Jack the Ripper is probably the most infamous serial killer of all time.
Hundreds of suspects have been named for this case and it has baffled investigators
and “ripperologists” for over one hundred years.
The Jack the Ripper murders occurred in the East End of London in 1888
and, more specifically in the Whitechapel District (an area with a proclivity
for violence and crime amongst the backdrop of poverty but suddenly, a string
of murders terrorize the public in a way never seen before. The culprit, a mad
man with no clear motive. The world’s most notorious serial killer, Jack the
Ripper. While most believe the Ripper claimed the lives of only five, now referred
to as “The Canonical Five”, others believe the Ripper claimed the lives of up
to 11 women. All five of the canonical victims
were prostitutes, as many women in the Whitechapel District had to turn to
prostitution as a way to survive. The morbid intrigue is not a recent development.
The murders were covered in the newspaper and the public became morbidly
fascinated by them. In the end, the public was so upset at the failed attempts
to identify the killer that the police commissioner and home secretary eventually
resigned.
MURDERS
#1 VICTIM
On August 31,
1888 at 3:40 a.m., the body of Mary Ann Nichols was found in Buck’s Row in
Whitechapel. The body was discovered by a man named Charles Cross, who claims he
was walking along Buck’s Row when he noticed a bundle towards the western end.
Another man named Robert Paul approached the body with Cross. Police would
eventually arrive on the scene. Mary Ann Nichols was found on her back, her throat
severely slashed and she was disembowelled. It was determined she had only been
dead for about a half hour, meaning the killer was likely nearby when Cross first
saw the body.
#2 VICTIM
On September 8,
1888, the body of Annie Chapman was found at 29 Hanbury Street. Her body was
discovered by a man named John Davis, an elderly resident of the 29 Hanbury
Street building. Her throat was cut and this time the violence escalated in
that the murderer took her womb. Dr. George Baxter Phillips was serving at the
divisional police surgeon at the time and proposed the idea that the killer had
anatomical knowledge by the manner in which Annie Chapman’s womb was removed.
Later that month on September 27, 1888, the Central News Agency receives a
letter from the apparent killer.
The letter said:
“Dear Boss, I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they won’t
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 shant quit ripping them until 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 can’t use it. Red ink is
fit enough I hope. Ha. Ha. The next job I do I shall clip the lady’s ears off and
send to the police officer 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. Don’t mind giving me the trade name. Wasn’t 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.”
The letter wasn’t released to the public until October 1st and many believe that it was fabricated by a journalist, but regardless, it made its way to the papers. Once in the eyes of the public, the name stuck, and the killer from that point on went by the now famous moniker, Jack the Ripper.
#3 VICTIM
Three days later on September 30 at 1:00 a.m., the body of Elizabeth Stride was found on Berner Street by a man named Louis Diemschutz. Only her throat was cut, which led the police to believe that the murder was interrupted when Diemschutz approached. It was determined that she was dead for 30 minutes when examined around 1:15 a.m.
#4 VICTIM
Shockingly, only 45 minutes after
the discovery of Elizabeth Stride, another body was found in Mitre Square, just
west of the Stride murder. A woman named Catherine Eddowes was the second victim
in the same night. Her body was severely mutilated, including her face. Her
uterus was removed, as well as her left kidney. It’s here that the police would
discover one of the few solid clues in the entire case, a piece of Catherine
Eddowes apron found near the scene of the crime. The apron was found by Alfred
Long in the doorway of an apartment block near Goulston Street, a nearby street
east of the Eddowes murder site. Near this apron a message was written in chalk
that read: “The Juwes are the
men that will not be blame for nothing.” A sign of the anti-Semitism
that was common in the area. However, the crucial detail of this clue is the
fact that it was found east of the Eddowes murder site, in the direction of
Elizabeth Stride’s murder site, the murder that occurred just 45 minutes prior.
This perplexing decision could mean that the killer willingly entered an area
that was swarming with cops. Aside from demonstrating the killer’s evasive
abilities, this could suggest the killer lived in this East London area as it
possibly explains the motive for entering a dangerous situation. Later, a
postcard is received by the police department dated October 1st and
written by someone, also claiming to be the Ripper, with similar handwriting.
The letter said:
“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 the time to get ears for police. Thanks
for keeping last letter back till I got to work again. Jack the Ripper.”
On the 13th of October in 1888, the
police spent a week searching every house in the East Densworth slums, but
found nothing. On October 16th, a man named George Lusk received a
letter. Luck was the head of the Mile End Vigilance Committee, a group
comprised of local businessmen to assist the police. The letter was signed “from hell” and it was delivered in a
box with half a human kidney. The kidney, at the time, was believed to be Catherine
Eddowes’ missing kidney. However, it was found to be a prank by a medical student,
(smh, what an idiot).
#5 VICTIM
Nearly a month later, on November 9, 1888, the body of the fifth and final canonical
victim, Mary Kelly, was found at 13 Millers Court in her bed by her landlord’s
assistant, who was seeking rent. This murder was by far the most gruesome as her
body disembowelled and “virtually skinned down”. The landlord’s testimony on
the state of the body: “The sight that we saw I cannot drive away from my mind.
It looked more like the work of a devil than of a man.” This is what we know
about the five canonical victims, but as mentioned before, some believe there
to be up to 11 victims.
Article by Azzurra Furnari
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