Jack the Ripper: The Killer from Hell , biography of jack the ripper

                          

 Jack the Ripper: The Killer from Hell 

“Dear Boss,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 littlegames...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” Those were extracts from a letter that London’sCentral News Agency received on September 27, 1888. It was then forwarded to Scotland Yard whowere in the middle of investigating, perhaps, the most notorious killing spree of all time. Someone was attacking women in Whitechapel,murdering them and then cutting up their bodies in gruesome fashion. The killer went by many names - the WhitechapelMurderer, Leather Apron, Saucy Jacky, and, of course, Jack the Ripper. He remains unidentified to this day so wewill focus on his grim body of work - the murders, the suspects, the investigations. Few, if any other killers in history haveinspired so many studies, books, and hypotheses courtesy of police officers, historians, writers,and crime buffs who are collectively known as ripperologists.

Today we explore the life of Jack the Ripper. 

The Autumn of Terror Begins - Mary Ann NicholsIn 1888, the Whitechapel parish in the East End of London was a place rife with crime. It was an overcrowded low-income area withterrible housing and working conditions. There was a brothel on every corner and abar next to every brothel so the residents may indulge their vices and forget about theirpoverty-stricken lives. But even for such an area, nobody was preparedfor what they were about to discover one early morning on August 31. A man named Charles Cross was on his way tohis job on Buck’s Row. On the way, he found a woman lying prone inthe street, with her skirt raised above her waist. Cross and another man named Robert Paul approachedher and touched her head and hands, unable to decide if she was dead or merely unconscious. The two concluded that they should pull downher skirt and that they would alert the first police officer they encountered but, otherwise,they had jobs to get to. The streets of Whitechapel were poorly litand it was still night outside. In the darkness, even up-close, neither mannoticed that the woman’s throat had been slit and her abdomen mutilated. A police constable named John Neil came uponthe body, followed closely by Constable Mizen who had been alerted by Cross. A third constable went to fetch the doctor.

 The physician pronounced the woman dead andconcluded that she had been killed about half an hour prior. This meant that the killer was, likely, stillin the area when Charles Cross walked by. The victim was Mary Ann Nichols, a prostitutewho also went by “Polly”. At first, her murder was linked to a few otherkillings which we will talk about a bit later. While some blamed a violent gang, the newspapersran with the story of one deranged killer preying on these women. In the weeks that followed, street gossipcreated the belief that the killer was a local Jewish man known as “Leather Apron.” Whitechapel had a large Jewish populationso resentment against them was high. Of course, the newspapers were more than happyto fuel this sensationalism. Whether it was due to frustration, incompetence,or outside pressure to do something, the police decided to arrest John Pizer in September.

He was a Polish Jew who worked as a shoemakerand some said that he was sometimes called “Leather Apron.” He also had a prior conviction for a stabbingattack. This was all the police had against Pizerbut, fortunately for him, he had a solid alibi that exculpated him. Pizer even won a libel case against a newspaperthat declared him to be the killer. The Second Murder - Annie ChapmanOn September 8, the Whitechapel Murderer struck again when the body of Annie Chapman was foundin the backyard of Danbury Street by an elderly resident. He flagged down some passing workmen who alertedthe police.

Chapman’s throat had a deep cut and herbody had been mutilated with multiple stab wounds, immediately suggesting a connectionwith the murder of Mary Nichols. She had been disemboweled and her intestineshad been severed, lifted out of the body and placed on her shoulder. A later post-mortem examination revealed thatthe killer had removed and taken Chapman’s uterus. Dr. George Bagster Phillips examined the woundsand ascertained that they were caused by a very sharp knife with a long, thin, and narrowblade. It could have been the surgical instrumentthat a doctor might use for a post-mortem. Phillips also said in his testimony that themurderer showed “indications of anatomical knowledge.” These conclusions gave birth to the idea thatthe killer might be someone with a medical background, a notion that is still pervasivetoday. The murders caused a huge sensation in Londonand were discussed in every newspaper in the city. Meanwhile, the police had to contend withan unexpected problem that significantly impeded their already-plodding investigation. They had to look into hundreds of lettersreceived from the public. Broadly, these missives could be placed intotwo categories: letters from people offering suggestions or information on how to catchthe culprit and letters alleged to be from the killer himself.

The police received upwards of 700 lettersfrom the public. Hundreds were purportedly from the WhitechapelMurderer, either taunting or expressing remorse for his actions. You might imagine how this made it almostimpossible for the police to ascertain which of the letters, if any, were useful or genuine. That being said, there are a few which arebelieved by many investigators to have some merit. The first one we mentioned in the intro ofthe video. It was sent to the Central News Agency almost20 days after the murder of Annie Chapman. It starts with the words “Dear Boss” andends with the murderer giving himself a name. From now on, he is known as Jack the Ripper. The Double Event - Catherine Eddowes and ElizabethStride At first, the “Dear Boss” letter was dismissedas a hoax like all the others.

