What is this, 20 Questions?!...er, no.

[The Rookie Detective]

A new thread...

Well, why not eh?


Answers on a postcard please...



Q1) - Did Stride have the Cachou on her person, to take away the taste of a Cigar?

Q2) - Was Stride murdered after a street deal in illegal contraband cigars went wrong?

Q3) - Why does MJK's death certificate say that she was murdered in Julia Venturney's room at No.1 Millers Court?

Q4) - Did the partition wall of MJK's room read "+M" implying the killer was linked to Crossingham?

Q5) - Were there any women who thwarted an attack from Jack the Ripper by escaping?

Q6) - How was the Pinchin Street torso murder predicted just before it happened for real?

Q7) - Why did a man like McCarthy allow MJK to fall so far behind in her rent?

Q8) - Did the Ripper spend any time in ColdBath Fields prison that operated the "silent system?" (it taught inmates to carry out tasks silently)

Q9) - Is it significant that Nichols was the only Ripper victim not seen with a man shortly before she was murdered?

Q10) - How was the Torso killer able to get the Whitehall torso down into the dark cellar vault all by himself?

Q11) - Did the Torso killer ever target children and were the West Ham murders connected?

Q12) - Were some of the Ripper victims murdered near Board Schools for a reason?

Q13) - Did the Ripper constantly change his general appearance to evade capture, through dying his hair and beard?

Q14) - Could any of the subsequently unidentified witnesses have been the Ripper? (Including the likes of Hutchinson or Schwartz)

Q15) - Was the Ripper driven to kill by the need to attack and mutilate the Uterus; associated with holding new life?

Q16) - How many of the Policemen involved with the Ripper case were corrupt and therefore hindered the progress of the investigation?

Q17) - When the Ripper chose to cut Eddowes apron and then place it under the older chalk marking (GSG), what was he trying to tell us?

Q18) - Was the Ripper ambidextrous and could therefore kill with either hand?

Q19) - Had any of the Ripper victims been with the Ripper as a regular customer on a previous occasion, and so serve as a reason why they would trust him?

Q20) - Why did the Ripper change from mutilating women in their mid-40's to a younger woman like MJK and did the childbearing organs play a part?

Q21) - Could MJK's relatively younger age have been a contributing factor to why she suffered considerably worse injuries?

Q22) - Did the Ripper live outside of London and use the rail network to commute in and kill, before leaving again via train?

Q23) - If the watch is forensically authentic, then who etched/engraved it if it wasn't JM himself; Bachert the fantasist Engraver perhaps?

Q24) - Was Lechmere standing by Nichols when Paul arrived, like it was when initially reported?

Q25) - Were the Ripper and the torso killer the same man?




Thoughts please?



RD

[Fiver]

Q1) - Did Stride have the Cachou on her person, to take away the taste of a Cigar?

Probably not.

Q2) - Was Stride murdered after a street deal in illegal contraband cigars went wrong?

No.

Q3) - Why does MJK's death certificate say that she was murdered in Julia Venturney's room at No.1 Millers Court?

Simple error writing the info.

Q4) - Did the partition wall of MJK's room read "+M" implying the killer was linked to Crossingham?

No and no.

Q5) - Were there any women who thwarted an attack from Jack the Ripper by escaping?

Possibly. If so, they appear to have not gone to the police or not been believed.

Q6) - How was the Pinchin Street torso murder predicted just before it happened for real?

Cleary claimed to have knowledge that a Ripper murder had already occurred in Backchurch Lane . He was probably looking for fame or money. This was coincidence, not prediction.

Q7) - Why did a man like McCarthy allow MJK to fall so far behind in her rent?

I suspect he was taking it out in trade.

Q8) - Did the Ripper spend any time in ColdBath Fields prison that operated the "silent system?" (it taught inmates to carry out tasks silently)

We have no way of knowing.

Q9) - Is it significant that Nichols was the only Ripper victim not seen with a man shortly before she was murdered?

No.

Q10) - How was the Torso killer able to get the Whitehall torso down into the dark cellar vault all by himself?

A strong man could have easily carried it.

Q11) - Did the Torso killer ever target children and were the West Ham murders connected?

