Bio 

Israel Lipski was born Israel Lobulsk in 1865. He was of Polish-Jewish background and later lived in the East End of London, an area that had many poor immigrant families during the late 1800s. Lipski changed his surname after moving to England. By the 1880s, he was living and working in London. He sold umbrella sticks and employed two men, Harry Schmuss and Henry Rosenbloom. His work placed him among the small tradesmen and immigrant workers of the East End.

Before the murder, Lipski lived at 16 Batty Street in London. Miriam Angel also lived in the same building. This became important because she was found dead inside the property, and Lipski was found under her bed. 

Murder Story

On June 28, 1887, police were called to 16 Batty Street in the East End of London. Miriam Angel, a young married woman who was six months pregnant, was found dead inside the building. Miriam had been poisoned with nitric acid. The acid had been forced into her mouth, causing fatal injuries. The crime was violent and quickly drew public attention.

Israel Lipski was found under Miriam’s bed. He had acid burns inside his own mouth. Because of where he was found and the injuries to both him and Miriam, police arrested him the same day. Lipski denied killing Miriam. He claimed that Harry Schmuss and Henry Rosenbloom, two men connected to his umbrella-stick work, were responsible. However, he was charged with murder.

The case went to trial in 1887. The prosecution argued that Lipski attacked Miriam and forced nitric acid into her mouth. The trial became controversial because some people believed anti-Jewish prejudice affected the way Lipski was treated. The jury found Lipski guilty of murder. He was sentenced to death by hanging. After the verdict, a public campaign began to stop the execution. William Thomas Stead, editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, helped lead the campaign for a reprieve.

The execution was delayed for one week while Home Secretary Henry Matthews and trial judge James Fitzjames Stephen reviewed the case. During this period, Lipski reportedly confessed to Rabbi Simeon Singer, a Jewish community leader in the East End. In that reported confession, he said robbery had been the motive. The reprieve was denied. Israel Lipski was hanged at Newgate Prison in London on August 22, 1887. He was about 21 or 22 years old.

Lipski’s case later became connected to the Jack the Ripper era because the name “Lipski” was reportedly shouted during the Elizabeth Stride incident in 1888. Police later believed the word was being used as an anti-Jewish insult in the East End. The Miriam Angel murder happened one year before the Whitechapel murders and remained part of the same area’s criminal history.