Jack The Ripper :- The Story of An Unsolved Dilemma
- The Youth's Lens
- Jul 2, 2018
- 8 min read
Explore the story of a criminal mastermind, unsolved since 1888, still terrorising the streets of London by our criminal analyst Manya Malhotra.
Heard the name, what's the story?
It has been a long time since the mutilated corpses of five women were discovered in the White Chapel district of London. Although he was never unmasked, the serial killer going by the name Jack the Ripper, is considerably one of the most deranged killers the world has ever seen. Multiple theories have surfaced and been rejected but the mystery still remains unsolved.
It all started on Friday, August 31st 1888 when the body of Mary Ann Nichols was discovered at 3:40 AM in Bucksrow, Whitechapel. The body was discovered by a man named Charles Cross and his companion Robert Pall. When police arrived at the scene, it was discovered that Mary Ann had been dead for thirty minutes with her throat slashed. She had also been disemboweled. Mary Ann was the first of a total of a suspected five (or speculated eleven) victims. The five victims that are recognised with proof around the world are known as the ‘canonical five’. All five women that had been brutally murdered by the notorious Ripper were prostitutes. With an unclear motive and either an enormous or a non-existent list of suspects, the police set on a chase for the to-be-named person they knew nothing about.
How do we know the 'Canonical Five' were all killed by 'Jack The Ripper'?
The body of the second victim, Annie Chapman, was found by John Davis, an elderly resident of the area on 29 Hanbury Street on Saturday, September 4th 1888. With her throat slashed the same way, the murderer had also taken her womb. This had been done with expertise, leading the police to their first real clue- the murderer had some sort of anatomical knowledge, causing them to suspect doctors and surgeons etc.The police, after the second murder, received a letter signed as Jack the Ripper (which was never proven to be sent in by the killer; hence, some believe it was him/her whereas others think it was a journalist). The name stuck and, since that day, the chase for Jack the Ripper has been ongoing.
The Third, The Fourth and The Fifth :- A Step Closer to The Killer?
The third victim was said to be discovered in a ‘mid-murder’ state as the Ripper had not been able to mutilate the body due to the risk of being caught by a man named Louis Diemschutz (the one who found the body) , as he approached the site. The throat of Elizabeth Stride, the third victim, had been cut rather hastily giving people reason to believe that this wasn’t the work of Jack the Ripper but a counter-argument to this could be that because of the risk of being caught he fled as soon as she was dead. The fourth victim was also murdered on this night and was located just forty five minutes after Stride had been, just west of this site. Catherine Eddowes, the fourth victim of the Ripper had had her uterus and left kidney removed. Her body had been severely mutilated. A piece of Eddowes’ apron was found east of the site of her murder. This confused the police as it was found towards the direction of where Stride had been killed. This led to two discoveries- one being that Jack had walked through the heavily guarded area and had somehow crossed paths with the police and the second being that he probably lived in the East London area as he was very well versed with the ways of the place. The police received another letter (this time a postcard) right after this double murder. Most people believe the writer to be Jack the Ripper this time as he wrote of the double murder, calling it ‘double event’ and this information hadn’t been released to the public yet.
The last of the canonical five, was discovered nearly a month later on November 9th 1888. Before this, the authorities had received another letter that said ‘from hell’. It came in a cardboard box that carried half a kidney. Some believe that this was Catherine Eddowes’ kidney but there is conflicting proof that this was a prank organised by a medical student. Nothing is fully proven in this matter. Mary Kelly was discovered by her landlord’s nephew in her apartment. Her’s is said to be the most gruesome murder of all.
Melville's Three Notorious Suspects
People have been trying to unmask the Ripper ever since the first murder took place. Moving on to the suspects, witnesses (yes there were witnesses; however, I believe they were just pretending for publicity) had described him as 25 to 35 years old, stocky with a fair complexion, having a moustache, roughly 5’5 or 5’7, seen wearing a dark coat and a dark hat. Sir Melville Macnaughten of the Scotland police had given a list of three names that he believed could have been the killer; however, most people in today world do not believe these to be accurate.
His first suspect was Montague Johnson Druit, a man surrounded by doctors that were part of his family, making him anatomically able. He is said to have been ‘sexually insane’ and was found dead a month ago (although some think many months) in the Thames river.
Michael Ostrog, Macnaugten’s second suspect was a Russian doctor and a criminal (I still don’t understand how he was both). He had earlier been convicted for homicidal tendencies and couldn’t provide a strong alibi for his whereabouts during ANY of the Whitechapel murders. He couldn’t be convicted due to all the evidence being circumstantial.
