I dissect the ‘Dear Boss’ letter.

[Richard Patterson]

And later decided it was written by a journalist, so which inerpretation was correct.

Dr Robert Anderson, wrote.

'The "Jack the Ripper" letter is the creation of an enterprising London journalist...I am almost tempted to disclose the identity of the murderer and the pressman who wrote the letter.'

The Ripper Casebook includes amongst it Ripper suspects Francis Thompson. His publisher Wilfrid Meynell, weather he wrote the ‘Dear Boss’ letter or not, was a journalist started his own publishing enterprise. Isn’t it reasonable to see here that the term ‘murderer and the pressman’ means not one but two people? If so then here's two – the murder, Francis Thompson, the pressman, Wilfrid Meynell.

[Richard Patterson]

...
As for him being Astrakhan Man, I remain dubious, but a little less for knowing he did in fact pay attention to his personal grooming and did own decent clothes (having "enough money for a suit" is quite a different thing to actually owning a recently purchased suit). What are your sources for this detailed info on his dressing habits, if I might ask?

Have to wonder where, though, if he kept all these sets of clothes including his finery, where he kept them while living on the streets and toting things about in a fish basket? I also wonder how he wasn't robbed for that thick gold chain or avoided the temptation to hock it, being both homeless and a junkie, and selling of his books and all
...

Here are my sources on Thompson and detailed info on his dressing habits.

Beverly Taylor 'Francis Thompson'. 1987. G.K. Hall & Company. : Blunt. Wilfrid Scawen 'My Diaries. Being a Personal Narrative of Events 1888-1914'. Part Two 1900-1914. New Knopf. York. Alfred A. 1822. Uncut edition. : Boardman. Brigid M. 'Between Heaven and Charing Cross'. The Life of Francis Thompson.’ 1988: Connolly. Rev. Terence L. S.J., Ph.D. 'Poems of Francis Thompson.' 1941 Appleton Century-Crofts, Inc. New York. : ‘Francis Thompson: In His Paths.’ The Bruce Publishing Company Milwaukee. : Darrell. Figgis. (1882-1925) ‘Bye-Ways of Study.’ 1918. Talbot Press. : Megroz. R.L ‘Francis Thompson the Poet of Earth in Heaven: A Study in Poetic Mysticism and the Evolution of Love-Poetry.’ 1927. Faber & Gwyer. : Meynell Everard. 'The Life of Francis Thompson' 1913 1st edition. & 1926 5th revised. Burns Oats & Washbourne. Ltd. : Meynell. Viola. 'Francis Thompson and Wilfrid Meynell'. 1952. London. Holis & Carter. : The 'Works of Francis Thompson'. Vols. I,II,III. London. First Impression, May 1913. : Thompson. Francis 'Selected Poems'. London. Burns and Oats. Ltd. : Thompson. Paul Van K.. 'Francis Thompson a Critical Biography’'. 1973. Gordian Press, New York. : Walsh. John Evangelist 'Strange Harp, Strange Symphony'. The Life of Francis Thompson. : Walsh. John Evangelist 'The Letters of Francis Thompson'. 1969. Hawthorn Books, Inc. : Jackson. Holbrook. ‘The Eighteen Nineties A Review of Art and Ideas at The Close of the Nineteenth Century.’ 1913. : Merry England Nov, 1888 edition.

Thompson came to money intermittently, three or four times, between his vagrancy years, 1886,87 and 88. The last sum came from Wilfrid Meynell in September 1888. Meynell, seeing Thompson’s derelict condition of dress told him to buy a new suit with his money. The payment by Meynell was for a further essay by Thompson for Meynell’s monthly periodical "Merry England". Thompson’s essay "Bunyan in the Light of Modern Criticism,” came out in the November 1888 edition. In it Thompson was his typical self, when he wrote on the eve of the Kelly murder,

'He had better seek some critic who will lay his subject on the table, nick out every nerve of thought, every vessel of emotion, every muscle of expression with light, cool, fastidious scalpel and then call on him to admire the "neat dissection"'

By September 1888, any previous suits Thompson had purchased had gone to ruin through the hardships of a vagrant life, so he only carried one suit. A recently bought pme, that he was wearing. The reason why Thompson was not robbed of his chain was because it was kept, like his scalpel, always hidden under his coat. Both items were of course important to him, the dissecting scalpel at least, as he claimed, to shave with. The medal was consecrated, which is no small thing to a Catholic. Thompson's family and Meynell's son and Thompson's biographer said he never removed it, even when swimming naked at the seaside as a child he kept it on. I suppose the chain and medal, like the scalpel, reminded him of his origins. They were, like the few books he had left, things this would-be poet, and ex medical student and seminary student, refused to abandon. I doubt that, addicted as he was, he could bring himself to part with the good chain that held his medal. Besides Meynell had already paid off Thompson's opium debts enabling him to be able to once again run up a tab on drugs if he so chose and use the cash instead for a suit.

When Thompson saw in 1888, prior to the Ripper murders, that his poems were published, it gave him renewed hope that he could escape the streets. It may have given him the impetus to no longer take laudanum. We know that Thompson was essentially free of the drug in the years immediately after November, when Meynell put him the monastery. Not only the use of laudanum but also its withdrawal holds side affects. An abrupt withdrawal, after long-term usage, causes hyperaesthesia. This is when the former addict's senses become highly receptive. Noises become intensified and even the skin becomes highly sensitive to touch. Other symptoms attributed to abrupt withdrawal are an increased sex drive, nightmares and hallucinations of smell and disturbances of vision. In withdrawing from long-term opium use, physical symptoms can last for weeks with mental symptoms lasting indefinitely.

