A London surgeon's suicide

[Fisherman]

Well, after reading The Whitechapel forum and old casebook Thomas gets better as a suspect. He has more going for him than many other suspects. I wonder why he has been ignored. So to recap on what is known:

William Evans Thomas born Anglesea 1856, father a chemist.
Medical training, licensed apothocary Dublin. 1880 and licensed Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh 1881

1884 Has surgery at 190 Green St near Victoria Park in the East End, Apparently has aristocratic clients including Lord Astor [ to be verified]

Is mentioned in papers as having a connection with Metropolitian Hospital, which is based in Commercial St Spitalfields 1876/86 . Then in Kingsland rd Hackney.[ to be verified]

Apparently would frequently return to Wales after a murder as verified by Anglesea archives

Suffered a breakdown and depression after death of Mary Kelly. His father came to London to take him back to Wales on the occasion he committed suicide in June 1889 by stealing prussic acid from his father's shop.

I think he is a strong candidate. Surgeon, local to area, absences after murders, right age range 33, depression , suicide.

Whats not to like?

Miss Marple

Well, well, miss Marple - you have found yourself a suspect! And not only that - he is supposedly a strong candidate too!

This would of course be an excellent opportunity for me to remind you of how extremely unforgiving you have been against me for pointing a finger at Lechmere - you found it revolting and deeply unethical, as I recall things.

And now here you are, naming a man as a strong candidate, even asking us "whatīs not to like"?

I will not seize the opportunity to mock you, though. You shall have my view, and I will ask you a few pertinent questions which I hope you will answer.

I am confident that the Ripper and the torso killer are one and the same. Therefore, the Kelly murder, removed seven months in time, is not the one I would look upon as the act that made Thomas do away with himself, but instead Elizabeth Jackson, in the very month of June 1889!

However, the Pinchin Street torso could not have been Thomas. And it is very unlikely that the 1873 torso of Battersea was his - he was 17 at the time. And I firmly believe these murders belong to the same man.

The one thing that looks most interesting to me - who think we may rule out that the killer had surgical expertise - is the returning to Wales after each killing. What I would like to know is that if it occurred on each of the four Ripper killing nights, or if it was more sporadic. How close in time to the killings was it? Did he otherwise not visit his father regularly?

And would it not be compatible with a frail pshyche that was giving way to seek refuge at his fatherīs place? We know that he chose that venue for his death, so it would seem he may have sought his fathers home out to soothe his nerves, something that ultimately failed. The two spent the sonīs last night in life together in the same sleeping room, apparently, which makes it sound terribly tragic to me.

That is my view. I am glad - as always - when somebody with competence and enthusiasm sets out to look deeper into a character I myself would not have the time to research. Welcome to the weird world of suspectology!

[Trevor Marriott]

Well, after reading The Whitechapel forum and old casebook Thomas gets better as a suspect. He has more going for him than many other suspects. I wonder why he has been ignored. So to recap on what is known:

William Evans Thomas born Anglesea 1856, father a chemist.
Medical training, licensed apothocary Dublin. 1880 and licensed Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh 1881

1884 Has surgery at 190 Green St near Victoria Park in the East End, Apparently has aristocratic clients including Lord Astor [ to be verified]

Is mentioned in papers as having a connection with Metropolitian Hospital, which is based in Commercial St Spitalfields 1876/86 . Then in Kingsland rd Hackney.[ to be verified]

Apparently would frequently return to Wales after a murder as verified by Anglesea archives

Suffered a breakdown and depression after death of Mary Kelly. His father came to London to take him back to Wales on the occasion he committed suicide in June 1889 by stealing prussic acid from his father's shop.

I think he is a strong candidate. Surgeon, local to area, absences after murders, right age range 33, depression , suicide.

Whats not to like?

Miss Marple

So what makes him a suspect ?

https://www.trevormarriott.co.uk

[PaulB]

Just a quick passing observation, but the A To Z has carried an entry for Dr William Evan(s) Thomas since its 1995 edition, 21 years ago. I may be prejudiced, but the A to Z is a worthwhile reference source.