Probably not.

Q12) - Were some of the Ripper victims murdered near Board Schools for a reason?

Coincidence.

Q13) - Did the Ripper constantly change his general appearance to evade capture, through dying his hair and beard?

No. That would have attracted attention from people who knew him.

Q14) - Could any of the subsequently unidentified witnesses have been the Ripper? (Including the likes of Hutchinson or Schwartz)

Maybe.

Q15) - Was the Ripper driven to kill by the need to attack and mutilate the Uterus; associated with holding new life?

We have no way of knowing.

Q16) - How many of the Policemen involved with the Ripper case were corrupt and therefore hindered the progress of the investigation?

Possible police corruption would not hinder the investigation.

Q17) - When the Ripper chose to cut Eddowes apron and then place it under the older chalk marking (GSG), what was he trying to tell us?

We have no idea if the apron piece was dropped deliberately or accidentally. We don;t know if he even noticed the GSG.

Q18) - Was the Ripper ambidextrous and could therefore kill with either hand?

Maybe.

Q19) - Had any of the Ripper victims been with the Ripper as a regular customer on a previous occasion, and so serve as a reason why they would trust him?

We have no way of knowing.

Q20) - Why did the Ripper change from mutilating women in their mid-40's to a younger woman like MJK and did the childbearing organs play a part?

It was probably targets of opportunity, not a deliberate switch in victim age.

Q21) - Could MJK's relatively younger age have been a contributing factor to why she suffered considerably worse injuries?

No. The important factor was time undisturbed.

Q22) - Did the Ripper live outside of London and use the rail network to commute in and kill, before leaving again via train?

The Ripper probably lived in London.

Q23) - If the watch is forensically authentic, then who etched/engraved it if it wasn't JM himself; Bachert the fantasist Engraver perhaps?

The watch engraving is a hoax.

Q24) - Was Lechmere standing by Nichols when Paul arrived, like it was when initially reported?

Thats a Lechmerian distortion of what Robert Paul said. When he testified, Paul clearly said Lechmere was in the middle of the road and Paul had no reason to lie.

Q25) - Were the Ripper and the torso killer the same man?

Definite no. Different MOs, different location range, different time range.

[The Rookie Detective]

Probably not.



No.



Simple error writing the info.



No and no.



Possibly. If so, they appear to have not gone to the police or not been believed.



Cleary claimed to have knowledge that a Ripper murder had already occurred in Backchurch Lane . He was probably looking for fame or money. This was coincidence, not prediction.



I suspect he was taking it out in trade.



We have no way of knowing.



No.



A strong man could have easily carried it.



Probably not.



Coincidence.



No. That would have attracted attention from people who knew him.



Maybe.



We have no way of knowing.



Possible police corruption would not hinder the investigation.



We have no idea if the apron piece was dropped deliberately or accidentally. We don;t know if he even noticed the GSG.



Maybe.



We have no way of knowing.



It was probably targets of opportunity, not a deliberate switch in victim age.



No. The important factor was time undisturbed.



The Ripper probably lived in London.



The watch engraving is a hoax.



Thats a Lechmerian distortion of what Robert Paul said. When he testified, Paul clearly said Lechmere was in the middle of the road and Paul had no reason to lie.



Definite no. Different MOs, different location range, different time range.

Simply excellent responses Fiver.


I may not agree with most of your answers, but that's not the point.


I like the fact we disagree, because what's the point otherwise


Thank you for your feedback



RD

[Enigma]

I'll play along. This is the most fun since Herlock's aardvark question.

1) Doubtful.
2) No.
3) Clerical error.
4) No.
5) Possibly.
6) Co-incidence.
7) Maybe she evaded the rent collector or perhaps she was giving quid pro quo.
8) Impossible to know.
9) No.
10) This could be carried by any adult male, say by using a sack.
11) Unknown.
12) Unlikely.
13) Unlikely.
14) Possibly.
15) Doubtful.
16) Unknown and unlikely to have hampered the investigation in any case.
17) Only JtR knows if he intended to convey any meaning, and if so, what. Otherwise the dropping of the apron piece in that location is co-incidental.
18) Possibly. [I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.]
19) Possibly.
20) Opportunity and no.
21) No.
22) Unlikely.
23) Unknown.
24) No.
25) Possible but unlikely.

