How have your views changed.....?

[c.d.]

I once believed that if Scotland Yard had truly believed that Tumblety was the Ripper that they could have put pressure on American police officials to extradite him regardless of the legal technicalities involved. Post by Stewart Evans convinced me otherwise.

c.d.

[The Cenci]

I've gone from Tumblety to Kosminski to local nobody to Kelly to Bury and back to Kosminski. Now firmly entrenched in the local nobody theory.

This is why I never joined the police force.

[Rosella]

Martha Tabram was never really seriously considered as one of Jack's years ago and for a long time I dismissed the arguments for her being one. Even now I am iffy!

When I first started seriously reading about the Ripper murders decades ago, Druitt was considered the leading candidate for Jack. I never really accepted that and I don't think my view that JTR was an obscure local man who slipped through the net has really changed that much.

A huge lot of info on this site has increased my knowledge of these crimes heaps, though.

[Mayerling]

I used to think Mark Twain was the Ripper... but now I'm not so sure.

Hi Harry,

I'd love you to explain, why?

Somehow I'm sure the reports of Sam/Mark's guilt are greatly exaggerated, but this just has to be put out a bit.

As for my own opinion, I really have never felt the case was solvable after 1888 - 1890 or so. This was due to the fact that the sheer amount of energy of the Scotland Yard and City of London police involved never got anywhere - or at lease officially did not. The thing that has kept my interest is the research that has been done here and on the JTR website - extraordinary amounts of it that have dug so much out of that period that was just buried. That has impressed me.

In the late 18th Century there was a similar unknown person question, albeit one dealing with political criticism and satire and not with bloodstained streets. The question was "who was the author of the 'Junius Papers' that were appearing in the London press?" These were attacking King George III's supporters and ministers. Several names were brought up, and one (Sir Philip Francis) was more-or-less accepted by historians, but they still put a question mark against that name. But somehow, the actual identification of "Junius" with Sir Philip of anyone else no longer seems really important. It was the value of the letters that were the important thing - what they showed of intelligent criticism of King George's policies, which shortly (and disastrously) led to the revolt of his thirteen colonies.

Well here we have the horrible results of a blood-stained series of murders of prostitutes in some of the poorest areas of Britain's capital, be it for five months or over three or more years. It was, according to George Bernard Shaw, the act of some "unknown genius" converting the smug upper classes into briefly concerned quasi-socialists about changing the situation in the ghetto areas. It did not last, but it happened. That naming the bastard who did it would be fine if properly proven. I for one think it would be a fitting monument to continue studying the incident in detail, learning everything about the lives of the victims, of the leading suspects, of life in the city of London in all it's sections, and of police and medical work in the case - not only would it be more valuable to continue doing that but it would be a fitting memorial to the victims.

Jeff

[andy1867]

Mine changed weekly, with every book, TV doc..Film etc...I'm more a sort of staid individual since reading the official documents on here, and the books by Philip Sugden and the A-Z etc...but can still be easily persuaded by most owt
I now lean towards that its someone we haven't come across..yet

[Abby Normal]

My views change somewhat, but not drastically.

But right now Im at:

Victims:
Millwood (maybe)
Tabram
Nichols
Chapman
Stride
Eddowes
Kelly
McKenzie (maybe)

Suspects:
1.Blotchy
1.a.Hutch

then

Bury, Kelly, Chapman, Koz

[PC Fitzroy-Toye]

Not to much has changed for me I still think its most likely the work of one deeply disturbed soul with medical understanding and practical knowlege and I still ponder what drove him and why it stopped.