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Hello all,
Over the last 4 months or so, there have been various threads both touching upon, and indeed pointing towards, the involvement of Fenians in the Whitechapel murders/Jack the Ripper murders.
Anderson's heavy involvement with the anti-Fenian cause, the bringing in of policemen aquainted with the anti-Fenian cause, both locally and from as far away as Dublin, from various departments and of various rank, specifically for use in the JTR case, the seemingly great amount of Irish connectionsboth within the police force and the victims lives and aquaintances and families themselves, together with the comments of officials central to the happenings in Whitechapel, have all lead to varying degrees of conclusion, ranging from the "pure coincidence" to the "certain tying together" of Fenianism and Jack the Ripper/Whitechapel murderer.
Of course, as with any such situation, those of us wishing to remain faithful to our own cause, especially those believing in one lone crazed killer, argue most vehemently against such a plausible idea. That is understandable. To counter this argument, it has been pointed out that in 122 years of research and historical examination of the case, we are all exactly where we stood at the beginning. Nowhere, without an answer.
The neutral man will argue that in all probability the answer will probably never be found. There are those who actually don't want the answer found, for varying reasons...some personal, some, even of a fashion akin to "spoiling the story".
The response to this last charge is that we must always remember that this wasn't a story. There wasn't a happy ending and nobody lived happily ever after. This was a brutal, nasty, disgusting and horrific series of murders in a relatively small area that frightened the life out of the local population at the time, and affected many for the rest of their lives in one way or another.
It is our charge to try our best to find the answer to these appalling crimes. It doesn't matter WHO finds the answer. It doesn't matter WHO is right or wrong. Whether Kosminski, Druitt, a Fenian or two or three, a mad doctor, a surgeon, a mad Prince and his best mate, a sick painter, an American quack or Humpty Bloody Dumpty was the person(s) responsible. Whichever camp one sits within, it is our duty to try and get the answer if we possibly can. Ego's may suffer. Theories believed in for many years may be burst apart. Disappointment will, no doubt be great. And, no matter how hard the evidence or proof, there will still be those that argue against it.
Some of us are more enthusiastic than others. Some are more demonstrative. Some more argumentative. Some, more passionate to the cause. Some down right stubborn beyond belief and some refuse to bend one iota towards any other point of view. Some will even be horribly offensive and start a witch-hunt like attitude towards an individual or two with something he/she passionately believes in. Sadly, it happens, and it gets us nowhere.
There are others that are prepared to give way. Others that will listen and use time to think about something different. Some may even be swayed enough to become interested. Some may even change their views completely. That is a very grown up thing for die hard people to admit to. And it takes some doing! To be convinced is hard..believe me!
From this lay-man's standpoint, I am becoming more and more convinced that something happened 122 years ago that has never been explained, and was only privvy to a few. Because the complications in this whole case are so great, no easy answer has ever been found, whatever stone has been turned in the hunt for the killer.
There is no doubt in my mind at this present moment in time, that the manoveuring into Whitechapel of a considerable police force, around the International Working Mans Club, which did not just consist of the Jewish man and woman, but anarchists and troublemakers from different clans and groups and nationalities, is a central point that has something to do with these killings. To imagine that two different immensely important police operations are happening quite separate from each other, within such a small area, is, in my honest opinion, naive.
Therefore I propose that expanding one's mind a little to allow this possibility to sink in, allow it to be properly investigated and researched, without predjudice if possible, is essential... because after 122 years, we have no answer using the old known possibilities....they have been used up.
The social and political ambience of the area had reached an uneasy boiling point. Poverty was rife, anarchy was very much in the wind. On a far greater level, but also locally, Home Rule for Ireland was THE political topic on most politicians lips, closely followed by fear of revolution, and the ever self concious Victorian hierarchy totally scared of the crown in danger of toppling, let alone the Empire. The police were seen to be useless in their attempts at quelling the disquietening atmosphere, and politicians were seemingly useless, in the lower class eye, of understanding their needs.
Something very scary happened in Whitechapel in 1888. The whole world watched it develop. As each murder occured, the feeling of tension became one of sheer fear. Caught in the very core of all this, were the common-all-garden men and women, husbands and wives and their children... families, living in a poor area, some living in abject poverty. All the time, the Home Office and the Metropolitan and City police forces were semingly not working in unison. Politically, within the case itself, Commissioner Warren was being thwarted in trying to do his job by both Matthews and Anderson. The City police and the Met police were at odds, and some individuals, divided before by boundaries, became divided by the way they were led.
Coroners made glaring errors, and doctors disagreed with each other. Differing opinions ran rife through just about every section of the authorities concerned with the case.
Neighbour accused neighbour of being the "Ripper", husbands were even accused by wives in court cases of being "Jack"..and all this was fuelled by newspapers goading the public, the police and the politicians causing an atmosphere of frenzy. Letters, mostly hoaxed it was believed, were recieved by the bucketful, and newspapers even printed some, or their wording. Causing...
Sheer unadulterated fear.
Whether we like it or not, the above happened. And we need to seriously understand WHY the background to these murders affected the situation.
Ignoring it by calling it sensationalistic, is, in my honest opinion, tantamount to burying one's head in the sand, a "fingers in the ears syndrome".. whilst singing la la la la la....
Douglas Browne in 1956 apparently read documents we have never seen, one stating that Macnaughten saw a link between the killings and the leader of the Fenian plot to kill Balfour. That, in itself, should tell us all that it is certainly a possibility, if not an Anderson-like "def ascertained fact".
