Highest in the Land

[ghoulstonstreet]

Where did the phrase "highest in the land" originate as it regards the Whitechapel murders? Thanks

[Pontius2000]

an author who wrote one of the early Ripper books, and basically made a lot of stuff up, said that a contemporary newspaper writer told him that he had interviewed Abberline years after the case and Abberline told him that they had identified the Ripper and that he was "one of the highest in the land". I believe that's the origin of the quote. but it goes against everything we know about Abberline and was probably completely made up.

If it WAS truly said by Abberline, it was very likely a reference to Druitt and not some **** and bull story about the prince/king/queen/gull/etc/etc being the Ripper.

[Ben]

Hi GS,

This remark originates from an alleged conversation that took place between Nigel Moreland and Inspector Abberline in the 1920s. All complete nonsense, of course, and the remark attributed to Abberline to the effect that the miscreant could be found "a long way up" in society is undoubtedly fictional.

Best regards,
Ben

[Stewart P Evans]

Nigel Morland

Hi GS,
This remark originates from an alleged conversation that took place between Nigel Moreland and Inspector Abberline in the 1920s. All complete nonsense, of course, and the remark attributed to Abberline to the effect that the miscreant could be found "a long way up" in society is undoubtedly fictional.
Best regards,
Ben

This quote comes from the book Prince Jack The True Story of Jack the Ripper by Frank Spiering, New York, Doubleday, 1978.

It is to be found on page 6 of the introduction, written by Nigel Morland and dated 13 March 1978. The quote begins, "To go back a bit, I was interested in the Ripper in a purely academic way when I was a youngster, intrigued by a mention to me by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Conan Doyle remarked to me that...



Note Morland's repetition of 'Doyle remarked to me', just in case you didn't get it the first time when he stated Doyle made a 'mention to me'.

Richard Whittington-Egan knew Morland and said that if you mentioned Dr. Crippen to Morland, Morland would then tell you how he had sat on Crippen's knee as a child. Still the bull.... in the Introduction is far surpassed in the book by the nonsense spouted by Spiering.

[Dave James]

Nigel Moreland Interview

Hi all,

If you are interested here is the Moreland interview:

By Nigel Morland sometime in the 1920’s

Reported in the ‘Evening News’ 26/6/1976

I visited Abberline when he was living in retirement in Dorset.
In spite of my efforts he was very cagey and said he had no intention of discussing the case in detail. He was sick of the whole business. But when I mentioned two friends of mine – Edgar Wallace and Henry Battley, who became Chief Inspector of the fingerprint bureau – he relented a little.
The case, he said, was tightly shut. “I’ve given my word to keep my mouth permanently closed about it.”
But he let slip some revealing comments.
“There was a lot of material never entered in any records,” he said. “Here say stuff, word-of-mouth information and orders in 1888-9 to forget all about the affair.”
“Then neither you nor anyone else knows who the Ripper was?” as I was ushered firmly out of the house.
“I know,” he said, “and my superiors know certain facts.” He was not going to give the details to me or anyone else. But he added, and I remember distinctly his exact words:
“It wasn’t a butcher, Yid or foreign skipper, as he was supposed to be … you’d have to look for him not at the bottom of London society at the time, but a long way up. That’s all I will ever say. Goodbye.” And the door was firmly closed.
Make what you will of it. I must admit that at the time I first read it I was reminded of one of the so called Ripper cards:

I’ve no time to tell you why
I came to be a killer
But you should know, as time will show
That I’m society’s pillar.
All the best
Dave

[protohistorian]

Thanks Dave! The first thing that comes to mind is that conspiracy theories have been around longer than most people guess. Dave

[DVV]

Morland never visited Abberline in Dorset.
It was Toppy.
In Romford.

Amitiés,
David

[Stewart P Evans]

McCormick

Hi all,
If you are interested here is the Moreland interview:

By Nigel Morland sometime in the 1920’s
Reported in the ‘Evening News’ 26/6/1976

I visited Abberline when he was living in retirement in Dorset.
In spite of my efforts he was very cagey and said he had no intention of discussing the case in detail. He was sick of the whole business. But when I mentioned two friends of mine – Edgar Wallace and Henry Battley, who became Chief Inspector of the fingerprint bureau – he relented a little.
The case, he said, was tightly shut. “I’ve given my word to keep my mouth permanently closed about it.”
But he let slip some revealing comments.
“There was a lot of material never entered in any records,” he said. “Here say stuff, word-of-mouth information and orders in 1888-9 to forget all about the affair.”
“Then neither you nor anyone else knows who the Ripper was?” as I was ushered firmly out of the house.
“I know,” he said, “and my superiors know certain facts.” He was not going to give the details to me or anyone else. But he added, and I remember distinctly his exact words:
“It wasn’t a butcher, Yid or foreign skipper, as he was supposed to be … you’d have to look for him not at the bottom of London society at the time, but a long way up. That’s all I will ever say. Goodbye.” And the door was firmly closed.
Make what you will of it. I must admit that at the time I first read it I was reminded of one of the so called Ripper cards:
I’ve no time to tell you why
I came to be a killer
But you should know, as time will show
That I’m society’s pillar.
All the best
Dave

This poem was published by McCormick in his 1959 book and again in the 1970 revised edition, wherefrom it was no doubt lifted.



McCormick and Morland were similar fantasists.

[Stewart P Evans]

Nigel Morland

Nigel Morland and one of his cheap detective novels -

[Stewart P Evans]

Marginal Interest

Of marginal interest might be the following piece written by Morland for the criminologist Vol. 6, No. 22, Autumn 1971, of which publication Morland was the editor -

[Ben]

Many thanks for the additional information, Stewart and Dave.

All the best,
Ben

[ghoulstonstreet]

Thanks everybody, for your responses on the "highest in the land" phrase. I remember it being bandied about during the several-part Ripper TV series of the 70s, where my interest in the subject really got started. But it's too bad to see that it is probably a spurious claim.
I don't have any reason to suspect the Royals. However, does anyone think they would be above casual executions? I do think of the two children in the tower...I do think of Mary Stuart....hints of their outrage over Diana's possible Islamic child etc...and certainly other incidents which I can't think of right now.

[Dave James]

Thanks everybody, for your responses on the "highest in the land" phrase. I remember it being bandied about during the several-part Ripper TV series of the 70s, where my interest in the subject really got started. But it's too bad to see that it is probably a spurious claim.
I don't have any reason to suspect the Royals. However, does anyone think they would be above casual executions? I do think of the two children in the tower...I do think of Mary Stuart....hints of their outrage over Diana's possible Islamic child etc...and certainly other incidents which I can't think of right now.

Hi all,
Re the above, there was the case of two relatives of the Royal family found in an asylum in the early 1980's. I seem to remember that they had originallybeen incarcerated for 'indiscretions'. But as for 'extreme predudice' actions, I'm not sure.
However, 'Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely'.
All the best
Dave