Journalists

[Chris Scott]

Hi Stewart
Many thanks for that great source material
What was the source of the name Best being suggested as the journalist in question?
Regards
Chris

[perrymason]

Hi again,

My comment wasnt an inference that you suggested work for Stephen Stewart, sorry if it read that way.

Thanks for the posts above....we can see that Anderson felt with some certainty that he knew the identity of the Ripper letters author and the killer himself....although Ive never heard it explained prescisely on what basis this knowledge was founded.

What was the source for information that led him to suspect the enterprising journalist?

My best regards.

[Stewart P Evans]

Bad

Hi Stewart
Many thanks for that great source material
What was the source of the name Best being suggested as the journalist in question?
Regards
Chris

Chris, thanks, the only source for the 'Best' story is about as bad as it can be. It is Nigel Morland in his 'Survey' (editorial) at the front of his Crime & Detection, June 1966. As we know, Morland rivals McCormick in the field of inventive writing and he was the chief early propagator of the Prince Eddy Royal nonsense. For the edification of those who have not seen it, here is Morland's tale in full -

[Stewart P Evans]

'Waverley Nib'

And for anyone interested here's a Waverley Nib -

[Chris Scott]

Many thanks for that Stewart
Very much appreciated
Certainly the jockey mentioned seems to have existed...
This is from the New Oxfordshire Village Book:
The most interesting character to have lived in Appleford appears to have been John ‘Jockey’ Faulkener. He is interred in Appleford church*yard in an unmarked grave. John Faulkener died in 1933 at the age of 104. He rode his first race at eight years old and his last, in 1903, at 70! Aged 18 years he won the City Bowl at Salisbury and 74 years later watched his grandson win the same race.

John Faulkener had two wives and 32 children, the eldest of whom was the same age as his second wife. His name was Jimmy; he also in turn became Britain’s oldest jockey, beating his father by a short head, marrying three times and having 33 children
Chris

[Stewart P Evans]

Faulkener

Many thanks for that Stewart
Very much appreciated
Certainly the jockey mentioned seems to have existed...
This is from the New Oxfordshire Village Book:
The most interesting character to have lived in Appleford appears to have been John ‘Jockey’ Faulkener. He is interred in Appleford church*yard in an unmarked grave. John Faulkener died in 1933 at the age of 104. He rode his first race at eight years old and his last, in 1903, at 70! Aged 18 years he won the City Bowl at Salisbury and 74 years later watched his grandson win the same race.
John Faulkener had two wives and 32 children, the eldest of whom was the same age as his second wife. His name was Jimmy; he also in turn became Britain’s oldest jockey, beating his father by a short head, marrying three times and having 33 children
Chris

Thanks Chris, yes Faulkener's history is mentioned by Paul Begg in The Facts, although Paul doesn't seem to be aware that it was Morland who wrote the piece. Morland, like many others of his ilk, specialised in mixing fact with their own invention, thus making the stories sound more authentic.

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

The Anderson, Littlechild and Macnaghten utterances on the authorship of the Ripper correspondence sound disingenuous to me.

The question to be addressed is: how soon after the police used Dear Boss and Saucy Jacky posters to create the biggest scare the world had ever known did they decide the Ripper correspondence was actually the work of an enterprising journalist?

Regards,

Simon

[Stewart P Evans]

Speaking of...

Speaking of Nigel Morland (and apropos of Simon Wood), this from the cover of Bloodhound No. 1, March 1987, ed. by Simon Wood -