The Lusk Letter - Swanson's Transcription

[Tom_Wescott]

Hi Lynn. My apologies for attributing 'Gov' to thegaff. I had misread the posts above. Good thinking, girl!

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[lynn cates]

Gov

Hello Tom and Chris. Thanks. It was a thought. If it's "Gov" and not "Sor" that's one fewer Irishism.

The best.
LC

[Tom_Wescott]

Thanks for posting that, Chris. You could be right now that I see it's the only supposed 'i' that's not dotted. If that's the case, then Thegaff's suggestion of it being 'Gov' isn't so strange and might hold currency. The capital 'S' is a bit different and just might be a 'G'.

Mascara,

I don't believe anyone has suggested it was written by a woman.

Regarding 'Prasarved', there's actually no identifiable 'v' that I can see and the 'r' differs from the others. Just an observation.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[ChrisGeorge]

Hello Tom. Thanks. I went back and checked again, and I see what you are about. One can certainly read it as "Sir." Of course, I checked to see if the "i' was dotted--it was not. Then I checked that against the rest of the letter and the writer seemed rather fastidious about dotting "i's."

Do you think it possible that the ligature there in "Sir" was intended to subsume a dot?

The best.
LC

Hello Lynn

Good observation about the writer's fastidiousness about dotting his "i's" -- here's the original Lusk letter and you'll note the only "i" that is not dotted is the supposed "i" in "Sir." For me, the letter says, "Sor".



The other observation I will make, if I haven't noted it earlier in the thread, is how faithfully Donald Swanson's transcription of the letter duplicates the layout and even the letter formations of the original letter.

Best regards

Chris

[lynn cates]

dots

Hello Tom. Thanks. I went back and checked again, and I see what you are about. One can certainly read it as "Sir." Of course, I checked to see if the "i' was dotted--it was not. Then I checked that against the rest of the letter and the writer seemed rather fastidious about dotting "i's."

Do you think it possible that the ligature there in "Sir" was intended to subsume a dot?

The best.
LC

[Mascara & Paranoia]

Agreed. Though I always read it as 'sir' (mostly 'cause my own joint handwriting is scruffy ).

Although I've heard numerous people say that the letter reads as though an Irish man (or woman) wrote it, but I just don't see it, or even how anyone could tell. It just seems a bit illiterate to me and nothing else.

[Tom_Wescott]

Hi folks. The letter doesn't actually say 'Sor'. It says 'Sir', but there's a flourish to the i and r. I too used to think it read 'Sor'.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[thegaff]

Hello. After looking again at the Lusk letter (for the millionth time?) I wonder if anyone is struck by the possibility that "Sor" could be "Gov"? The uppercase G would look like an S--if the second upper point/curve were not high. The "r" looks (as formed) not terribly unlike a "v."

Any thoughts?

LC

I think it could indeed be transcribed as "Gov" or even "Gaff". And how about the word "Kidne" - to me it looks like "KIDDER".

From "Jack the Ripper Scousebook!"

[lynn cates]

gov

Hello. After looking again at the Lusk letter (for the millionth time?) I wonder if anyone is struck by the possibility that "Sor" could be "Gov"? The uppercase G would look like an S--if the second upper point/curve were not high. The "r" looks (as formed) not terribly unlike a "v."

Any thoughts?

LC

[Barnaby]

If he really was obsessed with his knife, it is interesting that he could not spell it. And if he was misspelling intentionally, you would think he would take too much pride in this appendage of himself to misspell it.

[Johnr]

It was interesting that the Daily Telegraph of Saturday, 20 October,1888 carried a report from a Miss Emily Marsh concerning a visit to her shop at 218 Jubilee street, Mile-end -road, about a tall thin darkly dressed man of clerical appearance and "what was taken to be an Irish accent ". He was enquiring for the correct address of Mr Lusk of the Vigilance Committee.
interestingly, the Lusk letter's cover had no street number on the address. Miss Marsh thought that significant because she read it out of the newspaper for the visitor, who wrote it down. There was no street number quoted in that article. (The visitor was attracted by the reward poster in the window).
I am quoting this from Evans & Skinners " The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Sourcebook " pages 210-211.

In his report of 6th November 1888 Chief Inspector Donald Swanson transcribed the 'From hell' or 'Lusk Letter' and I don't recall that this transcription has been published before. So out of interest, here it is -

[ATTACH]1792[/ATTACH]

HO 144/221/A49301C f 193

The letter clearly says ' Sir ' not ' Sor ' it's just the way the writer has written his ' R '. Judging by some pen strokes down, he was thinking about what was in his own pants i'll guess ( somewhere between 18 yrs old & 24 yrs old male), you know Prostitutes and all...A little hoaxer on all accounts. When Fido made mention about his knowledge on Irish slang and theatres etc, there were also a lot of Irish female immigrants just getting off the boat and straight into prostitution as well. Chapman, Eddowes and Nichols amongst others just needed to make some money to get by and the ' Oldest profession ' always brought that....So not a single trip to the local DSS for those women.

[thewastelandr]

In that sense, he gives Lusk immortality as well, quite a gesture when you think of it in those terms.

Very interesting thought. I hadn't thought of it like that. Like he is somewhat incriminating Lusk by giving him a link to the crime.

It is interesting that Jack suggests he may send his "knif" if Lusk will only "wait a little longer." Does that suggest JTR is going to turn in his knife once his killing spree is over?

That makes a lot of sense. It seems that JTR would be proud of his work, and this could have been his "Daddy, look what I did!" moment.

Perhaps, that may be the driver, or... just by the offering of something that is connected directly to a murder he is seeking to have someone who shares some of his guilt....symbolically of course. Just potentially having an actual piece of Kate in his house links Lusk forever to Jacks crime in Mitre Square in terms of the investigation.

In that sense, he gives Lusk immortality as well, quite a gesture when you think of it in those terms.

Its the fact that he even writes a suggestion that Lusk can eat the piece of kidney he sends that hints at some kind of communion with him....like that would have ever happened. He must know that it wouldnt be eaten, but he says thats why he sent it.

Maybe Jack doesnt harbour hard feelings towards the Vigilantees, maybe he sees himself as a kind of one.

Best regards

[thewastelandr]

Thats why for me, this communication is one of very few real possibilities....its not a scare letter, its a share letter.

That makes a lot of sense. It seems that JTR would be proud of his work, and this could have been his "Daddy, look what I did!" moment.