Does the Goulston Street Graffito eliminate Jewish Immigrants as suspects?

[Newbie]

Charles Booth's study of Whitechapel at the time of Ripper illustrates the Jewish population by location and percentage. The murders all took place in predominantly Jewish neighborhoods. The victims , all at least casual prostitutes, lived at least for a year or more in the heart of the Jewish community.

There is however a difference when talking about the Whitechapel Jewish community because it was actually 2 communites. The existing Anglicized legacy Jews who were there since the early 1700's and the Eastern European Jews escaping the Russian Tsars. Stride is the only victim murdered in the Immigrant community which was only one block over from the Lipski murder the previous year. According to Booth, Bucks Row was also predominantly Jewish.

Would a gentile target gentile prostitutes in predominantly Jewish neighborhoods to blame the Jews? The immigrant Jews certainly became the focus of law enforcement. However the legacy Jews worked for decades to assimilate as Englishman. They themselves had little affinity for their immigrant bretheren. Even their legacy paper Jewish Chronicle was highly critical towards them.

Why was this killer never caught. Was he under everyones noses? The Eddowes murder and apron timeline certainly points to a man with a possible lair right in the middle of the legacy Jewish stronghold. And earlier with Stride the attack was in the heart of the Jewish immigrant Socialist movement.

The demograpbic Booth paints shows prostitutes being murdered in Jewish neighborhoods. The effect in real time was immigrant Jews being targeted by law enforcement. Not gentiles or legacy Jews. Yet he was never caught.

This killer was shrewd and cunning and a phantom. Insane but controlled as he killed in silence. The immigrant Jews were an easy patsy for a local gentile or legacy Jew. Leather Apron.Where would a legacy Jew murder gentile women? Where were the women he obviously hated? In the heart of the Jewish neighborhoods. Neighnorhoods that were being rehabilitated by Wealthy Jewish philanthropists.

Jack the Ripper killed in the neighborhood he grew up in. How else could he escape so easily? Even under Police surge he was not caught.

What were possible motives? Revenge for syphilis is an obvious one. 1 in 4 men had STD. Hatred for immigrant Jews? Personal reason? Hatred for Law Enforcement? Falsely accused. Hatred for Justice? Ruining his life and stigma.

The bodies, especially Chapman and Eddowes and then Kelly show a man likely living between Mitre Square and Dorset and near Goulston Street. Someone used to cutting up animals. I would add his profession was repetitive and usually in silence. The bodies illustrate this and the fact that no one heard a thing. Throats cut then gutting the abdomen are repetitive butcher methodology.

Why was Robert Sagar keeping track of a Jewish butcher? One he never named but was convinced was this killer?

Jacob Levy is very compelling because he checks more boxes than any suspect so far. He lived in the middle of every murder. Remember he also lived on Fieldgate Street for 4 years which was central to Nichols and Stride. He was falsely convicted by an immigrant Jewish butcher named Hyam Sampson in a gentile justice system. His motives against a Society who he felt betrayed by speaks of Revenge. Unfortunates were easy prey as Whitechapel was his turf. And he knew the kill method and was an expert in knives and their use.

Was the killer, in his neurosyphlitic mind transfering his profession from animal to human? He fell far from grace and became stigmatized as a convicted criminal lunatic. What did he have to lose? Was he attempting to show everyone he felt was responsible for his fall, that he was the " greatest" butcher. He was the Master. Was it that simple?

Would love to see other suspect arguments in summary. Any takers??

M

I would want to know more about general paresis (syphillitic insanity) before I really consider his candidacy. Yes, he was insane, wandered the streets at night and was in the neighborhood, and soon would have become completely incapacitated, perhaps in the year after the Mary Kelly murder .... but you really need to know the effects of that illness on the mind and body to be able to comfortably establish his potential guilt.

