Did the Ripper strangle his victims?

[Pinkerton]

This thread is to discuss the issue of whether JTR strangled his victims. I wanted to first point out how common "garrotting" was in the Victorian era. The article below from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle4368413.ece, discusses the garrotting "panic" which took place in the 1850's and 1860's. It was the result of the use of "garrotting" which usually involved robbery by choking a person from behind, often using a ligature or the robbers own arm (like a "chokehold"). I believe that this would be the most likely form of strangulation that would be used by JTR due to its ability to silence the victim, keep the victim from calling out, how quickly it renders the victim unconscious, and the fact that it doesn't leave obvious marks as either a ligature, or manual strangulation. I also seem to recall the comment by doctor's on how one or two Ripper victims appeared to have marks under the jawline. Though I'm certainly not a medical expert this would be the type of marks I would expect if someone were choked in this manner.



The Garotting panic

A wave of fear swept mid-Victorian society about what The Times called “a modern peril of the streets [that has] created something like a reign of terror”. Garotting was a form of violent robbery that involved choking the victim from behind, reportedly carried out by street ruffians and even by 12-year-old girls. As The Times protested in November 1862: “Our streets are actually not as safe as they were in the days of our grandfathers. We have slipped back to a state of affairs which would be intolerable even in Naples.” The paper carried pro-hanging leading articles, and in 1856 complained about the “over-magnanimous spirit of British law, which always presumes a man innocent until he is proven guilty”.

The upshot was a backlash against liberalising law reforms. Flogging had been abolished in 1861. It was brought back under the Garotter's Act of 1863, which even the Home Secretary described as “panic legislation after the panic had subsided”.


Below are two illustrations. One is from the Illustrated Police News on August 7, 1880. The other comes from the Victorian Web at http://www.victorianlondon.org/crime...sentations.htm . Both show an illustration of a chokehold applied by the perpetrators of a robbery.

[DVV]

Hi Pinkerton,
Wonderful illustrations, thanks. I think the bruises on the victims' jaw were rather interpreted as the pressure of fingers.
Amitiés,
David

[perrymason]

Thats an interesting bit Pinkerton, and I think some version of cutting off air, and the speech as a by-product, was the preferred beginning.

I cant recall for sure, but I believe 4 of the 5 were wearing scarves, Mary being the exception. But only Liz's was speculated as being used by the killer...again, if memory serves. Twisted tightly, and nicked by the knife.

Best regards

[Wickerman]

Many years ago one Casebook member, Christopher Michael Di-Grazie(?), emailed some interesting articles to me on the Garotting craze of the 1860's.
It was so serious that some companies even invented creative headgear to help protect its wearer from such attacks.
One I still recall looked for all the world like a waste paper basket worn upside down on the head. The obvious intent was to protect the neck with wickerwork that sloped out towards the shoulders. These were being sold as fashion accessories, there was actually a newspaper drawing of this unique headgear, I don't recall the price.

One reason I don't think the Ripper used the arm as a choke-hold is because this method does not prevent the victim from crying out. In order to restrain her vocally the killer would also have to grasp her nose and mouth with his other hand, no doubt leaving strong bruises around this part of the face. The killer then risks being bitten on the hand by said victim.
No such facial bruises, consistent with the hand pattern were ever noted by any doctors. And they did list facial bruises where they occured.

However, this line of inquiry is worth pursuing, to the best of my knowledge no-one else has argued for the garrotte, or ligature, since Dr Brownfield suggested 120 years ago.

[Pippin Joan]

From what I've gathered, the strangling/choking angle was an essential part of JTR's method. As said above, most of the women wore neckerchiefs, and had bruises about the chin, indicating that the perpetrator had choked them by pulling the scarves. Every filmed version of the crimes seems to have JTR stabbing them wildly with the raised knife, which is so absurd. He needed to have them drop in their tracks without a peep. Grab the scarf from behind, hold on to her chin until she passes out, and give a good deep cut to the throat. No sound, no struggle, and no blood spatter on Jack.

[Wickerman]

Typical ligature mark on an actual body..

