Ripper Connection - Dr. Hebbert

Dr

Charles Hebbert, (1918 Merchant Seaman Surgeon photograph) 1856-1925 A chilling connection between Armidale, NSW and the infamous Jack the Ripper and Torso murders in London. Physician, Charles Alfred Hebbert, who worked on the grisly murders in London and died a lonely death in Armidale’s Tattersalls Hotel in 1925. Born in Birmingham, in 18546 to John Benbow Hebbert and Julia Lucy Aston . He married Frances Helen Dilke in 1882 and had three children, Arthur 1886-87, Dorothy 1887-1964 and Clarence 1890-1980. Frances (Fanny) Helen Dilke 1854-1936 Career Dr. Hebbert occasionally worked at the Bethnal Hospital and as a demonstrator of anatomy at the Westminster Hospital in 1889. By 1892 he was in private practice in Nottingham, then tutor in anatomy and physiology at the Medical School, Sheffield University. He had an affair with a barmaid, from which he was dismissed so moved to Canada with his new wife, whom he married bigamously, she died six months later. In Canada he became a lecturer in anatomy at Bishops College, Montreal. In 1908 he took the position of assistant Coroner in Simcoe County. After 1919 it is believed he lectures at Boston University and was restored to the UK Register of Medical Practitioners. In 1922, down on his luck, he sailed third class to Australia he became a ships doctor and on arrival registered with the New South Wales Medical Board. where he took up a job in Armidale working as a medical referee for AMP Insurance in 1921. Jack the Ripper Connection Jack the Ripper murdered five prostitutes in London between August and November 1888. Hebbert was Assistant Police Surgeon to Westminster Division in London and worked alongside famed forensic expert Dr Thomas Bond on both the Ripper and Thames Torso murders. The Torso Murders Macabre finding of a female torso in the foundations of the New Scotland Yard Building on Whitehall Street on October 2, 1888 On the 11th of that month, a female arm was sighted floating in the river, in the Pimlico region. In turn, on September 28 another arm was found lying by the side of the Lambeth road. Finally, on October 2, the torso of a woman was found missing her head. This human fragment was discovered in the foundations of the building under construction of the New Scotland Yard and, to this episode, the press dubbed it the " Mystery of Whitehall" , in honor of the name of the street on which the building was located. A number of forensic doctors, including Dr. Thomas Bond, were called in to study the remains of that body. This expert pondered that, if it was a crime, the killer had displayed a certain degree of anatomical wisdom. In general, the professionals involved could not find suitable evidence to elucidate how the ill-fated deceased perished. The forensic surgeon Charles Alfred Hebbert, Bond's assistant, believed that the arm rescued from the river corresponded to the lifeless organism of the victim whose torso was found at the construction site. He considered this due to the cleanliness of the cut made to separate the limb from the trunk and because of the diameter of the amputation that the body exhibited in the place where it was severed. In his clinical examination, said Dr. Bond noted that: "I thought that the arm was cut by a person who, although not necessarily an anatomist, certainly knew what he was doing, knowing where the joints were and showing signs that he made these types of cuts quite regularly." At the end of the summary, the jury summoned to that effect, ignoring the indications that they were facing a homicide, again pronounced an ambiguous verdict of " Found dead". In the CID report of September 10, 1889 associated with the Pinchin Street torso, signed by Chief Inspector Donald Swanson, it is stated that this last squalor was considered similar to that of Rainham, Whitehall and Chelsea, and different from the crimes of 1888 in Whitechapel, leaving no doubt that all these incidents were seen as homicides by the police authorities. Jack the Ripper Murders Much had been written about the Whitechapel Murders and many examinations by doctors were conducted. Police Detective Robert Anderson felt he needed someone to look at the evidence and materials connected with the murders and to have an ‘opinion on the matter’. Dr. Bond was consulted and read all the notes for two weeks. In addition, he performed the autopsy of Mary Kelly assisted by Hebbert who had attended in the examination of a women called Rose Mylett. Mylett was speculated to be a victim of Jack but Dr. Bond concluded that she had been strangled after an argument with two sailors. Dr. Hebbert wrote extensive notes and reports on the autopsy of Kelly and in some instances contradicted the opinions of Dr. Bond. Doctor Thomas Bond Thomas Bond 1841-1901 Bond’s quest for opium and a mysterious priest takes its toll on his health and psyche and drew concerns from his police colleagues, among them Inspector Frederick Moore, another figure from the real investigation of the Whitechapel Murders. But Bond gets some relief from the muck through his association with Dr. Charles Hebbert, police surgeon, and his solidly middle-class family. The Hebert’s prove essential as the middle-age bachelor’s only point of contact with normality. Bond is particularly drawn to Hebbert’s vivacious and beautiful daughter, however she was engaged to James Harrington. She never married James and became a Carmelite Nun in Wortley, Yorkshire and died in April 1964. Bond committed suicide on 6 June 1901 when, clad only in his nightdress, he threw himself from a bedroom window of his home at 7, the Sanctuary, Westminster following a long period of insomnia caused by pain he had been suffering since middle-age, and which he had treated with narcotics. Death of Dr. Hebbert Collapsed in the hall of the Tattersalls Hotel. He had been suffering from influenzas and although he was going to be taken to hospital only reached the bottom of the stairs and collapsed. He was then removed to the hospital morgue. He was described as a very stout man and his death was determined as heart failure. Hebbert is buried in an unmarked grave in the Armidale cemetery, the Church of England section (row 22, plot 19) officiated by Rev. Richmond. His only relative in Australia was Mr. J Hebbert of Cremorne who could not attend the funeral. While clearing Dr Hebbert’s room at the hotel was found paperwork noting his career including his work with Dr. Bond. But the most interesting thing about him was found in his desk, two mummified left hands in gloves hidden in a secret compartment. The question is, would an anatomist keep anything like that, and what happened to them?