WHO WAS JACK THE RIPPER?

Article BY Shells Walter

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Many theories on who Jack the Ripper was have circulated around the world. Some of these theories have been more believed than others. The suspects thought to be Jack the Ripper, all male, have ranged from a local man to royalty.

Four men suspected to be Jack the Ripper (There were other suspects as well. These four were some of the most talked about in theories):

Joseph Barnett had a relationship with Mary Jane Kelly, the last thought to be of Ripper’s victims. It was noted that he had visited her a few hours before her death.

In The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper, Paul Harrison writes of arguments that were had between Joseph and Mary. Some of those arguments were thought to be about her friends that were prostitutes.

Joseph Barnett also worked in the fish industry and used knifes to cut fish with.

He lived in close proximity of some of the five victims thought to be Ripper’s.

Ripper’s murders were thought to be stopped after November 9th 1888, after the finding of Mary Kelly’s remains.

Prince Eddie was thought to have syphilis and go to Whitechapel to pick up women, who were thought to be lowly woman, as the book The Cases that Haunt Us describes.

It was thought because of his dementia, that he killed the women he was with and in being a hunter of deers, had the skill to cut into the victims and remove the organs.

He was thought to have been under doctor’s care until he died and a cover-up was done to remove any evidence.

Dr. Francis Tumblety was thought to have avoided women and disliked them as the book, The Cases that Haunt Us describes.

The Ripper murders stopped after he left England.

Nikolay Vasiliev rented lodgings in Rue Mouffetarde as described by the website Casebook: Jack the Ripper.

He was thought to have murdered prostitutes in that area with the same wounds on each victim.

He kept to himself mostly and went on walks at night.

 

Where did the murders take place and when?

The murders took place in an area of London called Whitechapel and surroundings of: Spitalfields, City of London, and St. George –in-the-East.

These areas were located where poverty was overwhelming. The time during the 1880’s and before, was a time of economic downfall. Money was made any way possible. Prostitutes numbered in the hundred’s, frequented that area.

The murders thought to be Jack the Ripper’s took place from August 1888 to November 1888.

The streets where the murders were committed and dates are as followed:

August 31st ,1888
Buck’s Row, WhiteChapel

September 8th, 1888
Hanbury Street, Spitalfields

September 30th, 1888
Berner Street, St. George –in-the-East

September 30th, 1888
Mitre Square, City of London

November 8th, 1888
Dorset Street, Spitalfields

 

The Victims of Jack the Ripper

There were several murders committed during this time in the 1800’s in that surrounding area. However, through time and research done through out the years by several experts, only five were considered to be the victims of Jack the Ripper.

Mary Anne Nichols who was known as “Polly” was killed on August 31st ,1888 in Buck’s Row, White Chapel and was known as a prostitute. Her Abdomen was slashed and damaged and her intestines were exposed. The throat was slit with two cuts. There were bruises found at the side of the face and neck. A supposed sharp, long blade was the cause of the damage and cuts to her body.

Anne Chapman was also thought to be a prostitute. She was killed on September 8th, 1888 in Hanbury Street, Spitalfields. Her throat was deeply cut left to right through the spine. There were fresh bruises over her right temple and upper eyelid, on the forepart of her chest and on her right hand. The abdomen was laid open and intestines had been severed from their attachments and placed over her right shoulder. Her uterus and upper portion of her vagina were removed from her body and not found at the scene of her murder. There was two-thirds of her bladder removed as well.

Elizabeth Stride also known as “Long Liz”, was murdered on September 30th, 1888 in Berner Street, St. George –in-the-East. Her throat was slashed. She had pressure marks over both shoulders, under her collar bones and on the front of the chest thought to be from the pressure on the shoulders. She was not disfigured in any other way. Also, she was thought to be a prostitute.

Catherine Eddowes was also murdered on September 30th, 1888 in Mitre Square, City of London. Her throat had been slashed to the bone. The tip of her nose was cut off and her lips and cheek was also cut. Her right ear had a cut through at the bottom. There were two inverted V cuts under each eye. The intestines were pulled from the body and placed over her right shoulder. Her left kidney was also taken, along with some of her womb missing.

Mary Jane Kelly was murdered on November 8th, 1888 in Dorset Street, Spitalfields. Her whole surfaced of her abdomen removed and the cavity emptied of the viscera; parts found around her body. Her uterus and kidneys were found under the bed .The two breasts were cut off and placed one under her bed and one by her right foot. Her neck was severed to the bone. The intestines were found by the right side of her body. Her spleen was by the left side of her body. There were flaps removed from the abdomen and thigh areas; these were placed on the table in the room. Her face was extremely disfigured by serve cuts through the lips, eyes, nose, cheeks, and ears.

She was thought to be a prostitute and was murdered in the place where she lodged.

 

Pattern of the Murders?

There were certain patterns of the murders that experts have claimed prove it was the same killer; also known as Jack the Ripper:

Most were considered or known to be prostitutes and lived in the area or around the area they were murdered in.

All of the victims had their throats slit; some more severe than others.

Most victims had some internal organs removed.

All murders were suspected to take place between Midnight and six in the morning.

The murders were all committed in the area surrounding or in Whitechapel.

All victims were between the ages of 39-47

 

And…

The true identity of Jack the Ripper remains unsolved.