Jack the Ripper is the pseudonym given to the serial killer active in the Whitechapel area of London, England in the second half of 1888. The name is taken from a letter by someone claiming to be the killer, published at the time of the killings. Although many theories have been advanced, Jack the Ripper's identity has not yet been determined, and may never be.
The mythology surrounding the Ripper murders has become a complex muddle of genuine historical research, freewheeling conspiracy theory and folklore invention. The lack of an identity for the killer has allowed subsequent amateur sleuths to point their fingers at a large variety of candidates.
Table of contents |
2 Media 3 Suspects 4 Further theories about the Ripper 5 The Ripper in culture 6 Further reading 7 External link |
Victims
The total number and names of the Ripper's victims are the subject of much debate, but one historical view is that Jack killed the following five prostitutes (or presumed prostitute in Eddowes' case) in London's East End:
- Mary Ann Nichols, (maiden name Mary Ann Walker, nicknamed "Polly"), born on August 26, 1845 and killed on August 31, 1888.
- Annie Chapman, (maiden name Eliza Ann Smith, nicknamed "Dark Annie"), born in September, 1841 and killed on September 8, 1888.
- Elizabeth Stride, (maiden name Elisabeth Gustafsdotter, nicknamed "Long Liz"), born in Sweden on November 27, 1843 and killed on September 30, 1888.
- Catherine Eddowes, (used the aliases "Kate Kelly" and "Mary Ann Kelly" -- the last name was undoubtedly chosen to convince people she was married to her boyfriend John Kelly), born on April 14, 1842 and killed on September 30, 1888.
- Mary Jane Kelly, (claimed her true name was "Marie Jeanette Kelly," sometimes went by "Mary Ann Kelly," nicknamed "Ginger") reportedly born in Ireland c. 1863 (approximate date) and killed on November 9, 1888.
Possible victims
Those five form the so-called canonical victims of the Ripper. But victims of other contemporary and somewhat similar attacks and/or murders have also been suggested as additions to the list. Those victims are generally poorly documented. They include:
- "Fairy Fay", reportedly a nickname for an unnamed murder victim found on December 26, 1887. The reason of death was given as "a stake thrust through her abdomen ".
- Annie Millwood, born c. 1850 (approximate date) she was reportedly the victim of an attack on February 25, 1888 resulting in her hospitalisation for "numerous stabs in the legs and lower part of the body". She was released from hospital but died from apparently natural causes on March 31, 1888.
- Ada Wilson, reportedly the victim of an attack on March 28, 1888 resulting in two stabs in the neck. She survived the attack.
- Emma Elizabeth Smith, born c. 1843 (approximate date). Reportedly the victim of an attack on April 3, 1888. She survived the attack but fell in to a coma and died on April 5, 1888. Her death was reportedly caused by a blunt object which had been inserted in her vagina.
- Martha Tabram, (maiden name Martha White, name misspelled as Martha Tabran, used the alias Emma Turner), born on May 10, 1849 and killed on August 7, 1888. She had a total of 39 stab wounds. Five on the left lung, two on the right lung, one on the heart, five on the liver, two on the spleen and six on the stomach.
- "The Whitehall Mystery", term coined for the torso of a woman found beheaded and with severed hands on October 3, 1888.
- Annie Farmer, born on 1848 she reportedly was the victim of an attack on November 21, 1888. She survived with only a light, though bleeding, cut on her throat. The wound was superficial and apparently caused by a blunt knife. Police suspected that the wound was self-inflicted and ceased to investigate her case.
- Rose Mylett, (true name probably Catherine Mylett, but was also known as Catherine Millett, Elizabeth "Drunken Lizzie" Davis, "Fair" Alice Downey or simply "Fair Clara"), born on 1862 and killed on December 20, 1888. She was reportedly strangled "by a cord drawn tightly round the neck".
- Elizabeth Jackson, a prostitute whose various body parts where collected from the River Thames between May 31, 1889 and June 25, 1889. Reportedly identified by scars she had had previous to her disappearance and apparent murder.
- Alice McKenzie (nick-named "Clay Pipe" Alice and used the alias Alice Bryant), born c. 1849 (approximate date) and killed on July 17, 1889. The reason of death was reportedly the "severance of the left carotid artery" but several minor bruises and cuts were found on the body.
- "The Pinchin Street Murder", a term coined after the founding of a torso similar in condition to "The Whitehall Mystery" , though the hands were not severed, on September 10, 1889. An unconfirmed speculation of the time was that the body belonged to Lydia Hart, a prostitute who had disappeared.
- Frances Coles, (also known as Frances Coleman, Frances Hawkins and nick-named 'Carrotty Nell'), born in 1865 and killed on February 13, 1891. Minor wounds on the back of the head suggest that she was thrown violently to the ground and then her throat was cut. Otherwise there were no mutilations to the body.
- Carrie Brown, (nick-named "Old Shakespeare" because of her habit of reciting sonnets by William Shakespeare while drunk), born c. 1835 and killed on April 24, 1891. She was reportedly strangled and then her body was mutilated but the details of the mutilations are uncertain. Though compared at the time and connected to the murders of the Whitechapel killer, this murder was performed in Manhattan, New York, New York, USA.
