American Jack the Ripper - True Crime Conference, Baltimore, April 7-8, 2018

[ChrisGeorge]

Ben Weider was born in the province of Quebec where I come from. I think he lived in Montreal.

Yes indeed. I never met Mr Weider in person but we were in correspondence and in 1997 I reviewed his book on the suspicious death of Napoleon for the Journal of the War of 1812 that I then edited.

[Hercule Poirot]

Ben Weider was born in the province of Quebec where I come from. I think he lived in Montreal.

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi Chris,

Nick Warren was the editor of Ripperana and Ben Weider had a theory that Napoleon was poisoned. From memory I think a Swedish doctor first developed the theory and Weider wrote one, or maybe, two books about it.

Best wishes,

Paul

Hi Paul

Correct ... the name I was looking for is Ben Weider who had a body building company with his brother that worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was in that line, which first brought the Austrian-born actor and former governor of California to public attention.

Separately, Howard Brown at JtR Forums named Nick Warren as editor of Ripperana, so he got that prize.

Send me your address by private message and I will get the materials off to you about the supposed assassination by poison of Napoleon.

Cheers

Chris

[Herlock Sholmes]

Hi Patrick

Yes you are correct -- Poe did not pan for gold. Congratulations.

Poe was on the East Coast in 1849, lecturing and in search for a new wife, his wife Virginia having died two years earlier of consumption. He was also not in good health himself and certainly was not well enough to go West to pan for gold. He would die in mysterious circumstances in Baltimore that October.

Send me your snail mail address by private message. Meanwhile, here is a photograph of the late Vincent Price at Poe's grave at Fayette and Greene Streets in Baltimore. On our RipperCon bus tour on Monday, April 9 we will be visiting Poe's grave. See www.RipperCon.com for more information.

Cheers

Chris

Is it me or does the building in the background look a bit like The Texas School Book Depository?

[PaulWilliams]

Hi Chris,

Nick Warren was the editor of Ripperana and Ben Weider had a theory that Napoleon was poisoned. From memory I think a Swedish doctor first developed the theory and Weider wrote one, or maybe, two books about it.

Best wishes,

Paul

[ChrisGeorge]

Before we were so rudely interrupted. . .

RipperCon 2018 Swagerama Continues!

I am giving away assorted copies of Ripperana true crime magazine (ca. 1993-1998, 16 copies total) to whomever can tell me the name of the editor of this now, alas, defunct magazine.

Separately, or together, I have publications (magazines, booklets) on the supposed assassination by poisoning of Napoleon on St. Helena to whomever can tell me the name of the man who held the theory that the Emperor was poisoned and who was a collector of Napoleonana. Hint: His brother worked with Arnold Schwarzenneger in his bodybuilding career before he became an actor. (I think Brian Young [aka Steadmund Brand] or else Bernard Beaulé or Michael Hawley might get this!)

Cheers and Good luck!

Chris

[GUT]

No, no no don’t say it.

[ChrisGeorge]

More RipperCon 2018 loot to give away. The crab is a Chesapeake Bay delicacy. There is one other type of seafood for which the Chesapeake is known. In fact, that delicacy caused an unofficial "war" to be fought on the Bay between Maryland and another state.

So what is that seafood delicacy? Once again, a prize could be yours. Some vintage area postcards are coming the way of whomever gives the first correct answer.

Previous RipperCon winners are barred from winning again. Also barred for this particular trivia contest are residents or former residents of the Chesapeake Bay region. For details on RipperCon 2018 in Baltimore in April go to www.RipperCon.com

[ChrisGeorge]

hi Chris
is that the grave of the mysterious Poe Toaster?

Yes, Abby, it is the grave that the Poe Toaster visits or used to visit. Here is a more recent view, taken by Robert Anderson during the RipperCon 2016 bus tour --



Edgar Allan Poe's grave, Westminster Cemetery, Baltimore, by Robert Anderson.

[Abby Normal]

Hi Patrick

Yes you are correct -- Poe did not pan for gold. Congratulations.

Poe was on the East Coast in 1849, lecturing and in search for a new wife, his wife Virginia having died two years earlier of consumption. He was also not in good health himself and certainly was not well enough to go West to pan for gold. He would die in mysterious circumstances in Baltimore that October.

Send me your snail mail address by private message. Meanwhile, here is a photograph of the late Vincent Price at Poe's grave at Fayette and Greene Streets in Baltimore. On our RipperCon bus tour on Monday, April 9 we will be visiting Poe's grave. See www.RipperCon.com for more information.

Cheers

Chris

hi Chris
is that the grave of the mysterious Poe Toaster?

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi Patrick

Yes you are correct -- Poe did not pan for gold. Congratulations.

Poe was on the East Coast in 1849, lecturing and in search for a new wife, his wife Virginia having died two years earlier of consumption. He was also not in good health himself and certainly was not well enough to go West to pan for gold. He would die in mysterious circumstances in Baltimore that October.

