Thomas Bates

Informant.

Thomas Bates, watchman of the lodging house at 32 Flower and Dean Street, told a reporter that "Long Liz" had lived with them for five or six years, but her real name he never knew, although he knew she was Swedish.He was also privy to the erroneous information that Stride would often tell people regarding her late husband's death in the Princess Alice disaster. He stated that her usual occupation was that of a charwoman, and it was only when driven to extremities that she walked the streets. She would at times disappear for a month or so - even as much as three months. She returned to the house on Tuesday 25th September after a prolonged absence, remaining there until the following Saturday night.

He saw Stride leaving the lodging house at about 7.00pm on the evening of 29th September 1888. Bates said she seemed cheerful as she left. It was also reported that he got rather emotional when talking about Stride; "Lor' bless you, when she could get no work, she had to do the best she could for her living, but a neater and a cleaner woman never lived".