Elizabeth "Long Liz" Stride ( Gustafsdotter; 27 November 1843 – 30 September 1888) is believed to have been the third victim of the unidentified serial killer known as Jack the Ripper, who killed and mutilated at least five women in the Whitechapel and Spitalfields districts of London from late August to early November 1888.Evans and Rumbelow, pp. 96–113
Unlike the other four canonical Ripper victims, Stride had not been mutilated following her murder, leading some historians to suspect she had not been killed by Jack the Ripper.Sugden, p. 210 However, Stride's murder occurred less than one hour before the murder of the Ripper's fourth canonical victim, Catherine Eddowes, within walking distance, and her act of murder is suspected to have been disturbed by an individual entering the crime scene on a two-wheeled cart.Honeycombe, p. 57 In addition, both women had been murdered by slash wounds to the throat,Eddleston, p. 98 leading most authors and researchers to consider Stride the third of the Ripper's canonical five victims.Whittington-Egan and Whittington-Egan, p. 91
Stride was nicknamed "Long Liz". Several explanations have been given for this pseudonym. Some believe it derives from her married surname (a stride being a reference to a long step),Evans and Rumbelow, p. 290 while others believe this is a reference to either her height,At 5 ft 5 in (165 cm), Stride was taller than the average for Whitechapel women of the era (Fido, p. 53). or her general facial structure.
Early life Stride was born Elisabeth Gustafsdotter on 27 November 1843 on a small farm near Stora Tumlehed,Sugden, p. 193 a rural village within the parish of Torslanda, west of Gothenburg, Sweden.Evans and Rumbelow, p. 96 She was the second of four children born to Gustaf Ericsson and his wife, Beata Carlsdotter. As a child, she lived on the family farm. All four children were raised in the Lutheran faith, and all were required to perform numerous chores on the farm.Yost, p. 3
Gustafsdotter was confirmed at the Church of Torslanda on 14 August 1859 at the age of 15. Contemporary records describe her biblical knowledge as thorough.Begg 2006, p. 136 The following year, she relocated from Stora Tumlehed to Gothenburg in search of employment.Yost, p. 3 She soon obtained work as a domestic servant in the Gothenburg parish of Carl Johan, employed by a couple named Olofsson. This position lasted until 2 February 1864,Yost, p. 4 after which she moved to another district of Gothenburg and again secured work as a domestic servant.Hayes, p. 130 She was between and in height and had curly dark brown hair, light grey eyes, an oval face, and a pale complexion.As described by Inspector Edmund Reid at the inquest, quoted in Evans and Skinner 2000, p. 169 and Marriott, p. 114
Unlike the other canonical victims of the Whitechapel murders, at least three of whom resorted to prostitution after failed marriages, Stride turned to prostitution earlier in life. Gothenburg police records from March 1865 confirm her arrest on this charge.Rumbelow 1990, p. 77 She was treated at least twice for venereal disease. On 21 April 1865, she gave birth to a stillborn girl.Eddleston, p. 183 Seven months later, she obtained work as a maid in the district of Haga.Begg 2006, p. 137
Relocation to London In February 1866,Hayes, p. 186 Gustafsdotter moved from Gothenburg to London. Her actual reason for leaving Sweden is unknown, as she is known to have told acquaintances two differing stories. To some, Gustafsdotter claimed she had relocated to England via her employment in the domestic service of "a gentleman" who lived near Hyde Park; to others, she claimed she had family in London and chose to visit relatives in the city before deciding to remain in England.Hayes, p. 130 She likely funded the journey with the 65 kronor she inherited following her mother's death in August 1864, which she received in late 1865.Yost, pp. 6-7
Upon arriving in London, Gustafsdotter learned to speak English and Yiddish in addition to her native language. She is also known to have briefly dated a policeman in the late 1860s.Evans and Skinner 2000, p. 155
Marriage On 7 March 1869, Gustafsdotter married John Thomas Stride, a ship's carpenter from Sheerness who was 22 years her senior.Yost, p. 199 They married at St Giles in the Fields Church.Hayes, pp. 129-130 The couple had no children.Yost, p. 12
For several years, the couple lived on East India Dock RoadMarriott 2018, p. 157 and operated a coffee shop in Poplar. The business was first located on Upper North Road before relocating to Poplar High Street in approximately 1871. Their income was supplemented by John's continued work as a carpenter.Begg 2006, p. 137
By 1874, the Strides' marriage had begun to deteriorate, although they continued to live together. The following year, John sold the coffee shop, likely due to financial hardship.Yost, p. 133
Separation In March 1877, Stride was admitted to the Poplar Workhouse, indicating that the couple had separated by this date. Census records from 1881 show they had reunited and were living together in Bow,Yost, p. 13 although they had permanently separated by the end of that year. Stride was admitted to a Whitechapel workhouse infirmary with bronchitis in December 1881. She was discharged on 4 January 1882 and is believed to have taken up residence in common lodging-houses on Flower and Dean Street shortly afterwards.Gray, p. 164 John died of tuberculosis on 24 October 1884 in the Poplar and Stepney Sick Asylum.Fido, pp. 56–57
In the years after her marriage collapsed and her husband's death, Stride told several people that her husband and two of her nine children had drowned in the 1878 sinking of the Princess Alice in the River Thames. She claimed that she and her husband had been employed on the steamer,Yost, p. 94 that she survived by climbing the ship's mast,Wilson 2000, p. 230 and that another survivor kicked her in the mouth as she climbed, injuring her palate and causing a permanent stutter.Fido, pp. 55–56
