The Ripper's Intellect

[perrymason]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I generally imagine him as being cunning, but not necessary above average intelligence. It seems like he was probably street smart. Honestly, I think that this idea of him being street smart makes him less likely to be one of the higher class suspects.

It does go well with the profile of David Cohen, though. A sort of insane cunning would fit with the circumstances of the murder. And then someone who lived in the midst of Whitechapel, knowing its habits and "rhythm".

Hi Steely,

The part above I accentuated is a very logical train of thought, and despite the fact that I personally believe the killer need not have come from inside the "affected" area, and therefore could live anywhere within a reasonable walk, its hard to imagine that anyone could gain a real knowledge of foot traffic flow and routes without experiencing it themselves... often. In that specific less than one square mile section of town anyway.

Ive often wondered if Jack the Ripper lived on in the area why he might have "cooled down" over the winter...blood trails on snow. He couldnt be tracked on wet cobblestones.

Best regards

[Nothing to see]

Hi Steely,

The part above I accentuated is a very logical train of thought, and despite the fact that I personally believe the killer need not have come from inside the "affected" area, and therefore could live anywhere within a reasonable walk, its hard to imagine that anyone could gain a real knowledge of foot traffic flow and routes without experiencing it themselves... often. In that specific less than one square mile section of town anyway.

Ive often wondered if Jack the Ripper lived on in the area why he might have "cooled down" over the winter...blood trails on snow. He couldnt be tracked on wet cobblestones.

Best regards

I agree with you about where Jack came from. I think he was smart enough not to live in his killing zone. Jack lived within walking distance but he didn't live in Whitechapel. I don't think that points to his occupation, just his sense of self-preservation.

[Barnaby]

I just found these data, no clue how accurate they are.

http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Serial%20Killer%20Information%20Center/Serial%20Killer%20IQ.htm

[Mr.Hyde]

Hi Barnaby,
JTR wasn't caught.I tend to put him in high IQ category.150 plus.Top half percentile.
If I split the difference between TK in that data,and the norm-JTR is 130-within the top 1%.
Ah,what's .5% between serial killers.

[Mr.Hyde]

One thing I've noticed with IQ tests-the last question,in my experience,cannot be worked out directly.Matter of deleteing wrong answers-what you are left with is the answer.
Echoes of Sherlock Holmes.

[The Good Michael]

Hi Barnaby,
JTR wasn't caught.I tend to put him in high IQ category.150 plus.Top half percentile.
If I split the difference between TK in that data,and the norm-JTR is 130-within the top 1%.
Ah,what's .5% between serial killers.

Hyde,

What's your justification? He was a genius, you say. Very likely and impossibility. A portion of IQ has to do with social factors. Another part has to do with education which is a component of social factors. You need to build a case for genius IQ by starting there, I believe and adding to it. I think that cannot be done by any stretch of the rational imagination.

Cheers,

Mike

[Mr.Hyde]

I've had a stab at it.
No,I have not stated that he is a genius.
Reckon he had a similar IQ to mine.Probably better.
Wanna define social factors?Seen one big,never ending debate on that subject.
Social factors are basically everything.I mean everything!

[The Good Michael]

150 is genius IQ. By the way, I think IQ tests are completely biased, so 150 is unimportant to me. Yet, you're the one who used the concept. I'm just seeking clarification.

Cheers,

Mike

[Mr.Hyde]

I agree that IQ tests are flawed.
I do not consider myself a genius.Love to know where you got the idea that 150 plus (marginally) is genius.
Did you use Barnaby's link in his post?

[Mr.Hyde]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellect

Reckon I'm following the post.

[Mascara & Paranoia]

M & P and Mr Hyde, the coroner at Pollys Inquest suggested that the reason the killer moved into a backyard for his next kill is probably due to the fact he found completing his desired actions required more privacy than was available in Bucks Row.

Which seems the likeliest case, yeah, but it's not totally out of the question that Jack could've only used Polly to have a look at a woman's innards. The intestines weren't drawn out completely, just... dislodged a bit, and still within her abdominal cavity. Of course they could've just freed up a bit when her body was carried to the morgue, but still, it's interesting.

As for why Jack left Polly after only opening her up? Either he was satisfied with what he'd done, was interrupted, or uncomfortable with the exposed spot in which he had to work in; Polly's body seems to have been discarded for at least a good few minutes before Cross and whatshisface came along to have a gawp at it. So interruption isn't as likely a scenario as him just having upped and left after ripping Polly open. Of course almost obviously Jack used the backyard for a bit more privacy the next time, that's not in question at all, I just think we should start thinking outside the box a bit with Polly as she's the most overlooked out of all the canonical victims. And if Jack did only use her to get a feel for what's in there, then that could've facilitated how he went about performing his next rippings.

[Mr.Hyde]

Mr.Hyde

I get the sense that you disagree with the good doctor Sam. I feel the same way about Bond myself.

M & P and Mr Hyde, the coroner at Pollys Inquest suggested that the reason the killer moved into a backyard for his next kill is probably due to the fact he found completing his desired actions required more privacy than was available in Bucks Row.

In my own mind I cant be sure that more than Polly and Annie are connected to a single killer, but Kates murder details and the speed with which all the actions took place make me lean towards the same man there.

None of this though dictates that we must be dealing with someone of above average intelligence.

Now, if Jack the Ripper wrote the Grafitto....with decent and at least semi-literate handwriting as was described, and if the "message" is like a clue to something.....he may well have been clever.

Best regards all.

The coroner suggested what?

[FrankO]

I agree with the high risk. That's how I see Jack. As a disorganised killer. He saw his chance and he took it. He didn't, IMO, plan where to kill or who specifically he was going after. If Jack was getting his jollies now, I don't doubt he'd be caught. I don't think Jack was an idiot, by any means. The links we have that ID Jack are the proximity of the murders, the type of victim, the time of the week, the method of attack and the increased ferocity of the abdominal mutilations.

I believe that Jack had enough self control to hold himself back to make his move. That's what I think happened with Stride in Dutfield's Yard. ...

Hi Nts,

Except for your view on Stride, I pretty much agree with all that you wrote. That's how I see the Ripper as well. I just wanted to stress that, in my opinion, he didn't 'survive' on sheer luck, which is what you seemed to be saying. But it's good to see we agree after all.

All the best,
Frank

[Nothing to see]

Hi Nts,

Except for your view on Stride, I pretty much agree with all that you wrote. That's how I see the Ripper as well. I just wanted to stress that, in my opinion, he didn't 'survive' on sheer luck, which is what you seemed to be saying. But it's good to see we agree after all.

All the best,
Frank

Hi Frank. No, I don't think Jack was working on sheer luck at all. I think when he went for Stride, he exhibited common sense. He waited.

I don't think Jack had a plan. He lived outside his killing zone. He knew the area well enough to move around. Jack wasn't sitting making lists or writing letters to newpapers.

Jack wasn't a super criminal. Jack wasn't a moron. Jack was an extremely disturbed man who lived outside Whitechapel, found his victims in the pros who lived and worked there. He killed and he left. Good luck or good fortune?
I don't know. But I'm happy to discuss it.

[The Good Michael]

Love to know where you got the idea that 150 plus (marginally) is genius.

Hyde Nor Hair,

I got it out of my head, so I may be wrong. I remember something like 74 or 75 being the lower end of normal functionality and anything over 140 being genius. There are higher levels of Genius perhaps beginning at 160, but I can't really recall exactly. My numbers are close, if not completely accurate. Yet, as I say, these numbers mean nothing to me really. I was just looking through the dimensions of the measuring stick you gave.

Cheers,

Mike