Journey Planet 78 - Jack the Ripper in Fiction
An Overview of Jack the Ripper by Bob Hole
One of the great unsolved mysteries of the Victorian Age, the case of Jack the Ripper has been spawning speculation, research, and speculative fiction since 1888. I here present a chronology, the correspondence, and information about the persons other than the murderer involved. Their names, their lives, deserve to be remembered as well as the made-up name of the murderer.
Chronology
April 3, 1888: Martha Tabram is found murdered. She is often considered one of the earliest possible Ripper victims. However, this still is under debate. The main argument against it seems to be that it was less violent than the later murders. Since they were increasingly violent throughout the year, I don’t find that a convincing argument in and of itself to exclude her from the list.
August 7, 1888: The first widely recognized Ripper victim, Mary Ann Nichols, is found murdered in Whitechapel at 3:40 a.m.
August 1888: Inspector First-Class Frederick Abberline is reassigned to Whitechapel to assist with the investigation.
August 31, 1888: The second victim, Annie Chapman, is discovered bearing similar mutilations in the backyard of 29 Handbury Street.
September 10, 1888: George Lusk founds the Mile End Vigilance Committee to assist police.
September 27, 1888: A letter, known as the "Dear Boss" letter, is sent to the Central News Agency, signed as "Jack the Ripper." This is the first time the name has been used.
September 30, 1888: The "Double Event" occurs. Elizabeth Stride’s body is found on Berner Street at 1:00 a.m., and Catherine Eddowes’ body is found in Mitre Square in the City of London. This brings a second police force, from the City, into the hunt for the killer.
October 1, 1888: The “Dear Boss” letter is made known to the public. Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, celebrating her 50 years on the throne, is held in London, drawing widespread attention.
October 6, 1888: A second letter arrives at the Central News Agency. It is not made public at the time.
October 16, 1888: A Letter, the “From Hell” letter, also known as the “Lusk letter,” and half a human kidney are mailed to George Lusk at the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee. He receives the letter on October 16. The kidney makes its way to Dr. Thomas H. Openshaw at London Hospital. The press speculates that it is Catherine Eddowes’, but no formal connection is apparently made.
October 16, 1888: A letter, referred to as the "Saucy Jacky" postcard, is received by the Central News Agency, also claiming to be from Jack the Ripper.
October 29, 1888: The Openshaw Letter is mailed to Dr Thomas H Openshaw at London Hospital. The gist is that he is correct about the kidney being from the left and that it was freshly cut.
November 9, 1888: Mary Jane Kelly becomes the fifth and final acknowledged Ripper victim, found brutally murdered in her room at 13 Miller’s Court, Dorset Street, Spitalfields.
November 1888: Police conduct extensive investigations and interviews, but no concrete leads are found.
July 17, 1889: Alice McKenzie’s body is found in Castle Alley, Whitechapel High Street. Some detectives believe her to be a victim of Jack. There is no consensus.
February 1891: Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, who was rumored to have had connections to the case, dies of pneumonia during an influenza pandemic. However, there is no evidence linking him to the Ripper crimes.
1903: The MacNaghten Memoranda, a document outlining police suspicions, is written, naming three potential suspects, though none are definitively proven to be the Ripper.
Personae Dramatis
Martha (White) Tabram
Martha Tabram is considered one of the possible early victims of Jack the Ripper, although her connection to the series of murders remains debated.
Martha Tabram, whose full name was Martha Turner, was born in London on May 10, 1849. She was a working-class woman and a mother of two, separated from her husband.
On the night of August 6, 1888, Martha Tabram was with a soldier named Henry Turner in the Whitechapel area of London. The two spent the evening together and were seen drinking at various pubs.
Sometime during the early hours of August 7, 1888, Martha was brutally murdered. She suffered 39 stab wounds, mostly to her torso and lower body. Her body was discovered in the early morning hours in a dark corner of George Yard, a narrow passageway off Whitechapel High Street.
Martha Tabram's murder was initially considered a tragic but isolated incident and not immediately linked to the later Jack the Ripper killings. Some experts and researchers have debated whether Martha Tabram's murder should be attributed to Jack the Ripper, as it lacks some of the signature mutilations found in the later Ripper victims.
Due to the similarities in the area and the gruesome nature of the murder, some theories suggest that the Ripper might have been responsible, but there is no conclusive evidence to confirm this.
