Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel Murders

[Wally]

Few serial killers in history have been as controversial as this one. Dozens of suspects and hundreds of books, each claiming that a specific suspect was the killer.

No one can agree on the exact number of victims, and so little is known for certain about the Ripper that even the most ridiculous of suspects - such as Lewis Carroll - have been tagged as the killer.

Elsewhere, there are numerous Ripper sites and message boards of which I am aware, but it would be interesting to see what true connoisseurs of crime have to say about the case.

So, what say ye?

[Teacher]

I'm a follower of the Jack the Ripper case for many years and I believe that the best evidence leads me to think the killer was from the working class and not the professional class. I don't believe he wrote any of the letters attributed to him and I doubt he committed all the murders attributed to him.

Just my opinion.

[Wally]

Some sensible thoughts, there, Teacher. Do you have a favorite suspect?

[writefx]

Hi Wally,

I used to be a member of the Casebook site back in the late 90's when it first started. I stopped a long time ago, as I sidetracked into different topics from the site as there is a lot of information about Victorian London which was a big interest at the time.

Have you ever been to London?

Walking through Spitalfields Market at dusk and Whitechapel was really creepy. In fact it reminded me a lot of the concentration camps I visited in Poland. Chilling. There used to be a small public house with all photos about the case and I think it was in a crypt of a church.

There are so many so called experts that are certain they have solved the mystery and publish books, yet I've lost count of the different theories.

[Wally]

Hello, writefx:

What was your username on Casebook?

I have never been to London, but I have seen the photos taken from numerous of the walking tours and still correspond with many who either live there or visit frequently. And you are quite correct; the East End is still a creepy place 119 years later.

Heh - you are so right about the many who claim to have solved the case. I could tell you stories. If you still have an interest in JTR and/or Victorian London, drop by and see us at www.jtrforums.com. We like to cross-pollinate with other message boards and had hoped to find or create some engaging ripper conversation here, as they don't hardly get no more historical than the Whitechapel Murders.

[writefx]

Hi Wally,

I can't remember the name I used on the Casebook, too long ago.

I'll have a look at your other site later in the week, thanks for letting me know.

I never tried the walking tours, I used to work near Liverpool Street Station and occasionally went down that way to bars after work, but it was creepy as I mentioned with hardly any lights.

I was also very into Sherlock Holmes and belonged to a number of societies, many times there were investigations into the JTR case or we used it as the basis for stories in our publications.

I'm going to be very rusty but interested.

[nuisanceposter]

Hey, all. I've been a Ripper reader for a good long time now, but rarely ever think to look for others. I recently got this book called The Mammoth Book of Jack The Ripper, and it's pretty good. It has excerpts written by several different case followers, each them explaining why they think their Jack suspect was the real Jack. My current favorite suspect is William Bury.

I believe Jack was someone who was well known to the Whitechapel area and the local residents. He was someone who had a basic knowledge of anatomy and a taste for gore. He wasn't unknown to the "working" girls he victimized, and nothing about him gave cause for suspicion...even to Mary Jane Kelly, who was so scared of the Ripper she sent out her boyfriend to get the newspaper to follow the story.

Was her boyfriend Joseph Barnett the Ripper?

Were the letters signed by Jack really from the real Ripper?

Was that kidney from Catherine Eddowes?

What do you guys think?

[diamond d]

The American doctor Dr. Francis J. Tumblety seems as good a suspect as any of the others, besides he had the advantage of leaving and returning at will.

[Wally]

Sorry, folks, I don't check in here but once a week or so since the action is limited..

Tumblety had his adherents, not the least of which is Stewart Evans, but I don't feel he is the guy. "Too old, too tall, too queer" sums it up pretty nicely. Plus he was nothing more than a cowardly lion who would often flee at the first sign of trouble with the police.

Bury is an underrated suspect, but there is at present NO really strong suspect for which a good case can be made. Until recently, I had thought that Roslyn D'Onston Stephenson was a prime suspect, but there have been so many negatives concerning his candidacy uncovered during the last year that I no longer consider him viable.

nuisanceposter raises some good questions, all of which have been discussed at our other site identified above. We would love to hear what the patronage here thinks.

[writefx]

Interested in reading the new posts and the suspects. I've been reading a lot of Victorian books lately to really get a feel of living in those times and they've given me more of an insight into living conditions and what would be normal or abnormal to see/hear around the streets.

[apskad]

Occam's Razor: The simplest, most credible suspect is Aaron Kosminsky, aka Nathan Kaminsky, aka David Cohen. I agree with Martin Fido and John Douglas on this one.

--Mike