Send me your snail mail address by private message. Meanwhile, here is a photograph of the late Vincent Price at Poe's grave at Fayette and Greene Streets in Baltimore. On our RipperCon bus tour on Monday, April 9 we will be visiting Poe's grave. See www.RipperCon.com for more information.

Cheers

Chris

[Patrick S]

More RipperCon 2018 swag to be won!



Which one of these statements about Edgar Allan Poe is NOT true?

Born in Boston, attended West Point, lived in Richmond, panned for gold in California, died the same year in Baltimore.

If you are first to come up with the correct answer you could win the Raven Beer mats pictured plus the antique postcard. Good luck.

Previous RipperCon 2018 trivia winners cannot win again.

Well. I'm probably doing myself a disservice by not Googling this. But, I'm certain that Poe was born in Boston, that he attended West Point (and UVA), that he lived in Richmond, and that he died in Baltimore. So, I'm going to say he never panned for gold in California.

[ChrisGeorge]

More RipperCon 2018 swag to be won!



Which one of these statements about Edgar Allan Poe is NOT true?

Born in Boston, attended West Point, lived in Richmond, panned for gold in California, died the same year in Baltimore.

If you are first to come up with the correct answer you could win the Raven Beer mats pictured plus the antique postcard. Good luck.

Previous RipperCon 2018 trivia winners cannot win again.

[ChrisGeorge]

As previously announced, the Convention Hotel for RipperCon 2018 is the Lord Baltimore Hotel (website www.lordbaltimorehotel.com) where we have a block of rooms and where the Saturday night banquet will be held as well as the Friday night reception.

The Lords Baltimore were the colonial proprietors of Maryland, having founded the colony in 1634 after a previous colony in Newfoundland had failed. The last Lord Baltimore, Frederick Calvert, Sixth Lord Baltimore (1731–1771), had a racy history. He had at least eight mistresses and a number of illegitimate children. He separated from his wife, the former Lady Diana Egerton, in 1756, due to "incompatibility of temper." Lady Diana died in 1758 in a fall from a carriage while accompanied by her husband.
Some suspected Lord Baltimore of murder.



Frederick Calvert, Sixth Lord Baltimore

Making Lord Baltimore's story pertinent to today's headlines is that he was accused of raping Sarah Woodcock, a local beauty and milliner who kept a hat shop on Tower Hill, London. He was put on trial for the rape but acquitted when the jury, after deliberating for 80 minutes, judged that she hadn't tried hard enough to escape. One wonders if given the climate today, the result would be the same. Most probably not! Particularly when one considers that she appears to have been procured for his pleasure. The scandal drove him out of England and he never returned. He got into financial difficulties and died in Naples two years later.



Sarah Woodcock - "The Modern Lucretia"



Sarah Woodcock forcibly introduced to Lord Baltimore. 18th century illustration from the Newgate Calendar

Don’t miss RipperCon in Baltimore, April 7-8 -- the only North American Jack the Ripper - True Crime Conference in the 130th Anniversary
Year of the Whitechapel Murders!

Only fifty places available! See full information at www.RipperCon.com

__________________

[ChrisGeorge]

TOM DIVENTI—“Riffing on Baltimore”—RipperCon 2018 Saturday night entertainer



Former Baltimore Sun columnist Rafael Alvarez calls Tom DiVenti a “Baltimore hidden treasure.” A man with a rapier-like wit, DiVenti is viewed by RipperCon’s Christopher T. George, who has known him for 40 years, as this city’s Lenny Bruce—so just be sure Baltimore’s Bad Boy doesn’t skewer you during RipperCon.

DiVenti made his reputation in the 1970’s as a poet and punk rocker performing with the bands Da Moronics and T.T. Tucker. He is the subject (or victim!) of The Tinklers’ song, “Tough Guys Are Probably Sad Inside.” He has also been pigeon-holed by Lungfish in their song, “Devilhead.” In 1977, DiVenti founded the city’s first underground small poetry press, Apathy Press, on Lovegrove Alley. The Apathy Project released its first publications on an unsuspecting world in 1980.

At this moment DiVenti’s book, The Baltimore Kid, is schlepping door-to-door in search of a publisher. Summer 2018 will see release of “Da Moronics Live @ CBGB’s NYC 1978” celebrating Da Moronics’ 40th-year anniversary playing punk music—not quite the 130 years since the Ripper murders but getting there! Meanwhile, T.T. Tucker recently released their new CD, “Redneck/Whitetrash/Blues,” comprising original songs by the man himself.

DiVenti writes a weekly column on all things Baltimore and beyond for the digital magazine “Splice Today.” In a recent post he reflected, “Life’s Too Short to Live So Long. I’ve always felt at home in cemeteries” http://www.splicetoday.com/writing/l...o-live-so-long.

Don’t miss out on RipperCon in Baltimore, April 7-8 -- the only North American Jack the Ripper - True Crime Conference
in the 130th Anniversary Year of the Whitechapel Murders!

Only fifty places available! See full information at www.RipperCon.com