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

[GUT]

How did the talk go Saturday?

[ChrisGeorge]

Snow here in Baltimore on Saturday evening, GUT. I had previously called off the fundraiser and told Mike Hawley not to come, when I realized we had invited guests and no paying guests.

[GUT]

Snow here in Baltimore on Saturday evening, GUT. I had previously called off the fundraiser and told Mike Hawley not to come, when I realized we had invited guests and no paying guests.

Sorry to hear.

Wouldn’t mind a bit of that cold here just at the moment though.

[Pcdunn]

Sorry to hear.

Wouldn’t mind a bit of that cold here just at the moment though.

I wouldn't mind some of your Australian sunshine, Gut, it is snowing here today. And was 69 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday!

[GUT]

I wouldn't mind some of your Australian sunshine, Gut, it is snowing here today. And was 69 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday!

But we’ve had day after day of 100f plus. Yesterday was the coolest day this month (and last I think) at 95.

Today we are finally getting some rain and looks a bit cooler.

[ChrisGeorge]

RipperCon 2018 in Baltimore is on track to happen a month from now in Baltimore. Don't miss out on the only North American conference on the Whitechapel Murders in the landmark 130th year of the crimes. Spaces still available but there are only 50 places so book now. Go to www.RipperCon.com for complete details.

The talks will be held at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in the College's 90-year-old Italianate Main Building in Room 110 off Statuary Hall.



Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Main Building, Mount Royal Avenue, Baltimore - Venue for the daytime talks at RipperCon 2018



Statuary Hall in the Main Building at MICA. Talks are scheduled for Room 110 in the left hand corner.

Note that we are two days away for the deadline to book at our flagship hotel, the Lord Baltimore in downtown Baltimore.

The rooms at the Lord Baltimore are $159.00 per night. Here is the information on how to book —

Room reservations will be made by attendees on an individual basis. Individuals should contact the Toll Free Reservations at 855.539.1928. In order to qualify for the Group Room Rate, attendees must make their reservations by Wednesday, March 7, and attendees must ask for the group id 1804RIPPER or RipperCon rate when making their reservation. Any requests for special room arrangements must be made at the time of this reservation. All reservations must be guaranteed by one night’s deposit, a major credit card or by the Group Master Account. In addition, at the time of check-in each guest will be required to present a valid credit card for any incidental charges they may incur during their stay. You can may also go to the hotel website http://www.lordbaltimorehotel.com/). Click on reservations and enter the group ID 1804RIPPER.

I look forward to seeing many of you in Baltimore a month from now!

Best regards

Chris

[ChrisGeorge]

RipperCon 2018 in Baltimore is on track to happen two weeks from today in Baltimore, Maryland.

Don't miss out on the only North American conference on the Whitechapel Murders in the landmark 130th year of the crimes. Spaces still available but there are only 50 places so book now. Go to www.RipperCon.com for complete details. If you miss this edition of RipperCon the next is expected to be in 2020 in Buffalo, New York!

The talks will be held at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in the College's 90-year-old Italianate Main Building in Room 110 off Statuary Hall beginning at 9:00 am on Saturday, April 7, with a walking and driving tour and a reception the previous afternoon and evening (i.e., Friday). See website.



Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Main Building, Mount Royal Avenue, Baltimore - Venue for the daytime talks at RipperCon 2018



Statuary Hall in the Main Building at MICA. Talks are scheduled for Room 110 in the left hand corner.

Our flagship hotel, the Lord Baltimore, in downtown Baltimore is awaiting your stay. That's from whence our tours will depart Friday and Monday, where the Friday reception will be held and the Saturday evening dinner and program.

According to our deal with the hotel, the rooms at the Lord Baltimore are $159.00 per night. Here is the information on how to book —

Room reservations will be made by attendees on an individual basis. Individuals should contact the Toll Free Reservations at 855.539.1928. In order to qualify for the Group Room Rate, potential attendees were being asked earlier this month to make their reservations by Wednesday, March 7, which was modified to March 16, I can see if the management will still honor that arrangement. I will be very pleased to ask them for you.

In any case, our arrangement with the hotel was that attendees must ask for the group id 1804RIPPER or RipperCon rate when making their reservation. Any requests for special room arrangements must be made at the time of this reservation.

All reservations must be guaranteed by one night’s deposit, a major credit card or by the Group Master Account. In addition, at the time of check-in each guest will be required to present a valid credit card for any incidental charges they may incur during their stay. You can may also go to the hotel website http://www.lordbaltimorehotel.com/). Click on reservations and enter the group ID 1804RIPPER.

I look forward to seeing many of you in Baltimore in a fortnight's time (or a FORTNIT's TIME as they say over here in the US of A. Are you listening Jackie Murphy????

*That's okay, we Statesiders are always happy to welcome Furriners despite what you might hear from that man who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!

