Letter dated 14th October 1896.

[Abby Normal]

Hello Joshua,

I would say it was most likely to have been the 1888 letter. I think the giveaway is the word "enterprising" as this seems to indicate someone who capitalized on the original hysteria surrounding the murders.

c.d.

Yup. I’ve always wondered if they knew for sure that if it was bulling or his boss at the CNA why they continued to be persona gratis around the station.

You would think at the very least they would have been pissed at them for all the trouble the letters caused.

And the fact that he was worried about libel only shows he didn’t know it for sure. Or at all.

I’ll say it again, that the dear boss, saucy jack letters are a known hoax is the biggest myth in ripperology.

[Joshua Rogan]

Hello Joshua,

I would say it was most likely to have been the 1888 letter. I think the giveaway is the word "enterprising" as this seems to indicate someone who capitalized on the original hysteria surrounding the murders.

Good point. c.d.
And of course the 1896 letter was sent direct to the police at Leman St rather than to a press agency, so didn't get the same newspaper exposure, if any, that the original Dear Boss letter received.

I'm intrigued by the mention of "Winter's coming" though....is a Game of Thrones reference a pointer to the Royal Conspiracy theory?

[Abby Normal]

great discussion.

IMHO I put dearboss/saucy jack letters as about 60% (to put a number on it) probability coming from the ripper. with winters coming letter at slighty better than 50/50. I lean towards it just ever slightly as coming from same author.

what tips the scale for me is the inclusion of the GSG. this is eight years later-seems odd a hoaxer would remember it and still even spell the word jews wrong.

[Sam Flynn]

what tips the scale for me is the inclusion of the GSG. this is eight years later-seems odd a hoaxer would remember it and still even spell the word jews wrong.

Albeit the hoaxer uses the wrong wrong spelling... jewes as opposed to juwes, juws or juews.

[James_J]

Afternoon all, just passing this along from KS.

TO JOSHUA

Thanks Joshua. I see what you mean about the hyphens in the colour photograph but you would probably need to examine the original document in the National Archives to satisfy yourself they were definite hyphens before developing a theory that Anderson may have been referring to the October 14th 1896 letter. Also check out whether any of the other surviving letters, purporting to have been sent by Jack the Ripper, are similarly hyphenated because the argument could then be made that perhaps Anderson had that one in mind rather than the October 14th 1896 letter? To the best of my knowledge though the October 14th 1896 letter was never on display in the Police Museum. Swanson’s directive to Moore was that the letter should be put with with other similar letters which I take to be the existing letters in the National Archives, some of which Swanson, it appears, was inclined to take seriously.

Best, KS.

[Abby Normal]

Albeit the hoaxer uses the wrong wrong spelling... jewes as opposed to juwes, juws or juews.

true but still wrong. the main point is bringing up the GSG message at all. I mean after 8 years, someone is going to remember that?

remember the GSG was wiped of and got relatively little press.

[Sam Flynn]

true but still wrong. the main point is bringing up the GSG message at all. I mean after 8 years, someone is going to remember that?

remember the GSG was wiped of and got relatively little press.

The juwes/juws/juews misspellings were reported in the press, however. In contrast, apart from this letter, doesn't the spelling "jewes" only appear in internal police memos?

[martin wilson]

This report appeared in the Gloucester Journal 13th October 1888.

On Wednesday morning the following letter, bearing the London postmark and dated October 9th was received by the editor of The Western Mail Cardiff:-

" Dear Old Boss- What do you think of my little games here- ha!ha! Next Saturday I am going to give the St Mary street girls a turn. I shall be fairly on their track, you bet. Keep this back until I have done some work. Ha! ha! Shall down Friday- Yours, JACK THE RIPPER (trade mark)"
The St Mary street referred to is in Cardiff. No importance is attached to this communication.

This letter is hyphenated in the report, although obviously it would be better to see the original.

All the best.

[martin wilson]

On November 22nd 1888 The Citizen reported the following:

Singular Incident at Cardiff

Mr Edward Rowland, deaf and dumb missionary, residing at Pontypridd, writes: When I was passing Wyndham- crescent, Canton on Tuesday night, at seven o' clock, a young man with dark clothes and black moustache, came and walked a little way with me. I touched my ear to say that I was deaf, and he put his hands in his pockets for paper and pencil, and at a shop window he wrote with chalk on the sill this:- "Can you tell me the names of fallen women?" I was terrified and left him

All the best.

