a briefly researched theory about Jose Protacio Rizal being one of the "rippers"

[Raymond Tiglao Galang]

A few months ago, I kept trying to do some research about Jose Protacio Rizal - national hero of the Philippines [which I completely DO NOT agree with, as the man was a would-be deist, ill-tempered, and very, very wrongly interpreted politics when he was in Europe when I read the essay "The Philippines: A Century Hence" where at one point he referred to Macchiavelli as the "great reader of the human heart", and claimed that Russia was jealous of Japan. Reading letters written by Rizal, I found out that psychologically, this person was fatalistic when claiming to be romantic, and sociopathic, diabolical perhaps.]
All I had to go on was reading the letters and trying to do a psychological reading on Jose Rizal's character - Rizal was in London from June of 1888 to at least the end of January of 1889. I compared the signature of Rizal, which can be viewed at http://www.knights-of-rizal.com/Pictures/Activities/signature.jpg
- and which is in the archives of the British National Library [interestingly, on their website, they omit the "l" in National in their description of the picture.
http://www.knights-of-rizal.com/natmuseum.html. I thought the signature of Rizal was similar to the handwriting of the "Dear Boss" letters. However, what troubled me was that Rizal was not present in London during all 5 of the murders. According to information about Rizal's travels in Europe at http://www.joserizal.ph
Rizal arrived in Paris on September 4, 1888 and left to return to London on September 10, 1888. Which would mean that Rizal would not have been in London at the time of Annie Chapman's murder. However, he was there during the double-murders. I thought that it was a accepted at the time that the 5 Whitechapel murders were committed by one killer.
Today, I decided to look it all up again to compare the handwriting. I haven't re-read the letters between Rizal and Ferdinant Blumentritt, an Austrian that Rizal corresponded with. They can be viewed at:

http://www.univie.ac.at/Voelkerkunde/apsis/aufi/rizal/rbcorr.htm

There are five letters from June 23, 1888 to January 31, 1889.
The website is the website of a university in Vienna, Austria.

I will paste part of a letter written by Rizal on December 25, 1888, since I found it interesting and certainly proved to me that Rizal had no regard for the sacred when it came to Christianity. This is one of the final paragraphs of the letter:

- Today is Christmas Eve. This is the feast that I like to celebrate best. It reminds me of the many happy days not only of my childhood but also of history. Whether Christ was born or not excactly on this day, I don't know; but chronological accuracy has nothing to do with tonight's event. A grand genius had been born who preached truth and love; who suffered because of his mission, but on account of his sufferings, the world has become better, if not saved. Only it gives me nausea to see how some persons abuse his name to commit numerous crimes. If he is in heaven, he will certainly protest! Consequently, Merry Christmas! Let us celebrate the anniversary of the birth of a Divine Man! -

I do not know if "excactly" was intended to be wrongly spelled by Rizal, as many of the letters of Rizal seem to contain what appear to be deliberate wrong spellings of some words. Rizal refers to Christ as a "grand genius" and a "Divine Man", which is very contrary to any Christian concept, in fact, it is as if Rizal thought that Rizal could compare - one of the books that Rizal read was the Imitation of Christ, and supposedly gave it as a gift to his wife, Josephine Bracken, an Irishwoman, before he was executed by the Spanish army. However, in none of the letters to Blumentritt did Rizal write about the Jack the Ripper crimes, which seems very strange, since the crimes were the most significant news around London at the time. The line "Only it gives me nausea to see how some persons abuse his name to commit numerous crimes" had me question a few things. What did Rizal mean by numerous crimes? As the Philippines had been colonized by Spain for over 300 years by that time, I'm sure Rizal with his penchant for grandiose words, would not have referred to Spain's colonization of the Philippines as "numerous crimes", even the injustices that may have affected the Filipinos at the time.
In the June 23, 1888 letter

- At times when I receive news from Spain, it seems to me that I ought to hate all Europeans, but then I believe I shall got to Austria to live there if I cannot live in the Philippines, because Austria has no colonies and for being an Austrian he who has done so much for my country and loves her greatly. -

The sentence was not grammatically correct and it seems that Rizal possibly intended to mean "got" instead of "go" perhaps claiming preference for the German word for "GOD" rather than GOD.