[Wickerman]

As said above, most of the women wore neckerchiefs, and had bruises about the chin, indicating that the perpetrator had choked them by pulling the scarves.

The only vicitm with bruises around the chin was Polly Nichols who had a singular bruise on the right side of her jaw, and a cluster of small bruises on her left-side.
This is consistent with her killer placing his left hand over her mouth and chin while she is laid on the ground. This is what we would expect to find if her killer was holding her head with his left hand while he sliced her throat with his right. I have a diagram somewhere..

[The Grave Maurice]

I like this theory. The garrotting idea is more than plausible and, if a ligature were used, the tell-tale mark could, as someone commented on another thread, have been obliterated by the double cuts on some of the victims' throats.

[DVV]

Garrotting the ivictims with their scarves until they "passed out", as suggested by Joan, wouldn't have been quick and noiseless. It would have caused struggle.
Wickerman's arguments are valid, and I think the MO has long been well described by Baxter.

Amitiés,
David

[Wickerman]

The only vicitm with bruises around the chin was Polly Nichols who had a singular bruise on the right side of her jaw, and a cluster of small bruises on her left-side.

Llewellyn's testimony reads:
"There was a bruise running along the lower part of the jaw on the right side of the face. That might have been caused by a blow from a fist or pressure from a thumb"
"There was a circular bruise on the left side of the face, which also might have been inflicted by the pressure of the fingers".

This is my interpretation of Llewellyn's statement concerning the location of the bruises..

[Wickerman]

The position of the killers left hand..

[Wickerman]

So, the formation of facial bruises should suggest Nichols was still alive while in this position. Alive but motionless, unable to resist, arms relaxed, legs out straight. No sign of drugs in her system, no evidence of being knocked out.
Nichols quite possibly had been strangled into unconsciousness or suffocated by her killer, but still alive.
No evidence of manual strangulation therefore, the use of a ligature is a distinct possibility.

[Wickerman]

Some interesting observations on the subject of strangulation, both manual and by ligature, can be found in the records of true case files from the Old Bailey, London.

http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/index.jsp

Some have commented on the degree of facial distortion, extreme's may be considerable with Annie Chapman, as opposed to none noticable with Catherine Eddowes. There are reason's for this difference, apparently the degree of facial distortion depends on how much pressure is applied, for how long, and/or how swiftly the pressure is removed.
With manual strangulation the killer tends to hold the throat as long as he can to ensure death, this can result in considerable distortion. Manual strangulation takes several minutes to take effect. With a ligature just a couple of minutes is sufficient, and by immediately removing the ligature as soon as the victim collapses, little to no distortion may result.

The use of a Ligature:
"MR. BODKIN. Q. In what time would the pressure of a ligature round the neck impede consciousness? A. In a minute, or less than that, so as to render resistance impossible—I did not observe any amount of congestion of the brain to account for death—the pressure must have been very considerable."

http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=t18550820-768&div=t18550820-768&terms=ligature#highlight

The use of a Ligature:
"By the COURT. The distortion of the features depends a good deal on the amount of time during which the constriction is kept up; if quickly removed, in cases of hanging, even in judicial executions, there would be very little distortion—I have said that in this case it would not take more than a minute and a half to effect strangulation; if after that time the ligature was removed
I should expect to find very little distortion—the degree of distortion would depend partly on the violence used and partly on the time during which the process lasted—it would require extraordinary resolution for a person to keep up the pressure for a minute and a half on their own person, they would become insensible; if they became insensible and the hands relaxed, the cords would at once become loose, therefore it would be morally impossible that any person could strangle themselves and produce the mark on themselves otherwise than by hanging."

http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=t18790331-395&div=t18790331-395&terms=ligature#highlight

