Has a genuine letter ever been ignored?

[SirJohnFalstaff]

"Well you see I've kept my word, and done for the one I said I would.

I suppose you took notice of what I said.

These other letters were not written by me at all and has some one been kind enough to give me the name of "Jack The Ripper". I'll accept it and act up to it. Look out for the next.

P.S. You can't trace me by this writing so its no use on the police stations"


Okay, here's a question: if this letter writer had never before written a letter, when did he say he'd do "for the one"? What did he say that we were to take notice of?

This letter obliquely suggests another communication of some kind in its first lines, or so it reads to me, and yet denies having made any previous communication just a few sentences later.

I think the letters says
"I suppose you took no notice of what I said"
Meaning he did write but the letter was not published/taken seriously, because he's saying "the other letters were not written by me(...) "

[J6123]

Hello MayBea,

Yes I am pretty sure that was it, because I remember it was a behavioural profiler who told police to rule it out.

Thanks for that.

[Michael W Richards]

Im not sure that any correspondence that came in claiming to be from the killer at large was "ignored", but I think 1 of them in particular could have done a lot to quell a single killer theory, as this "Ripper" speculation is.

I think the clue that was sent to Lusk should have been taken as a sign that the killer of Kate Eddowes had some kind of a bone to pick with Lusk, and not necessarily with his role within the vigilance committee. I think that's why Lusk stuffed it in his drawer for a day before telling anyone about it, and why he didn't go directly to the police with it when he finally admitted receiving it. I think its at least possible that the package came from the Irish man who asked for Lusks address earlier that week from the lady shopkeeper......the one who didn't want to remove his gloves to touch her or the paper.. a Ms. Marsh If I recall correctly. The package was addressed just like it appeared in that paper...again, I believe it was missing the street number.

I think its entirely possible that Kates killer cut himself that night while killing Kate, and that's why he needed to extra cloth....because he likely had something for the organs he took...I doubt by the speed that he used while taking the organs that it was a spontaneous act. But he did also take time to cut her colon, her face, and the cloth....so one might wonder whether those acts were also part of the plan for the night. Or was it the result of his nicking his hand while severing the colon, punishing her face for the outrage, then cutting the cloth to stem any bleeding.

If the cloth was used with pressure on a cut, it could explain why he may have kept holding on to it for that trot off to Goulston, and why there wasn't a huge amount of blood on the cloth. But it could also explain why the cloth wasn't seen at 2:20, it was found over an hour after the murder had taken place and long after a killer fleeing continuously from Mitre would have been through there.

I think he needed to clean and patch his hand first, before intentionally placing that cloth right where they found it.

You see why I think that package might be an interesting lead...to a well dressed Irishman perhaps with a grudge of some kind with Lusk. He obviously wouldnt know Lusk well, or perhaps at all, because he needed the address from the paper. Which makes me wonder what might have motivated him to send the parcel to Lusk. Intimidation?

[RockySullivan]

I think the Lusk kidney is one of the biggest clues to the rippers identity. What was Lusks connection to the London Hospital?

[Rosella]

The London Hospital was, and is, on the Whitechapel Rd, so it was convenient and nearby for Lusk to take it there.

Mrs Marsh's description was of a 6 foot man with dark hair and beard and an Irish accent. He refused to go to the Crown Hotel to leave a message, the Crown being the HQ of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee. Perhaps he was a Temperance advocate!

Strangely enough, Lusk complained to the police in October that his house was being watched by a 'sinister' bearded man. He requested police protection.

[GUT]

I am almost certain that Lusk also did some building works at the hospital at one stage, just can't find the details at the moment.

[RockySullivan]

I am almost certain that Lusk also did some building works at the hospital at one stage, just can't find the details at the moment.

I wonder if Lusk or a business associate/rival was contracted to do the construction for the whitehall building where the torso was found? Lusk is in construction, the torso was dumped a spot accessible to construction workers, I wonder if there's a connection

[GUT]

I wonder if Lusk or a business associate/rival was contracted to do the construction for the whitehall building where the torso was found? Lusk is in construction, the torso was dumped a spot accessible to construction workers, I wonder if there's a connection

Not that I've been able to find so far.

[Rosella]

Actually, Lusk took the kidney first to Dr Frederick Wiles at his surgery in Mile End Rd. (Perhaps his local doctor?) Wiles was out, so his assistant, one F. Reed, took a look at the contents of the box. He thought the object was a human kidney that had been preserved in spirits of wine.

However, for a more experienced opinion, Reed took it to Dr Openshaw, who was curator of the Pathological Museum at the London Hospital.

[Steve S]

I've thought for a while, the present habit of automatically discounting ALL the communications may be an over-reaction.........

[RockySullivan]

Not that I've been able to find so far.

Is there any way we could find out who had the construction contract t
For new Scotland Yard?

[Bridewell]

I think the letters says
"I suppose you took no notice of what I said"
Meaning he did write but the letter was not published/taken seriously, because he's saying "the other letters were not written by me(...) "

He's possibly annoyed that the previous letter(s) sent by him has not received any publicity while other 'fake' letters have been treated more seriously. That said, it was probably just a rather more sophisticated hoax letter itself.

[gnote]

He's possibly annoyed that the previous letter(s) sent by him has not received any publicity while other 'fake' letters have been treated more seriously. That said, it was probably just a rather more sophisticated hoax letter itself.

Agreed on both.

[Defective Detective]

If the Leman Street letter writer was upset about a past missive, hoax or otherwise, being ignored, then I suppose it means the answer to the query in this thread's title must be yes: there was at least one "genuine" letter, which I take to mean "contemporaneous with the Ripper murders", which we have no knowledge of because it was not recorded at the time.


I would be interested in knowing whether or not any past writing by this person to the Leman Street police station could definitely be traced by some enterprising researcher.

[SirJohnFalstaff]

He's possibly annoyed that the previous letter(s) sent by him has not received any publicity while other 'fake' letters have been treated more seriously. That said, it was probably just a rather more sophisticated hoax letter itself.

Most letters sent to the police, and some to the press after the double event, were never published.

I'm not saying that there was a genuine Jack letter, but this one is in my top 5 of possibilities.