A few paragraphs earlier

- In truth, before leaving Europe forever, I will dedicate my last farewell to Germany. I owe Germany my best rememberances; I mean to say, Germany and Austria. -

Why did Rizal write that he would be leaving Europe forever? Perhaps he was planning something was my suspicion.
So was Rizal being cryptic by referring to the Jack the Ripper crimes as "some persons abuse his name to commit numerous crimes?" insulting the name of Jesus, perhaps John the Apostle or the Gospel writer? I've been aware that the name John can sometimes be interchangeable with the name Jack - only if the given name is John, but I've never read or heard it when a man's given name was Jack and was called John.
And could "some persons" mean that Rizal, perhaps being one of the killers himself, knew that there was more than one Jack the Ripper killer since he was not in London during Annie Chapman's murder, & "some persons" being a sort of sick confession to Blumentritt?
I'm not a handwriting expert, but I have not read anywhere about a handwriting expert trying to compare Rizal's signature at the archive of the British National Library and the handwriting the letters of Jack the Ripper.
Well, this is basically all I've had to go on in terms of trying to prove to myself, based on my feelings and suspicions, that Rizal could be regarded as a suspect.
If I find out anything more, I'll be sure to post again. However, I won't have Internet access on October 21, and probably won't sign on again until November 2, when I move back from the Philippines to the U.S. and return to Las Vegas, Nevada.
I have included a picture of Rizal's signature taken from the archives of the British National Library.

Raymond

[sdreid]

Hi Raymond,

When did this guy die and where did he live out his years? Thanks for the information.

[The Good Michael]

I read about Rizal a few years ago. I remember someone had a theory about him being JTR, but it didn't seem likely.

As for Jesus being a grand genius, well if one is to literally believe in Jesus as God, which so many Catholics, and by extension, Philippinos believe, then genius must be a component. Rizal is merely stating that the genius of Jesus has made the world better, but he goes on to say that people who commit crime in his name are to be condemned. That doesn't sound like a psycho, fanatical Christian sexual serial killer to me.

Cheers,

Mike

[Captain Hook]

I read about Rizal a few years ago. I remember someone had a theory about him being JTR, but it didn't seem likely.

Hello Mike,

The person who first mentioned Rizal as a possible Ripper suspect was Ms Karen Trenouth, the same person who thought Baphomet had somehow influenced the Whitechapel murders. No wonder the theory didn't seem likely.

On a later occasion, a prolific poster on these boards stated that the theory had been thought up by Rizal's political enemies. Since Rizal was a Pilipino patriot who ended his days shot in the back as a traitor by Spanish troops, his political enemies undoubtedly were the Spanish Crown and Government. The Spanish Royal Conspiracy theory cannot be far behind.

Cheers,
Hook

[Raymond Tiglao Galang]

Jose Protasio (CORRECTION: I had wrongly spelled it Protacio, although I thought I remembered reading Filipino books about Rizal that that was how they spelled Protasio) Rizal died on December 30, 1896 at the age of 35 (b. June 19, 1861). Rizal was a Filipino of Chinese and Japanese lineage - descended on Chinese side from Lam-co (pinyin: Ke Yinan), then "José's father Francisco[7] adopted the surname "Rizal" (originally Ricial, the green of young growth or green fields)" [wikipedia article]. Also "Aside from indigenous Filipino and Chinese ancestry, recent genealogical research has found that José had traces of Spanish, and Japanese ancestry. His maternal great-great-grandfather (Teodora's great-grandfather) was Eugenio Ursua, a descendant of Japanese settlers, who married a Filipina named Benigna (surname unknown). They gave birth to Regina Ursua who married a Sangley mestizo from Pangasinán named Atty. Manuel de Quintos, Teodora's grandfather. Their daughter Brígida de Quintos married a Spanish mestizo named Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, the father of Teodora." [from same wikipedia article].
Rizal spent much of his years in Europe, traveling there on 2 separate "travels". Rizal left from Spain on May 3, 1882 and from there traveled throughout Europe for 5 years, leaving from France on July 3, 1887. [This information I obtained at http://www.joserizal.ph in the "Travels" part, a website put up by Jose Rizal University] On April 1888, Rizal arrived in San Francisco and then arrived in Liverpool on May 24, 1888 and left for London on May 25, 1888.

