Dear Boss P.S.

[paul emmett]

I was reading through "Dear Boss" last week, and realized that I just plain couldn't understand the first part of the postscript. "Wasn't good enough to post this before I got all the red ink off my hands curse it." After years of studying JTR, I had no idea why that was there, no idea what the writer was trying to say. So I asked a few people and looked through some old threads, and I did get a few most interesting suggestions. But only a few, and there was no agreement! So I ask, what do you think is going on here?

Thanks for any help whatsoever.

[Tom_Wescott]

Paul,

It was a lame attempt on the author's part to explain why he waited two days to mail the letter. The real reason seems to have been he wanted to wait and see how the Chapman inquest played out, since he remarked about it in the P.S. Jack the Ripper likewise waited until the Nichols and Chapman inquests had finished before he killed again.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Sam Flynn]

It was a lame attempt on the author's part to explain why he waited two days to mail the letter.

That's exactly what I think, Tom, as Paul can confirm.

[paul emmett]

It was a lame attempt on the author's part to explain why he waited two days to mail the letter. The real reason seems to have been he wanted to wait and see how the Chapman inquest played out, since he remarked about it in the P.S. Jack the Ripper likewise waited until the Nichols and Chapman inquests had finished before he killed again.

Hello, Tom, Sam.

The letter does indeed wait until after the inquest, but I never made the association between both the writer and the Ripper waiting 'til the Chapman inquest was over. Good point, Tom. Writer=Ripper?

I'm not as convinced that the reason for the P.S. was to explain the wait. And IF that was the reason, I think Tom's post should have italicized "lame excuse." LAME at least! "I couldn't post this letter cuz I spent the last two days cleaning red ink off my hands"??? That's a lot more than lame. If he's that concerned, why not just rewrite the letter? Also, the letter seems anything but lame, so if the P.S. is JUST an excuse, they don't fit together so well for me.

There was an old thread talking about the differences in the handwritings of letter and P.S., but this would be a radical change of tone. Finally, "Wasn't good enough . . .." still seems playful to me like the letter, even though I like the fact that the writer couldn't put the "I" in, couldn't say, "I wasn't good enough." That's one of the things that makes me take the minority position that the writer does equal the Ripper.

[Tom_Wescott]

The letter does indeed wait until after the inquest, but I never made the association between both the writer and the Ripper waiting 'til the Chapman inquest was over. Good point, Tom. Writer=Ripper?

Thanks, that's a Tom original. Jack was a smart man, waiting to see what the police knew before he took to the streets again. Same with the Dear Boss writer. I have not ruled out the possibility that the Ripper wrote the letters, but the content of them unfortunately doesn't support the notion he did. Had the real Ripper written a letter, I think he would have wanted people to know it was him beyond a doubt.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

P.S. There was a morbid sense of humor running throughout the Dear Boss missives, and therefore his 'curse it' joke fits into this nicely.

[paul emmett]

Tom, I certianly agree with the lightness of "curse it," and I think that JTR was indeed smart--too often he is presented as a mad dog. But because I do see him as smart--and playfully cocky--I don't agree that he would have "wanted people to know it was him beyond a doubt." I think that he liked subtlety and funny little games. We still don't know exactly what the GSG actually implies. And that's part of my point regarding the P.S. It's tough to figure. Why would JTR, or a pretender, for that matter, care that there was a two day gap between writing and posting? Why bother if it's just to justify a time lapse? I think it's more than that--like GSG, a stylistic game.

[perrymason]

As I suggested to you privately Paul, I do have a pet notion on why the PS might be there.

In what industry would someone get ink on their hands, the kind that is difficult to wash off? Printing Presses? If someone in the press wrote the letter(s), then the PS could be a tongue in cheek way of revealing himself as a member of the press. And it could be used later as an indication it was a really just a joke....if he was caught as author of the writing.

If Bulling wrote it...the whole tone of the letter borders on polite and is hardly scary, its almost a satire of a serial killer,...then he might have used the PS to cover his butt.

Just an idea.......prepares to duck....

Cheers

[Christine]

The ink part has to be a reference to the blood. He claims he tried to use blood as ink, but it was too clotted, so he used red ink.

He's saying it took him two days to get the blood off of his hands. Seems kind of unlikely, but it wouldn't take him two days to get ink off either.

[paul emmett]

He's saying it took him two days to get the blood off of his hands. Seems kind of unlikely, but it wouldn't take him two days to get ink off either.

Hi, Christine.

I do see the blood reference, but you are right: it's ludicrous--"LAME" to use Tom's earlier word--to think it took him two days to get anything off, blood or ink. That's why I feel there must be more to it.

Were there any flaws, marks, blotches on the letter?

Hi, Michael.

As I suggested to you privately, I think that your printer idea is smart, and I'm all for tongue in cheek. But I don't think it was Bulling for many reasons. The only one relevant here is that that obscure P.S. reference wouldn't have covered even the smallest of butts.

[The Grave Maurice]

Were there any flaws, marks, blotches on the letter?

That's what I've always assumed the writer was referring to---the inky handprints on the letter---not to a delay in posting it.

[perrymason]

As you can see by the attached images...I thought Id save anyone a trip to the Letters section....there is no obvious smudging or smearing on the letter, or the envelope.

There is however a different "strength" in the post script, a weaker impression...perhaps either a depleted pen, or a different one.

Its not likely the author meant what he wrote literally...and that falls into what Sam and Tom and others suggest...he didnt mail it right away, and added the PS to explain the 2 day lag.

Its hard to say...but since I personally dont believe The Whitechapel Murderer ever called himself anything on paper, I would still lean towards some inside joke, or a masked reference to the real authors occupation. Funny how Dear Boss is so neat and such fine script, and Saucy Jack looks run over.

Now,.. From Hell... that I believe has "Ripper" potential.

Best regards.

[paul emmett]

Hi, Michael.

Thanks for the letter image. "No obvious smudging"--for sure. But what I've been struggling with all along is whether there is any non-obvious smudging. If not, I do go for your idea of some inside joke, even though I'm not sure that a reporter working to get the ink off his hands is so funny. Still, I think it's better than, "Oh, so sorry I have been laboring for two days to get these stains off." AND noone has addressed the question of why the writer should care about the two day gap.

The differences between the letter and postcard ARE striking.

Jack the Ripper is such a perfct name for an insecure "macho" guy; just like not having the ability to say, "I was not good enough . . .," it seems so right.

Good evening.

[Monty]

Just my tuppence worth.

Why is the writer concerned with inky hands? Theres no fear of fingerprinting. Then, lo and behold, on the postcard, theres smuding...odd.

Im in agreement with Tom and Gareth re the delay. For me it hinges on the 'They say Im a Doctor now' line and is a direct reference to Baxters summing up in the Chapman inquest. He is letting the reader know he is up to speed with events.

Monty

[The Good Michael]

The red ink remark could have been Bullings way to give a clue as to its authorship (newspaper journalist) without letting the cat out of the bag completely.

Mike

[Stewart P Evans]

Missing

Unfortunately the 'saucy Jacky' postcard is missing and we have no photograph of it.