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The Writings Of Francis Tumblety

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  • The Writings Of Francis Tumblety

    From http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=8&gl=uk

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    Casebook: Jack the Ripper - Forums > Ripper Discussions > Suspects > Tumblety, Francis > The Writings of Francis Tumblety

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    PDAView Full Version : The Writings of Francis Tumblety


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    spryder18th June 2006, 07:41 PM
    The complete text of three of Francis Tumblety's books is now available on the Casebook at:



    Included are his 1866, 1872 and 1889 books. His 1853 and 1893 books will follow sometime in the future, but probably not for a while (my typing fingers hurt!)

    Enjoy -

    Stephen

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    How Brown18th June 2006, 07:44 PM
    Thanks a million Stephen !



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    chris18th June 2006, 08:38 PM
    Superb job Stephen - give your fingers well derserved rest!

    Many Thanks
    Chris

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    chrisg19th June 2006, 01:28 AM
    OFFICE OF HENRY CLEWS & CO.,

    13 AND 15 BROAD STREET,
    NEW YORK, April 2, 1889.




    DEAR DOCTOR TUMBLETY:
    I am in receipt of your letter of the 30th ult., and am much obliged for the comments contained.

    Yours very truly,

    HENRY CLEWS.

    Henry Clews & Co. was the New York banking company that held Tumblety's assets at his death, and over which there was a fight between the people named under his will as shown in a New York Times article of June 1903 (http://casebook.org/press_reports/ne...t19030626.html) -- and yet the good doctor is citing this letter as if it is an endorsement of his work.

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    Joe Chetcuti27th November 2006, 07:27 PM
    Both friends and foes around poor John came swarming
    One ordered this, another ordered that,
    But one and all reproached poor blundering Pat.
    When, by good fortune, round came Tumblety,
    Beheld the excited crowd, and quick drew nigh,
    He felt his pulse, then scann'd his tongue and face
    Look'd wise, and then exclaimed - a hopeless case.
    The only chance to bring the Witness round,
    Will be to give friend, John, a strong compound -
    Of Temperance cordials, politics, and creeds,
    More potent far than all my Indian weeds.
    Ah! lucky Doctor, you - the prince of quacks -
    Guess'd John's disease, and rais'd him off his back;
    Quick he improves, and shews his hearty thanks,
    By jumping headlong into Luther's ranks.
    His charmed band their leader follow fast,
    Forgetting and forgiving all the past
    From Zion comes, and from famed Cote' Street
    The B'hoys from Griffintown their friends to greet.
    Oh! potent nostrum, now the cause grows strong.
    Neither the Pope or Luther now are wrong:
    The clamorous witnesses shake hands, agree
    Hurra! for Dorion, Holton, and McGee
    Say, patron say, if this most strange Election
    Does not supply much food for our reflection.

    That was printed in the January 4, 1858 Montreal Pilot. There was more to this poem, but this is all I've got of it. If anybody has that poem in its entirety, just post it up. I'm curious to find out what else was written in it. Stephen put me wise to this writing last spring. Tumblety's Montreal words here were full of Irish-Canadian political verve. From what we've read, we might be able to decipher parts of it.

    It sounded like a man whom Tumblety referred to as John was working for Protestant-political interests in Montreal, thus the reference of John being in cahoots with Luther's ranks. John seemed to be some kind of a mole. He appeared before Tumblety as a patient, but Tumblety saw right through him. Instead of prescribing medication, Tumblety let John know that he was wise to him. Tumblety gave John the advice to restrain himself from playing these political games, thus the phrase Temperance cordials, politics, and creeds was used.

    Tumblety declared this remedy of his to be a potent nostrum. Ambiguous writing was the quack's specialty. Here are a couple of definitions for the word nostrum:

    1. A patent medicine sold with exaggerated claims; quack medicine.
    2. A scheme for solving some social or political problem.

    The clamorous witnesses shake hands, agree
    Hurra! for Dorion, Holton, and McGee.

    All three of those men were involved in Canadian politics. McGee and Sir Antoine-Aimee Dorion were moderate Liberals. They were not part of the radical elements like Bernard Devlin was. Holton was also a Liberal. I don't think those three politicians were being favorably mentioned here by Tumblety. McGee's "New Era" periodical brutally mocked Tumblety's pagan beliefs just a few months earlier by using satirical parables which teasingly linked the quack with the Greek god Aesulapius and and the ex-pagan Gregory Thaumaturgas. Tumblety and McGee were not allies.