Whew, made it to the end.

[Kattrup]

Q1) - Did Stride have the Cachou on her person, to take away the taste of a Cigar?

No

Q2) - Was Stride murdered after a street deal in illegal contraband cigars went wrong?

no

Q3) - Why does MJK's death certificate say that she was murdered in Julia Venturney's room at No.1 Millers Court?

clerical error, her own room didn’t have a proper address designation

Q4) - Did the partition wall of MJK's room read "+M" implying the killer was linked to Crossingham?

no

Q5) - Were there any women who thwarted an attack from Jack the Ripper by escaping?

I don’t think so but it’s possible

Q6) - How was the Pinchin Street torso murder predicted just before it happened for real?

there were many rumours going about, this was one that just happened to be relatively close to accurate (still wrong street, but close)

Q7) - Why did a man like McCarthy allow MJK to fall so far behind in her rent?

it was not unusual for people to be late in paying

Q8) - Did the Ripper spend any time in ColdBath Fields prison that operated the "silent system?" (it taught inmates to carry out tasks silently)

probably not, but unknown

Q9) - Is it significant that Nichols was the only Ripper victim not seen with a man shortly before she was murdered?

no

Q10) - How was the Torso killer able to get the Whitehall torso down into the dark cellar vault all by himself?

he didn’t, someone else helped out, as the press report states

Q11) - Did the Torso killer ever target children and were the West Ham murders connected?

no

Q12) - Were some of the Ripper victims murdered near Board Schools for a reason?

no

Q13) - Did the Ripper constantly change his general appearance to evade capture, through dying his hair and beard?

no

Q14) - Could any of the subsequently unidentified witnesses have been the Ripper? (Including the likes of Hutchinson or Schwartz)

could they? Yes. Were any of them? No

Q15) - Was the Ripper driven to kill by the need to attack and mutilate the Uterus; associated with holding new life?

not precisely

Q16) - How many of the Policemen involved with the Ripper case were corrupt and therefore hindered the progress of the investigation?

none

Q17) - When the Ripper chose to cut Eddowes apron and then place it under the older chalk marking (GSG), what was he trying to tell us?

that he wrote the gsg

Q18) - Was the Ripper ambidextrous and could therefore kill with either hand?

no

Q19) - Had any of the Ripper victims been with the Ripper as a regular customer on a previous occasion, and so serve as a reason why they would trust him?

probably not

Q20) - Why did the Ripper change from mutilating women in their mid-40's to a younger woman like MJK and did the childbearing organs play a part?

he targeted weak victims, whether young or old

Q21) - Could MJK's relatively younger age have been a contributing factor to why she suffered considerably worse injuries?

no, being inside in privacy accounts for the extra injuries

Q22) - Did the Ripper live outside of London and use the rail network to commute in and kill, before leaving again via train?

no

Q23) - If the watch is forensically authentic, then who etched/engraved it if it wasn't JM himself; Bachert the fantasist Engraver perhaps?

that’s two ifs, making it impossible to answer. The watch is a modern hoax from the 1990s

Q24) - Was Lechmere standing by Nichols when Paul arrived, like it was when initially reported?

yes

Q25) - Were the Ripper and the torso killer the same man?

no

[FrankO]

Well, why not eh?

Why not, indeed.

Q1) - Did Stride have the Cachou on her person, to take away the taste of a Cigar?

She did have them on her person, for whatever reason.

Q2) - Was Stride murdered after a street deal in illegal contraband cigars went wrong?

No.

Q3) - Why does MJK's death certificate say that she was murdered in Julia Venturney's room at No.1 Millers Court?

Clerical error.

Q4) - Did the partition wall of MJK's room read "+M" implying the killer was linked to Crossingham?

No.

Q5) - Were there any women who thwarted an attack from Jack the Ripper by escaping?

