An authorship analysis of the Jack the Ripper letters (Andrea Nini, 2018)

[Abby Normal]

It’s very interesting!

Hopefully Dr Nini’s analysis can complement any other associated research e.g. hand writing analysis etc.

I’ll note here that Sue Iremonger identified Dear Boss, Saucy Jack and the ‘threat letter’ of 8/10/88 as being in the same hand (I am aware some people dispute this and say the latter is a skilful copy).

Personally I’m not sold on the idea that Bulling physically wrote Dear Boss or Saucy Jack because he’s handwriting from the Moab and Midian transcription is not the same.

But I suspect the cause for suspicion that he hoaxed the letters stems from the Moab and Midian episode.

Another thing to consider is that, although Bulling transcribing Moab and Midian looks very dodgy to us, considering the scarcity of surviving documentation on file, we don’t really know what happened here i.e. why he transcribed it and whether the police did end up seeing the ‘original’ letter (if it existed). And then of course the envelope is missing too.

We do know that Swanson was comparing letters in 1896 so it could not have been clearly established that they were hoaxes at that time.

And then there’s the old argument that if they had proof Bulling, Moore or someone else had hoaxed them then you would expect that they would have been charged e.g. Maria Coroner. IIRC Chris Scott also established that Bulling continued to work as a journalist post his Bismarck sacking.

If only because Bulling and Moore are mentioned by Littlechild I do think they’re much stronger candidates for hoaxing journalists than suspects like Harry Dam, Nigel Mooreland’s Best and Andrew Cook’s Frederick Best (the claims against the last two I find a little suspect).

I also entertain the idea that some incoming official such as Melville McNaughton may have reviewed the case at a later stage i.e. post 1888, came across the Moab and Midian letter and possibly without knowing the undocumented or lost documented story behind it assumed as many people do today that it was highly suspicious and the “enterprising journalist” idea was born from there. Just a thought.

Hi phantom
I thought someone else copied and sent the Moab letter, not bulling?

Anyway, I don’t think anyone from the cna hoaxed any of the letters. Why hoax a letter and then hold it back before sending to police? The whole reason was supposedly to drum up business, and if you held back the letter, you could get scooped by someone else or the killer himself! Nope you’d want to send it off as soon as you were done with it.

I don’t place to much faith in the police story later of it being a journalist. Kind of par for the course with these higher ups police making up excuses for never catching the killer. Pretty embarrassing especially if you have such a good clue of a confession letter.

I think there is a good chance the 1896 letter was from same author as saucy jack/dear boss. It just has the same feel, tone...even the handwriting was similar, enough for the police to warrant a comparison. I have letters from hell, and all the others are really bad copy cats. To me winters coming letter is only one that stands out as being possibly also authentic

[Spider]

"Anyway, I don’t think anyone from the cna hoaxed any of the letters. Why hoax a letter and then hold it back before sending to police? The whole reason was supposedly to drum up business, and if you held back the letter, you could get scooped by someone else or the killer himself! Nope you’d want to send it off as soon as you were done with it."

And address it to Central News OFFICE rather than Agency as well!

[Abby Normal]

"Anyway, I don’t think anyone from the cna hoaxed any of the letters. Why hoax a letter and then hold it back before sending to police? The whole reason was supposedly to drum up business, and if you held back the letter, you could get scooped by someone else or the killer himself! Nope you’d want to send it off as soon as you were done with it."

And address it to Central News OFFICE rather than Agency as well!

That’s a great point spider. This is first time I’ve heard someone bring that up, and I never caught that.

That is definitely the final nail in the coffin for me that it was written by anyone at the CNA. Or another journalist.

[Trevor Marriott]

Hi phantom
I thought someone else copied and sent the Moab letter, not bulling?

Anyway, I don’t think anyone from the cna hoaxed any of the letters. Why hoax a letter and then hold it back before sending to police? The whole reason was supposedly to drum up business, and if you held back the letter, you could get scooped by someone else or the killer himself! Nope you’d want to send it off as soon as you were done with it.

I don’t place to much faith in the police story later of it being a journalist. Kind of par for the course with these higher ups police making up excuses for never catching the killer. Pretty embarrassing especially if you have such a good clue of a confession letter.

I think there is a good chance the 1896 letter was from same author as saucy jack/dear boss. It just has the same feel, tone...even the handwriting was similar, enough for the police to warrant a comparison. I have letters from hell, and all the others are really bad copy cats. To me winters coming letter is only one that stands out as being possibly also authentic

Ye of little faith

Andrew Cook in 2009 engaged a handwriting expert to compare the writing of Bulling and Best. The result was that the expert concluded that Best was the most likely author of The Dear Boss letter.

