Sorry about the initialism, I couldn't fit it all into the title otherwise. Obviously for ES read Elizabeth Stride and for CE read Catherine Eddowes.
When it comes to Stride's being a Ripper victim I am completely agnostic. I accept arguments on either side of the debate. On one hand it make sense to group the victims by the signature of evisceration, but on the other it makes sense that if the Ripper didn't get to the signature evisceration on a victim he might strike again the same night.
But my question is: if we imagine a scenario where Stride is not a Ripper victim, do people think Jack the Ripper would have known about her murder before killing Eddowes? How fast would the news have travelled?
Would her death have immediately been rumoured to be a Ripper killing? Were all murders at the time? Is there time for the Ripper to have heard about Stride and then decided out of opportunism to commit a murder on the other side of town while the focus was elsewhere?
And another question of motive around timing - could it be a point of pride? I'm sure not everyone agrees which letters are genuine correspondence from the Ripper, but could if you could imagine yourself as the Ripper on that night, your deeds are already infamous, but the name of "Jack the Ripper" has been applied to your crimes by others. Maybe you'd find pleasure in that, or maybe you resent other people colouring your portrayal. Then you hear the Ripper has struck again! This time on Berner Street. You decide to indulge yourself on the other side of town, but seething, or maybe instead it's gloating, you decide to set the record straight. For the first time you're aware of the optics. If, when you kill tonight, you take a piece away and mail it in then it will prove which of the two murders that night was authentic. What doesn't occur to you at the time is that both murders will be pinned on you.
I understand the above is pure conjecture. I'm not trying to propose anything here, I'm just trying to understand the possibilities. But is this something that has been discussed?
When it comes to Stride's being a Ripper victim I am completely agnostic. I accept arguments on either side of the debate. On one hand it make sense to group the victims by the signature of evisceration, but on the other it makes sense that if the Ripper didn't get to the signature evisceration on a victim he might strike again the same night.
But my question is: if we imagine a scenario where Stride is not a Ripper victim, do people think Jack the Ripper would have known about her murder before killing Eddowes? How fast would the news have travelled?
Would her death have immediately been rumoured to be a Ripper killing? Were all murders at the time? Is there time for the Ripper to have heard about Stride and then decided out of opportunism to commit a murder on the other side of town while the focus was elsewhere?
And another question of motive around timing - could it be a point of pride? I'm sure not everyone agrees which letters are genuine correspondence from the Ripper, but could if you could imagine yourself as the Ripper on that night, your deeds are already infamous, but the name of "Jack the Ripper" has been applied to your crimes by others. Maybe you'd find pleasure in that, or maybe you resent other people colouring your portrayal. Then you hear the Ripper has struck again! This time on Berner Street. You decide to indulge yourself on the other side of town, but seething, or maybe instead it's gloating, you decide to set the record straight. For the first time you're aware of the optics. If, when you kill tonight, you take a piece away and mail it in then it will prove which of the two murders that night was authentic. What doesn't occur to you at the time is that both murders will be pinned on you.
I understand the above is pure conjecture. I'm not trying to propose anything here, I'm just trying to understand the possibilities. But is this something that has been discussed?
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