Dear Boss P.S.

[paul emmett]

Hi All,

Merely a stray thought, but was the term "curse" used for a woman's period at the time.

Stray, perhaps, but right on. A new release, THE CURSE: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF MENSTRUATION, traces "curse" back to and forward from the Bible. This association might well tie "Dear Boss" in with other recent threads.

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

Merely a stray thought, but was the term "curse" used for a woman's period at the time?

Regards,

Simon

[paul emmett]

Hi, MJDoe.

Interesting thoughts. I too see JTR as having a sense of play. But I can't see how the "curse it" that follows the "wasn't good enough . . ." would fit in to a red handed joke. Then again, perhaps it doesn't have to,

[MJDoe]

I do not post much but I do have a thought on the PS here. I think it refers back to the question of being caught and says that if he had been good enough to post it before he got the ink off he might have ben caught red handed. Red handed also has various sexual suggestions. It is another joke.

[Tom_Wescott]

Having a fistula on the penis does not make a man unable to make love!

No, but it makes it hard for him to tell whether he's cumming or going.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Celesta]

Hmmm, is Cornwell trying to make a connection between Dear Boss and Walter?

If so then tickerty boo but, to use a well worn phrase in the Cornwell/Sickert world, it doesnt put the knife in his hand.

Im comforted in a way that Keith is on board however Im not that comforted he will be allowed to do what he does best without someone attempting to pull him in a certain direction.

Monty

I don't know the man, but one would hope he would be more strong-minded than that! These letters are still a big issue and people get pulled all over the map because of them. It would be good if they could establish something definitive about any of them. Skinner, by now, should have made her acquainted with the facts of the cases. Hopefully he can keep her on the straight and narrow and not let her try to compile "evidence" to support her Sickert theory.

[revpetero]

Having a fistula on the penis does not make a man unable to make love!

Do you want to share something?

Walter Sickert is what happens when you look for evidence after finding him guilty

[Mike Covell]

Having a fistula on the penis does not make a man unable to make love!

[Monty]

My colleague Keith Skinner is currently working with Ms Cornwell.

Hmmm, is Cornwell trying to make a connection between Dear Boss and Walter?

If so then tickerty boo but, to use a well worn phrase in the Cornwell/Sickert world, it doesnt put the knife in his hand.

Im comforted in a way that Keith is on board however Im not that comforted he will be allowed to do what he does best without someone attempting to pull him in a certain direction.

Monty

[Monty]

Christine,

Patricia Cornwell. At least, that's the only source I know of. She made it up to justify his (entirely unlikely) hatred of women and sex.

Not the correct thread I know, but....

...Taken from Stephen Ryders Patricia Cornwell and Walter Sickert: A Primer.

http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/dst-pamandsickert.html

Concept #5: Walter Sickert was impotent, childless, and had a fistula on his penis.

Patricia Cornwell states that Walter Sickert had no children, and was most likely impotent due to several surgeries early in life to correct a "fistula of the penis." This impotence she believes was a major cause of his intense hatred of women, and possibly spurned him on to commit the Ripper murders. Serial killers today are often found to be impotent - the act of murder becomes their only means of sexual fulfillment.

Fact #5: There is no evidence whatsoever that Sickert's fistula was on his penis. There is, to the contrary, abundant evidence that Sickert was quite a virile man who possibly sired several illegitimate children.

The only source for Walter Sickert's penis fistula is the testimony of his nephew-by-marriage, John Lessore - now an elderly man. (Mr. Lessore has since clarified that this was only "family hearsay" and that he was not absolutely sure). Although it is clear that Sickert did have a fistula of some sort, there is no documentary evidence to suggest that it was on his penis. Indeed, the fact that he was treated by Dr. Alfred Duff Cooper of St. Mark's Hospital suggests otherwise. Both Dr. Cooper and the Hospital were known for performing surgery of the rectum, anus and vagina. No records suggest at all that they were ever involved in, or qualified to perform, surgeries of the penis. The evidence here suggests that Sickert's fistula was on his rectum or anus.

Assuming for a moment that the fistula was on his penis, there is still no evidence to suggest that he was impotent because of it. He was rumored to have sired at least one child by his Dieppe mistriss, Mme. Villain, and a man named Joseph "Hobo" Sickert still contends to this day that he was Walter's illegitimate son. Indeed, a close friend, Jacques-Emile Blanche described Sickert in 1902 as an "immoralist... with a swarm of children of provenances which are not possible to count." Sickert was known to have had several mistresses, and was cited as being an adulterer by his first wife. All of this is copious evidence that Walter was perfectly able to have regular sex.

Monty

It would seem that the only possible tangential connection Mr Sickert had with the Ripper crimes at this point in time is that he may have penned a Ripper letter or two...

Since its unlikely that any Ripper letter was sent by the killer of street unfortunates, he may well have done so. He was preoccupied with the crimes, and Ms Cornwell portrays him as an odd fellow in general, so who knows.

Her case for him as The Ripper though is devoid of any evidence.

Best regards all.

[Paddy Goose]

Joseph Sickert attended the unveiling of the Abberline plaque in Bornemouth. Link found on Abberline's tab on this website.

Paddy

http://www.casebook.org/images/Abberline%20Plaque.pdf

[Christine]

Hey Sam, Thanks.

Thats what I thought.


And I tried looking up Joseph Sickert and Joseph Gorman on a family tree or something to see if he was related to Walter Sickert but I didn't get anywhere.

Also, do you know where the thing about him having a penile fistula originated?

Emily

Patricia Cornwell. At least, that's the only source I know of. She made it up to justify his (entirely unlikely) hatred of women and sex.

[Celesta]

My colleague Keith Skinner is currently working with Ms Cornwell.

Hi Stewart,

This is very interesting. Hopefully, together, they can get some questions answered about these documents, especially if she has some data concerning aspects of them. Even if they turn out not to be JTR's, it would be a fine contribution just knowing they uncovered more about them. I feel that she did well to try and uncover evidence on her own, even if we don't like the interpretations. It don't think the original idea was a bad one, and, with Keith Skinner's knowledge, something might just turn up to surprise all of us. We can hope, can't we?

And I don't want any kind of arguments!

Best to you, Sir.

Celesta

[Emzikle]

Hey Sam, Thanks.

Thats what I thought.


And I tried looking up Joseph Sickert and Joseph Gorman on a family tree or something to see if he was related to Walter Sickert but I didn't get anywhere.

Also, do you know where the thing about him having a penile fistula originated?

Emily