However, one particular phrase garnered theinterest of the police. When talking about his next job, Jack saidthat he will “clip the ladys ears off.” This became relevant when, just a few dayslater, the killer did just that. On September 30, two women fell victim tothe Ripper: Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes. First off was Elizabeth Stride, also knownas “Long Liz”. She was last seen around midnight in the companyof an unidentified man. She was killed soon after that and her bodyhad already been discovered by 1 a.m. at Dutfield’s Yard on Berner Street. Liz died from a long, six-inch gash in herneck, but had suffered no mutilations. Because of this, some are still reticent tocount her as a Ripper victim, believing that she could have been the target of an unrelatedattack. However, others consider that there are enoughsimilarities such as location and killing method to group her with the other women.

They believe that Jack did not cut up herbody because he was either rushing to kill again or, perhaps, because he was interrupted. This is where a Hungarian Jew named IsraelSchwartz came in with an interesting story to share which, if true, meant that he mighthave been the interrupter. Schwartz told police that he saw a man assaulta woman on Berner Street at around 12:45 a.m. that night. Believing he was witnessing a domestic spatbetween husband and wife, he wanted nothing to do with it and crossed the street to avoidthem. He later identified Long Liz as the womanhe saw that night. His cowardice was subsequently mocked in newspaperswhich labelled Schwartz a “hen-hearted creature.” There are two peculiar details about his story. Firstly, Schwartz claimed that there was asecond man in the vicinity smoking a pipe. Secondly, the witness said that the attackersaw him and shouted something at him. Schwartz believed the word was “Lipski”,an anti-semitic slur which referenced Israel Lipski, a Jewish man hanged for murder theyear before.

 We don’t know how serious police took Schwartz’saccount, but they did not call on him to testify at the inquest. Their records do indicate that they trackeddown and eliminated the second man as a suspect. Meanwhile, within walking distance of BernerStreet, Jack had found himself another victim named Catherine “Kate” Eddowes. After midnight, Kate was walking the streetsof London after being released from jail for drunken behavior. She ended up in Mitre Square and was lastseen alive at around 1:30 a.m. in the company of a man by three Jewish gentlemen leavinga club on Duke Street. One of those three, Joseph Lawende, got adecent look at the couple and described them, although he mainly remembered their clothesand not their features. Eddowes body was discovered soon after bya constable walking his beat. Her neck had been cut and her body sufferedgruesome mutilations, more extensive than any of the previous victims. Her face was disfigured, her intestines wereremoved and placed on her shoulder again, and the killer had removed her left kidneyand part of her uterus. Jack had also cut off Kate’s right ear whichis what convinced authorities that the “Dear Boss” letter was the genuine article. More Letters ArriveSpeaking of letters, the next day the Central News Agency received a postcard.

The text said:“I was not codding dear old Boss when I gave you the tip, you'll hear about SaucyJacky's work tomorrow double event this time number one squealed a bit couldn't finishstraight off. Had not time to get ears off for police thanksfor keeping last letter back till I got to work again. Jack the Ripper”The details and the handwriting suggested to police not only that the postcard was real,but that it was written by the same person as the “Dear Boss” letter. They published a facsimile in the hope thatsomeone might recognize the handwriting, but were unsuccessful. Unfortunately, while it is true that bothwere probably written by the same person, it is also possible that that person was notJack the Ripper. Since the start, some investigators believedthat these letters were the work of journalists, specifically either Fred Best or Thomas Bulling.

They had access to confidential informationand wanted to keep interest in Jack alive. Indeed, it is quite feasible that all thecorrespondence purported to be from Jack the Ripper was actually written by other peoplewho wanted to be part of the sick charade that surrounded the murders. One more letter merits inclusion, though,because it came with a grisly accessory - part of a human kidney. This missive was addressed “From Hell”and was sent to George Lusk, chairman of a volunteer vigilante group called the WhitechapelVigilance Committee. It read:“Mr Lusk, SirI send you half the Kidney I took from one women preserved it for you tother piece Ifried and ate it was very nice. I may send you the bloody knife that tookit out if you only wate a while longer signedCatch me when you can Mishter Lusk” The handwriting in this letter was definitelynot the same as the first two. Obviously, the implication was that the kidneybelonged to the fourth victim, Catherine Eddowes. Dr. Thomas Openshaw of the London Hospitalexamined the organ and concluded that it was, indeed, human. Subsequently, Openshaw received his own Ripperletter where Jack lamented that “coppers spoilt the game” and foiled his attemptto claim another victim near Openshaw’s hospital.