Manual Strangulation:
"FREDERICK TOTHILL . I am a surgeon, of No. 8, Charles Street, St. James's Square. I was called in to the house in Arundel Court on the Wednesday evening, between 9 o'clock and half past—I went up to the front room on the third floor, and there found the dead body of a female, lying on the face the face supported by pillows on either side—I removed the coverings so as to see the whole body—it was on a bed—the face was downwards on two pillows, and the rest of the body was corresponding with it, quite flat downwards, flat on the belly—I should think ten or twelve hours had elapsed since the death—there was slight warmth in the chest and belly—the fact of the body being covered with clothes would keep the warmth longer than if the body had been entirely exposed—I had the body turned over on the bed—beforethat was done I noticed the position of the arms, they were turned outwards, and the hands everted, that is, the fingers from the body, so that she would have the arms in this way behind her—I did not particularly notice any discolouration of the arms before the body was turned over, but afterwards I did; in front of the arms they were livid—the general appearance of the body was livid, and with red patches; the eyes prominent, and the blood extravasated underneath the membrane of the eye; the pupils dilated; the right eyelid had drooped and covered the eye; the feature swere swollen and much distorted; blood and mucus was running from the nose; the tongue swollen and protruding from the mouth, so much swollen that I could not have made any mistake about it at all—at the lower and front part of the windpipe there was a dark red livid spot, about the size of a 6d. or a 4d. piece; the skin around that spot was excoriated externally—it was such a mark as would have been caused by either the finger or thumb of a person—therewas no mark of a ligature round the throat—the finger nails were livid, dark coloured—on Saturday, the 27th, I made a post mortem examination of the body, assisted by another surgeon, a Mr. Power—the vital organs were quite healthy, we found no trace of disease in any part of the body—shewas apparently from thirty to thirty-three or thirty-four years of age, as Dear as I could judge—we examined externally the part of the windpipe where the livid spot appeared; there was the appearance of recent injury there—on removing the skin over the spot that I have described, it appeared much bruised; the muscles underneath were turgid, or filled with blood, charged with blood, and appeared bruised—I attribute her death to strangulation—a pressure on the spot of the windpipe which I have described, of the finger or thumb of a person, would cause death by strangulation—whether death would be speedy would depend upon the amount of force used—from our examination of the windpipe we came to the conclusion that considerable force had been used—that is my opinion—it is difficult to say, but supposing a considerable amount of force had been used, I should say that death would have happened within half an hour, or perhaps more, or less, it would depend upon the amount of force used.

COURT. Q. You say that death would have happened from such a thing by pressure for half an hour? A. Oh, less than that, if the pressure was sufficient—if sufficient force was used, death might ensue in ten minutes, or less than that; I mean if there was sufficient pressure kept up for ten minutes."

http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=t18580405-429&div=t18580405-429&terms=ligature#highlight

Some interesting observations can be had by reasearching through the archived cases.

[Wickerman]

Petechiae, if not, why not?

The subject of Petechiae has been raised a number of times.
The suggestion being that petechiae is a good indication of strangulation, if petechiae is not apparent then she may not have been strangled.
This assumption can lead to a wrong conclusion.

As many will know petechiae in the face is a condition where the very small bood vessels that carry blood away from the brain rupture and cause the skin to appear bluish, almost bruised. This condition can be caused by strangulation, but it depends on the type of strangulation, not, whether it was or was not strangulation, I'll explain.

When a person is choked by a choke-hold, either a thick wollen scarf, or a person's belt, or even by the killers arm around the neck, the pressure is not sudden, not great and not focussed on a specific area of the neck. Either of these methods can result in the victim loosing consciousness, and eventually a slow death if held long enough. In cases like these petechiae can be seen in the face.

The reason for the existence of petechiae is two-fold, on the one hand there is still sufficient blood pressure to sustain life in the brain, but insufficient flow via the juggular vein for blood to escape, therefore the smallest release veins begin to rupture - hence petechiae is apparent.

In short, petechiae in the face and neck can develope when sufficient blood is still flowing to the brain but the same amount of blood cannot escape back to the body. This leads to a surplus of blood in the system (head) which results in increased bloodpressure in the head and neck, vessels begin to burst.