With regards to Bests shenanigans here is an extract from a letter printed in the Star from one of the major shareholders in the newspaper in 1891

"Furthermore, Mr. Best's attempt to mislead Central News during the Whitechapel Murders should have led to an earlier termination of his association with the newspaper”

On a further note as a result of all of what the Star printed their sales sky rocketed way above any of their rivals. So clearly if it was someone with that motive in mind it clearly worked

https://www.trevormarriott.co.uk

[Abby Normal]

Ye of little faith

Andrew Cook in 2009 engaged a handwriting expert to compare the writing of Bulling and Best. The result was that the expert concluded that Best was the most likely author of The Dear Boss letter.

With regards to Bests shenanigans here is an extract from a letter printed in the Star from one of the major shareholders in the newspaper in 1891

"Furthermore, Mr. Best's attempt to mislead Central News during the Whitechapel Murders should have led to an earlier termination of his association with the newspaper”

On a further note as a result of all of what the Star printed their sales sky rocketed way above any of their rivals. So clearly if it was someone with that motive in mind it clearly worked

www.trevormarriott.co.uk

Did best work for the star?
Why on earth would he send it to the CNA if he worked for another newspaper?

[DJA]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centra...Agency_(London)

[Trevor Marriott]

Did best work for the star?
Why on earth would he send it to the CNA if he worked for another newspaper?

Best did work for the star

Whoever sent it to the CNA would have known it would have had maximum impact, and get more exposure than just sending it to one paper, and besides it would have been too obvious for a Star reporter to send it to his own paper.

https://www.trevormarriott.co.uk

[Abby Normal]

Best did work for the star

Whoever sent it to the CNA would have known it would have had maximum impact, and get more exposure than just sending it to one paper, and besides it would have been too obvious for a Star reporter to send it to his own paper.

www.trevormarriott.co.uk

Yeah. Ok. I see your point.

Could you point the direction te the handwriting analysis you mentioned? I was under the impression that best, despite his claims, was pretty much ruled out as author?

[Abby Normal]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centra...Agency_(London)

And your point is?

[Trevor Marriott]

Yeah. Ok. I see your point.

Could you point the direction te the handwriting analysis you mentioned? I was under the impression that best, despite his claims, was pretty much ruled out as author?

It was in Andrew Cooks Book "Jack the Ripper" 2009.

https://www.trevormarriott.co.uk

[DJA]

And your point is?

Thought it would be obvious.

[martin wilson]

On the Moab and Midian letter I would like to suggest a possible reference to Sir Charles Warren, who was credited by George Cole of the Palestine Exploration Fund as being the discoverer of the Moabite stone, or Mesha stele in 1868.
Or coincidence. Who knows?

[DJA]

The letter was referencing Israelites taking in Moab and Midian women and being swayed religiously.
Originally,Moab was an incestuous offspring of Lot. Sodom and Gomorrah fame.

https://www.scotsman.com/webimage/1.3851785.1438888933!/image/927767747.jpg_gen/derivatives/articleMaxWidth_620/927767747.jpg

[Spider]

"Andrew Cook in 2009 engaged a handwriting expert to compare the writing of Bulling and Best. The result was that the expert concluded that Best was the most likely author of The Dear Boss letter."

I personally have little confidence in 'experts' on handwriting etc. There is no proof on their findings just their opinion. We can all assess what we see before us and form an opinion, though it may not be correct. It is only an opinion that may or may not be proven.
I remember vaguely the awful documentary with Vic Reeves, where his expert stated that a letter was written by an illiterate or uneducated writer as they'd omitted the letter 'e' from 'knife'. What sort of an expert were they when the so called 'illiterate' writer had managed to include the silent 'k'. And as to JTR experts, there is only a finite amount of knowledge to the case that is available to us all.

[phantom]

Best's handwriting

Ye of little faith

Andrew Cook in 2009 engaged a handwriting expert to compare the writing of Bulling and Best. The result was that the expert concluded that Best was the most likely author of The Dear Boss letter.

With regards to Bests shenanigans here is an extract from a letter printed in the Star from one of the major shareholders in the newspaper in 1891

"Furthermore, Mr. Best's attempt to mislead Central News during the Whitechapel Murders should have led to an earlier termination of his association with the newspaper”

On a further note as a result of all of what the Star printed their sales sky rocketed way above any of their rivals. So clearly if it was someone with that motive in mind it clearly worked

www.trevormarriott.co.uk

Hi Trevor

I’m going to be honest and sheepishly admit I haven’t actually got Cook’s book!

I have watched the documentary, followed discussions on Casebook and Forums at the time and listened to the podcast.

• Can I please ask you - or anyone else out there who has the book - is the alleged handwriting of Frederick Best actually reproduced in the book?

My understanding is that it wasn’t. Happy to find out the contrary and I would purchase a copy ASAP to see it!

The concern I have is that all the evidence including the letter quoted in your post, was discovered by the author in private family papers and as far as I know the evidence isn’t in the public domain and hasn’t been subject to further scrutiny.

I also note the author published an earlier book where he also reported letters from private family papers that apparently revealed that Rasputin was assassinated by British secret service. That theory is also in dispute.