The last of the official three suspects, Aaron Kosminski was well known for his hatred of women, especially prostitutes. He was also sent to an asylum after the murders (though not as a convict) and resided in asylums till his death which was in 1919. Author Russel Edwards had gotten all the confirmation he needed to name him as Jack the Ripper by a molecular biologist who studied Eddowes’ supposed shawl. However, due to a critical error in nomenclature, his findings were ruled out and thus, the case continues.
More suspects, more theories, more confusion and an unsolved series of crime........
These were the suspects Macnaughten had listed yet there are many more names that can be explored. One such name is that of Walter Sickert who, in the opinion of famous crime writer Patricia Cornwell, was the Ripper. She, in an effort to prove to prove that Sickert was Jack the Ripper, purchased many of his paintings, his letters and his writing desk. One of his painting mirrors the exact position that Mary Kelly was found with a man sat with his head in his arms next to her. Another painting mimics the wounds of Catherine Eddowes. The only non-circumstantial piece of information the lady has, however, is that she has proven that the paper used by Sickert, in some of his letters, is the same paper that was used by the Ripper. This is intriguing as there are only 24 copies of these pages and they are also said to be manufactured by Sickert’s father.
One especially intriguing suspect is Joseph Barnett, a man that lived with Mary Kelly for some time as well. He is said to have lived in ten different locations in East London, making him incredibly well-versed with the area and was also said to be in love with Kelly. He had on various occasions referred to her as his wife even though she was just his roommate and also supposedly hated her job as a prostitute and other prostitutes in general. Theories suggest that Barnett committed these murders simply to scare Kelly of the streets. When he was let off his job, Mary Kelly had to go back to work. The money problems, her working as a prostitute and her supposed love of gin were the causes of many fights between the pair. When Kelly brought in two more prostitutes to live with them, the matter had gotten out of hand for Barnett. This led to a violent fight and Barnett leaving the apartment they lived in. Just 10 days later, Mary Kelly was found dead there. Having lived there, Barnett would have knowledge about how to get inside the apartment if locked out. He might even have had a key. He would have known Kelly’s schedule well enough to find the perfect timing for the murder. Knowing Kelly, he would have also known other local prostitutes making it possible for him to easily attack them. A news report of the time also suggest that Barnett’s close friends used to call him Jack. He was also supposedly well-versed, anatomically and was said to match the description of Jack that had been given out. He was questioned for four hours after the last known murder; however, was set free. This theory has certainly intrigued many throughout the years and seems to be the only one apart from another (one particular case of Jill the Ripper) where the motive seems to be clear.
Another popular suspect of modern times is James Maybrick, a wealthy cotton merchant of Liverpool (who many think travelled to the district due to his wealth) as a diary has been located in his estate in which many questionable excerpts are signed ‘Jack the Ripper’. No one knows whether this diary truly belonged to him but we do know that it is not forged recently, if at all, as it appears to be old (it is unknown exactly how old it is). Though many believe it to be true, it is not a theory that appeals to some.
The last theory being presented in this essay is one that intrigues me most of all. It is the theory of ‘Jill the Ripper’. Many suggest that the reason the Ripper was never found is because everyone was out looking for a man whereas, it was a female that was terrorising the streets of Whitechapel. Most that believe it was a female also believe that the killer would be either a midwife or an abortionist which would make it very normal for her to be walking with bloodied clothes during ungodly hours of the night. It would also explain why during the night of the double murder, the police having crossed paths with the killer, could not identify him. A retired lawyer has also given a the name of a female suspect who supposedly was responsible for all the murders under the name of Jack the Ripper. Lizzie Williams was the wife of a surgeon and potential Ripper suspect, Sir John Williams. It is unknown whether she was a midwife or not; however, being the wife of a surgeon, she would be anatomically able. She was also said to be infertile which could be the reason that the reproductive organs of the victims had been snatched out by the killer. It is quite common for serial killers to keep some part of the bodies or clothes of their victims; however, this gives the deed a motive. It is said that she committed the murders out of sheer jealousy and again, due to lack of questioning, her whereabouts during the murders were unknown. This theory, to me, is extremely interesting and one that should be thought about more.
With many more suspects, including a royal prince and his surgeon (Sir John Williams), never has there been enough evidence to label a person as the killer. One of the most notorious killers of his times and now, is still not identified with many still working the case. Maybe one day, the identity of Jack the Ripper would be found out. Till then, however, many still stick at it, supporting and putting out more theories to prove their point.
Bibliography and References
Youtube- Buzzfeed Unsolved- The Grizzly Murders of Jack the Ripper
www.the-line-up.com- Portrait of a Killer: 6 Chilling Jack the Ripper Cases
Written By Manya Malhotra, Edited By Chandan Samal
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