When a ligature is used we rarely see petechiae in the skin, this is because the ligature is very narrow when compared with a thick or broad implement like a scarf, hand, arm, or belt.
A string, cord, wire, etc., will focus maximum pressure with sudden force on a very small area and more often results in the immediate restriction of blood flow in both directions. The victim is overcome almost immediately, considerably faster than the previous method described.
This method results in a quieter subjection of the victim.
(Something commented on by more than one doctor)

The inability of blood to escape from the brain, as previously described, is the same, however, this is offset by the immediate restriction of blood flow into the brain, hence no pressure in the arteries or veins in the head, therefore petechiae does not develope in the face and neck.

Suffice to say then, the absense of petechiae in any of the Ripper victims cannot be used as an argument against strangulation.

The absense of petechiae can be used to argue that the killer may have used a ligature (garrote), especially when there are other signs consistent with strangulation.

All the best, Jon.S

[Pinkerton]

One reason I don't think the Ripper used the arm as a choke-hold is because this method does not prevent the victim from crying out. In order to restrain her vocally the killer would also have to grasp her nose and mouth with his other hand, no doubt leaving strong bruises around this part of the face. The killer then risks being bitten on the hand by said victim. No such facial bruises, consistent with the hand pattern were ever noted by any doctors. And they did list facial bruises where they occured.

Sorry, but this is incorrect. The victim COULD NOT cry out when placed in this choke-hold properly. The inside of the elbow is pressed tightly against the windpipe and pulled up slightly. The air is completely cut off. What the illustrations of this choke-hold I posted earlier doesn't show is that this hold is much more secure and tight if the other hand that is not around the neck is used to grip the outside of the choking arm. This "locks" the choke-hold to prevent the victim from escaping. Choking both the airway AND the blood is the quickest method to put the victim into unconsciousness, as well as to kill.

Garrotting the ivictims with their scarves until they "passed out", as suggested by Joan, wouldn't have been quick and noiseless. It would have caused struggle. Wickerman's arguments are valid, and I think the MO has long been well described by Baxter.

With a ligature just a couple of minutes is sufficient, and by immediately removing the ligature as soon as the victim collapses, little to no distortion may result.

Using a ligature such as scarf or handkerchief INDEED would have taken at least 10 to 15 second to put the victim into unconsciousness and it would have taken even longer to kill them. Using a ligature is usually faster than manual strangulation because the arteries are partially occluded. The victim would have struggled violently during this time. Most of JTR's victims did NOT show signs of a violent struggle. Stride was even found with "cachous" in her hand.

A choke-hold that is applied quickly would prevent much time for the victim to struggle. It also would not leave the tell-tale marks of a ligature. Though the killer COULD have theoretically cut the throat where the ligature marks would have been these marks still would have been difficult to conceal. And would the killer REALLY go to all that trouble to try and conceal ligature marks? This seems rather odd to me. His mutilates his victims, in some cases removing organs, and yet he is worried that the police will find ligature marks on the neck of his victims? These seems kind of far-fetched.

One thing Wickerman and I definitely agree on is that manual strangulation was almost certainly NOT employed. This would have left a lot of visible marks and taken too long to carry out (it can take a couple of minutes just to put the victim into unconsciousness. And though I wouldn't rule out a ligature, I think a choke-hold would have been more practical (it's quick and doesn't leave obvious marks). By the way, this was the method that Gary Ridgway used on his 49 victims. Only one ever escaped the choke-hold he employed.

I'm not sure if policemen and security guards of the day would have been familiar with this kind of choke-hold (though they ALL are today). However I'm sure members of the military would have been taught this.

Below are two illustrations of the choke-hold. By squeezing the sides of the neck, the blood flow to the brain it cut off. By pulling the inside of the elbow towards the perpetrator the air-flow is cut-off. The first picture shows the perpetrator using his other hand to lock the hold. The second picture shows the best method to lock the hold--grabbing the bicept of one arm, while putting the other hand behind the head to use as leverage. This prevents the victim from trying to put their head backwards to slip out of the hold. It also allows the hold to be placed tighter by using the other arm as leverage. This hold can render a person unconscious in under 10 seconds.