Single biggest reason for not catching JTR?

[Wickerman]

I forgot to add that if there were in fact multiple killers, I would expect that that would have increased the chances of at least one of them being caught.

c.d.

At first glance yes, but even if there was one Jack, who killed Coles, McKenzie, & the Torso's?

Multiple killers do appear to have got away with murder.

[Damaso Marte]

Why, lack of evidence of course.

[GUT]

G'day Jon

At first glance yes, but even if there was one Jack, who killed Coles, McKenzie, & the Torso's?

Multiple killers do appear to have got away with murder.

Maybe Jack did the lot.

One problem is someone who gets away with one killing may have a better chance with getting away with a lot, than say 7 or 8 people each getting away with one. Somewhere I have stats on murder clearance rates in 1880's and they weren't too shabby.

[Mayerling]

Maybe Jack did the lot.

One problem is someone who gets away with one killing may have a better chance with getting away with a lot, than say 7 or 8 people each getting away with one. Somewhere I have stats on murder clearance rates in 1880's and they weren't too shabby.

We have to always keep in mind that there were a long string of unsolved murders in London, in the British Isles, and around the world in the years up to 1888 - and then again that these as well as the legally settled cases were KNOWN murders. There were probably many illnesses (lingering or sudden) and "accidents" that were really murders that the public and the authorities never realized were not what they seemed to be.

I basically consider that the Ripper's crimes were unsolved because we were just then entering the world of modern forensics. In 1872 a Mrs. Squiers and her daughter were killed in London by a young man who many people saw fleeing their shop in broad daylight. One of the clues that vexed the police (especially after 1905) was a bottle found near the bodies that had a finger print on it. But fingerprinting did not exist in England in 1872.

The Home Secretary was a political hack who had gotten his job because of his success in destroying the career of Sir Charles Dilke, Gladstone's supposed successor, in the Crawford divorce case of 1884. That and the fact that Henry Mathews was a Roman Catholc made him an essential appointee for the Tory Prime Minister Lord Salisbury. Interestingly, when Salisbury returned to power in 1895 he did not put Mathews into the same post again. He had learned his lesson about the man's incompetence.

Victoria was interested in the crimes, and wrote letters to both Salisbury and Mathews about ways of improving safety and catching Jack. But her interference was not really an overwhelming feature.

Yes Jack was clever, even if he wrote any letters to the press. Compare his trail with that of Neill Cream in 1891-92, which involved poisoning not cutting up prostitutes. Cream though brought a great deal of attention to himself due to his writing habits, and his vicious personality - even so the Yard almost never noticed him. Jack certainly kept better counsel on his own behavior and activities (unless, of course, he died in the period after November 9, 1888).

Jeff

[GUT]

G'day Jeff

He certainly knew how to keep his mouth shut unless, as you say, he was dead. One problem I have with conspiracy theories or gangs, the more nvolved the more chance of someone letting something slip.

But don't forget the police did in fact get Cream.

I thought that the stats I have show about a 70+% clearance rate, but most murders were domestic or spur of moment type crimes. If just I could find them.

[Harry D]

Hello Harry. Good idea for a thread.

Permit me to suggest that he never existed in the first place.

Cheers.
LC

Hello Lynn,

You are a proponent of the 'two-man' theory, yes?

I would be very interested for you to expand that thought. Feel free to send me a PM if you prefer.

[Fisherman]

Hello Lynn,

You are a proponent of the 'two-man' theory, yes?

I would be very interested for you to expand that thought. Feel free to send me a PM if you prefer.

Two man? You´re in for a surprise, Harry!

The best,
Fisherman

[Mayerling]

Hi GUT

He certainly knew how to keep his mouth shut unless, as you say, he was dead. One problem I have with conspiracy theories or gangs, the more nvolved the more chance of someone letting something slip.

But don't forget the police did in fact get Cream.

I thought that the stats I have show about a 70+% clearance rate, but most murders were domestic or spur of moment type crimes. If just I could find them.

Again, the clearance rate for known crimes is probably correct - but what of unknown crimes passed off as illnesses or accidents or even self-defense.

Cream fled England suddenly in the winter of 1891/92, having poisoned two of his prostitute victims, and after launching a blackmail scheme based on these (revealing they were poisonings, but claiming the letter recipients were the guilty parties). Supposedly he returned to Canada to regain part of an inheritance from his father. However, before he left he wrote out a will leaving his estate to Miss Laura Sabatini, who was his fiance (and - she did not realize something was wrong for some reason - his helper with his letters). He returned in March 1892, and in April committed two other poisonings. By then a policeman was living in the same rooming house. Cream continued writing letters, this time attacking a doctor who was also a roomer in the boarding house. Within a month Cream was finally arrested.

I wrote about Cream and those blackmail letters once that was published in the "Criminologist". It pointed out that one of Cream's targets was Dr. William Broadbent. Cream apparently chose this successful Harley Street practitioner for just that reason, that he was a rich target to extort money by threats from. But suddenly Broadbent was in the news - helping the younger son of Bertie, the Prince of Wales (his son George, Duke of York, later King George V) recover from influenza sweeping the country at the time.
I felt this shook up Cream's self-confidence, as his letter to Broadbent would get closer scrutiny due to his suddenly helping the Royal Family. So he left for awhile

Subsequently he learned of the death of Eddy, Duke of Clarence, due to influenza - and that Broadbent failed to save him. Cream, I felt, made a tactical error, reasoning that Broadbent would not be used by the Royal Family again. He was wrong - In February 1892 Broadbent was made physician to the Prince of Wales' household. He would subsequently be knighted. Then that letter to Broadbent, which Broadbent himself gave to the police, was studied, and soon that police officer was in that boarding house. I am of the opinion it was the attempt to blackmail a royal physician that cooked Cream's goose.

Jeff

[GUT]

G'day Jeff

Again, the clearance rate for known crimes is probably correct - but what of unknown crimes passed off as illnesses or accidents or even self-defense.

No doubt plenty of those, no lack of them.

I wrote about Cream and those blackmail letters once that was published in the "Criminologist". It pointed out that one of Cream's targets was Dr. William Broadbent. Cream apparently chose this successful Harley Street practitioner for just that reason, that he was a rich target to extort money by threats from. But suddenly Broadbent was in the news - helping the younger son of Bertie, the Prince of Wales (his son George, Duke of York, later King George V) recover from influenza sweeping the country at the time.
I felt this shook up Cream's self-confidence, as his letter to Broadbent would get closer scrutiny due to his suddenly helping the Royal Family. So he left for awhile

Subsequently he learned of the death of Eddy, Duke of Clarence, due to influenza - and that Broadbent failed to save him. Cream, I felt, made a tactical error, reasoning that Broadbent would not be used by the Royal Family again. He was wrong - In February 1892 Broadbent was made physician to the Prince of Wales' household. He would subsequently be knighted. Then that letter to Broadbent, which Broadbent himself gave to the police, was studied, and soon that police officer was in that boarding house. I am of the opinion it was the attempt to blackmail a royal physician that cooked Cream's goose.

I agree he cooked his own goose, pretty stupid if you ask me.

[John Wheat]

The fact that the police were looking for a Mr Hyde type character rather than a complete nobody.

[SirJohnFalstaff]

In your opinion, what was the single biggest reason why JTR was never caught?

Lack of modern forensics? Police incompetence? Jack was just too damn good?

My humble opinion would be a combination of three things:

- bad luck
- distrust of police authority among the population
- greedy press

I join the rank of people thinking that JtR was no criminal mastermind. Just a very lucky sick man who knew Whitechapel very well.