Proof of Tumblety's Misogyny

[Barrister]

Can anyone point me to evidence that Tumblety was a confirmed woman hater? Does anyone know whether he was ever married and, if so, what is the source of that information?
Just to be clear, I am familiar with the following from the
Daily Telegraph on December 5, 1888: "It is reported by cable from Europe that a certain person, whose name is known, has sailed from Havre for New York, who is famous for his hatred of women, and who has repeatedly made threats against females of dissolute character."

[Dr. John Watson]

Tumblety never married. He was a confirmed homosexual with a preference for teenage boys and younger men. I know of no documentary evidence that Tumblety hated women or that he ever abused or mistreated them. The charge seems based on personal perception rather than solid evidence. He generally shunned the company of women (not unusual for a homosexual) and routinely warned his male acquaintances and "patients" against having sexual relations with loose women because of venereal disease. (The warning was a valid one, but was it also meant to imply that they seek relief from other men instead?) These factors are what probably led to his being thought of as a woman hater. This reputation apparently did not affect how women thought of him: His various landladies seemed to like him, and it was reported that he had a number of wealthy women admirers who came to him for "treatment" and who helped finance his fancy lifestyle. An article stating that he kept a collection of female organs at his home probably gave credence to the "woman hater" claim, along with fueling suspicion that he was Jack the Ripper. He did possess a collection of uteri in glass jars, but there's no evidence he killed to obtain them!

Dr. John

[mklhawley]

Can anyone point me to evidence that Tumblety was a confirmed woman hater? Does anyone know whether he was ever married and, if so, what is the source of that information?
Just to be clear, I am familiar with the following from the
Daily Telegraph on December 5, 1888: "It is reported by cable from Europe that a certain person, whose name is known, has sailed from Havre for New York, who is famous for his hatred of women, and who has repeatedly made threats against females of dissolute character."

Hi Barrister and Dr. John,

Tumblety once told his landlady that the reason he was going out so late was to visit the grave of his wife. He then told Colonel Dunham and some other military officers that he was once married. Even his death certificate, an official document, states he was a widower. Keep in mind, the source for him being a widower was most likely himself, since he was at St. Johns hospital for a month before he died. Chances are, he was never married. Each time he claimed this there was an agenda to deceive.

I wrote an article in the Whitechapel Society titled Tumblety the Woman Hater, and I go into detail about his misogyny. PM me and I will send it to you. He being a misogynist is more solid than Dr. John has explained only because it's not really personal perception, but there is contemporary evidence. I go into evidence revealed in Neil Storey's book. When Chief Inspector Littlechild discussed Tumblety's bitter hatred, he stated a fact on record. If we take his word for it, and there's no reason why we shouldn't, he was privy to and most likely saw Tumblety extensive Scotland Yard dossier.

I actually have record of a female patient in fear of him, but this is for later.

Sincerely,

Mike

[Phil Carter]

When Chief Inspector Littlechild discussed Tumblety's bitter hatred, he stated a fact on record. If we take his word for it, and there's no reason why we shouldn't, he was privy to and most likely saw Tumblety extensive Scotland Yard dossier.

Hello Mike,

With the greatest respect here...

1) We cannot take Littlechild's "word" for this on that basis, because the same argument can be used for Anderson, Macnaghten, Abberline,Swanson, etc etc etc. Nothing advances Littlechild's "word" over the others mentioned on the basis "there's no reason why we shouldn't" and "he was privy to and most likely saw Tumblety extensive Scotland Yard dossier"

If Kosminski was infact SO suspected there would have been a dossier on him too...likewise Druitt, etc etc etc So this does not make Littlechild exclusively right.

2) The so-called "fact on record" you quote has never surfaced. Unless it does we cannot with certainty say that it does exist. Ipso facto, it is not "a fact on record". A private letter written by Littlechild, Chief of the Special Branch, would hardly divulge Secret Special Branch information. the argument that Sims would be trustworthy, as a Journalist, from a policeman's point of view, would be shaky. Sim's record as a journalist when writing of the Whitechapel murders was continual. Littlechild would have known exactly what Sims had written previously.