Martha Tabram's murder remains one of the early mysteries in the Jack the Ripper case. While her death shares some similarities with the later Ripper killings, it's still a subject of debate among historians and Ripperologists whether she should be considered one of the canonical victims of Jack the Ripper.
Mary Ann Nichols
Mary Ann Nichols is the first widely recognized victim of Jack the Ripper.
She was born on August 26, 1845, in London. She had a troubled life and struggled with alcoholism, which led to difficulties in her personal and family life.
On the night of August 31, 1888, Mary Ann Nichols was seen by acquaintances in the Whitechapel area, and she was reportedly trying to find money for a bed in a common lodging house. In the early morning hours of August 31, her lifeless body was discovered on Buck's Row (now Durward Street) in Whitechapel.
She had been brutally murdered, with her throat deeply slashed and her abdomen mutilated.
Mary Ann Nichols' murder marked the beginning of the series of killings attributed to Jack the Ripper. The brutality of her murder and the similarities to later Ripper victims, particularly the throat-cutting, led investigators to suspect a single serial killer was responsible.
Her murder received significant attention from the press and the public, setting the stage for the terror that would grip Whitechapel during the autumn of 1888.
Annie Chapman
Annie Chapman was born on September 25, 1841, in London. She led a difficult life, facing poverty and homelessness, which often led her to sleep in common lodging houses.
On the morning of September 8, 1888, Annie Chapman was last seen alive at 29 Hanbury Street in Whitechapel. A short time later, her lifeless body was discovered in the backyard of that house. She had been brutally murdered with her throat deeply cut, and her abdomen was mutilated in a manner consistent with the other attributed Ripper killings.
The murder of Annie Chapman closely followed that of Mary Ann Nichols, and the similarities in the brutal mutilation of their bodies further heightened public and police concern. Investigators and the press began to suspect the presence of a serial killer.
Elizabeth Stride
Elizabeth Stride, born Elisabeth Gustafsdotter, was of Swedish origin, born on November 27, 1843. She had a turbulent life, which included several marriages and a period of work as a domestic servant.
On the night of September 30, 1888, Elizabeth Stride was seen by witnesses in the Whitechapel area. Her body was discovered around 1 a.m. on the morning of October 1, 1888, in Dutfield's Yard off Berner Street.
Unlike the previous Ripper victims, Elizabeth Stride's throat had been slashed, but there was less abdominal mutilation, leading some to speculate that the killer may have been interrupted during the attack.
Catherine Eddowes
Catherine Eddowes was born on April 14, 1842, in Wolverhampton, England. She faced a life of hardship, poverty, and occasional homelessness, often staying in workhouse lodging houses.
Catherine Eddowes was last seen alive on the evening of September 29, 1888. Her body was found in Mitre Square in the City of London during the early hours of September 30, 1888. Catherine Eddowes suffered a brutal throat-cutting similar to the other Ripper victims, and her abdomen was extensively mutilated. Additionally, her kidney and part of her uterus were removed.
The murders of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes occurred on the same night, within an hour of each other, hence the term "Double Event."
Some believe that the killer may have been interrupted during the murder of Elizabeth Stride, leading to less extensive mutilation. There is some speculation that some gentlemen entering a nearby club may have been what interrupted the first killing.
The close proximity of the murders and the level of violence further heightened fear and public concern.
The "Double Event" involving the murders of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes intensified the panic and horror in Whitechapel during the autumn of 1888. It also raised suspicions that a single serial killer was responsible for these brutal crimes.
Mary Jane Kelly
Like the other victims in the case, Mary Jane Kelly (c. 1863 – 9 November 1888) was from troubled circumstances. She was vague and contradictory about her origins and may have been Irish, or not. She had been living with a partner, Joseph Barnett, beginning in April 1887, but he moved out of their lodgings just a week before she was killed.
Unlike the other victims, she was murdered indoors. All the others had been on the street, but she seems to have been the only one to take gentlemen home.
This murder has been called particularly violent, with a great amount of mutilation. This seems to be the culmination of the rising tide of violence the perpetrator was riding.
This was the last murder considered to be “canonically” committed by the Ripper. It seems he stopped for some unknown reason, at least in the London area.