In London, Rizal stayed with the Beckett family - and eventually tried to "romance" Gertrude Beckett the oldest, though young at the time I believe, daughter.

From http://filipinohome.com/02_03_01rizal_london.html

Here is the BECKETT family in 1881 (7 years earlier)
Dwelling: 37 Chalcot Cres
Census Place: St Pancras, London, Middlesex, England
Source: FHL Film 1341040 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 0183 Folio 15 Page 23

Rizal to his family, 13th June 1888 (from London)
I am not in a bad place. I have two rooms, a bedroom, small and cozy, and another room where I can study, write and receive visitors. The family is made up of man and wife, four daughters and two sons; the daughters are called Gertrude (Tottie), Blance (Sissie), Flory and Grace. The first two are young ladies and have their sweethearts, Tottie sings rather well; Sissie accompanies her on the piano. One of the two sons is employed; the other signs in a church choir. Board and lodging cost me at least $45. Everything is more expensive in England than in other parts of Europe.

[Incidentally, by this time, Rizal's first girlfriend and only one he held dear to him, his first cousin Leonora Rivera married an Englishman named Henry Kipping.]

Rizal stayed in London until mid-March of 1889, arriving in Paris on March 19, 1889. [So I presume Rizal left London on March 17, 1889]

Rizal returned again to London briefly on January 6, 1890 then left for Brussels, Belgium on January 8, 1890.

Rizal traveled throughout many countries in Europe, including Spain, France, Belgium, Italy, and Germany. Rizal was a doctor and an opthalmologist.

I will paste more parts of Rizal's first letter to Ferdinand Blumentritt on July 23, 1888.

It starts off

-> 37 Chalcot Crescent, Primrose Hill, N.W.
London, 23 June 1888

My dear Friend,

Today I received your second letter. I address you familiarly - tú - because you insist on it; but God knows that I regret it because it seems that I am addressing my father familiarly! Let your will be done! <-

[interesting reference to Rizal's correspondent Blumentritt]

-> My father will be very much pleased when he shall read your letter. I am surprised that you have not reeeivecd until now my letter from the Philippines, either from my friends or my family. <-

[I included this because of the "spelling" of "received" as "reeeivecd". I checked the text of this letter on a Filipino website and it's also "reeeivecd" in the Filipino website's text of the letter]

On this post, I'll include the full paragraph of what I only copy-pasted in part in my previous post:

-> I live here with an English family who esteem me. I don't believe that its esteem is due to the two pounds weekly. That would be humiliating for your friend Rizal and would be ill-considered. At times when I receive news from Spain, it seems to me that I ought to hate all Europeans, but then I believe I shall got to Austria to live there if I cannot live in the Philippines, because Austria has no colonies and for being an Austrian he who has done so much for my country and loves her greatly. <-

What I find interesting is the first 2 sentences. The grammatical "reference"? to an English family in the first sentence as "its" in the following sentence?

Rizal was a very quick-tempered person. Rizal was prone to fights as a young boy, and eventually became a duellist, challenging a few men to duels over insults, though each time, the man challenged back down from the duel. I read that Rizal was considered a "superior" swordsman. I also read in a Filipino-written biography of Rizal that once, while Rizal was on a ship during his travels, he showed another man how to use a yo-yo as a weapon. I also read that Rizal also could box, but I haven't re-researched that yet.

I've also looked at other examples of Rizal's handwriting, and it seems to me, that it varied at times. Rizal, according to a wikipedia article, was considered a "polymath" [a person with encyclopedic capacity for knowledge??].