Israel Lipski

Name

Israel Lipski

Personal details

Israel Lipski (1865 - 1888) was born Israel Lobulsk. He was of Polish-Jewish descent and lived in the East End of London.

Lipski worked as an umbrella stick salesman. He employed Harry Schmuss and Henry Rosenbloom.

Background

Lipski was a convicted murderer.

The offence

On June 28, 1887, police were summoned to 16 Batty Street after a young woman, Miriam Angel, had been murdered. Angel had been forced to consume nitric acid and was 6 months pregnant at the time.

Investigation

At her inquest, the Coroner was Wynne Edwin Baxter.

After Miriam Angel’s death, Lipski was found underneath her bed, with acid burns inside his own mouth. He was subsequently arrested.

During the investigation and arrest, Lipski protested his innocence, claiming that Schmuss and Rosenbloom were responsible.

Arrest and charges

Lipski protested his innocence and claimed that Harry Schmuss and Henry Rosenbloom were responsible. Despite this, Lipski was charged with murder.

Trial

The ensuing trial created a storm of controversy, with suggestions that the trial was tarnished by institutionalised anti-Semitism.

The Home Secretary, Henry Matthews, was personally opposed to capital punishment, but showed apathy towards Lipski’s plight.

Sentencing

On August 21, 1887, Lipski was hung in the yard of Newgate Prison.

Outcome

Lipski was executed by hanging.

Appeals

No appeals are described.

Aftermath

Israel Schwartz, a man of “Jewish appearance”, reported witnessing an woman being assaulted on Berner Street in the early morning of September 30, 1888. When the unknwon man shouted out “Lipski” to either Schwartz or another man, Schwartz fled. Schwartz later identified the woman as Elizabeth Stride, who is thought to have been murdered by Jack the Ripper around that time or shortly after.

Police originally investigated whether there was someone in the neighborhood by the name of Lipski. The murder of Miriam Angel had happened the year before only one street away on the same block. Police eventually decided that the term was being used as an ethnic slur against Jews, although there were several Lipskis living in the area.

Other details

• Key people mentioned:
  • Miriam Angel (victim; 6 months pregnant at the time of death)
  • Wynne Edwin Baxter (Coroner at Angel’s inquest)
  • Harry Schmuss (employed by Lipski; claimed by Lipski as responsible)
  • Henry Rosenbloom (employed by Lipski; claimed by Lipski as responsible)
  • Henry Matthews (Home Secretary; personally opposed to capital punishment)
  • Israel Schwartz (reported witnessing an assault in 1888)
  • Elizabeth Stride (identified by Schwartz as the woman; thought to have been murdered by Jack the Ripper around that time or shortly after)
• Locations mentioned:
  • 16 Batty Street
  • East End of London
  • Berner Street
  • Newgate Prison
• Method of execution: hanging in the yard of Newgate Prison.