The major difficulty in identifying a list of who was and was not a Ripper victim is the large number of horrific knife attacks against women in working class areas during that time period. Most experts point to deep throat slashes, mutilations to the victim's genital area, removal of internal organs and progressive facial mutilations as the distinctive features of this killer.
Even within the five generally accepted victims above the particulars of each case changed somewhat. For example, Nichols and Stride were not missing any organs, Chapman's uterus was taken, Eddowes had both her uterus and a kidney carried away, and Kelly had only her heart taken from the crime scene, although many of her internal organs were removed and left in her room.
It is believed by some that the killer's nickname was invented by newspapermen to make a more interesting story that could sell more papers. The moniker first appeared in a letter ostensibly written by the murderer but which most experts now believe was a hoax by a journalist. This practice then became a standard all over the world with examples such as the American Boston Strangler, the Green River Killer, the Axeman of New Orleans, the Beltway Sniper, the Hillside Strangler, and the Zodiac Killer, as well as the obviously derivative British Yorkshire Ripper almost a hundred years later.
In 1970, Dr. Thomas Eldon Alexander Stowell published his article A Solution. Though Eddy was not named in the article itself, Stowell clearly presented him as being Jack the Ripper. Stowell claimed that Eddy actually died of syphilis and that the official report of his death by pneumonia should be dismissed. Stowell further claimed that syphilis had driven Eddy insane. In this state of mind he had perpetrated the five canonical Jack the Ripper murders. Following Mary Jane Kelly's murder he was finally restrained by his own family and so was unable to continue the series of murders. Stowell claimed that his sources for the article were accounts written in private by Sir William Withey Gull. The article was published shortly before Stowell's own death on November 8, 1970. His papers were reportedly burned by his family. It has been suggested that Stowell could have served directly or indirectly as Jullien's source.
In any case the article attracted enough attention to place Eddy among the most notable Ripper suspects. However, later "Ripperologists" have noted several problems with this theory. William Withey Gull died on January 29, 1890 and so could not have been Stowell's source concerning Eddy's death. But even if he was the source concerning the murders, records of Prince Eddy's activities and whereabouts at the time of the five canonical murders do not confirm his presence in London. Mary Ann Nichols was murdered on August 31, 1888. From August 29 to September 7, 1888 Eddy was reportedly in Grosmont, North Yorkshire. Annie Chapman was murdered on September 8, 1888. From September 7 to September 10, 1888 Eddy was reportedly in York, also in North Yorkshire. Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes were both killed during the early hours of September 30, 1888. From September 27 to September 30, 1888 Eddy was reportedly in Abergeldie, Scotland. Later on the date of the murders Eddy is stated to be still in Abergeldie and having dinner with Queen Victoria, who was his grandmother, visiting members of the German Imperial family and William Ewart Gladstone, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Mary Jane Kelly was murdered on November 9, 1888. From November 2 to November 12, 1888, Eddy was reportedly in Sandringham Norfolk. However defenders of this theory have suggested that Eddy could have been secretly traveling to London and then returning to his recorded whereabouts or alternatively that the official records had been forged.
In 1978, Frank Spiering published his book Prince Jack further supporting this theory. Spiering claimed to have found a copy of Gull's private notes in the library of the New York Academy of Medicine. Supposedly the notes included a confession by Eddy himself under a state of hypnosis. Spiering also suggested that Eddy died due to an overdose of morphine administered to him under directions of Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, another Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and possibly his own father, the later King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. The New York Academy of Medicine has since denied possessing the records Spiering mentioned. Consequently Spiering's writings have been widely dismissed as a combination of Stowell's previous theory with Spiering's own fictions. Spiering himself has been accused of being more interested in sensationalism rather than genuine historical research. However the theory had already gained enough support to not be clearly dismissed.
Meanwhile another theory had surfaced implicating in the Jack the Ripper murders not only Prince Eddy but the Royal family and a number of notable figures associated with it. This theory first came into public attention thanks to the BBC documentary series Jack the Ripper. The series contained five episodes, aired weekly between July 20 and August 17, 1973.
The series contained testimonies by Joseph Sickert, an obscure London artist and alleged illegitimate son of noted painter Walter Richard Sickert. Walter is known to have been an acquaintance of Eddy. Princess Alexandra, Eddy's mother who like Walter was from Denmark, had introduced the two men in the hope that Walter would teach Eddy about London social life.
Joseph Sickert was also the main source used by author Stephen Knight (September 26, 1951 - July, 1985) in his work Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution, first published in 1976.
Sickert's claims have also been dismissed by historians and Ripperologists. However Knight's Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution was successful enough at its time and has been constantly in print ever since. Through its success, this theory has become a popular one and can often be found mentioned in discussions of the case.
Joseph Sickert's account makes the following claims:
Prince Eddy was not homosexual as is often stated, but rather bisexual. Walter Sickert had introduced him to a Annie Elizabeth Crook, a shop girl. (Records of the time report her as daughter of William and Sarah Crook).
