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Did the "Serial Killer" scare begin with Martha Tabram?

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  • Did the "Serial Killer" scare begin with Martha Tabram?

    Most Jack the Ripper documentaries and films show that the panic of having a violent murderer of women on the loose spread through Whitechapel only after Mary Ann Nichols' murder, but it appears that there were at least two other Ripper-esque attacks even before Martha Tabram's death. So, my question is, was Martha Tabram's murder considered just a common act of street violence or was that the begining of the panic that there was an inhuman monster on the prowl? ....Or did that start only after the slaying of Mary Ann Nichols? Weren't the two murders tied together by the Scotland Yard at one point?
    What's all this then?

  • #2
    Hi Evgueni,

    Although Tabram's murder seems to have been first considered an isolated, freak tragedy, it did shock the East End and wasn't seen as a common murder. According to Deputy Coroner Collier, 'it was one of the most dreadful murders anyone could imagine.' The perpetrator 'must have been a perfect savage to inflict such a number of wounds on a defenceless woman in such a way.' Newspapers used phrases as 'literally butchered' and 'virulent savagery'. Even a vigilance committee of twelve was appointed to watch certain streets, mainly between 11 at night and 1 in the morning.

    I don't know at what point exactly Tabram's murder and that of Nichols were linked by Scotland Yard, but some police officers did at some point or another.

    All the best,
    Frank
    "You can rob me, you can starve me and you can beat me and you can kill me. Just don't bore me."
    Clint Eastwood as Gunny in "Heartbreak Ridge"

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    • #3
      I think the first linkage between the murders was from the press, who linked the Tabram murder and the Nichols murder with that of Emma Smith's murder. Even though they were not linked at the time, I think the Ripper style attacks on Annie Millwood and Ada Wilson have to now be, at least slightly, linked with the Tabram murder and the later Ripper murders. The Smith murder, I assume, can be ruled out as being linked to the Ripper.
      Best regards,
      Adam


      "They assumed Kelly was the last... they assumed wrong" - Me

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      • #4
        Frank makes good points here, Tabrams murder was seen as shockingly violent, but i think the earlier date of Emma Smith on the 3rd April 1888 was included in the Ripper killings to start with, as were others apart from what we know as the canocial 5.

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