Alice McKenzie
Alice McKenzie’s body was found in Castle Alley, Whitechapel at 12:40 am on Wednesday, July 17, 1889. Like the Ripper’s known victims, her throat was slashed, and her torso mutilated. There was great debate over whether she was a Ripper victim or had been killed by someone trying to disguise their actions. The coroner took note of this, and his verdict was that it was either the Ripper or someone trying to imitate him.
Inspector First-Class Frederick Abberline
Frederick Abberline (8 January 1843 – 10 December 1929) was one of the lead investigators on the case and was known for his diligent work. He was experienced in the Whitechapel area, which is why he was transferred there to help with the investigation into Mary Ann Nichols’ murder. Abberline's efforts to solve the case made him one of the most prominent figures associated with the Ripper investigation. He was later promoted to chief inspector.
Inspector Edmund Reid
Edmund Reid (21 March 1846 – 5 December 1917) was the head of the H Division of the Metropolitan Police, which covered the Whitechapel area. He was in charge of the investigation until Abberline arrived to take over. He played a significant role in coordinating the investigation and managing the police response to the Ripper murders.
Dr. Thomas Bond
Dr. Thomas Bond (7 October 1841 – 6 June 1901) was a police surgeon who was consulted during the investigation. He provided insights into the nature of the injuries inflicted on the victims and offered medical expertise. He was an “offender profiler” and attempted to profile the Ripper. He believed the man to be solitary, of little or no occupation, and to be acting alone. He also believed the murderer to know nothing of anatomy, not even as much as a butcher might possess. This is in contradiction to being able to send George Luck a kidney and being able to name the piece.
An interesting thing he said about Mary Ann Kelly’s murder was that he thought it would take a couple of hours. But her body was found only about an hour after she was heard alive and singing.
Sir Robert Anderson
Sir Robert Anderson (29 May 1841 – 15 November 1918) was the assistant commissioner (Crime) at Scotland Yard. While not directly involved in the day-to-day investigation, he had oversight of the case and thought it was pointless to pursue the case. In fact, he headed for Switzerland as soon as he was appointed to his position as assistant commissioner.
This author’s opinion is that he was an idiot.
The Correspondences
Several letters and other mail were sent in the name of Jack the Ripper, though there is little evidence that any of them came from the murderer himself, except the “From Hell” letter that was sent along with part of a human kidney.
Those reproduced here are the most commonly believed to be authentic, though there is debate and discussion about each one.
Dear Boss
The "Dear Boss" letter is one of the infamous letters believed to be linked to the Jack the Ripper case. Here is the text of the "Dear Boss" letter:
Dear Boss,
I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they wont fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled. Grand work the last job was. I gave the lady no time to squeal.
How can they catch me now. I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me with my funny little games. I saved some of the proper red stuff in a ginger beer bottle over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I cant use it. Red ink is fit enough I hope ha ha. The next job I do I shall clip the ladys ears off and send to the police officers just for jolly wouldn't you. Keep this letter back till I do a bit more work, then give it out straight.
My knife's so nice and sharp I want to get to work right away if I get a chance.
Good Luck.
Yours truly
Jack the Ripper
Dont mind me giving the trade name. Wasnt good enough to post this before I got all the red ink off my hands curse it No luck yet. They say I'm a doctor now. ha ha”
Saucy Jacky
The "Saucy Jacky" postcard is another of the letters believed to be connected to the Jack the Ripper case. Here is the text of the "Saucy Jacky" postcard:
I was not codding dear old Boss when I gave you the tip, you'll hear about Saucy Jacky's work tomorrow double event this time number one squealed a bit couldn't finish straight off. Had not time to get ears off for police thanks for keeping last letter back till I got to work again.
Jack the Ripper
Fred Best, a reporter at The Star apparently confessed to writing the “Dear Boss” and “Saucy Jacky” letters, along with another journalist. He did not claim any of the other letters supposedly from Jack. Analysis of the language has strongly suggested the two letters were written by the same person. Who that person was is still subject to debate.
From Hell
Aka the “Lusk letter,” this and half a human kidney were mailed to George Lusk at the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee:
From hell.
Mr Lusk,
Sor
I send you half the Kidne I took from one woman and prasarved it for you tother piece I fried and ate it was very nise. I may send you the bloody knif that took it out if you only wate a while longer
Signed
Catch me when you can Mishter Lusk”
Conclusion
The case of Jack the Ripper remains one of the great crime sprees of history. Sadly, like many other great crimes, the murderer, rather than the victims or law enforcement are the names remembered especially when the victims are women, and especially when the victims are women of lower economic status.