 The Final Victim - Mary Jane KellyJack the Ripper saved his most vicious kill for last. His victim was Mary Jane Kelly, an Irish workinggirl who, at only 25 years old, was much younger than the other murdered women. Also unlike the rest, she was killed in herhome rather than on the street. Kelly’s body was discovered on the morningof November 9 at her lodging at 13 Miller’s Court by Thomas Bowyer, her landlord’s assistant. Bowyer came round to collect the rent and,even though he was a former soldier, he was left stunned by the scene of ineffable horrorthat awaited him. First thing he noticed was the broken window. Inside, the room was absolutely covered inblood. On the table he saw piles of meat, not realizingin the moment that they were human flesh. On the bed there was the body of Kelly whichhad been so grotesquely maimed and mangled that it barely looked human anymore.

 According to the doctor’s estimation, itwould have taken around two hours to inflict those atrocities upon Mary Kelly. It showed the world just how depraved Jackthe Ripper could be when he had all the time and privacy he wanted. Police surgeon Dr. Thomas Bond detailed theextent of her injuries in his report: “The whole of the surface of the abdomen and thighswas removed and the abdominal cavity emptied of its viscera. The breasts were cut off, the arms mutilatedby several jagged wounds and the face hacked beyond recognition of the features. The tissues of the neck were severed all roundto the bone.” The InvestigationOn the other side of the law, the London police force was engaged in one of the most ampleinvestigations in its history.

Thousands of people were interviewed and hundredsof leads were chased down, yet police were heavily criticized by the public and the mediafor failing to apprehend the killer. The inquiry was initially handled by Whitechapel’sH Division of the Criminal Investigation Department, but was soon taken over by Scotland Yard detectives. Chief among them was Detective Inspector FrederickAbberline who was put in charge of the case because he previously worked for H Divisionfor 14 years and it was thought that his local knowledge would prove invaluable. A frequent criticism throughout the investigationconcerned police refusal to offer a reward for information. Authorities were accused either of not takingthe case seriously or not caring what happened in a poor district full of immigrants likeWhitechapel. In reality, this lack of reward was a newHome Office policy instituted a few years earlier. If you’re watching this video, you are probablyalready aware that the police never caught Jack the Ripper.

That being said, there are two curious momentsin their investigation that are worth discussing. First is a report by surgeon Thomas Bond. He was asked for his opinion on the killer’smedical knowledge, but Bond ended up writing an 11-point essay which is sometimes regardedas the first ever criminal profile. Curiously, Bond vehemently disagreed withDr. Phillips’s assertion that Jack the Ripper had a medical background. He didn’t even think the killer had “thetechnical knowledge of a butcher or horse slaughterer.” Moreover, Bond had no doubt that the fivewomen were killed “by the same hand.” He concluded that Jack the Ripper was cool,daring, middle-aged, quiet, respectably dressed, and inoffensive looking. He believed the killer wore a cloak or overcoatin order to conceal the blood stains after the murders. Bond said that, in each case, the mutilationwas the Ripper’s main goal and that Jack might have suffered from homicidal impulsesbrought on by satyriasis, a condition better known today as hypersexuality or nymphomania.

The second moment concerns the only clue thatJack the Ripper left following a kill. After he had murdered Catherine Eddowes, hetook her apron. Police later found the bloody garment in astairwell on Goulston Street. Right above it was a piece of graffiti writtenin chalk which read “The Juwes are the men that will not be blamed for nothing." Police saw it, copied it down and, on theorders of Police Commissioner Charles Warren, wiped it clean. At a time of skyhigh racial tensions, he fearedthat the text might incite a violent riot. Much debate still goes on regarding whetherthe police acted properly by erasing possible evidence and whether the graffiti was actuallya message from Jack the Ripper or just a random anti-semitic scrawl unconnected to the crimes. More Murders? The five dead women we have mentioned arereferred to by ripperologists as the Canonical Five and are, generally, considered Jack’sonly victims.

However, given the uncertainty surroundingeverything else related to the Ripper, it’s not surprising that people think he may havekilled others. First, there were two slayings which tookplace in Whitechapel before that of Mary Nichols.The first victim was Emma Smith and the secondwas Martha Tabram. Smith survived her attack long enough to tellpolice she was assaulted by two or three men, making it more likely that she fell prey togang violence. Tabram, however, died after being stabbed39 times. Her kill had the viciousness of Jack the Ripper,but investigators were, ultimately, convinced that her death was unrelated because her throatwasn’t cut and she wasn’t mutilated afterwards. Even so, it wouldn’t be completely unheardof for a serial killer to evolve his modus operandi and increase in brutality as he gainedmore experience and confidence. Four more suspicious deaths occurred in 1888and 1889 which were added to the Whitechapel Murders. However, they were considered unrelated becausethey lacked the savage disfigurement of the Ripper. That being said, one of those victims wasjust the torso of a woman.

