Jack the Ripper Tech

[Wickerman]

There are about eight on the chest, inflicted in almost circular form, while the probably fatal one - certainly much the largest and deepest of any - is under the heart. The wounds appear to be the result of sword or dagger thrusts, rather than that of a knife.
Star, 8 August 1888.

Dr Killeen.
His opinion was that one of the wounds was inflicted by some kind of dagger,...
Times, 10 August 1888.

[BTCG]

Cornwell's speculation was that it was a common sailing knife, the type with a guard. On this, I felt she was on to something.

[sdreid]

With all these possibilities, maybe we need to know what it wasn't.

[Cogidubnus]

Well it wasn't an old pattern spike bayonet with a triangular cross section

All the best

Dave

[sdreid]

Yes, there would have been virtually no doubt it was a bayonet in that case.

[BTCG]

With all these possibilities, maybe we need to know what it wasn't.

We know it wasn't a cap & ball, but I fail to see how this helps us.

Enough for now, that it would be some type of cutting instrument.

Save for finding some unopened truck in some loft containing evidence, forensic conclusion would seem to be most unlikely. Too bad for this.

[sdreid]

I thought we all knew it was a cutting or piercing instrument. We were thus trying to decide what type of such it might or might not be.

[GUT]

Pure speculation on my part but wouln't the "bayonet or dagger" description by Dr Killen suggest a double cutting edge weapon as opposed to a knife which is single edged?

Or have I got something wrong.

[sdreid]

Pure speculation on my part but wouln't the "bayonet or dagger" description by Dr Killen suggest a double cutting edge weapon as opposed to a knife which is single edged?

Or have I got something wrong.

Yes, a dagger is usually a two edged weapon and a bayonet may or may not be. I presume that the wound was by a double edged weapon or the doctor wouldn't have mentioned a dagger. Someone also posited sword, I believe, which can also be double edged so I think we can eliminate things such as ice picks and single edged knives.

[GUT]

G'day Stan

Thanks but wouldn't a sword be a lot broader than a dagger, unless it was a foil, in which case much thinner.

[GUT]

Did they make single edged bayonets? I've only ever seen the spike or dagger.

[sdreid]

Yes I suppose, it would be a thinner than normal sword. There are single edge bayonets though. Some look very much like a hunting knife. I personally would rate the odds of it being a sword at very low.

[GUT]

G'day Stan

Thanks I've never seen a single edged bayonet, maybe they were not used here, I used to work in an office in the same building as a military museum, I was working with Dept of Defence, so maybe we just didn't use them.

[Wickerman]

Did they make single edged bayonets? I've only ever seen the spike or dagger.

The sword-bayonet in circulation from 1887, with a dagger form for the first 6-8 inches is this.




A single edged blade bayonet of the period looked like this Brit-Enfield MkIII, though I believe it was first available just following 1888, though I am not certain of that.



The term sword-bayonet is a little misleading, we might envision a sword-bayonet to be, like a regular sword, perhaps 30" long?, this was not the case, some were, but many were nothing more than long daggers (as with the 1887 model at top).

[Michael W Richards]

Here are a few of my own antique bayonets, so people can get some idea of how varied they can be. The one sheathed is a sword bayonet from the appropriate period, some are earlier examples, some later. The sword bayonet can often be confused for an actual sword...can be similar length, same style scabbard, ...the only difference could be the mounting hardware so it can be attached to the rifle barrel.

Cheers