    This isn't an easy poem to figure out. Tumblety referred to John as a "witness" as if criminal charges were impending if the quack didn't watch his step during this encounter. All in all, it's a very curious piece of writing which left little doubt that Irish-Canadian politics weighed heavily on Tumblety's mind in Montreal during his stay there. The quack seemed to say that he was cognizant of some politically-sponsored ploy that was being directed at him. If others want to take a crack at deciphering this, be my guest. Maybe if we can view that January 4th article in it entirety, we'll learn more. I don't see any indication that Tumblety was dueling with Montreal's Medical Society with this particular writing. It seemed to have only been an odd political skirmish with a Protestant and Catholic theme in the background, thus the reference to the Pope and Martin Luther.

    On a different note, I've located Colonel Hughes-Hallett's death certificate in England. I'm in the process of obtaining a photo-copy of it. Hopefully I'll be able to share it with everyone in a few weeks.

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    Joe Chetcuti4th March 2007, 10:18 PM
    Sworn to before His Worship, George Hall, Esq., Mayor of Quebec.

    Quebec, June 13, 1858

    This is to certify that I have been blind for ten years of my right eye and for the last ten months my left eye became similarly diseased. Four weeks ago I was led by three members of the St. Patrick's Society into Dr. Tumblety's office almost blind. The Doctor, after examining me, said he could cure me in a short time, notwithstanding most of the doctors in town gave me up as incurable, namely, Dr. Landry and Dr. Fremont of the Nunnery Hospital; they gave me up after thirteen weeks treatment, and my wife led me home blind from the institution. Then I commenced trying mostly all the doctors of Quebec without the slightest particle of relief. I have been to work for the last eight to ten days, at my usual occupation, that of a mariner on the St. Lawrence, and thanks to Almighty God that he has sent the illustrious Dr. Tumblety to cure me. May God bless him!

    This fraudulent ad really epitomized what Tumblety was all about. Anyone who has an interest in studying the writings of the Littlechild suspect can use this newspaper clipping as a good starting point. The quack's penchant for harboring personal vendettas was shown here. Apparently Dr. Landry and Dr. Fremont drew his ire in Quebec during 1858. I found this ad a few years ago in the May 19, 1862 Daily Intelligencer of Washington DC. So Dr. T probably had a good vindictive stew boiling for a few years against the Nunnery Hospital.

    I'm pretty sure Chris Scott originally found this ad in another newspaper, and he posted it on the old Casebook message boards. So it sounded like Tumblety printed up this item at least a couple of times during the 1858-1862 period. (Judging by his latest super find in the Syracuse Evening Herald, Chris sure seems to be slowing down when it comes to finding new Tumblety paperwork! Good work as always, sir.)

    We also read how Tumblety invoked God's name in this deceitful testimony for the sake of his self-promotion. I'd think he did it for the sake of religious mockery as well. The quack was seeking undeserved religious accolades for himself because he gave sight to his "blind" patient. These were the type of ridiculing parables the quack was known for. He showed no fear when mis-using God's name in the advertisment of his phony medical practice.

    Tumblety's habit of mis-using the name of a prominent citizen was re-displayed here, too. The Mayor of Quebec was targeted this time. Tumblety attached the mayor's name as an endorsement to the fabricated testimony he wrote. Again that was a common trait of his writing.

    The quack's favorable mentioning of the St. Patrick's Society was in accord with his political stance. This society was very Pro-Irish and it recruited plenty of Fenians and Irish radical extremists. So you can see how this one small ad really captured many aspects of this Ripper suspect's make up.

    When studying the writings of a young Dr. T, then comparing it to his writings as an older man, there really isn't much variety to it. His writing technique and deceitful accounts didn't change a whole lot. In fact you'll find some of the material in his last autobiography to be just a rehashing of his old writing.

    Now for a quick side-note, in my previous post on this thread I mentioned how Thomas D'Arcy McGee wasn't part of the extreme radical element that Bernard Devlin was alleged to have been involved with. (In fact, Devlin was once President of the St. Patrick's Society and one of its members was executed for the McGee assasination.) Well I should clarify that in the beginning, Devlin was politically aligned with McGee. As Wolf once pointed out, in the autumn of 1857 Devlin strongly supported McGee's run for Canadian Parliament. The rift between the two of them came later.

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