Quite possibly, like the one described in the Llloyd’s Weekly News of 30 September:
“Last night a correspondent furnished us with another strange story of an incident occurring early on Thursday morning, near to the scene of the four murders. He states that early in the morning a woman was sitting sleeping on some steps in one of the houses in Dorset-street, when she was awoke by a man who asked her whether she had any bed to go to, or any money to pay for a lodging. She replied that she had not, upon which he said he had money, and then gave her what she thought was two half-sovereigns. She went with him down a passage, and when there he seized her by the throat and tried to strangle her. A scuffle ensued between them, in which she screamed and got away. The next morning she found that what he gave her was two farthings machined round the edge like gold coins. She described him as being a man with a dark moustache, and dressed in a rough frieze blue overcoat.”

Q6) - How was the Pinchin Street torso murder predicted just before it happened for real?

No idea.

Q7) - Why did a man like McCarthy allow MJK to fall so far behind in her rent?

Maybe because he felt for her, maybe because she was beautiful, maybe she paid in kind, who knows?

Q8) - Did the Ripper spend any time in ColdBath Fields prison that operated the "silent system?" (it taught inmates to carry out tasks silently)

I don’t think so - he didn’t need to.

Q9) - Is it significant that Nichols was the only Ripper victim not seen with a man shortly before she was murdered?

No.

Q10) - How was the Torso killer able to get the Whitehall torso down into the dark cellar vault all by himself?

Perhaps she wasn’t a torso or even dead yet when that happened.

Q11) - Did the Torso killer ever target children and were the West Ham murders connected?

No.

Q12) - Were some of the Ripper victims murdered near Board Schools for a reason?

No.

Q13) - Did the Ripper constantly change his general appearance to evade capture, through dying his hair and beard?

No.

Q14) - Could any of the subsequently unidentified witnesses have been the Ripper? (Including the likes of Hutchinson or Schwartz)

Yes.

Q15) - Was the Ripper driven to kill by the need to attack and mutilate the Uterus; associated with holding new life?

I think it was more likely the female body in general, including the uterus, of course.

Q16) - How many of the Policemen involved with the Ripper case were corrupt and therefore hindered the progress of the investigation?

Never thought about that, but now that I do, I think none.

Q17) - When the Ripper chose to cut Eddowes apron and then place it under the older chalk marking (GSG), what was he trying to tell us?

No.

Q18) - Was the Ripper ambidextrous and could therefore kill with either hand?

Perhaps he was & could, but didn't. I think he cut the throats of all his victims with his right hand, while he was sitting at the right side of all of his victims, except Kelly. That's one of the reasons why there was definite blood spray.

Q19) - Had any of the Ripper victims been with the Ripper as a regular customer on a previous occasion, and so serve as a reason why they would trust him?

Possibly, but certainly not necessarily. Any woman would have gone with him, as long as he didn’t act too suspiciously and showed them the money needed.

Q20) - Why did the Ripper change from mutilating women in their mid-40's to a younger woman like MJK and did the childbearing organs play a part?

I’m inclined to think age wasn’t important to him and that it might just be statistics (that there were more older women prostituting themselves than young women).

Q21) - Could MJK's relatively younger age have been a contributing factor to why she suffered considerably worse injuries?

I think that was due to the fact that he killed indoors this time, rather than anything else.

Q22) - Did the Ripper live outside of London and use the rail network to commute in and kill, before leaving again via train?

No.

Q23) - If the watch is forensically authentic, then who etched/engraved it if it wasn't JM himself; Bachert the fantasist Engraver perhaps?

No idea.

Q24) - Was Lechmere standing by Nichols when Paul arrived, like it was when initially reported?

No.

It’s quite unlikely that Paul even saw the body at all when he first saw Lechmere. Furthermore, I think Lechmere didn’t wait to cross the street when he was right opposite to what he saw (i.e. right below Purkiss’s window), I think he would have started to cross the street earlier, meaning that he did so while passing the gate of the wool factory. That he would have been able to see something lying next to Mrs. Green’s cottage from there, is supported by what the watchman there said in the Shields Daily Gazette & Shipping Telegraph of 1 September:

"The watchman at the wool factory, whose doorway is a few feet below the gateway where the woman was found, and on the other side of the street, says that at exactly three o’clock he spoke to two men who stopped just outside his gate, and they moved on without any trouble. He says that there was nobody lying in the stable gateway at the time, and no one in the street. Moreover, he heard no noise from time forth, and he was wide awake all the time, until the police in the street attracted his attention."

