Worldwide Attention because...

[mklhawley]

Greetings all,

This is the earliest record of the Whitechapel murders in the U.S. papers I could find by using the Library of Congress website, Chronicling of America:



It came from the St. Paul Daily Globe, September 02, 1888. The news of a series of murders in the Whitechapel district made it to the U.S. at this time and it mentions three murders, probably Emma Smith (3 April), Martha Tabram (7 Aug), and Mary Ann Nichols (31 Aug).

We had an excellent side discussion on another thread about this, which discussed the Dear Boss letter (Sept 27) getting public attention and may have started the big frenzy. Does the above story, which made it to the U.S. suggest that worlwide attention occurred earlier, at least to a smaller extent?

Sincerely,

Mike

[mklhawley]

...also, does this not suggest Scotland Yard considered a single killer quite early on in the murders?

[mklhawley]

...also, it seems that the head nearly being severed along with close proximity to each other cause quite the concern.

[joelhall]

The article claims this is the 'third such murder'... before describing two totally different murders!

One with a throat cut and mutilation.

One stabbed repeatedly.

One with a stick shoved through her.

I don't see the pattern myself.

[mklhawley]

I bet they saw a pattern with murdered prostitutes by knife and so close in proximity to each other.

[mklhawley]

Here's a partial article from the New York Tribune, October 02, 1888. It looks like some believe it is now a full blown murder spree. Also, notice they do not believe the Newcastle murder to be from the same killer.

[joelhall]

I bet they saw a pattern with murdered prostitutes by knife and so close in proximity to each other.

That takes Emma Smith out of the equation then.

[mklhawley]

That takes Emma Smith out of the equation then.

So, any thoughts on why the September 2 article made the press in the U.S.?

[caz]

You are correct on all points, Mike.

It's not that these early murders were similar, or had to be by some lone lunatic; it was the perception that counts, and when it first started gaining ground. Tabram's murder was considered quite exceptional in its violence. So when Nichols was found the horrified reaction was understandably doubled and trebled. With Chapman it reached fever pitch - and "JtR" would not even be born for another three weeks or so.

This kind of senseless slaughter was not 'the norm' in Whitechapel, any more than it would have been elsewhere in the world. But it was discovered, not invented during a dry period for news.

Love,

Caz
X

[Adam Went]

I've done some research in the past about press coverage of the murders in Australia and particularly in Tasmania.....there was very little about them early on, maybe just a couple of very brief snippets here and there, but it was after the Double Event that the attention really started to increase and they started to get their own headlines. While in England the press had been stringing the murders to one another since well before the C5, in certain other parts of the world I really think it was more a case of not taking much notice, and then after the two murders in a night, they sat up and thought "Wait on, there really is something major going on here...."

Cheers,
Adam.