Stewart Evans and Don Rumbelow on History Channel

[Hunter]

Irregardless of the dialect, it would seem that Tumblety's features alone would be recognizable by many.

[Natalie Severn]

I must admit to finding Tumblety the most elusive of all the suspects.I am not saying he did stay at Batty Street but I wouldnt be surprised.
The whole incident of him jumping bail and immediately being named a Jack the Ripper suspect in the American press is extraordinary.There seems to have been something going on---bribes perhaps? Pure speculation but he was known to have flaunted his jewelry to police when arrested and what happens next?Why he is on a ship to America!And nobody apparently batted an eyelid!

[Toofew]

For those interested, a 3:07 trailer is available at history.com. Just go to TV shows, then video and scroll down.

Also, on Hulu.com, they have the made-for-TV docudrama "The Secret Identity of Jack The Ripper" with expert commentary by Rumbelow and Fido. Douglas & another FBI agent are part of the panel to evaluate the evidence. To show how old this is, Peter Ustinov is the host.

Billy

[Bob Hinton]

Explanation

The whole incident of him jumping bail and immediately being named a Jack the Ripper suspect in the American press is extraordinary.

But surely the story that Tumblety was arrested as a Jack the Ripper suspect came from Dr T himself? Look at it this way. Dr T is arrested, not for being JTR but for some rather strange goings on with men in a public lavatory. This is a fact and yet this story did not make it into the American press – why not? I believe that Dr T explained his arrest away by saying that he was a JTR suspect, a much more romantic explanation than the real one.

It’s strange that out of all the newspapers in Britain I believe only one minor paper carried the ‘arrested as JTR suspect account’, and they could have got that from the Americans. The majority of British papers didn’t carry that story as they knew it wasn’t so.

If I’m wrong then someone will have to explain why the American papers carried the story of an arrest that didn’t happen, yet failed to carry the story of the arrest that did happen.

[Natalie Severn]

Thanks Bob,
I see what you are saying!
I too will need to look into that arrest business again.I know Tumblety was arrested over the gross misconduct charge and that he jumped bail over that.I felt sure the New York Times[?]carried a story of him as a JtR suspect but maybe I am mistaken.
Best
Norma

[Bob Hinton]

American newspapers

felt sure the New York Times[?]carried a story of him as a JtR suspect but maybe I am mistaken.
Best
Norma

I think you are absolutely right, but where did they get the story from? I maintain Dr T himself.

[The Good Michael]

First off I defy a German speaker in those days to distinguish between an American, Canadian, Australian or even South African accent.

I also defy newspapermen and policemen to distinguish between a German and a Yiddish speaker.

Mike

[Hunter]

I am no Tumblety expert but I also got the impression that Tumblety used the JTR episode as a smokescreen to cover what he considered more damaging personal conduct implications. His indictment of the British authorities harrasing him because he was an American and the murderer was thouight to be an American had to be a concoction on his part. The British request for handwriting samples is puzzling, however, unless he was involved in some type of extortion as well. He always managed to "earn" money somehow.

[Tom_Wescott]

Is it now considered radical thinking to suppose that Tumblety actually was suspected of Scotland Yard of being the Ripper?

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Hunter]

One problem with Tumblety, Tom, is that his whole life was based on deceit, therefore anything he said, especially to the press is suspect. With the exception of the handwriting request by British authorities all trails back to Scotland Yard, at least for now, seem to shed little light on him.

Littlechild seems to be the only contemporary to mention him outright and one wonders how much the American press reports had to play in that.

[Natalie Severn]

Thanks Bob.Quite possible. He would do anything for attention, or maybe it was a way of getting money for interviews with the press denying all knowledge ???

[Bob Hinton]

I think we are all forgetting that there were more crimes being committed than those of JTR, therefore just because you are of interest to Scotland Yard during this period does not automatically mean that you’re suspected of being a serial killer.

I should imagine that Tumblety was of particular interest because of his Fenian sympathies. Littlechild after all had nothing to do with the JTR case but was from the Special Irish Branch.

Has it been established which department of Scotland Yard asked for the handwriting samples?