.

Tours: Jack The Ripper London Tour

Themes: Murder Murder Theme