I welcome responses and comments, thoughts and ideas.
with best wishes, as always, to all
Phil
Over the last 4 months or so, there have been various threads both touching upon, and indeed pointing towards, the involvement of Fenians in the Whitechapel murders/Jack the Ripper murders.
Anderson's heavy involvement with the anti-Fenian cause, the bringing in of policemen aquainted with the anti-Fenian cause, both locally and from as far away as Dublin, from various departments and of various rank, specifically for use in the JTR case, the seemingly great amount of Irish connectionsboth within the police force and the victims lives and aquaintances and families themselves, together with the comments of officials central to the happenings in Whitechapel, have all lead to varying degrees of conclusion, ranging from the "pure coincidence" to the "certain tying together" of Fenianism and Jack the Ripper/Whitechapel murderer.
Of course, as with any such situation, those of us wishing to remain faithful to our own cause, especially those believing in one lone crazed killer, argue most vehemently against such a plausible idea. That is understandable. To counter this argument, it has been pointed out that in 122 years of research and historical examination of the case, we are all exactly where we stood at the beginning. Nowhere, without an answer.
The neutral man will argue that in all probability the answer will probably never be found. There are those who actually don't want the answer found, for varying reasons...some personal, some, even of a fashion akin to "spoiling the story".
The response to this last charge is that we must always remember that this wasn't a story. There wasn't a happy ending and nobody lived happily ever after. This was a brutal, nasty, disgusting and horrific series of murders in a relatively small area that frightened the life out of the local population at the time, and affected many for the rest of their lives in one way or another.
It is our charge to try our best to find the answer to these appalling crimes. It doesn't matter WHO finds the answer. It doesn't matter WHO is right or wrong. Whether Kosminski, Druitt, a Fenian or two or three, a mad doctor, a surgeon, a mad Prince and his best mate, a sick painter, an American quack or Humpty Bloody Dumpty was the person(s) responsible. Whichever camp one sits within, it is our duty to try and get the answer if we possibly can. Ego's may suffer. Theories believed in for many years may be burst apart. Disappointment will, no doubt be great. And, no matter how hard the evidence or proof, there will still be those that argue against it.
Some of us are more enthusiastic than others. Some are more demonstrative. Some more argumentative. Some, more passionate to the cause. Some down right stubborn beyond belief and some refuse to bend one iota towards any other point of view. Some will even be horribly offensive and start a witch-hunt like attitude towards an individual or two with something he/she passionately believes in. Sadly, it happens, and it gets us nowhere.
There are others that are prepared to give way. Others that will listen and use time to think about something different. Some may even be swayed enough to become interested. Some may even change their views completely. That is a very grown up thing for die hard people to admit to. And it takes some doing! To be convinced is hard..believe me!
From this lay-man's standpoint, I am becoming more and more convinced that something happened 122 years ago that has never been explained, and was only privvy to a few. Because the complications in this whole case are so great, no easy answer has ever been found, whatever stone has been turned in the hunt for the killer.
There is no doubt in my mind at this present moment in time, that the manoveuring into Whitechapel of a considerable police force, around the International Working Mans Club, which did not just consist of the Jewish man and woman, but anarchists and troublemakers from different clans and groups and nationalities, is a central point that has something to do with these killings. To imagine that two different immensely important police operations are happening quite separate from each other, within such a small area, is, in my honest opinion, naive.
Therefore I propose that expanding one's mind a little to allow this possibility to sink in, allow it to be properly investigated and researched, without predjudice if possible, is essential... because after 122 years, we have no answer using the old known possibilities....they have been used up.
The social and political ambience of the area had reached an uneasy boiling point. Poverty was rife, anarchy was very much in the wind. On a far greater level, but also locally, Home Rule for Ireland was THE political topic on most politicians lips, closely followed by fear of revolution, and the ever self concious Victorian hierarchy totally scared of the crown in danger of toppling, let alone the Empire. The police were seen to be useless in their attempts at quelling the disquietening atmosphere, and politicians were seemingly useless, in the lower class eye, of understanding their needs.
Something very scary happened in Whitechapel in 1888. The whole world watched it develop. As each murder occured, the feeling of tension became one of sheer fear. Caught in the very core of all this, were the common-all-garden men and women, husbands and wives and their children... families, living in a poor area, some living in abject poverty. All the time, the Home Office and the Metropolitan and City police forces were semingly not working in unison. Politically, within the case itself, Commissioner Warren was being thwarted in trying to do his job by both Matthews and Anderson. The City police and the Met police were at odds, and some individuals, divided before by boundaries, became divided by the way they were led.
Coroners made glaring errors, and doctors disagreed with each other. Differing opinions ran rife through just about every section of the authorities concerned with the case.
Neighbour accused neighbour of being the "Ripper", husbands were even accused by wives in court cases of being "Jack"..and all this was fuelled by newspapers goading the public, the police and the politicians causing an atmosphere of frenzy. Letters, mostly hoaxed it was believed, were recieved by the bucketful, and newspapers even printed some, or their wording. Causing...
Sheer unadulterated fear.
Whether we like it or not, the above happened. And we need to seriously understand WHY the background to these murders affected the situation.
Ignoring it by calling it sensationalistic, is, in my honest opinion, tantamount to burying one's head in the sand, a "fingers in the ears syndrome".. whilst singing la la la la la....
Douglas Browne in 1956 apparently read documents we have never seen, one stating that Macnaughten saw a link between the killings and the leader of the Fenian plot to kill Balfour. That, in itself, should tell us all that it is certainly a possibility, if not an Anderson-like "def ascertained fact".
I welcome responses and comments, thoughts and ideas.
with best wishes, as always, to all
Phil
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