From what I found in a quick search from Wikipedia and another source:


A. General paresis usually develops 10 to 30 years after the initial syphilis infection. Due to advancements in antibiotics, neurosyphilis and consequently, general paresis is now very rare.
B. Eventually, (for the person that reaches this stage) the patient would become completely incapacitated, bed ridden, and would die, the process taking about three to five years on average.

I attempted to look up how common it is for one who has entered the state of general paresis (syphillitic insanity) to kill and couldnt' find anything ... I suspect its rare. Since Jacob Levy died in July of 1891, he reached the point of general paresis around 1886 - 88.

Offhand, when one has entered the stage of general paresis, revenge killing on those (gentile females prostitutes) to whom he blamed for his disease leading to his physical deterioration sounds too rational. By this stage, would he really be able to link his symptoms to prostitutes, or really know if there was anything wrong with him?

One more point, the Ripper murders were more than just revenge killings ... they were lust murders: he killed the victim quickly and then went into his bizarre ritual of cutting up the body.

[Patrick Differ]

I would want to know more about general paresis (syphillitic insanity) before I really consider his candidacy. Yes, he was insane, wandered the streets at night and was in the neighborhood, and soon would have become completely incapacitated, perhaps in the year after the Mary Kelly murder .... but you really need to know the effects of that illness on the mind and body to be able to comfortably establish his potential guilt.

From what I found in a quick search from Wikipedia and another source:


A. General paresis usually develops 10 to 30 years after the initial syphilis infection. Due to advancements in antibiotics, neurosyphilis and consequently, general paresis is now very rare.
B. Eventually, (for the person that reaches this stage) the patient would become completely incapacitated, bed ridden, and would die, the process taking about three to five years on average.

I attempted to look up how common it is for one who has entered the state of general paresis (syphillitic insanity) to kill and couldnt' find anything ... I suspect its rare. Since Jacob Levy died in July of 1891, he reached the point of general paresis around 1886 - 88.

Offhand, when one has entered the stage of general paresis, revenge killing on those (gentile females prostitutes) to whom he blamed for his disease leading to his physical deterioration sounds too rational. By this stage, would he really be able to link his symptoms to prostitutes, or really know if there was anything wrong with him?

One more point, the Ripper murders were more than just revenge killings ... they were lust murders: he killed the victim quickly and then went into his bizarre ritual of cutting up the body.

Levy was suffering psychosis in 1886 when he was admitted to Essex Asylum. Neurosyphilis and mercury treatment combined with daily alcohol and drug treatments over an 11 month period, in an asylum, did not make him better. Eventhough he was released in 1887 he was not cured. Time proved that out.

Jacob Levy had motive against prostitutes and it is clear that both he and his older brother Abraham, who committed suicide in 1875 at age 22 and Jacob 19, were into gambling and vice. They grew up in the middle of this and products of this environment.

Levy also had no love for Immigrant Jews he would have blamed for his prosecution. Along with the Police and Justice System. 12 months of hard labor, believing yourself innocent, 11 months in a Victorian asylum. And then released to live in disgrace within the community you lived your entire life. In a class driven society?

There is no question im my mind that Jacob Levy may have been this killer. He was disconnected from reality.

Did he have the skill to murder these women? No doubt. As a kosher butcher he was trained in Shechita. Throat cutting was a given. Gutting of animals and organ removal for inspection and anatomy..are also a given.

If it wasnt Levy it was someone like him. But since Sagar never mentioned a Jewish Butcher by name, my guess is that it was likely Levy. Insane, wandering, and capable. Eventually taken to an Asylum by friends. As stated by Sagar and listed on Levys admission to Stone Asylum. That friend was his brother in law Isaac Barnett, married to his older sister Elizabeth, who also lived on Middlesex Street.

My only unknown is transition from animal to human. Other than a medical person with experience in Autopsy who had the skill to perform these murders in a repetitive fashion, who else fits? Since Doctors called to the scene considered butchers and were not convinced it was a medical person ( timing and method), the the question of transition comes forward.