Even in this case, when we don’t know the name of the murderer, his is the name that history knows.
Chronology
April 3, 1888: Martha Tabram is found murdered. She is often considered one of the earliest possible Ripper victims. However, this still is under debate. The main argument against it seems to be that it was less violent than the later murders. Since they were increasingly violent throughout the year, I don’t find that a convincing argument in and of itself to exclude her from the list.
August 7, 1888: The first widely recognized Ripper victim, Mary Ann Nichols, is found murdered in Whitechapel at 3:40 a.m.
August 1888: Inspector First-Class Frederick Abberline is reassigned to Whitechapel to assist with the investigation.
August 31, 1888: The second victim, Annie Chapman, is discovered bearing similar mutilations in the backyard of 29 Handbury Street.
September 10, 1888: George Lusk founds the Mile End Vigilance Committee to assist police.
September 27, 1888: A letter, known as the "Dear Boss" letter, is sent to the Central News Agency, signed as "Jack the Ripper." This is the first time the name has been used.
September 30, 1888: The "Double Event" occurs. Elizabeth Stride’s body is found on Berner Street at 1:00 a.m., and Catherine Eddowes’ body is found in Mitre Square in the City of London. This brings a second police force, from the City, into the hunt for the killer.
October 1, 1888: The “Dear Boss” letter is made known to the public. Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, celebrating her 50 years on the throne, is held in London, drawing widespread attention.
October 6, 1888: A second letter arrives at the Central News Agency. It is not made public at the time.
October 16, 1888: A Letter, the “From Hell” letter, also known as the “Lusk letter,” and half a human kidney are mailed to George Lusk at the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee. He receives the letter on October 16. The kidney makes its way to Dr. Thomas H. Openshaw at London Hospital. The press speculates that it is Catherine Eddowes’, but no formal connection is apparently made.
October 16, 1888: A letter, referred to as the "Saucy Jacky" postcard, is received by the Central News Agency, also claiming to be from Jack the Ripper.
October 29, 1888: The Openshaw Letter is mailed to Dr Thomas H Openshaw at London Hospital. The gist is that he is correct about the kidney being from the left and that it was freshly cut.
November 9, 1888: Mary Jane Kelly becomes the fifth and final acknowledged Ripper victim, found brutally murdered in her room at 13 Miller’s Court, Dorset Street, Spitalfields.
November 1888: Police conduct extensive investigations and interviews, but no concrete leads are found.
July 17, 1889: Alice McKenzie’s body is found in Castle Alley, Whitechapel High Street. Some detectives believe her to be a victim of Jack. There is no consensus.
February 1891: Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, who was rumored to have had connections to the case, dies of pneumonia during an influenza pandemic. However, there is no evidence linking him to the Ripper crimes.
1903: The MacNaghten Memoranda, a document outlining police suspicions, is written, naming three potential suspects, though none are definitively proven to be the Ripper.
Personae Dramatis
Martha (White) Tabram
Martha Tabram is considered one of the possible early victims of Jack the Ripper, although her connection to the series of murders remains debated.
Martha Tabram, whose full name was Martha Turner, was born in London on May 10, 1849. She was a working-class woman and a mother of two, separated from her husband.
On the night of August 6, 1888, Martha Tabram was with a soldier named Henry Turner in the Whitechapel area of London. The two spent the evening together and were seen drinking at various pubs.
Sometime during the early hours of August 7, 1888, Martha was brutally murdered. She suffered 39 stab wounds, mostly to her torso and lower body. Her body was discovered in the early morning hours in a dark corner of George Yard, a narrow passageway off Whitechapel High Street.
Martha Tabram's murder was initially considered a tragic but isolated incident and not immediately linked to the later Jack the Ripper killings. Some experts and researchers have debated whether Martha Tabram's murder should be attributed to Jack the Ripper, as it lacks some of the signature mutilations found in the later Ripper victims.
Due to the similarities in the area and the gruesome nature of the murder, some theories suggest that the Ripper might have been responsible, but there is no conclusive evidence to confirm this.
Martha Tabram's murder remains one of the early mysteries in the Jack the Ripper case. While her death shares some similarities with the later Ripper killings, it's still a subject of debate among historians and Ripperologists whether she should be considered one of the canonical victims of Jack the Ripper.
