my views

[corey123]

Speculation

There are some similarities. But NOT enough to prove. I am still in neutral when it comes to this letter. The coincidence is TOO big still and I dont care how you put it her ear was cut off weather or not it was collateral damage.

yours truly

[dixon9]

on documentary aired last night on the Crime channel a reporter named Best is named as the writer of The Dear Boss letter.
Sorry cant give anymore details(as blooming family still over for christmas and was only catching snippits)


Dixon9
still learning

[lynn cates]

better and Best

Hello Dixon. Yes, Best is often regarded as one of the two or three most likely candidates for having written that letter.

Although I've said it before, I'll say again. A piece of me died when I learned that letter was a fake.

The best. (Oops! No pun intended!)
LC

[j.r-ahde]

Hello you all!

Yes, Best is the best candidate for the real writer of the letter!

But I cannot help saying this once more;

I hope, that he isn't related to George Best or Peter Best!

All the best
Jukka

[corey123]

I must agree,
Although I think Bullings handwriting is extremily similar to that of the three letters sent by "Jack the Ripper" that we are discussing.

So hes my top candidate,

yours truly

[Into The Abyss]

(Copied this over from the Media thread, as it seems more appropriate here - apologies for the repetition)

Just watched the programme on Sky Anytime and MacKenzie, ex-editor of the Sun, claimed that Frederick Best, a journalist with The Star newspaper at the time of the Whitechapel Murders was responsible for writing the "Dear Boss" letter, possibly under the tutelage of T P O'Connor, the newspaper's editor.

Mackenzie together with a writer/historian (sorry can't remember his name) had obtained a document allegedly written by Best (I believe it was something to do with a will bequest) and had that compared with the "Dear Boss" letter. The lady graphologist they used is apparently very familiar with the DB letter and was able to show some fairly believable comparisons between both documents.

Prior to this comparison, Mackenzie had produced a letter ("never before seen") from a major shareholder of The Star to the editor, expressing concern that the newspaper had known that DB had been written by one of their reporters, but had not done anything about the matter.

This story is borne out to a degree by a section in Paul Begg's, JtR - The Facts (pages 203-4, 2009 edition) where he relates a story from an anonymous contributor to Crime and Detection in August 1966, who claims to have met with a reporter named Best ("a penny-a-liner on The Star newspaper" in 1888) who said that he and a provincial colleague were responsible for ALL the Ripper letters.

Interestingly, Harry Dam, an American reporter also working on The Star at the relevant time, has been "fingered" previously as the author of DB. Perhaps it was a joint effort between Best and Dam, with Best doing the actual writing.

NB Am I correct in thinking that Dam was suspected of being the author of the "Leather Apron" story as well?

[corey123]

There are many a candidate for the "Leather Apron" so I dont really think thats just a story.

You have John Pizer,Julious Lipman, and many others.

Though Im not sure who "Leather Apron" really was.

If you haven't already done so take a look at the comparison to Thomas Bullings handwriting to the Ripper letters.

They are oddly similar but inconclusive.

yours truly

[Into The Abyss]

Apologies, Corey, for my brevity in relation to my previous comment on "the Leather Apron story" - I was referring to John Pizer being named as "Leather Apron", and did not mean to imply that the Leather Apron character was fictitious.

The actual point that I was trying to make was that the reporter Dam, had been directly responsible for naming Pizer as Leather Apron (allegedly on very little evidence) and as a result (it is claimed) had cost The Star some small amount of money in compensation paid to Pizer, in order for the newspaper to avoid a costly libel action. (Whether Pizer would have possessed, or could have acquired, the necessary funds to launch such an action is a moot point).

The fact is, if true, this story about Dam could show that he has previous for embellishing "facts" and creating his own copy. What better way to do this than through the DB letter (an inspired piece of journalistic licence) using the freelance penny-a-liner, Best, to actually write the letter (no idea why; perhaps Best's handwriting was better than his; or pehaps it would look more "English"; perhaps it would be less recognisable than Dam's own; who knows?).

It has also been noted by some authors and language experts that the DB letter apparently contains a number of American idioms of the time.

[corey123]

Abyss,

Oh, my apologys. No I dont think Pizer is the apron. Not at all.

[lynn cates]

magazine

Hello Corey and Abyss. there is an excellent piece on leather apron in the last regular edition of the Ripperologist.

Cheers, lads.
LC

[DVV]

The Star had exonerated Pizer as early as the 12 Sept.
It had thus little to fear from him.
On the other hand, there is a restriction in the article: "at least not the Leather Apron who has been the terror and the blackmailer of the women of Whitechapel."

I'm not sure there were two vicious Leather Apron in Whitechapel.

Amitiés all

[Gman992]

Weren't there two Dear Boss letters?

And is there an American/English lingo dictionary somewhere? Everyone says "boss" is an American expression. What would be the English expression?

[corey123]

Gman,

I don't know if the term 'boss' was considered or is still considered a american term. Americans stem from mostly past British indaviduals so, maybe it is a bit of both.

I don't know why they say it was an american term but I know some do.

I await them to answer.

Anyways there were tens of letters, as you probally know, that were titled "Dear Boss,".

[DVV]

Hi Corey,

I think "boss" is originally informal, isn't it ?

Amitiés,
David

[spyglass]

If the letters were written by JTR , and he being Maybrick
I guess the English equivalent at that time would be " Allright our kid "

.