On September 24th…

Illustration by Sidney Paget for The Strand Magazine (November, 1891)

September 24, 1889: John Openshaw was drowned in the Thames. [FIVE]

Between nine and ten last night Police-Constable Cook, of the H Division, on duty near Waterloo Bridge, heard a cry for help and a splash in the water. The night, however, was extremely dark and stormy, so that, in spite of the help of several passers-by, it was quite impossible to effect a rescue. The alarm, however, was given, and, by the aid of the water-police, the body was eventually recovered. It proved to be that of a young gentleman whose name, as it appears from an envelope which was found in his pocket, was John Openshaw, and whose residence is near Horsham. It is conjectured that he may have been hurrying down to catch the last train from Waterloo Station, and that in his haste and the extreme darkness he missed his path and walked over the edge of one of the small landing-places for river steamboats. The body exhibited no traces of violence, and there can be no doubt that the deceased had been the victim of an unfortunate accident, which should have the effect of calling the attention of the authorities to the condition of the riverside landing-stages.

One Reply to “On September 24th…”

  1. A Very special 3 part limerick by Roxie, A very talented member of our group and a special friend.
    FIVE Triple for today: 12-10-2016
    To eliminate threat may be smart,
    Though, war over, why take it to heart?
    Still, who’s dumber than
    The KKK man
    Who kills generations apart?

    True, those papers still evidenced crime
    Of a far-distant place and past time,
    But likely as not
    All would have been forgot
    Except for those murderous slime.

    Seems like nobody did this one right,
    Holmes sent a client out into the night,
    It’s really too bad
    It ended so sad.
    Still, the villains all died in their flight.

    Esmerelda

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