Mary Ann Nichols
Mary Ann Nichols is the first widely recognized victim of Jack the Ripper.
She was born on August 26, 1845, in London. She had a troubled life and struggled with alcoholism, which led to difficulties in her personal and family life.
On the night of August 31, 1888, Mary Ann Nichols was seen by acquaintances in the Whitechapel area, and she was reportedly trying to find money for a bed in a common lodging house. In the early morning hours of August 31, her lifeless body was discovered on Buck's Row (now Durward Street) in Whitechapel.
She had been brutally murdered, with her throat deeply slashed and her abdomen mutilated.
Mary Ann Nichols' murder marked the beginning of the series of killings attributed to Jack the Ripper. The brutality of her murder and the similarities to later Ripper victims, particularly the throat-cutting, led investigators to suspect a single serial killer was responsible.
Her murder received significant attention from the press and the public, setting the stage for the terror that would grip Whitechapel during the autumn of 1888.
Annie Chapman
Annie Chapman was born on September 25, 1841, in London. She led a difficult life, facing poverty and homelessness, which often led her to sleep in common lodging houses.
On the morning of September 8, 1888, Annie Chapman was last seen alive at 29 Hanbury Street in Whitechapel. A short time later, her lifeless body was discovered in the backyard of that house. She had been brutally murdered with her throat deeply cut, and her abdomen was mutilated in a manner consistent with the other attributed Ripper killings.
The murder of Annie Chapman closely followed that of Mary Ann Nichols, and the similarities in the brutal mutilation of their bodies further heightened public and police concern. Investigators and the press began to suspect the presence of a serial killer.
Elizabeth Stride
Elizabeth Stride, born Elisabeth Gustafsdotter, was of Swedish origin, born on November 27, 1843. She had a turbulent life, which included several marriages and a period of work as a domestic servant.
On the night of September 30, 1888, Elizabeth Stride was seen by witnesses in the Whitechapel area. Her body was discovered around 1 a.m. on the morning of October 1, 1888, in Dutfield's Yard off Berner Street.
Unlike the previous Ripper victims, Elizabeth Stride's throat had been slashed, but there was less abdominal mutilation, leading some to speculate that the killer may have been interrupted during the attack.
Catherine Eddowes
Catherine Eddowes was born on April 14, 1842, in Wolverhampton, England. She faced a life of hardship, poverty, and occasional homelessness, often staying in workhouse lodging houses.
Catherine Eddowes was last seen alive on the evening of September 29, 1888. Her body was found in Mitre Square in the City of London during the early hours of September 30, 1888. Catherine Eddowes suffered a brutal throat-cutting similar to the other Ripper victims, and her abdomen was extensively mutilated. Additionally, her kidney and part of her uterus were removed.
The murders of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes occurred on the same night, within an hour of each other, hence the term "Double Event."
Some believe that the killer may have been interrupted during the murder of Elizabeth Stride, leading to less extensive mutilation. There is some speculation that some gentlemen entering a nearby club may have been what interrupted the first killing.
The close proximity of the murders and the level of violence further heightened fear and public concern.
The "Double Event" involving the murders of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes intensified the panic and horror in Whitechapel during the autumn of 1888. It also raised suspicions that a single serial killer was responsible for these brutal crimes.
Mary Jane Kelly
Like the other victims in the case, Mary Jane Kelly (c. 1863 – 9 November 1888) was from troubled circumstances. She was vague and contradictory about her origins and may have been Irish, or not. She had been living with a partner, Joseph Barnett, beginning in April 1887, but he moved out of their lodgings just a week before she was killed.
Unlike the other victims, she was murdered indoors. All the others had been on the street, but she seems to have been the only one to take gentlemen home.
This murder has been called particularly violent, with a great amount of mutilation. This seems to be the culmination of the rising tide of violence the perpetrator was riding.
This was the last murder considered to be “canonically” committed by the Ripper. It seems he stopped for some unknown reason, at least in the London area.
Alice McKenzie
Alice McKenzie’s body was found in Castle Alley, Whitechapel at 12:40 am on Wednesday, July 17, 1889. Like the Ripper’s known victims, her throat was slashed, and her torso mutilated. There was great debate over whether she was a Ripper victim or had been killed by someone trying to disguise their actions. The coroner took note of this, and his verdict was that it was either the Ripper or someone trying to imitate him.
