Dear Boss

[mariab]

OK, I get it, I'll leave Morland and his “other Best“ totally out of this. Which is good, 'cause, even less reading for me. And even from the first mentioning of this it sounded quite a bit fishy (about the “other Best“, I mean).

[mariab]

Wescott wrote:
Busted was the wrong word, since neither man was arrested. I should say 'fallen under suspicion', which Bulling evidently did at some point (Littlechild letter) as did Best (Monty's source above).
Thus my interpretation of your usage of “busting“ was guessed correctly!
I apologize, I didn't realize that you were considering Joseph Aarons as the initiator of the “scheme“ (if scheme there was), and Le Grand the follower.That they went first to The Evening News with the kidney before contacting the police isn't straight at all, this I have to admit. I'm very tempted to ask what else all we know about Joseph Aarons (his line of business, his ethics), but I'm sure I'll get another lecture of “go do your required reading“, which is the most apt advise, but for which (and I profoundly apologize) there's simply NO time whatsoever right now.
I'm interested in the two different Bests and I'll try to read up on how Elaine Quigley identified Best's handwriting.
Now to get ready for a business related long event, but I'll be back much later tonight, and I'll look at ancestry.fr for Lacassagne's family, if he has left any antecedents in Lyon who might have ended up with any photographs. (And yes, I KNOW it's a very long shot.)

[Chris]

And before anyone leaps in with information gleaned from the Andrew Cook book I would recommend that they read the Best entries in the new A To Z. They are very circumspect - and with good reason.

I must say I was very surprised to read that Andrew Cook was aware of Morland's Best story but omitted it from his book for fear it would "interrupt the flow of his narrative." And that he "does not connect" Morland's journalist Best with his own journalist Best. Most peculiar.

[Stewart P Evans]

And...

And before anyone leaps in with information gleaned from the Andrew Cook book I would recommend that they read the Best entries in the new A To Z. They are very circumspect - and with good reason.

[Tom_Wescott]

I didn't realize Morland had anything to do with the Best comment. I agree, nothing this man says regarding the Ripper can be trusted.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Stewart P Evans]

Chapter and Verse

...
Busted was the wrong word, since neither man was arrested. I should say 'fallen under suspicion', which Bulling evidently did at some point (Littlechild letter) as did Best (Monty's source above). What I stated was that between the two, Best seems the more likely to have written the 'Dear Boss' letter. I certainly do not think it's a 'foregone conclusion' that either men wrote it.
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott

Without going into chapter and verse, the sole source we have for 'Best' writing 'Jack the Ripper letters' is the none too accurate and often inventive Nigel Morland.

However, in the case of Bulling we have Littlechild's statement that "it was generally believed at the Yard that Tom Bullen [sic] of the Central News was the originator but it is probable Moore, who was his chief, was the inventor."

I am sure that Littlechild and the men at the Yard would have known a lot more, and a lot better than, Morland, you, and I about the 'Jack the Ripper' letters.

So whilst, as with most things in this case, it is far from 'a foregone conclusion' the better evidence is in favour of the Bulling/Moore belief than the totally unsupported 'Best' contention.

[Tom_Wescott]

Wescott's suspicion that Joseph Aarons was involved in Le Grand's alleged “scheme“ of the “Dear Boss“ letter simply because Aarons went out and gave a lot of quotes to the police comes completely unsubstantiated.

Oh Lord. Do you actually read anything I write? I never claimed Aarons and Le Grand conspired in any way regarding the 'Dear Boss' letter. I stated that circumstances surrounding the WVC and the Lusk letter/kidney strongly suggest that Joseph Aarons was the man behind it, and that his motive was one of publicity to drive more money into the WVC. His close association with Le Grand and Le Grand being associated with other such Ripper or Ripper-like letters, suggests Le Grand as a likely accomplice in the ruse, particularly since they went to Le Grand's people at the Evening News with the kidney before contacting the police.

I know what 'busted as in caught' means, but I stll do not know how it can be used in relation to 'Best' as in the alleged 'Jack the Ripper' letter writer.

Busted was the wrong word, since neither man was arrested. I should say 'fallen under suspicion', which Bulling evidently did at some point (Littlechild letter) as did Best (Monty's source above). What I stated was that between the two, Best seems the more likely to have written the 'Dear Boss' letter. I certainly do not think it's a 'foregone conclusion' that either men wrote it.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Stewart P Evans]

Although...

Yeah thanks Stewart,
Nothing like getting straight to the point.
Monty

Although I have to admit that this one annoyed me a bit.

[Stewart P Evans]

I can see why that would be annoying Stewart.
Monty

But I wasn't annoyed.

[Monty]

I can see why that would be annoying Stewart.

Monty

[Stewart P Evans]

The Point

Yeah thanks Stewart,
Nothing like getting straight to the point.
Monty

I did get straight to the point, waiting for a response from Tom. I can't help it if others chose to respond.

[Monty]

I know all that. I still don't know what Tom means.

By the way 'Quigley' is a she, not a he. Elaine Quigley 'is one of Britain's leading handwriting experts'.

Yeah thanks Stewart,

Nothing like getting straight to the point.

Monty

[Stewart P Evans]

Sources

Hi Stewart.
Quigley, the handwriting expert (whoever he is) compared the letter with Bests writing and claimed a match.
The author himself released a letter from Tomlinson Brunner to the then editor of Bests paper The Star dated 7th July 1890, stating:
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
Cook alludes this to either the Dear Boss or one of the letters.
Monty

For anyone who may be bemused by my query, I suggest that they return to original quotes/sources to get my drift. I have discussed all this in the past. People do your research before jumping in.

[Stewart P Evans]

I Know

Hi Stewart.
Quigley, the handwriting expert (whoever he is) compared the letter with Bests writing and claimed a match.
The author himself released a letter from Tomlinson Brunner to the then editor of Bests paper The Star dated 7th July 1890, stating:
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
Cook alludes this to either the Dear Boss or one of the letters.
Monty

I know all that. I still don't know what Tom means.

By the way 'Quigley' is a she, not a he. Elaine Quigley 'is one of Britain's leading handwriting experts'.

[Monty]

Hi Stewart.

Quigley, the handwriting expert (whoever he is) compared the letter with Bests writing and claimed a match.

The author himself released a letter from Tomlinson Brunner to the then editor of Bests paper The Star dated 7th July 1890, stating:

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

Cook alludes this to either the Dear Boss or one of the letters.

Monty