Eddy and Annie proceeded to have an affair that resulted in a pregnancy. Eddy decided to marry his lover in a secret ceremony despite the fact she was Catholic. The sole witnesses to the ceremony were Walter Sickert and Mary Jane Kelly, as friends of Eddy and Annie respectively. Their child was born as Alice Margaret Crook. (Records of the time confirm Alice's birth to have happened between April and July, 1885 but not the identity of her father).
Eddy had his wife and daughter settled in an apartment in Cleveland Street and contacted them as often as he could. In 1888, the existence of an illegitimate great-grandchild came to Queen Victoria's attention. She informed Lord Salisbury of the matter. Queen and Prime Minister were supposedly both afraid that knowledge of the existence of Alice as a Catholic heir to the throne would result in a revolution. (This claim fails to consider that such a marriage would have been invalid under British law, and any child of such a marriage would not have been in line for the throne. Also according to the Act of Settlement (1701) only Protestant descendants of the Royal family, who have not, furthermore, married a Catholic, can succeed to the English Crown. Members of the Royal family who convert to Catholicism or marry Catholics simply lose their rights of succession to the throne).
Lord Salisbury proceeded to order a raid on the apartment. Eddy was placed in the custody of his family while Annie was placed in the custody of Sir William Withey Gull. The latter supposedly conducted experiments on her, sending her insane. She would die in 1920 after spending more that thirty years in a mental institution. (However there seem to be records of the time which mention her living with her mother and daughter following the Jack the Ripper murders).
Alice was supposedly in the care of Mary Jane Kelly during and after the raid. Kelly at first was content to hide the child, but then she decided to blackmail the government along with her friends Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman and Elizabeth Stride. Lord Salisbury supposedly assigned Gull to deal with the threat they posed. The murders were supposedly performed by Gull with the assistance of coachman John Netley and Sir Robert Anderson (1841 - November 15, 1918) who was among the officials in charge of the case. Catherine Eddowes' murder was supposedly a case of mistaken identity. She was known to have used the alias Mary Ann Kelly which was also used by Mary Jane Kelly. (Knight substituted Anderson for Walter Sickert. "Ripperologists" tend to point that the Ripper victims were not known to be acquainted to each other and reports of their activities and whereabouts during the year of their death don't seem to suggest a connection).
Alice survived the events of the case and would live well into old age. She later became Walter Sickert's mistress and therefore Joseph's mother.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle advanced theories involving a female murderer dubbed Jill the Ripper. Supporters of this theory believe that the female murderer worked or posed as a midwife. She could be seen with bloody clothes without attracting unwanted attention and suspicion, and she would be more easily trusted by the victims than a man. A suspect suggested as fitting this profile is Mary Pearcey, who in October, 1890 stabbed and cut the throats of her lover's wife and child.
Others have doubted that the murders were the work of a single killer, either male or female and have proposed that the murders were the work of a conspiracy by members of the British royalty or the Freemasons, or both (see above).
Crime novelist Patricia Cornwell has been a recent advocate for the theory that painter Walter Sickert was Jack the Ripper, which most ripperologists consider unlikely for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that evidence indicates he was in France when the majority of the killings happened.
Novels featuring the Ripper include The Lodger (1913) by Marie Belloc Lowndes, which was in 1927 the subject of an Alfred Hitchcock-directed film, and Ritual in the Dark (1960) by Colin Henry Wilson. The graphic novel From Hell (1999), by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, is a fictional account incorporating many factual elements of the Ripper murders. In 2001, the Hughes Brothers made the book into a film (From Hell) starring Johnny Depp and Heather Graham. An earlier graphic novel, Gotham By Gaslight the first of the Elseworlds series published by DC Comics featured a Victorian Age version of the superhero, Batman, hunting the killer who has come to Gotham City.
The Ripper features briefly at the end of Frank Wedekind's play Die Büchse der Pandora (1904), in which he murders Lulu, the central character. This play was later turned into the film Pandora's Box (1928, directed by G. W. Pabst) and the opera Lulu (by Alban Berg), both of which also end with this murder.
Media
The Ripper murders mark an important watershed in modern British life. Although not the first serial killer, Jack the Ripper was the first to create a world-wide media frenzy around his killings. This, combined with the fact that no one was ever convicted of the murders, created a haunting mythology that cast a shadow over later serial killers. Suspects
Many theories about the identity of Jack the Ripper have been advanced. None is completely convincing, and some can hardly be taken seriously at all. Among the many names advanced by various people as possible suspects have been:Further theories about the Ripper
The Ripper in culture
Jack the Ripper has featured in a number of films, novels and plays, either as the central character or in a more peripheral role. Among the films which take him as a subject are A Study in Terror (1965) and Murder By Decree (1978), both of which feature Sherlock Holmes attempting to find the murderer; and the Hammer Horror Hands of the Ripper (1971), in which the Ripper's daughter grows up to become a murderer after she sees her father murder her mother.Further reading
External link