Finally, some pure guesswork, but a fur-lined coat if worn inside out may appear to be an astrakhan suit, just like how like a street-worn suit, if worn inside out might appear new.

[Richard Patterson]

An arrest of a murderer or of a hoaxer?

The handbills were placed up during the Ripper murders. There were 100's of letter sent to the press something about this one, from the hundreds held promise. If the police only thought the writer of the 'Dear Boss' letter was a hoaxer, why then did they give this one special attention? To be pursuing merely a hoaxer. at the same time that they were carrying out a murder investigation of a series of crimes like those discussed in the letter, would have been a waste of resources and served only to confuse proceedings.

[Richard Patterson]

But who would know that news agencies even existed apart from a journalist.

Not many people or even current suspects, but Wilfrid Meynell, who in mid-November 1888, placed Ripper suspect Francis Thompson, in a monastery, knew. Meynell was already a journalist and editor of many years experience who wrote to news agencies.

[Ausgirl]

Richard, thank you for all that information. I'm certainly interested in Thompson and his life - dunno about a 'perfect' suspect, but I'd like to read more of your theory, for sure.

[Richard Patterson]

Richard, thank you for all that information. I'm certainly interested in Thompson and his life - dunno about a 'perfect' suspect, but I'd like to read more of your theory, for sure.

Hi Ausgirl, thanks for your interest in Thompson. I know that this thread's title is full of bravado. When I write the 'perfect suspect' I mean in relationship to the others listed on this site, in regards to motive, ability etc.. Alone he is certainly not perfect. I will say this, even if not the best suspect, he might be the most interesting, because if he was indeed the Ripper, its affects on literature, the views of what the Victorian age was, and how a serial killer thinks, could be very interesting indeed. Thanks for writing again.

High Regards,
Richard.

[Bridewell]

The handbills were placed up during the Ripper murders. There were 100's of letter sent to the press something about this one, from the hundreds held promise. If the police only thought the writer of the 'Dear Boss' letter was a hoaxer, why then did they give this one special attention? To be pursuing merely a hoaxer. at the same time that they were carrying out a murder investigation of a series of crimes like those discussed in the letter, would have been a waste of resources and served only to confuse proceedings.

There were indeed hundreds of letters sent, but the 'Dear Boss' was very early in the piece (the second?) so there were not, then, hundreds from which to select this particular example as holding promise. The significance of letters inevitable reduced when it became apparent that most, if not all, were the work of hoaxers. Had the handwriting been identified it would have led to the arrest of the sender who might have been (but probably wasn't) the murderer. That was the point I was making.

[GUT]

There were indeed hundreds of letters sent, but the 'Dear Boss' was very early in the piece (the second?) so there were not, then, hundreds from which to select this particular example as holding promise. The significance of letters inevitable reduced when it became apparent that most, if not all, were the work of hoaxers. Had the handwriting been identified it would have led to the arrest of the sender who might have been (but probably wasn't) the murderer. That was the point I was making.

Are you sure t was only the second letter?

[Richard Patterson]

There were indeed hundreds of letters sent, but the 'Dear Boss' was very early in the piece (the second?) so there were not, then, hundreds from which to select this particular example as holding promise. The significance of letters inevitable reduced when it became apparent that most, if not all, were the work of hoaxers. Had the handwriting been identified it would have led to the arrest of the sender who might have been (but probably wasn't) the murderer. That was the point I was making.

Thanks. I see your point, but then the 'Dear Boss' letter, being the first or second of the later hundreds, may have been authentic, because it was written so early on and not simply written by copycat pranksters.

[GUT]

There were indeed hundreds of letters sent, but the 'Dear Boss' was very early in the piece (the second?) so there were not, then, hundreds from which to select this particular example as holding promise. The significance of letters inevitable reduced when it became apparent that most, if not all, were the work of hoaxers. Had the handwriting been identified it would have led to the arrest of the sender who might have been (but probably wasn't) the murderer. That was the point I was making.

Are you sure t was only the second letter?

Sorry I didn't see the "?" when I posted.

[Richard Patterson]

I had not read about this poet friend of Mary Kelly's before, thank you for that. If the poet can be positively identified, I think that would be a major discovery. In my opinion, at least!

How many addicted poets were wandering around Whitechapel, I wonder. Keeping in mind that it was a very different thing to be called a 'poet' then, compared to now, when anyone with a keyboard and rhyming dictionary can call themselves a poet and find five hundred people to agree with them in a week, no matter how dreadful their doggerel might be. The term "poet" carried weight back then, so I'm dead curious about who this person was, and what they were writing. Thompson's a pretty good candidate, for sure.. but were there others?

...

For now, though, I am quite excited to think that perhaps Thompson was this friend of Mary Kelly. Not yet quite as excited (pending a few more feasible connections) about him being JtR.

I have found some information that suggests Hopkins' poet was probably Thompson. A biographer on Thompson, in his 1967 book, tells of Hopkins' connection to this poet in his “Strange Harp, Strange Symphony the Life of Francis Thompson.” Thompson died in 1907. In 1927 Hopkins visited people and places associated with Thompson. Hopkins for example went to Panton Street, in London’s Haymarket District. While there he spoke with John McMaster a shoemaker, who had briefly taken Thompson off the streets. This was in 1886. McMaster hired Thompson to deliver boots and learn the trade, but later was forced to fire Thompson after he injured a customer. Hopkins recalled McMaster’s description of Thompson when he found him as a vagrant on London’s streets,

‘He was the very personification of ruin, tumble-down, dilapidated opium-haunted wreck.’

This interest by Hopkins in Thompson's life indicates that he may have personally known Thompson before the poet's death. Hopkins' included this information in his 1927 book, “This London - Its Taverns, Haunts And Memories.”