Was the ripper religious?

[Aethelwulf]

Seems an odd question, given his activities, but was re-reading the linguistic analysis paper that highlights a link between Saucy Jack and Dear Boss (quite a strong link) and another link (less strong) between those two letters and 'Maob and Midian', sent to Central News (thread on this letter here: https://forum.casebook.org/forum/rip...-midian-letter)

Also spotted this (below) on JTR Forums. Not clear what the content was but seems to have been written in three different handwriting styles that tallied with previous letters. Also interesting that this man seems to been a have had knowledge of every lodging house in the area.

[Herlock Sholmes]

When I saw this thread my first thought was surely Wulf isn’t going to ask “Was Bury A Black Magician?”

I have to say though, if I had to pick any letter that might possibly ‘sound believable’ it would be the Moab And Midian one. That’s based on nothing tangible though.

Also…

April 1886 - Conservative politician JG Talbot held a meeting in Kings Bench Walk to get Barristers to join the mission at Oxford House (which had opened in 1844) in Bethnal Green. It was a place where the better off (inc Oxford men) could live among the poor and help them. It was a more religious movement than Toynbee Hall. (The North Country Vicar claimed that the ripper was part of a movement rescuing poor women in the East End.)

You might guess who I’m referring to here Wulf But, and I’m working from memory here (I can check later though) I believe that the husband of one of Druitt’s sisters, who was a Vicar, ran a mission on the Old Kent Road I believe.

[Aethelwulf]

When I saw this thread my first thought was surely Wulf isn’t going to ask “Was Bury A Black Magician?”

I have to say though, if I had to pick any letter that might possibly ‘sound believable’ it would be the Moab And Midian one. That’s based on nothing tangible though.

Also…

April 1886 - Conservative politician JG Talbot held a meeting in Kings Bench Walk to get Barristers to join the mission at Oxford House (which had opened in 1844) in Bethnal Green. It was a place where the better off (inc Oxford men) could live among the poor and help them. It was a more religious movement than Toynbee Hall. (The North Country Vicar claimed that the ripper was part of a movement rescuing poor women in the East End.)

You might guess who I’m referring to here Wulf But, and I’m working from memory here (I can check later though) I believe that the husband of one of Druitt’s sisters, who was a Vicar, ran a mission on the Old Kent Road I believe.

It is certainly an odd follow up to Dear Boss and SJ. Also suggests some niche bible knowledge (I had the great misfortune to go to catholic schools and have never heard of M & M (not that I would have listed anyway)).

I wonder if someone of Druitt's standing would have been fairly memorable at one of these missions?

As we're talking about suspects I will mention that Berry said that Bury spent a lot of his time in prison in the library reading the bible and other religious works. He also seems to have known the Rev Gough previously (I think) and certainly confided his confession about the murder of his wife to him.

I also found this general ref to M & M: Moabites and Midianites are two distinct peoples in most of the Bible. Yet they appear to be interchangeable in a story about sex and revenge that runs through three Torah portions in the book of Numbers/Bemidbar: the portions Balak (last week), Pinchas (this week), and Mattot.

Based on something else Berry said, Bury seems to have had an eye for revenge:

When in the cell about to pinion him, I said, 'Well, Jack the Ripper, have you anything to say, if so, say it now, as you will have no chance later', 'No', was the reply, 'If anyone stole anything from me, I'd kill the lot to find the right one. I'm not going to give you any big lines, go on with your work, Berry, I'll not say anything'.

Pure speculation of course. Shame most of these letters are missing.

[Herlock Sholmes]

It is certainly an odd follow up to Dear Boss and SJ. Also suggests some niche bible knowledge (I had the great misfortune to go to catholic schools and have never heard of M & M (not that I would have listed anyway)).

I wonder if someone of Druitt's standing would have been fairly memorable at one of these missions?

As we're talking about suspects I will mention that Berry said that Bury spent a lot of his time in prison in the library reading the bible and other religious works. He also seems to have known the Rev Gough previously (I think) and certainly confided his confession about the murder of his wife to him.

I also found this general ref to M & M: Moabites and Midianites are two distinct peoples in most of the Bible. Yet they appear to be interchangeable in a story about sex and revenge that runs through three Torah portions in the book of Numbers/Bemidbar: the portions Balak (last week), Pinchas (this week), and Mattot.

Based on something else Berry said, Bury seems to have had an eye for revenge:

When in the cell about to pinion him, I said, 'Well, Jack the Ripper, have you anything to say, if so, say it now, as you will have no chance later', 'No', was the reply, 'If anyone stole anything from me, I'd kill the lot to find the right one. I'm not going to give you any big lines, go on with your work, Berry, I'll not say anything'.

Pure speculation of course. Shame most of these letters are missing.

You have a Reverend Gough and I have a Hough (I’m sure that between us we could weave a Druitt/Bury conspiracy around this.

I just found this. Druitt’s sister married the Reverend William Hough (1859-1934) who became second Bishop of Woolwich. They ran the Corpus Christi Mission in the Old Kent Road.

There’s no actual evidence of course that Druitt ever actually did any of this type of charity work. All that can be said though is that it’s at least possible and that he would have been in a position to have done it (along with a few thousand others). No more than that.