Medical people would have no transistion. Is there an example of transistion? I think that would be Martha Tabrum. To say she was probed seems to fit. Why multiple stab wounds to specific areas of the body that would eventually morph to mutilations in the same areas? Animal skin is not like human skin. Human is tight as this killer learned trying to skin Mary Kelly. A medical person would not be concerned with cutting human skin. Tabrum illustrates targeted probing , not sporadic.

Anyway, for me Levy is a prime candidate. Unless another butcher surfaces but so far he is the only confirmed lunatic butcher wandering that half square mile area. Where he was also born and raised.

[Newbie]

Levy was suffering psychosis in 1886 when he was admitted to Essex Asylum. Neurosyphilis and mercury treatment combined with daily alcohol and drug treatments over an 11 month period, in an asylum, did not make him better. Eventhough he was released in 1887 he was not cured. Time proved that out.

Jacob Levy had motive against prostitutes and it is clear that both he and his older brother Abraham, who committed suicide in 1875 at age 22 and Jacob 19, were into gambling and vice. They grew up in the middle of this and products of this environment.

Levy also had no love for Immigrant Jews he would have blamed for his prosecution. Along with the Police and Justice System. 12 months of hard labor, believing yourself innocent, 11 months in a Victorian asylum. And then released to live in disgrace within the community you lived your entire life. In a class driven society?

There is no question im my mind that Jacob Levy may have been this killer. He was disconnected from reality.

Did he have the skill to murder these women? No doubt. As a kosher butcher he was trained in Shechita. Throat cutting was a given. Gutting of animals and organ removal for inspection and anatomy..are also a given.

If it wasnt Levy it was someone like him. But since Sagar never mentioned a Jewish Butcher by name, my guess is that it was likely Levy. Insane, wandering, and capable. Eventually taken to an Asylum by friends. As stated by Sagar and listed on Levys admission to Stone Asylum. That friend was his brother in law Isaac Barnett, married to his older sister Elizabeth, who also lived on Middlesex Street.

My only unknown is transition from animal to human. Other than a medical person with experience in Autopsy who had the skill to perform these murders in a repetitive fashion, who else fits? Since Doctors called to the scene considered butchers and were not convinced it was a medical person ( timing and method), the the question of transition comes forward.

Medical people would have no transistion. Is there an example of transistion? I think that would be Martha Tabrum. To say she was probed seems to fit. Why multiple stab wounds to specific areas of the body that would eventually morph to mutilations in the same areas? Animal skin is not like human skin. Human is tight as this killer learned trying to skin Mary Kelly. A medical person would not be concerned with cutting human skin. Tabrum illustrates targeted probing , not sporadic.

Anyway, for me Levy is a prime candidate. Unless another butcher surfaces but so far he is the only confirmed lunatic butcher wandering that half square mile area. Where he was also born and raised.

To me, getting his candidacy launched is not a matter of whether he had the skills to remove organs with precision,
It would be getting more information about the final stage of syphilis;
It would be a matter of gathering information about how much violence and murder were perpetuated by people driven mad by the final stage of syphillis: how many murders were committed by these people? I couldn't find a thing about it in my brief look.

All we have on Jacob Levy was that he was in the area (great!), he wandered the streets at night (great!), he knew how to use a knife (great!), and he had end stage syphillis (general paresis). Frankly, without the general paresis, he wouldn't be a candidate, or we would have to consider all the kosher butchers in White Chapel.

To me, more research needs to be done on general paresis. And if people are serious about him being the Ripper, they'd go about doing it.

Again, do they have the mental faculties to be able to establish cause and effect and seek revenge by this final stage? I wonder.

[Patrick Differ]

To me, getting his candidacy launched is not a matter of whether he had the skills to remove organs with precision,
It would be getting more information about the final stage of syphilis;
It would be a matter of gathering information about how much violence and murder were perpetuated by people driven mad by the final stage of syphillis: how many murders were committed by these people? I couldn't find a thing about it in my brief look.