Phil

[mklhawley]

Hi Phil,

I agree with you, if Littlechild's comments were an anomaly, but it's been corroborated by the multiple of newspaper articles plus Tumblety's words to his exboyfriend, Henry Hall Caine.

Corroboration from entirely separate sources.

Sincerely,

Mike

[mklhawley]

Another point is that we actually do know what was in the Scotland Yard dossier, at least part of it. If Tumblety had any legal issues involving Scotland Yard, it would have been in it. One of them involved a young man in the late 1870s, but there's more. Not only did Littlechild know of his hatred of women, but his unusual hatred. It's interesting how the Daily Telegraph mentioned this. Who was the source for the Daily Telegraph. Sounds very police-like to me.

Sincerely,
Mike

[Errata]

What are the odds that "Hatred of women" or "woman hater" is simply a euphemism for homosexuality?

Threats and violence is kind of a separate thing, since any number of men who profess to love women do the same thing (and vice versa).

But despite the various other phrases that could be used to describe a misogynist, including "misogynist", it seems that "hater of women" is the preferred description. And that is slightly odd.

[mklhawley]

Hi Errata,

That's what my entire article was about. In the late nineteenth century, 'woman hater' had two meanings. One was homosexual and the other was misogynist. The woman's suffrage movement was in full swing, so I have articles calling actual woman haters 'woman haters'. I then demonstrate that, woman hater in Tumblety's case meant hatred of women. Case in point: when Littlechild talked about Tumblety's homosexuality he used the term, 'Psychopathia sexualis' (or something like that). He never used the term 'woman hater' with Tumblety, he stated 'bitter hatred towards women'.

Mike

[mklhawley]

Oh I forgot to mention. I also have a medical article where a professed homosexual, a man lover, at the time state: "Now, I am not a woman hater..."

Mike

[Errata]

Oh I forgot to mention. I also have a medical article where a professed homosexual, a man lover, at the time state: "Now, I am not a woman hater..."

Mike

Total aside... Did his doctors believe him?

[mklhawley]

Total aside... Did his doctors believe him?

Hi Errata,

Henry Havelock Ellis (1859 – 1939), a British physician and psychologist, focused his research on homosexuality in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, and in 1897 he published a book called Sexual Inversion. In there, a case subject states: “Even their [women’s] physical beauty has little or no charm for me, and I often wonder how men can be so affected by it. On the other hand, I am not a woman-hater, and have several strong friends of the opposite sex.”

It looks like Ellis was more concerned about the man lover part, so I'm not sure.

Sincerely,
Mike

[Dr. John Watson]

Hi Mike.

With your vast knowledge of the subject, I will certainly defer to you when it comes to the facts concerning Tumblety. However, I don't think you have proven the validity of the unsubstantiated claim that he hated women. Without documented evidence that he ever abused or mistreated any woman, or publicly proclaimed his hatred of them, or is proven to have made statements to that effect, it must be concluded that his preference for other males and his warnings to young men to avoid loose women led others to perceive him as being a woman hater. Of course, you have mentioned several sources to support your position - sources I'm not aware of - so I may have to revise my thinking at some future time. Keep up the good work!

John

[mklhawley]

There's more to come and thanks John.

Mike

[Barrister]

Chief Inspector,
I think you made an astute point about the euphemism and, given the era we are discussing, lends verisimilitude to the point. Thanks for taking time to respond.
Barrister

[Stewart P Evans]

A brief interjection...

A brief interjection here, just to set the record straight, what Littlechild actually wrote was, "...but his feelings towards women were remarkable and bitter in the extreme, a fact on record."

This is rather different than simply stating that he had 'a hatred of women' or that he was a 'woman hater.' So, hardly a euphemism I should have thought. Littlechild described Tumblety's feelings towards women as 'remarkable and bitter' and then added to this by stating that this was 'a fact on record.' That is not merely stating he was homosexual in a roundabout way.

Just because we don't know where Littlechild's 'fact on record' existed (probably in Tumblety's file), doesn't mean that it didn't exist. Littlechild was not making out a huge case to prove Tumblety was the Ripper, he was merely adding to the statement that Tumblety was 'a very likely' suspect.