If true, than from Paul’s viewpoint he may have seemed to be standing by Nichols, but then, in fact, he would have been standing some 8 metres or 26 feet away from her.

Q25) - Were the Ripper and the torso killer the same man?

I don't think so.

[JeffHamm]

A new thread...

Well, why not eh?


Answers on a postcard please...



Q1) - Did Stride have the Cachou on her person, to take away the taste of a Cigar?

Strictly speaking, it isn't even established that the Cachou's were Stride's in the first place as there is the possibility they were placed there by her killer after her death. To establish they were hers, we would have to have someone indicate that she was known to have these (or at least for them to be something she was known to favour). While I agree it's likely they were hers, we can't say we know that for sure as there is nothing in evidence that establishes that fact (merely finding them on her person at the crime scene doesn't do that!).
That aside, if they were hers, she probably had them for less specific reasons than taking away the taste of cigars, particularly as we have no evidence she smoked cigars and they would have been quite expensive for someone of her means.

Q2) - Was Stride murdered after a street deal in illegal contraband cigars went wrong?

There is nothing in the evidence to suggest such a thing.

Q3) - Why does MJK's death certificate say that she was murdered in Julia Venturney's room at No.1 Millers Court?

Clerical error

Q4) - Did the partition wall of MJK's room read "+M" implying the killer was linked to Crossingham?

No

Q5) - Were there any women who thwarted an attack from Jack the Ripper by escaping?

Not that we know of. There are some interesting reports that could be seen as such. Some involve the "Bethnal Green Botherer", but there are many stretches required to get there.

Q6) - How was the Pinchin Street torso murder predicted just before it happened for real?

I forget the specifics on this one, but "predictions" tend to be coincidence. We hear of the ones that "came true", and all the ones that don't get lost to obscurity.

Q7) - Why did a man like McCarthy allow MJK to fall so far behind in her rent?

Tenants fall behind in their rent all the time. In 1888, when book keeping was just that, records in a book, for someone running a bunch of cheap rooms it isn't hard to imagine that perhaps he's not the high flying business tycoon that keeps immaculate track of his incomings and outgoings. Unless you're renting a room in someone's house, as long as you keep your head down and don't come to his notice, one could probably skip rent for a while before the landlord noticed. In some ways, that's what it sounds like, that McCarthy only just realised how far behind in her rent she was.

Q8) - Did the Ripper spend any time in ColdBath Fields prison that operated the "silent system?" (it taught inmates to carry out tasks silently)

There's nothing to suggest that.

Q9) - Is it significant that Nichols was the only Ripper victim not seen with a man shortly before she was murdered?

No.

Q10) - How was the Torso killer able to get the Whitehall torso down into the dark cellar vault all by himself?

A full grown man can carry a full body a reasonable distance, so a torso alone would be easier.

Q11) - Did the Torso killer ever target children and were the West Ham murders connected?

There is nothing to suggest either of these.

Q12) - Were some of the Ripper victims murdered near Board Schools for a reason?

There is nothing to suggest there was.

Q13) - Did the Ripper constantly change his general appearance to evade capture, through dying his hair and beard?

There is nothing to suggest he did.

Q14) - Could any of the subsequently unidentified witnesses have been the Ripper? (Including the likes of Hutchinson or Schwartz)

Yes, because given the case is unsolved, anyone, including those never named, could have been the Ripper.

Q15) - Was the Ripper driven to kill by the need to attack and mutilate the Uterus; associated with holding new life?

The motivations behind serial killer's actions are varied, and we have nothing to guide us as to why the Ripper felt cutting open woman was a thing to do.

Q16) - How many of the Policemen involved with the Ripper case were corrupt and therefore hindered the progress of the investigation?

There is nothing to suggest any of them were corrupt.

Q17) - When the Ripper chose to cut Eddowes apron and then place it under the older chalk marking (GSG), what was he trying to tell us?