Common lodging residences While living in common lodging-houses, Stride occasionally received charitable assistance from the Church of Sweden in London. From 1885 until her death, she lived much of the time with Michael Kidney, a dock labourer who resided in Devonshire Street. Their relationship was tumultuous, and they regularly separated, with Stride staying in lodging-houses before returning to Kidney.Begg 2003, p. 211 In April 1887, she filed an assault charge against him, although she did not pursue the case in court. As such, the case was discharged.Holmes and Holmes, p. 232 Their relationship continued on and off between 1885 and 1888.Evans and Skinner 2000, p. 172
In addition to prostitution, Stride occasionally earned income from sewing and housecleaning. An acquaintance described her as having a calm temperament,e.g. Elizabeth Tanner, quoted in Evans and Skinner 2000, p. 151 and Marriott, p. 96 although she appeared before the Thames Magistrates' Court on about eight occasionsBegg 2003, p. 212 for both drunk and disorderly conduct and the use of obscene language, the last being on 3 September 1888.Begg 2006, p. 140 She occasionally used the alias Annie Fitzgerald at these hearings.Fido, p. 54
1888 Following an argument on 26 September 1888, Stride and Kidney again separated, and she again took residence at 32 Flower and Dean Street, then a notorious slum and criminal rookery.Evans and Rumbelow, pp. 96–98; White, pp. 323–350 She informed a fellow lodger, Catherine Lane, that she and Kidney "had had a few words".Chisholm, DiGrazia and Yost, p. 111 Over the following days, she regularly earned money by performing cleaning duties both at the lodging house and for local residents. The housekeeper, Elizabeth Tanner, described her as a quiet woman who occasionally performed cleaning work for the local Jewish community.Begg 2003, p. 212
29 September On the day prior to her murder, Stride cleaned two rooms at her lodging house and was paid sixpence.Begg 2003, p. 211 That evening, she wore a black jacket and skirt, with a posy of a red rose in a spray of either maidenhair fern or asparagus leaves. She also wore a black crêpe bonnet. In an effort to make her clothing look more respectable, she borrowed a brush from a fellow resident. At 6:30 pm, Stride and Tanner briefly visited the Queen's Head pub on Commercial Street before Stride returned alone to the lodging house.Begg 2003, p. 212
Eyewitness accounts of Stride's movements later on 29 September and into the early hours of 30 September suggest she may have been in the company of one or more acquaintances or clients. The first of these men was described as short, with a dark moustache, wearing a morning suit and bowler hat. He was seen with her at about 11:00 pm near Berner Street. A second account, given by labourer William Marshall, places Stride with a man wearing a peaked cap, black coat and dark trousers. They stood on the pavement opposite number 58 Berner Street at about 11:45 pm. Marshall described the man as "decently dressed". He stated that the pair repeatedly kissed before the man said to her: "You would say anything but your prayers."Wilson and Odell, p. 38
30 September At 12:35 am, PC William Smith saw Stride with a man wearing a hard felt hat standing opposite the International Working Men's Educational Club, a socialist and predominantly Jewish social club at 40 Berner Street (now Henriques Street). The man was carrying a package about 18 inches (45 cm) long.For witness statements see Cook, pp. 165–168 and Fido, pp. 57–59; for "socialist and predominantly Jewish" see Fido, p. 39 Smith had no reason to feel suspicious and continued on his beat towards Commercial Road.Cook 2010, p. 168 Between 12:35 am and 12:45 am, dockworker James Brown saw a woman he believed to be Stride standing with her back against a wall at the corner of Berner Street, speaking with a man of average build in a long black coat. Brown heard Stride say, "No. Not tonight. Some other night."Gordon, p. 98
Murder At about 1:00 am on Sunday 30 September 1888, Stride's body was discovered in the adjacent Dutfield's Yard by Louis Diemschutz, the steward of the International Working Men's Educational Club. Diemschutz had driven into the poorly lit yard with his horse and two-wheeled cart when the horse abruptly shied to the leftHodgson, p. 24 to avoid what appeared to be a bundle lying on the ground. Seeing what he later described as a "dark object", Diemschutz attempted to lift it with his whip handle before leaving his cartEddleston, p. 36 to inspect it.Hayes, p. 135 Upon lighting a match, he saw a prone body. He ran inside the club to check his wife was safe. After finding her safe, he reported his discovery, and the group dispersed to seek help.Cook, p. 157; Evans and Rumbelow, pp. 99–101; Fido, p. 41
Stride's body lay on her left side, with her right hand on her stomach and her left arm extended behind her back. Her left hand still clutched several cachous wrapped in tissue paper, and the bow of her checkered silk scarf had been pulled tightly to the left of her neck, possibly from behind.Honeycombe, pp. 57-58 Blood was still flowing from a single knife wound to her neck. Although her hands were cold, other parts of her body were slightly or "quite" warm.Inquest testimony of Edward Spooner, quoted in The Times, 3 October 1888Yost, p. 96 This suggests Stride was killed shortly before Diemschutz arrived in the yard. Several patrons of the Working Men's Educational Club who had left the premises between 12:30 and 12:50 am later informed police they had observed nothing amiss.Fido, pp. 41, 59, 61
Post-mortem The first doctor to arrive was Frederick William Blackwell. Police surgeon Dr George Bagster Phillips, who had examined the body of previous Whitechapel murder victim Annie Chapman,Evans and Rumbelow, p. 101 arrived about 10 minutes later. Phillips's official post-mortem documents state: