Joseph Lawende

Joseph Lawende
Lawende, pictured in 1899
Born9 February 1847
Died9 January 1925(1925-01-09) (aged 77)
NationalityPolish
OccupationCigarette salesman
Known forWitness to a murder by Jack the Ripper
Spouse
Annie Lowenthal
(m. 1873)
Children12
Parent(s)Hirsch and Zirle Lawende

Joseph Lawende (9 February 1847 – 9 January 1925) was a Polish-born British cigarette salesman who is believed to have witnessed serial killer Jack the Ripper in the company of his fourth victim, Catherine Eddowes, approximately nine minutes before the discovery of her body on 30 September 1888.[1]

Lawende provided a detailed description of the Ripper to investigators; he was later described by the Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Robert Anderson, as "the only person who ever had a good view of the murderer."[2][3]

  1. ^ Begg, Jack the Ripper: The Facts p. 174
  2. ^ "Jack the Ripper: A Cast of Thousands". casebook.org. 2 April 2004. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  3. ^ Fido, pp. 43–45