We have nothing to indicate that when he cut the apron he had the location of the GSG in mind as a place to leave it. Moreover, when he dropped the apron, we do not know if he wrote the graffitti or if it was already there - and if the latter, we do not know if it had anything at all to do with his decision to drop the apron in that location. By the doctor's descriptions, though, the cloth was used to wipe his hands and knife, and so there's a good chance he just finished with it and tossed it, unawares of the existing graffitti - but that is just one of many possibilities.

Q18) - Was the Ripper ambidextrous and could therefore kill with either hand?

Ambidextrous is quite uncommon, so unlikely.

Q19) - Had any of the Ripper victims been with the Ripper as a regular customer on a previous occasion, and so serve as a reason why they would trust him?

It is certainly common for serial killer's of prostitutes to employ their services. And it has been the case that some victims of serial killer's had been hired by their killer previously (Gary Ridgeway, the Green River Killer, had been with some of his victims on previous occasions before killing them - and there are others, which I cannot at the moment recall). So this is possible. However, we also have to factor in the fact that the area was very very crowded, and there were many woman who engaged in casual prostitution to make ends meet, while JtR probably engaged prostitutes in their services, the probability of him having picked up any of the victims previously seems low, though I could be wrong.

Q20) - Why did the Ripper change from mutilating women in their mid-40's to a younger woman like MJK and did the childbearing organs play a part?

His victims were victims of opportunity. Also, it should be noted that his victims were reported to look much younger than their years.

Q21) - Could MJK's relatively younger age have been a contributing factor to why she suffered considerably worse injuries?

No. We see similar frenzy with Eddowes. The primary difference is that with MJK he was in side, so had more time.

Q22) - Did the Ripper live outside of London and use the rail network to commute in and kill, before leaving again via train?

No. JtR needed to get to a residence fairly soon after his murders to both clean up and deal with the body parts he took. Travelling by train would be too risky, and would get him spotted (blood on him; odd behaviour, etc). Generally, those who murder prostitutes will do so close to home - that's where they know they can go to find victims.

Q23) - If the watch is forensically authentic, then who etched/engraved it if it wasn't JM himself; Bachert the fantasist Engraver perhaps?

the watch is not authentic

Q24) - Was Lechmere standing by Nichols when Paul arrived, like it was when initially reported?

No, he was standing in the middle of the street, and waited for Paul to come to him before then going together to examine Nichols.

Q25) - Were the Ripper and the torso killer the same man?

There is no reason to suspect this.

Thoughts please?

RD

Those are my thoughts, opinions may vary.

- Jeff

[Herlock Sholmes]

A new thread...

Well, why not eh?


Answers on a postcard please...



Q1) - Did Stride have the Cachou on her person, to take away the taste of a Cigar?

We have no reason to suspect this. It seems that they were used as we would use mints today.

Q2) - Was Stride murdered after a street deal in illegal contraband cigars went wrong?

There’s no evidence for this.

Q3) - Why does MJK's death certificate say that she was murdered in Julia Venturney's room at No.1 Millers Court?

Clerical error.

Q4) - Did the partition wall of MJK's room read "+M" implying the killer was linked to Crossingham?

No.

Q5) - Were there any women who thwarted an attack from Jack the Ripper by escaping?

It’s a possibility but it’s not something that we can assume.

Q6) - How was the Pinchin Street torso murder predicted just before it happened for real?

Like Jeff I could do with a ‘refresher’ on the Pinchin Street specifics but these things generally turn out to be either a coincidence or some form of misreporting which confuses content or dates.

Q7) - Why did a man like McCarthy allow MJK to fall so far behind in her rent?

I’ve always suspected, like Fiver, that it was a case of ‘how did an attractive young prostitute manage to persuade her landlord to be more patient when paying off a debt?’

Q8) - Did the Ripper spend any time in ColdBath Fields prison that operated the "silent system?" (it taught inmates to carry out tasks silently)

We have no reason for thinking so.

Q9) - Is it significant that Nichols was the only Ripper victim not seen with a man shortly before she was murdered?

I wouldn’t have thought so.

Q10) - How was the Torso killer able to get the Whitehall torso down into the dark cellar vault all by himself?

It would have been no more difficult than getting an average sized sack of potatoes down there.

Q11) - Did the Torso killer ever target children and were the West Ham murders connected?

