The trial of the Whitechapel murder, or alleged murder, has
been going on all the week, with very little that is startling, very few new turns in the evidence, to break the monotony of a somewhat tedious repetition of the testimony already detailed in the inquest and the preliminary investigation. One or two of the witnesses added to their previous evidence little bits of statement which somewhat took the Court by surprise, and which certainly will be made the most of by Mr. Besley in his speech in defence of Henry Wainwright. It is hoped that the verdict may be given on 'Tuesday next. There was a quaint little bit of insight given into the customs of pawnbrokers by one of the witnesses on Thursday, who had lent money on Harriet Lane's ring and keeper, pawned by her under the name of ' King,' and had given them back on their redemption before she left her lodgings for the last time. It came out that it is the habit of pawnbrokers to name all women "Ann," and all .men "John." The Lord Chief Justice justly remarked that these generic names for min and women might lead to great confusion, if it came to a question of identification. Indeed, we should have thought that half the tickets taken out would be Ann or John Smiths, Ann or John Browns, and so on, and that a good many struggles for particular articles of redeemed property might be provoked by this practice. And even if John Bull's name has determined the name of all the men, why Ann for the women ? Is it because it is the name nearest to the indefinite article, and the indefinite article is thought to be the most appropriate part of speech for one who recklessly parts with definite articles?
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