All we have on Jacob Levy was that he was in the area (great!), he wandered the streets at night (great!), he knew how to use a knife (great!), and he had end stage syphillis (general paresis). Frankly, without the general paresis, he wouldn't be a candidate, or we would have to consider all the kosher butchers in White Chapel.

To me, more research needs to be done on general paresis. And if people are serious about him being the Ripper, they'd go about doing it.

Again, do they have the mental faculties to be able to establish cause and effect and seek revenge by this final stage? I wonder.

There is alot known about Levy. Syphilis that morphed into neurosyphilis was not uncommon in London. 1 in 4 men had STD and there was no cure. Mercury was used to treat it which could also cause mental issues.

Im not sure what you mean by launch as a candidate since he was launched in 1999 by Mark King with research from the I'ansons who tied Jacob Levy to witness Joseph Hyam Levy. The only known witness to possible suspect connection.

Insanity ran in his family. His immediate older brother Abraham committed suicide and Jacob attempted it in 1886. and right after the death of his father..

There are different types of insanity and Levy was committed in 1886 and then 1890. He was insane. It could have been caused by multiple factors including the gene pool.

Was he violent? According to his records he could be.
Was he a muderer? He is known to kill only animals by profession.
Did he live there? Middlesex Street london city side. All murders except Eddowes were outside London jurisdiction. He lived in the heart of the murders. He lived between Mitre and Goulston.

He checks virtually all boxes of any profile measurement.
Did he do it? Nobody has proven anyone is the Ripper

[Newbie]

There is alot known about Levy. Syphilis that morphed into neurosyphilis was not uncommon in London. 1 in 4 men had STD and there was no cure. Mercury was used to treat it which could also cause mental issues.

Im not sure what you mean by launch as a candidate since he was launched in 1999 by Mark King with research from the I'ansons who tied Jacob Levy to witness Joseph Hyam Levy. The only known witness to possible suspect connection.

Insanity ran in his family. His immediate older brother Abraham committed suicide and Jacob attempted it in 1886. and right after the death of his father..

There are different types of insanity and Levy was committed in 1886 and then 1890. He was insane. It could have been caused by multiple factors including the gene pool.

Was he violent? According to his records he could be.
Was he a muderer? He is known to kill only animals by profession.
Did he live there? Middlesex Street london city side. All murders except Eddowes were outside London jurisdiction. He lived in the heart of the murders. He lived between Mitre and Goulston.

He checks virtually all boxes of any profile measurement.
Did he do it? Nobody has proven anyone is the Ripper

Your purpose is to motivate people towards believing .... no?
And let me say relaunched - because currently there is not a lot of interest in Jacob Levy.

And further, as an aside, let me ask what has hereditary insanity to do with neurosyphiis? You are confusing insanity with depression or the type of mental disorders that lead to suicide.

You evidently are not getting at all what I'm trying to tell you: if you like him as a suspect, then dig deeper, and a start would be finding out more about the association between neurosyphilis and homicidal tendencies. I suspect its rare, and such people would have great difficulty in planning anything.

As for the he could be violent bit, so could you or I. This is not at all compelling.

Here is what I could find on the clinical depiction of neurosyphilis:

paresis, , psychosis caused by widespread destruction of brain tissue occurring in some cases of late syphilis. Mental changes include gradual deterioration of personality, impaired concentration and judgment, delusions, loss of memory, disorientation, and apathy or violent rages. Convulsions are not uncommon, and while temporary remissions sometimes occur, untreated paresis is eventually fatal.

This is the only description I could find of general paresis that included violence. However, there is a huge leap from violent rages to homicdal intentions, and an even bigger leap between homicidal intentions and strangling/slashing/and then dissection.

But I ask you, beyond violent rages, is that a plausible description of Jack the Ripper?
And would someone in that state know they have an affliction, much less understand the source (gentile prostitutes)?