We have no reason for believing so. I think it’s unlikely given that the ripper victim were adults.

Q12) - Were some of the Ripper victims murdered near Board Schools for a reason?

I wouldn’t have thought so.

Q13) - Did the Ripper constantly change his general appearance to evade capture, through dying his hair and beard?

I don’t know about dying his hair and beard but I don’t think that it’s beyond reason that he might have changed his appearance in some way. I’ve often thought ‘what kind of things would I do in that situation to reduce my chances of being caught?’ I come up with - regular and significant changes in clothing, growing and then shaving off a beard or moustache, extra layers of clothing to increase bulk, different hat, adopt a limp, adopt an accent in case I was heard speaking. I’m not suggesting all of these for the ripper but the changing of clothing and the growing of a beard are hardly ideas of genius so maybe.

Q14) - Could any of the subsequently unidentified witnesses have been the Ripper? (Including the likes of Hutchinson or Schwartz)

Very little is impossible RD. Personally, I don’t think that the ripper was a witness but I could be wrong.

Q15) - Was the Ripper driven to kill by the need to attack and mutilate the Uterus; associated with holding new life?

Its something that I don’t think that we will ever know.

Q16) - How many of the Policemen involved with the Ripper case were corrupt and therefore hindered the progress of the investigation?

I don’t know if there were any corrupt officers involved but I can’t see how it would have affected the case. A bit of incompetence or laziness might have had an effect though. Personally I think that Mizen could have been covering his own a**e when he said that Cross had mentioned a Constable in Bucks Row. Harvey might not have bothered going to the end of Church Passage as he’d claimed. Perhaps Long had payed no attention to the doorway in Goulston Street when he passed before discovering the rag? Maybe one of the officers was later in his beat than he’d reported because he’d stopped of for a drink or to see a woman?

Q17) - When the Ripper chose to cut Eddowes apron and then place it under the older chalk marking (GSG), what was he trying to tell us?

We don’t know that it was the ripper that wrote the graffito and we don’t know that the doorway wasn’t chosen at random.

Q18) - Was the Ripper ambidextrous and could therefore kill with either hand?

We have no way of knowing.

Q19) - Had any of the Ripper victims been with the Ripper as a regular customer on a previous occasion, and so serve as a reason why they would trust him?

I’d say that it’s a possibility but there’s just no way of confirming it.

Q20) - Why did the Ripper change from mutilating women in their mid-40's to a younger woman like MJK and did the childbearing organs play a part?

A woman can still give birth in her forties. I think it was simply chance that he came upon Kelly.

Q21) - Could MJK's relatively younger age have been a contributing factor to why she suffered considerably worse injuries?

I just think that it was a time and privacy issue.

Q22) - Did the Ripper live outside of London and use the rail network to commute in and kill, before leaving again via train?

I impossible know. I’ve certainly never been sold on the suggestion that the killer must have been a local man though he certainly might have been.

Q23) - If the watch is forensically authentic, then who etched/engraved it if it wasn't JM himself; Bachert the fantasist Engraver perhaps?

From long experience I tend to avoid dairy stuff like the plague. It’s a minefield where a few know every detail (Caz, Roger, Ike, Erobitha, David O etc) I’d have to spend a month in re-reading which I’m not going to do. I’ll just say that I’m convinced that it’s all a hoax. (I once had a longish dispute with David Orsam on the subject of the diary and I still have the bruises)

Q24) - Was Lechmere standing by Nichols when Paul arrived, like it was when initially reported?

No, the inquest evidence from Robert Paul is the only one that matters. Cross was in the middle of the road. He hadn’t touched her. The killer had though.

Q25) - Were the Ripper and the torso killer the same man?

I’ve never thought so but there’s a book on the subject due out at some point.


Thoughts please?


RD

Nothing particularly original from me there I’m afraid RD.

[New Waterloo]

The idea of the question list by Rookie is very good. Reading through something stands out. Question 13 appears to be something which can be answered with some evidence. Herlock is bang on the money again and changing clothes/appearance would be quite possible.