Best regards

Chris

Schedule below


SATURDAY, April 7, MICA, Room 110

8:00 am - registration in Room 110, music provided by Tom Reyes starting 8:00 am, coffee, tea, and refreshments

9:00 am - welcome by the Dean of MICA and by M/C Jackie Murphy

9:10 am - Christopher T. George, “The Legend of Jack the Ripper”

10:00 am - Jackie Murphy, “Jack the Ripper's London”

11:00 am - Mikita Brottman, “A Morbid Curiosity: Murder in the Old Belvedere Hotel, Baltimore, 2006”

ca 12 noon to 1:00 pm - Lunch and Chesapeake Collectibles-style trivia and memorabilia hour with invited guests talking about and displaying items in their collections; will not include Francis Tumblety's watch let alone the alleged Maybrick watch... but we will briefly discuss the "Ripper" letter expected to be sold at auction in Folkestone, England, later in April.

1:00 pm - Bernard Beaulé, “Tumblety: Historical and Criminal Evidence Issues”

2:00 pm - Carla Anderton, “There’s Something About Mary: Whitechapel’s Darkest Night, November 9, 1888

3:00 pm - Ripper Fiction Panel moderated by Janis Wilson, with Carla Anderton, Bernard Beaulé, Matt Leyshon, and possibly K. W. Taylor, Sam Gafford, and Kevin Carmichael, either via Skype, conference call, or in person

4:00 pm - Charles Tumosa, “A Policeman’s Lot Is Not a Happy One” - How civilian conflicts with the police alter crime suppression and investigation.

5:00 pm, MICA talks end for day

7:00 pm to 10:00 pm, dinner at the Lord Baltimore Hotel folowed by two-hour program with Tom DiVenti and another speaker or performer

****

SUNDAY, April 8, MICA, Room 110

9:00 am - Brian W. Schoeneman - “Sir Charles Warren, the Metropolitan Police, and the Whitechapel Murders”

10:00 am - Janis Wilson - “Could Sherlock Holmes Have Solved the Ripper Case?”

11:00 pm - Chris Jones - “The Maybricks of Liverpool: More George & Ringo than Lennon & McCartney?”

ca 12 noon to 1:00 pm - Lunch at MICA featuring an appearance by President James Madison, our shortest president! The guy who let those bladdy Brits burn the White House!

1:00 pm - Amy Branam Armiento - “‘How calmly I can tell you the whole story’: Murder in Edgar Allan Poe’s Fiction”

2:00 pm - Christopher T. George - “The Devil in Mr Deeming”

3:00 pm - David Sterritt - “Red Riding, the Yorkshire Ripper on Film”

4:00 pm - Casey Smith - “William Joseph Ibbett (1858-1934): Poet, Printer, Piquerist, Ripper Suspect?”

5:00 pm - General Discussion - “Who Was Jack the Ripper - Will We Ever Know?”... and Trivia Competition/Live Auction (fundraiser benefit for this series of Ripper-True Crime conferences as well as Chris George's annual War of 1812 symposium series. Contact CTG if interested in his War of 1812 events).

6:00 pm - conference ends. Thanks in advance for coming and supporting this conference series which is meant to educate and illuminate the public as well as those who think they already know about the case. They do not, Rippermates!

Printed program is being assembled at this time and will include Friday free walking and/or driving tour of downtown Baltimore led by yours truly (2:00 to 5:00 pm pm starting from the Lord Baltimore Hotel), Friday evening (7:00 pm to 9:00 pm) reception at the hotel, 7:00 pm Saturday dinner at hotel and Monday bus tour of Baltimore.

NOTE! URGENT! Speakers and guests, I need to know a head count for the Friday and Monday tours, the Friday reception 8:00 pm and dinner Saturday night 7:00 pm. Thanks in advance!

Cheers

Chris

[ChrisGeorge]

Yes, folks! Our RipperCon swagerama giveaway is back and will operate each day until we kick off the conference in Baltimore with a walking/driving tour at 2:00 pm Friday leaving from the west door of the Lord Baltimore Hotel. Complete details at www.RipperCon.com. Don't let the prize go to someone elsewhere. Prizes given out each day leading up to RipperCon starting in Baltimore on Friday, April 7.

Want a clue? The answer will shake you to your core!

Good luck!



"The Terror" on AMC

[ChrisGeorge]

Yes, folks! Our RipperCon swagerama giveaway is back and will operate each day until we kick off the conference in Baltimore with a walking/driving tour at 2:00 pm Friday leaving from the west door of the Lord Baltimore Hotel. Complete details at www.RipperCon.com. Don't let the prize go to someone elsewhere. Prizes given out each day leading up to RipperCon starting in Baltimore on Friday, April 7.

Want a clue? The answer will shake you to your core!

Good luck!



"The Terror" on AMC

Still looking for an answer, Playmates!

But it would help if I asked the trivia question wouldn't it?