[Abby Normal]

The juwes/juws/juews misspellings were reported in the press, however. In contrast, apart from this letter, doesn't the spelling "jewes" only appear in internal police memos?

That’s a great question. I don’t know.

But the fact that the writer didn’t spell it with the u shows to me that he wasn’t writing the letter with press reports as I think a hoaxer would more than likely do.

[NotBlamedForNothing]

14 October, 1896

Dear Boss,

You will be surprised to find
that this comes from yours
as of old Jack-the Ripper. Ha Ha
If my old friend Mr. Warren is dead
you can read it. you might
remember me if you try and
think a little Ha Ha. The last job
was a bad one and no mistake nearly
buckled, and meant it to
be best of the lot & what curse it,
Ha Ha Im alive yet and you'll
soon find it out. I meant to go
on again and when I get the chance
wont it be nice dear old Boss to
have the good old times once
again. you never caught me
and you never will. Ha Ha
You police are a smart lot, the lot
of you could nt catch one man
Where have I been Dear Boss
you d like to know. abroad, if
you would like to know, and
just come back, ready to go on
with my work and stop when
you catch me. Well good bye
Boss wish me luck. Winters coming
“The Jewes are people that are
blamed for nothing” Ha Ha
have you heard this before

Yours truly
Jack the Ripper

[Abby Normal]

14 October, 1896

Dear Boss,

You will be surprised to find
that this comes from yours
as of old Jack-the Ripper. Ha Ha
If my old friend Mr. Warren is dead
you can read it. you might
remember me if you try and
think a little Ha Ha. The last job
was a bad one and no mistake nearly
buckled, and meant it to
be best of the lot & what curse it,
Ha Ha Im alive yet and you'll
soon find it out. I meant to go
on again and when I get the chance
wont it be nice dear old Boss to
have the good old times once
again. you never caught me
and you never will. Ha Ha
You police are a smart lot, the lot
of you could nt catch one man
Where have I been Dear Boss
you d like to know. abroad, if
you would like to know, and
just come back, ready to go on
with my work and stop when
you catch me. Well good bye
Boss wish me luck. Winters coming
“The Jewes are people that are
blamed for nothing” Ha Ha
have you heard this before

Yours truly
Jack the Ripper

thanks for posting. any thoughts?

[NotBlamedForNothing]

thanks for posting. any thoughts?

Yes. It is all clear to me now.
I cannot sleep, but I feel good.

[NotBlamedForNothing]

The last job was a bad one and no mistake nearly buckled, and meant it to be best of the lot & what curse it

Given that Kelly was the 'best of the lot', does this section refer to a later murder, or attempted murder?

On the other hand, how could he do a 'better job' than MJK?
In that case, what does 'nearly buckled' suggest?
Was Jack still in the room when Thomas Bowyer knocked?
Caroline Maxwell last saw Kelly around a few minutes before 9:00.
The police recorded Bowyer's discovery as being at 10:30.
Is it possible he got very lucky - managing to escape just before Bowyer returned with McCarthy?

Walter Dew: If Mrs Maxwell had been a sensation seeker - one of those women who live for the limelight - it would have been easy to discredit her story. She was not. She seemed a sane and sensible woman, and her reputation was excellent. In one way at least her version fitted into the facts as known. We knew that Marie had been drinking the previous night, and, as this was not a habit of hers, illness the next morning was just what might have been expected.

[Abby Normal]

The last job was a bad one and no mistake nearly buckled, and meant it to be best of the lot & what curse it

Given that Kelly was the 'best of the lot', does this section refer to a later murder, or attempted murder?

On the other hand, how could he do a 'better job' than MJK?
In that case, what does 'nearly buckled' suggest?
Was Jack still in the room when Thomas Bowyer knocked?
Caroline Maxwell last saw Kelly around a few minutes before 9:00.
The police recorded Bowyer's discovery as being at 10:30.
Is it possible he got very lucky - managing to escape just before Bowyer returned with McCarthy?

hi not
if this letter is authentic, and i think there is a chance it is and written by same man as dear boss and saucy jack, then last one refers to mckenzie and posssibly pc andrews as the buckler, since he discovered the body and possibly scared the ripper off.