During the inquest into Chapmans murder, when speaking of her male friend the 'Pensioner' Ted Stanley, Donovan the Deputy says '

'I never heard deceased call the man by any name. He was between forty and forty-five years of age, about 5 ft. 6 in. or 5 ft. 8 in. in height. Sometimes he would come dressed as a dock labourer; at other times he had a gentlemanly appearance. His hair was rather dark. I believe she always used to find him at the top of the street'.

He also use to use the name WAND instead of Stanley. I am not suggesting he is JTR (but of course he may be) but evidentially, given by witnesses at the time this is a person who fits the question raised by Rookie (13)

Perhaps this list idea has some merit in drawing out actual evidence we have from witnesses at the time.

NW

[Tom_Wescott]

Q1) - Did Stride have the Cachou on her person, to take away the taste of a Cigar?

N/A

Q2) - Was Stride murdered after a street deal in illegal contraband cigars went wrong?

Not funny.

Q3) - Why does MJK's death certificate say that she was murdered in Julia Venturney's room at No.1 Millers Court?

Does it?

Q4) - Did the partition wall of MJK's room read "+M" implying the killer was linked to Crossingham?

Nothing was written.

Q5) - Were there any women who thwarted an attack from Jack the Ripper by escaping?

Yes.

Q6) - How was the Pinchin Street torso murder predicted just before it happened for real?

It was premeditated?

Q7) - Why did a man like McCarthy allow MJK to fall so far behind in her rent?

She wasn't paying Jack McCarthy with cash, and Mrs. McCarthy kept the books.

Q8) - Did the Ripper spend any time in ColdBath Fields prison that operated the "silent system?" (it taught inmates to carry out tasks silently)

Possibly. But anything you learn in prison you can learn on the streets.

Q9) - Is it significant that Nichols was the only Ripper victim not seen with a man shortly before she was murdered?

She wasn't.

Q10) - How was the Torso killer able to get the Whitehall torso down into the dark cellar vault all by himself?

He may have been 'they'. The question should be why that place made more sense to him than any other.

Q11) - Did the Torso killer ever target children and were the West Ham murders connected?

Probably not.

Q12) - Were some of the Ripper victims murdered near Board Schools for a reason?

They were also murdered near pubs and lodging houses and churches. The sort of structures that repeat themselves in a city.

Q13) - Did the Ripper constantly change his general appearance to evade capture, through dying his hair and beard?

Probably not, though cutting/growing hair is a possibility.

Q14) - Could any of the subsequently unidentified witnesses have been the Ripper? (Including the likes of Hutchinson or Schwartz)

Sure.

Q15) - Was the Ripper driven to kill by the need to attack and mutilate the Uterus; associated with holding new life?

N/A

Q16) - How many of the Policemen involved with the Ripper case were corrupt and therefore hindered the progress of the investigation?

There was certainly widespread corruption amongst the police, but whether it prevented them from catching the Ripper is another matter.

Q17) - When the Ripper chose to cut Eddowes apron and then place it under the older chalk marking (GSG), what was he trying to tell us?

He would probably be confused that you describe it as 'old' when it was described as fresh and had not previously been seen by any person living in the building. He was taking credit for Stride's murder.

Q18) - Was the Ripper ambidextrous and could therefore kill with either hand?

Probably not.

Q19) - Had any of the Ripper victims been with the Ripper as a regular customer on a previous occasion, and so serve as a reason why they would trust him?

Possibly. Or they knew him from the area.

Q20) - Why did the Ripper change from mutilating women in their mid-40's to a younger woman like MJK and did the childbearing organs play a part?

He likely didn't know some of the victims were the age they were (Nichols, Stride).

Q21) - Could MJK's relatively younger age have been a contributing factor to why she suffered considerably worse injuries?

Possibly, but the four walls and the roof probably had more to do with it.

Q22) - Did the Ripper live outside of London and use the rail network to commute in and kill, before leaving again via train?

Anything is possible.

Q23) - If the watch is forensically authentic, then who etched/engraved it if it wasn't JM himself; Bachert the fantasist Engraver perhaps?

The Detection Club.

Q24) - Was Lechmere standing by Nichols when Paul arrived, like it was when initially reported?

He was standing in the road, looking towards her body.

Q25) - Were the Ripper and the torso killer the same man?

N/A

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott