jacktheripper-studentblog-blog

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Suspects

1. Montague Johnson Druitt, He lived with his cousin, a doctor, near the scenes of the murders and he had an interest in surgery. He was found dead with in 4 weeks of the last murder.

2. Michael Ostrog, a Russian doctor and a criminal. He stayed in an asylum before the murders.

3. Aaron Kosminski, a resident of WhiteChapel, lived in an asylum after the last of the murders. He hated women, and loathed prostitutes. His description was given at the scene of the double murders.

4. Jill the Ripper. It would have been easy for a women to be the murderer because everyone else was looking for a man. She could have been a midwife, which would explain the knowledge of the human body and blood on her clothes.

5. Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward, he was known to have walked the areas where the women were murdered. He contracted Syphilis which drove him to insanity.

6. Walter Sickert, because an author thought he was the Ripper. He referenced the Ripper in some of his paintings, and the victims.

7. Joseph Barnett, A man who lived with Mary Kelly. It is said that he may have lived in around 10 different places in East London.  He worked as a fish porter, and was obsessed with his roommate, going as far to call her his “wife”. He heavily disliked the fact that she was a prostitute and may have murdered the first victims to scare Mary from the streets. When Barnett lost his job, Mary went back out onto the streets to make ends meet, causing many fights between the roommates. Their last fight started with Mary bringing home two prostitutes for unknown reasons, and the fight got violent. Barnett moved out and 10 days later Mary was found dead in her apartment. The apartment was locked and undisturbed other than Mary’s gruesome body. Barnett would have know how to pick the lock and get in. He was also well known throughout the world of prostitutes, making it easy to get close to them to kill them. He also matched the alleged appearance of Jack. The final clue is that some of Barnett's friends would call him “Jack”. The murders stopped after Mary, as Barnett wouldn't have any other reason to kill.

8. James Maybrick is the final suspect. He was an upper class cotton merchant and lived in an estate called “The Battlecrease House” in Liverpool. All the murders happened on the weekends, when Maybrick would have time and the ability to travel. His most damning piece of evidence is a passage written in his personal journal, found in the floorboards of his house.

“I give my name that all know of me, so history do tell, what love can do to a gentleman born.

Yours truly, JACK THE RIPPER.”

The journal also contained intimate details of the killings. The man who found the journal once claimed that he had written the journal, though he later recanted this. The journal has been tested and is from the Ripper era. Also found was a pocket watch containing the initials of the 5 victims and the phrase, ‘”I am Jack”, and “J Maybrick”. Testing suggests that the scratching of the pocket watch was not done in modern times.

These last two are the strongest cases for the murders of the 5 prostitutes in WhiteChapel, London.

Who do you think did it?

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Jack the Rippers Alleged Appearance

-Between 25-25 years old

- Roughly 5′5 to 5′7

-Stocky, which a fair complexion, and a mustache.

-He was seen wearing a dark overcoat and a dark hat

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November 9, 1888

The body of the final, conformed, victim was found. Mary Kelly was found in 13 Millers Court, in her bed by her landlords assistant. This is by far the most brutal murder as her body was disemboweled and “Virtually skinned down.” Her breasts were also cut off and were placed on the nightstand next to her. 

The landlord was quoted saying, “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.”

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October 16th, 1888

A man named George Lusk received a letter. He was the head of a committee of local men that assisted the police. The letter was signed, “From Hell”, as well as a box containing half a human kidney. It was believed to be Catherine Eddowes’ kidney. 

However

It was a prank from a medical student. 

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October 1st, 1888

Days later a post card was sent to the police, dated October 1st. This 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.”

This was reported to have been sent right after the double murders, and the details of the murders hadn’t been released yet to the public. Making it seem very possible that this was written by Jack himself. 

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September 30th, 1888

1 AM, the body of Elizabeth stride was found on Burner street. A man named Louis Diemschutz found Elizabeth with only her throat slit, rather hastily. Not the normal work of The Ripper. This lead the police to think that the murder was interrupted when Diemschutz found Elizabeth. 

She had been dead for 30 minuets when medical examiners arrived around 1:15 AM.

Another body was found 45 minuets later at Mider Square, west of the murder of Elizabeth. Catherine Eddowes was severely mutilated in her face and her womb was taken out as well as her left kidney. The second murder victim was found only a 15 minuet walk away from the first. And a clue was dropped another 10 minuets back towards the first killing site. A piece of Catherine’s apron was found and this is one of the only solid clues in the entire case. A message was written next to the cloth saying, “The juwes are the men that will not be blame for nothing.” 

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October 1st, 1888

The letter was realest on this day to the public. Many believed that the letter was fabricated by a journalist. The name, Jack the Ripper, stuck in the public's mind and from then on, the name stayed. 

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Notice the red ink the letter was written in. 

He said he would cut the ladies ear off the next time he murdered. The police thought it was a joke, until it wasn’t.

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September 27th, 1888

The Central News Agency received a letter from the killer. 

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

PS 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

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September 8, 1888

Annie Chapman was found at 29 Hanbury Street. Her body was found by John Davis, a resident of the 29 Hanbury Street building. Her throat was cut and the murder took her womb. The doctor who was analyzing the bodies of these poor women proposed the idea that the killer had anatomical knowledge because of the way Annie’s womb was removed. 

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Mary Ann Nichols, first victim of Jack the Ripper

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August 31st, 1888. 3:40 am

The body of Mary Ann Nickles was found in Bucks Row, White Chapel District. Her body was discovered by a Charles Cross, and Robert Paul. They approached the body to discover Mary on her back, her throat severely slashed and she was disemboweled. She had only been dead for a half hour, leading police to think that the killer may have been near by when they found her body. 

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Lets set the scene.

The year is 1888, in Victorian era London. The White Chapel district plays an important role in our story as it is the site or the killings. London at this time was filled with immigrants and the society was at a risk of collapsing into chaos. Many Londoners blamed the immigrants for the lack of jobs. Many women at this time were “Ladies of the Nights” or prostitutes. They were forced to turn to this job due to the lack of jobs and need of money to survive. All of Jacks victims were prostitutes. 

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Intro to Jack

This blog is a student run blog about the timeline of Jack the Ripper.

Jack the Ripper was a serial killer in 1880′s London. Jack murdered 5 women, known as the “Five Canonical Victims.” These victims were defiantly killed by The Ripper, though many speculate that there were up to 11.