[miss marple]

Well, after reading The Whitechapel forum and old casebook Thomas gets better as a suspect. He has more going for him than many other suspects. I wonder why he has been ignored. So to recap on what is known:

William Evans Thomas born Anglesea 1856, father a chemist.
Medical training, licensed apothocary Dublin. 1880 and licensed Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh 1881

1884 Has surgery at 190 Green St near Victoria Park in the East End, Apparently has aristocratic clients including Lord Astor [ to be verified]

Is mentioned in papers as having a connection with Metropolitian Hospital, which is based in Commercial St Spitalfields 1876/86 . Then in Kingsland rd Hackney.[ to be verified]

Apparently would frequently return to Wales after a murder as verified by Anglesea archives

Suffered a breakdown and depression after death of Mary Kelly. His father came to London to take him back to Wales on the occasion he committed suicide in June 1889 by stealing prussic acid from his father's shop.

I think he is a strong candidate. Surgeon, local to area, absences after murders, right age range 33, depression , suicide.

Whats not to like?

Miss Marple

[David Orsam]

From the Llandudno Register and Herald, Friday 21 June 1889:

SUICIDE OF A DOCTOR AT ABBERFFRAW

On Tuesday night, 11th inst., Dr. William Evans Thomas, aged 33, late of 190, Green-street, Victoria Park, London, returned home in company of his father, Mr. Henry Parry Thomas, chemist and postmaster, Abberffraw. He was not very well and slept that night with his father. Mr. Thomas, senior, thought it advisable to watch him. While his father was talking to Mr Wm. Jones, Ty Croes, in the shop, the deceased was seen going behind the counter with his pipe in his hand, and after taking something from the drawer, he left. His father followed him in a few minutes, and failing to find his son downstairs, he went into his (the father's) bedroom and there he found him lying on the bed dead. He had taken an ounce bottle of prussic acid from the shop, and had swallowed about half its contents. An inquest was held on Thursday by Mr. R. Jones Roberts, county coroner, and the jury, of whom Mr. J.R. Jones, Bodfeirig, was foreman, returned a verdict of suicide during temporary insanity. Much sympathy is felt for the father and relatives of the deceased.

[David Orsam]

From Derby Daily Telegraph, Friday 14 June 1889:

SUICIDE OF A SURGEON

At Abberffraw, a village about ten miles from Holyhead, on Wednesday evening, Dr Thomas, one of the surgeons of the Metropolitan Hospital, committed suicide by taking a quantity of prussic acid. The deceased, who was on a visit to his parents, appeared to be in his usual health and spirits; but he suddenly left his father's shop, and proceeding to one of the bedrooms, partook of the poison. He was discovered shortly afterwards by his father, who immediately summoned assistance, but all efforts to restore the deceased proved fruitless.

[Observer]

Also

http://casebook.org/forum/messages/4922/10323.html

[David Orsam]

See this thread on JTR forums:

http://www.jtrforums.com/showthread.php?t=718

Refers to an article in the October 2005 Whitechapel Society Journal by Des McKenna entitled 'Jacripa'.

Suspect's full name: William Evans* Thomas


*possibly Evan

[Observer]

Must have been the old message boards then. Try the JTR Forums.

[miss marple]

I did do a search, did nt find anything unfortunately. Thomas needs a relook. if someone has been discussed once, and they can't be discussed again. That would save thousands of words on certain suspects!

Miss Marple

[Observer]

As I said, Thomas has been discussed before, I believe a number of posters revealed information regarding this individual. Perhaps if you did a search, it might save you valuable time. It was some time ago, if memory serves, could be before this site crashed where information was lost.

Observer

[miss marple]

I love Casebook, it has everything.
He seems to have been dismissed as a suspect because he committed suicide seven months after MK. Yet nothing about him has been investigated. What's the rule book that states you can only be a suicide ripper if you kill yourself immediatly after MK? i am not saying he is the ripper but if a someone had committed a serious of murders, then stopped, was perhaps driven to do so, then it prayed on his mind causing depression, suicide could take place months later.
He was 33 and it do'es mention in one of the newspapers that he was a Surgeon at the Metropolition which had been based in Commercial st till 86. If he was at the hospital then he would be familier with area and probably treated prostitutes He may have gone into general practise later.

I am merely speculating until more is discovered about his career but I think he is too interesting to ignore, He needs to be fully eliminated or not.


Miss Marple

[Observer]

Hi

Thomas was discussed some years ago, if memory serves me well. A short piece about him is here under "suspect guides".

http://www.casebook.org/ripper_media/book_reviews/non-fiction/cjmorley/185.html

[miss marple]

I am not raising him to a suspect yet, but there are elements of sufficent interest for further investigation, Surgeon, East End, suicide, seven months after mk.

I will post census later and anything else that comes up. Still looking!

Miss Marple

[paul g]

It is for posts and finds like this that I joined casebook. Not the current strain of threads that populate the boards.
Excellent find.