 That certainly sounds vicious enough to bethe work of Jack but, as it happened, four other torsos had been found around that time,just not in Whitechapel. Only one of the victims of the so-called “ThamesTorso Murders” was identified as Elizabeth Jackson. Some believe these were all the work of Jack,while others feel they belonged to a second maniac who was active at the same time asthe Ripper. Who Was Jack? Who was Jack the Ripper? That’s the million dollar question and historians,scholars, criminologists, authors, and police officers have put forward over a hundred suspects.

 Inspector Abberline strongly suspected GeorgeChapman, a Polish immigrant and a convicted serial killer who was hanged for three poisonings. Chapman, real name Seweryn Kłosowski, hadminor surgical knowledge and arrived in London shortly before the killing spree started. He also left for America in 1891, a few yearsafter the murders stopped. However, Chapman used poison and criminologistsdon’t believe a killer would change their modus operandi to such an extent. Another convicted serial killer suspectedof being Jack was Dr. Thomas Neill Cream. He was also a poisoner and, according to records,he was in prison in America during the killing spree.

 All available evidence should dismiss Creamas a candidate, yet he remains a popular choice solely based on the story that, while beinghanged, Cream’s last words allegedly were “I am Jack…” A more plausible suspect was Aaron Kosminski,a Jewish barber who emigrated from Congress Poland sometime in the early 1880s. He was considered a strong candidate by severalauthorities of that era. Sir Melville Macnaghten, Assistant Commissionerof the London Metropolitan Police, wrote in memoranda that Kosminski had “strong homicidaltendencies” and a “great hatred of women, especially of the prostitute class.” Chief Inspector Donald Swanson wrote thatthe only witness who got a good look at the Ripper’s face (doesn’t specify who, butpresumably either Schwartz or Lawende), refused to testify against him because they were bothJewish. And although we’re not exactly sure on thedate, sometime around 1890 Kosminski was committed to an insane asylum which lines up with themurders stopping. Modern science seemingly came to the rescuewhen a paper published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences boldly proclaimed that Aaron Kosminskiwas Jack the Ripper based on DNA.

The authors alleged that a semen sample obtainedfrom the shawl of Catherine Eddowes, the fourth victim, was DNA matched to a living relativeof Kosminski. This study, however, was heavily criticizedby other scientists who found many faults with it. Even the provenance of the shawl is in doubt. The original inventory done in 1888 lists,in detail, over 30 items of clothing and possessions that Eddowes had on her at the time of hermurder, yet there is no shawl among them. So while Kosminski remains one of the topsuspects, the matter is yet to be settled. In the same memoranda, Assistant CommissionerMacnaghten named Montague Druitt as his favored suspect. He asserted that Druitt was “sexually insane”and was suspected of being the Ripper even by his own family. Druitt committed suicide a month after themurder of Mary Kelly, giving a reason why the murders stopped. Macnaghten’s appraisal placed Druitt atthe top of the suspect list of many ripperologists, but it seems to be based mostly on incorrectfacts and hearsay. Inspector Abberline dismissed Druitt as asuspect and, decades later, researchers placed Druitt in different parts of the country forsome of the murders. Going by viciousness alone, a man named FrederickBailey Deeming seemed to be the most likely culprit. Deeming was hanged in Australia in 1892 forkilling his second wife, only to be later discovered that he had also murdered his firstwife and their four children by cutting their throats. He was certainly capable of inflicting thegruesome horrors of the Ripper, but records of his movements in 1888 are spotty, at best.

They seem to indicate that Deeming was inSouth Africa at the time. These are just a few of the more sensiblesuspects. There are many more out there. Some believe the killings were the work ofa masonic conspiracy involving the royal family whose goal was to protect Prince Albert Victorand that the killer was either the prince himself or the Queen’s physician, Sir WilliamGull. Others opine that the murderer was Lewis Carroll,author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or the post-impressionist painter Walter Sickert. Some believe that Jack the Ripper was, infact, Jill the Ripper, and that the killer was a woman. This theory started with Inspector Abberlinehimself. Some of the suspects included women of theera who had been convicted of heinous murders such as Mary Pearcey and Lizzie Halliday. We could keep doing this all day and we wouldstill not run out of suspects. Ultimately, there isn’t sufficient evidenceto identify, beyond a shadow of a doubt, any person as Jack the Ripper. This anonymity surely helped bolster his infamyas here we are, 130 years after his ghastly killing spree, still talking about it. And we are hardly the only ones - books, movies,and TV shows that revolve around the Ripper murders are still popular today. So that just leaves us with one question - whodo you think was Jack the Ripper?