1843

Raine Street Workhouse Admission  Records, Stepney, Tower Hamlets

1851

1851 Census for '2 Elbow Lane, Shadwell, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex'

1861

1861 Census for '4, Victoria Street, Shadwell, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex'

1866

July 1866 - Death of mother, Mary, who was buried on 4th August 1866.

13 December 1886 - Account of evidence against Eric Orlaff Petersen , The Old Bailey

ERIC ORLOFF PETERSEN. 
Breaking Peace: wounding. 
13th December 1886

66. ERIC ORLOFF PETERSEN (26) , Feloniously wounding Sophia Raby, with intent to do her grievous bodily harm. 
 
MR. A. METCALFE Prosecuted; MR. SALTER Defended. 
 
SOPHIA RABY . I live with my husband at 1, Victoria Place, Shadwell—on the morning of 20th November I was at 5, Victoria Place, a friend's house—I got back home between twenty minutes to 1 and 1 o'clock—we occupy the whole house—I had left nobody there, but had left the door ajar—when I came in I saw the prisoner and another young man, a sailor, in the downstairs parlour—there was no woman there—I said "Young man, what are you doing there?"—he said "I think I came here with a young woman"—I said "You have made a mistake, you have come into the wrong house"—the prisoner looked perfectly sober; the other man was very drunk—the prisoner made no answer, so I laid my baby on the bed and said "You have made a mistake"—he drew a white-handled knife out of his trousers pocket and opened it and put it right through the upper part of my left arm—I saw the knife quite plain in his hand—I said "Oh, young man, you have stabbed me, "and I ran back to 5, Victoria Terrace, where a young man lay dead—I told my husband, who was there, that I was stabbed—I remained there, but hearing screams from the direction of my house I ran back there and saw my husband lying on the floor, and the prisoner was jobbing a knife in his shoulder and left side, I think he got four or five stabs in the back—I called three or four men to take him to the hospital—the prisoner ran out—I afterwards saw him taken into custody. 
 
Cross-examined. The prisoner said he thought he had come there with two girls, not that he came there with one—I had been with my husband at No. 5, staying there with a woman whose husband was dead—three or four single women live at No. 1, each in a different room; the house is not a brothel, but quite a respectable house—there has never been to my knowledge complaints of violence to sailors or to the police about this house, or of robberies of sailors—I have lived there three months; my husband had been there all the time—I was in trouble for assault once when I was innocent, and twice when guilty—I have never been accused of robbing sailors—the prisoner did not try to stop me when I went away—when I went in and asked what he was doing there, the prisoner spoke quite civilly and said "I think I and my friend came here with two girls"—I said "I think you have made a mistake," and on that he got up, opened his knife, and stabbed me in my arm—I then went to fetch my husband—in two minutes my husband came back—he ran out as fast as he could when I said I was stabbed—when I was in the room there was nobody else there but the prisoner and his shipmate and my baby, who was asleep on the bed—I left my baby and went for my husband, who came to save it—I gave the prisoner no provocation—I believe he stabbed his friend—a doctor said his friend was wounded—I never said anything before about his stabbing his friend—I have not since threatened the friend, I have not seen him, nor has my husband since we were before the Magistrate—my husband was on the ground quite helpless when the prisoner was stabbing him—I saw no struggle—immediately after the prisoner ran from the house down the street as fast as he could; I did not take my eyes off him from the time of his stabbing my husband till he ran down the street. 
 
Re-examined. I do not know the friend's name. 
 
EDWARD RABY . On 20th November I was at No. 5, Victoria Place with my wife—we had only left an old woman upstairs at our house—my wife went home a little after 1 o'clock, and after about five minutes she came running back, saying she was stabbed in the arm—she was bleeding down her wrist—I went back to fetch the baby—I went into the room we occupied; the prisoner was behind the door—he stabbed me in the chest—I turned round quick; he shut the door—I struggled with him—I went down to get hold of his legs, and he stabbed me four times in the back and shoulder—I tossed him over my shoulder, opened the door, and got out—I could just see the white handle of a knife—two or three men took me to the hospital, where I am being attended to now. 
 
Cross-examined. Another man was in the room, with the prisoner, sitting on a chair; the old woman was also in the room—he had not injured the old woman, nor the baby, nor his friend that I know of—I saw him make no attack on his friend—the prisoner ran out of the room directly after me—I was kneeling on the ground while he stabbed me in the back—I fell on the ground, and then I got up quick and opened the door—I left the room first—I felt very faint, but I threw him over my back; a chair was in his way—the old woman, the prisoner, and the prisoner's friend were in the room at the time; nobody else was in the house—he did not pursue me down the street—I saw him run along the top of the street—I spoke to a young fellow, who said he would run after him. 
 
ELIZABETH SCOTT . I live at 1, Victoria Place, Shadwell—on the morning of 20th November I was at the top of the house—I first saw the prisoner about 1 o'clock or a little after; I had not let him in—I heard somebody downstairs, and saw the prisoner and another—I asked what they wanted—they said they did not want me—the missus was out; I told them I would call her; they would not go out—the prisoner stabbed Raby and then his wife, and a young: woman broke the window and put the baby out of the window, or else he was going to cut its head off—I sent for the wife, and waited till she came—Raby came in first; they both came in together—I had the baby upstairs—I went to take it upstairs—the husband laid it on the bed—he was crying out "The baby, the baby," when I went downstairs—I was downstairs in that room when the wife came in; the husband came in after the wife—a young woman broke the window and put the baby through—I put the baby through the window—the prisoner stabbed me through the arm and breast; he did not say anything when he did it—I was frightened—I was examined by a doctor. 
 