Inspector First-Class Frederick Abberline
Frederick Abberline (8 January 1843 – 10 December 1929) was one of the lead investigators on the case and was known for his diligent work. He was experienced in the Whitechapel area, which is why he was transferred there to help with the investigation into Mary Ann Nichols’ murder. Abberline's efforts to solve the case made him one of the most prominent figures associated with the Ripper investigation. He was later promoted to chief inspector.
Inspector Edmund Reid
Edmund Reid (21 March 1846 – 5 December 1917) was the head of the H Division of the Metropolitan Police, which covered the Whitechapel area. He was in charge of the investigation until Abberline arrived to take over. He played a significant role in coordinating the investigation and managing the police response to the Ripper murders.
Dr. Thomas Bond
Dr. Thomas Bond (7 October 1841 – 6 June 1901) was a police surgeon who was consulted during the investigation. He provided insights into the nature of the injuries inflicted on the victims and offered medical expertise. He was an “offender profiler” and attempted to profile the Ripper. He believed the man to be solitary, of little or no occupation, and to be acting alone. He also believed the murderer to know nothing of anatomy, not even as much as a butcher might possess. This is in contradiction to being able to send George Luck a kidney and being able to name the piece.
An interesting thing he said about Mary Ann Kelly’s murder was that he thought it would take a couple of hours. But her body was found only about an hour after she was heard alive and singing.
Sir Robert Anderson
Sir Robert Anderson (29 May 1841 – 15 November 1918) was the assistant commissioner (Crime) at Scotland Yard. While not directly involved in the day-to-day investigation, he had oversight of the case and thought it was pointless to pursue the case. In fact, he headed for Switzerland as soon as he was appointed to his position as assistant commissioner.
This author’s opinion is that he was an idiot.
The Correspondences
Several letters and other mail were sent in the name of Jack the Ripper, though there is little evidence that any of them came from the murderer himself, except the “From Hell” letter that was sent along with part of a human kidney.
Those reproduced here are the most commonly believed to be authentic, though there is debate and discussion about each one.
Dear Boss
The "Dear Boss" letter is one of the infamous letters believed to be linked to the Jack the Ripper case. Here is the text of the "Dear Boss" letter:
Dear Boss,
I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they wont fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled. Grand work the last job was. I gave the lady no time to squeal.
How can they catch me now. I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me with my funny little games. I saved some of the proper red stuff in a ginger beer bottle over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I cant use it. Red ink is fit enough I hope ha ha. The next job I do I shall clip the ladys ears off and send to the police officers just for jolly wouldn't you. Keep this letter back till I do a bit more work, then give it out straight.
My knife's so nice and sharp I want to get to work right away if I get a chance.
Good Luck.
Yours truly
Jack the Ripper
Dont mind me giving the trade name. Wasnt good enough to post this before I got all the red ink off my hands curse it No luck yet. They say I'm a doctor now. ha ha”
Saucy Jacky
The "Saucy Jacky" postcard is another of the letters believed to be connected to the Jack the Ripper case. Here is the text of the "Saucy Jacky" postcard:
I was not codding dear old Boss when I gave you the tip, you'll hear about Saucy Jacky's work tomorrow double event this time number one squealed a bit couldn't finish straight off. Had not time to get ears off for police thanks for keeping last letter back till I got to work again.
Jack the Ripper
Fred Best, a reporter at The Star apparently confessed to writing the “Dear Boss” and “Saucy Jacky” letters, along with another journalist. He did not claim any of the other letters supposedly from Jack. Analysis of the language has strongly suggested the two letters were written by the same person. Who that person was is still subject to debate.
From Hell
Aka the “Lusk letter,” this and half a human kidney were mailed to George Lusk at the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee:
From hell.
Mr Lusk,
Sor
I send you half the Kidne I took from one woman and prasarved it for you tother piece I fried and ate it was very nise. I may send you the bloody knif that took it out if you only wate a while longer
Signed
Catch me when you can Mishter Lusk”
Conclusion
The case of Jack the Ripper remains one of the great crime sprees of history. Sadly, like many other great crimes, the murderer, rather than the victims or law enforcement are the names remembered especially when the victims are women, and especially when the victims are women of lower economic status.
Even in this case, when we don’t know the name of the murderer, his is the name that history knows.