Here's the question:

What connects The Terror to Baltimore.

[Hercule Poirot]

Baltimore 2018 Conference feedback

I came back from the Baltimore conference and would like to share my thoughts not only as one of the speakers but as a participant.

I expected a much larger audience but prefer focusing on the content.

The topics covered were fascinating. If I compare them to last September's Liverpool conference which I attended simply as 10-12 year Ripper enthusiast, I must say I can't say which one I preferred.

Chris introduced the conference by making us one more time aware of the fragility in the way we have considered each and every one of the suspects.

Jackie Murphy offered us a view of London's Ripper danger zone not only with photos, but with these chilling words only she knows to throw carrying us 130 years ago as if we were there. A living Victorian-era encyclopedia, and such a loveable woman.

Mikita Brottman intrigued all of us with this mysterious death of Rey Rivera, a Baltimore filmmaker who had no apparent reasons to end his life or being murdered. (http://www.wbaltv.com/article/suicid...viewed/7054411)

As a speaker, I shared my thoughts on historical and criminal evidence issues regarding Francis Tumblety. Bias and interpretation weaknesses are two mine fields many walk into thinking they can survive simply by ignoring them. Having a rather neutral point of view, I didn't dismiss Tumblety even making it clear that what Michael Hawley has been doing for the past 10 years should inspire us in terms of methodological JTR approach. I wrote a paper for my presentation, which is available on my blog. (https://jardinerodemerida.blogspot.com/)

Janis Wilson, Matt Leyshon and I then discussed many aspects when it comes to writing a JTR related fiction novel, research, original idea triggering our story, character building, historical reference adaptations, etc.

Charles Tumosa, a criminal justice forensic expert, examined how civilian conflicts with the police alter crime suppression and investigation. What came out was a serious race issue based on various statistical data sources. Participants commentated by pointing out survey measurement of perceptions focusing only on race might introduce a serious bias.

On day 2, Janis Wilson had us wonder if Sherlock Holmes could have found the Ripper based on an overlook of all the methods he used in the cases he was given. No, was her answer, although I mentioned that Holmes using a different approach in each case could have found an unusual way to handle the Ripper case had he been asked to take it. I'm waiting for Doyle's reincarnation, hoping he will respond.

Chris Jones presented us the facts behind the Florence and James Maybrick case. An open-minded presentation it was. Although simply offering us the raw data as well as the often contradictory evidence, Chris surely made us realize that the weakness of any conclusion against Florence and in favor of James is almost obvious.

Amy Branam Arminiento delighted us with the way Edgar Allan Poe wrote about murders in his fiction. Her master's degree on literature and Killers as well as her PhD on Egdar Allen Poe allowed her to deliver a 'wow' feeling on how Poe mastered the art of horror thrilling.

If you hadn't ever heard of Deeming, you would have enjoyed Christopher George's presentation of this horrible person. His modus operandi, signature, victim targets and staging are nothing else than a typical 'Res ipsa loquitur' case which can only result in dismissing him as a JTR suspect.

Sadly, I missed Davis Sterrit's 'Red Ridding, the Yorshire Ripper on film' presentation.

Of course, there wouldn't be a Ripper conference without the introduction of a new suspect. Casey Smith covered this intriguing man named William Joseph Ibbeit. Even if you don't believe in character evidence, Casey offered us many elements on who Ibbeit was, how he behaved, what he wrote and compare it with what we know of many other suspects, one can only say "This guy is more than sick. I wouldn't trust him even if I had known him for years". Casey has recently begun his research and I, among many other participants, think he should keep investigating although a long and bumpy road will certainly be ahead of him.

To conclude, this was an exceptional event for me, having had the chance to spend much more time with all the speakers and participants than I had in Liverpool. Spending hours with Christopher George, a living legend, IMHO, as well as with Joe Chetcuti, Chris Jones and Jackie Murphy, building friendships with many such as the author Matt Leyshon. What can I say? The words are simple and come from the bottom of my hearth, "Thank you, all of you."

For more details about the speakers: http://rippercon.com/rippercon-speakers-2016-18/

[GUT]

Thanks for the report Hercule

[jmenges]

Rippercast will be releasing many of the presentations from Baltimore.
So... stay tuned.

JM

[Hercule Poirot]

Rippercast will be releasing many of the presentations from Baltimore.
So... stay tuned.

JM

I forgot my digital recorder at my hotel the first day, but recorded everything on day 2. So I appreciate knowing that the presentations will be available.

[GUT]

Thanks mate a couple I’m looking forward to hearing

[Hercule Poirot]

Thanks mate a couple I’m looking forward to hearing

All speakers had 45 minutes plus 15 minutes of Q&A. We all had material for hours and had to cut some corners. My Tumblety paper (see link above) will probably give you a better idea of what I intended to offer.
Cheers,
Hercule