Cross-examined. Only Raby and his wife, I and my husband live at 1, Victoria Place; that is all; no women, live there except I and Mrs. Raby—I swear they have two young men lodgers, no one else—I never saw it as anything but a respectable house—I don't know if I was the first to discover the prisoner there—I saw the prisoner and another seafaring man there—no one else was in the room when I went downstairs—I had the baby upstairs till they came down—I brought it down and gave it to the mother—Raby came in first, and then the wife—I was present and saw the whole thing—the husband was not above a couple of yards or a yard in front of the wife—the husband said "You have made a mistake; you are in the wrong house; you had better go out"—the prisoner got out the knife, and said he should not go out—Raby said "You had better go out, my friend"—the prisoner did not seem to be drunk—he stabbed Raby first in Mrs. Raby's presence, and then he stabbed Mrs. Raby—he stabbed me—he did not stab the baby, but, he said he would cut its head off; that made a young woman break the window to get the baby out—then the prisoner ran away down the street—I have never been in trouble for assault, nor for robbing sailors—I have been in this house about 11 months—nothing has occurred during the time I have been there to lead me to believe it was a house in winch a respectable woman should not live. 
 
JOHN BRYAN . I am going on for 15—I live at 8, Victoria Place—on the night of the 19th, or the morning of the 20th, I heard cries of "Murder!" and I rushed to No. 1, and as I passed the window I saw the prisoner, who had Raby on the ground, jobbing a knife into him—I pushed the door open with my foot; he made a job at me; I ran out—the prisoner ran down the street; his chest was open—he came at me—I flung a stone at him, and stopped him; he made off again, and ran to the Wesleyan chapel, and down a place where there was no thorough-fare; he then ran towards Prospect Place—I ran towards Cannon Street and told a constable the man was down a court—I next saw the prisoner in charge—I saw a knife in his hand—if he ran straight along from Victoria Court to Prospect Place he would pass 252, Cable Street—I saw him running towards there. 
 
Cross-examined. I am no relation of Cornelius Bryan—I turned the handle of the door and pushed it with my foot—I went to try and save Raby's life—women's voices were calling "Murder!"—I saw the prisoner stabbing Raby, and Mrs. Scott handing the baby out to my sister, who broke a window to get the baby away—I did not see Mrs. Raby there while the stabbing was going on—no one else was there except Raby, Mrs. Scott, the baby, and the prisoner—the prisoner had nothing on but his shirt, trousers, and braces—I know Mr. and Mrs. Raby quite well—I live quite near them—I know Mrs. Scott—she is kind—they have not talked to me about this case; on Sunday night they told me when I had to come here—I have not had a conversation with Mrs. Raby or Mrs. Scott about it. 
 
CORNELIUS BRYAN . I live at 2, Deroda place, Shadwell—I saw nothing of the stabbing—after it was over I went with a constable to 252, Cable Street, where I got over the railings and into the area, and picked up this white-handled knife—the big blade was open—I gave it to the constable, and went with him to the station. 
 
Cross-examined. I am no relation to the other Bryan—I live not far from Victoria Place—I am sure this is the knife. 
 
EDWIN COOPER PERRY . I am house surgeon at the London Hospital—I examined Edward Baby on 20th November about 10 o'clock—I found him suffering from three incised wounds on the back, one on the left breast, one on the upper part of his left arm, one on his right wrist, and a slight scratch on the left hand—none of them were dangerous wounds—they had bled freely—they might have been produced by this knife—they were not punctured wounds; they were not very deep, or of considerable length. 
 
Cross-examined. This knife was first shown to me at the police-court a day or two after the occurrence—there is a little rust on the large blade, and rust of a similar kind on the smaller blade. 
 
MICHAEL MOCCOY , M.R.C.S. I carry on business at 203, Commercial Road—on 20th November I was called to King David Lane Station, where I examined Elizabeth Scott and Sophia Raby—I found a punctured wound on Scott's arm, about 2 inches long, bleeding freely—the other woman had a similar wound on the arm—I examined a sailor as well—he had an incised wound on the little finger of his left hand. 
 
Cross-examined. He was a foreign sailor—his wound bled freely—Mrs. Raby's only wound was what I have described—her hand was not bleeding—if a woman broke a pane of glass she would probably cut her hand severely—it would depend on how she did it. 
 
He-examined. The wounds on the woman could not have been caused by breaking a window. 
 
HENRY BALKE (Policeman H 448). At half-past 1 on 20th November I saw the prisoner coming from the direction of Shadwell and Cable Street and run down Prospect Place—I followed, and took him into custody—on the way to the station he said that he and another man, his mate, had met two women, and went into this house, and were going to remain with them all night, and paid 2s. each for the room, and when he was about to get into bed the two women left, and some woman and man entered and wanted to turn him out, and commenced knocking him about, and robbed him of his money, and he ran out, and he never stabbed anybody—he said "I had no knife"—he had no knife—I saw blood on his hand—I saw there was a wound in his breast, but nothing to account for it, so far as he was concerned—he came from the direction of 252, Cable Street.

Cross-examined. I arrested him about 50 yards from 252, Cable Street—I received information from a boy about him when I got there—I found the prisoner lived at a Sailors' Home, a very respectable place—he said he had only been a fortnight or three weeks in this country, and was a sailor attached to his ship—at the station he was searched; nothing was found on him, not even a farthing. 
 
WILLIAM HENRY BULLOCK (Police Inspector H). I took the charge—the prisoner was drunk, I should say, and so was the other sailor—Cornelius Bryan produced the knife at the station; I sent a constable back with him, and Bryan obtained it—No. 1, Victoria Place is a brothel. 
 
Cross-examined. It is one of the worst brothels in the neighbourhood—Sophia Raby's mother kept it, and she herself keeps it now—foreign sailors get cleaned out there.


Verdict: NOT GUILTY .