An Awful Crime

The narrow lane led to an awful place With its own page in the annals of history, Where once was committed a murder most foul It’s perpetrator to date still a mystery Thirteen, Millers Court in Spitalfields Was the abode of one Mary Jane Kelly Where one November morn, eighteen eighty eight She was found, slit from throat to her belly. A victim was she of a man they called ‘Jack’ A murderer of most savage renown Who spread fear through the streets of Whitechapel, And whose identity has never been found Because ‘Jacks’ alter ego was never confirmed Speculation and theories are rife Was he a personage of royal blood? Was he a surgeon, skilled with a knife? Was ‘Jack’ an American actor? Was he sane, was he mentally ill? Were his only victims the ‘canonical’ five? Just how many more did he kill? Why did it all end and where did ‘Jack’ go Is as mysterious as from whence he came, But his legacy remains and for many a year Life on London’s streets was never the same.