JtR's Ideal Victim Type

[mariab]

Very interesting point, Doug Irvine, about the young prostitutes getting scarce, leaving the streets to the old and decaying ones after the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885.
Also The Good Michael's interpretation of quote: Perhaps a youthful victim provided something extra that allowed JTR to be finished with his business, and therefore was the one. I don't think he would have known that up front, however. possibly has something in it, in case the Ripper indeed stopped instead of having gotten arrested or having left England.
As for Barnett, he's a VERY strong suspect in my opinion. I have no unshared information, but there's tons of circumstantial hints: He "profiles" right, his physical description fits with what most of the witnesses described (particularly on the night of the "double event"), he has no alibi that holds up, etc.. I've recently started reading the Paley book, but had to leave it and concentrate on some other (more urgently required) readings of lately. After finishing the Paley book I hope to have a better idea of if there are any further hints on Barnett.
As for John Kelly, I don't know what you mean by “romantic case“, but there's some ongoing research currently conducted on him (or on a namesake of him) for possibly being suspected in the murder of a Mr. Doherty or Doughty.

[Scorpio]

I dont believe JTR had a preference for victim type. As a disorganised type, i would guess, JTR was essentially an opportunist, with little or no sophistication in objectifying his victims as Ted Bundy did, or, as a pathological type, who is more interested in destroying his victims, possibly little interest in doing so.

[Doug Irvine]

I found an interesting bit of information in a book called Found Naked and Dead, The facts behind the Thames-side murders, by Brian McConnell. According to Mr. McConnell the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 was used to protect the young and prevent procuration. The act carried some pretty stiff fines and sentences. Worse were in store for defiling a girl from between 13 and 16: for that penal servitude from five years to life imprisonment was the stern penalty. A direct quote from Mr. McConnell "Before long the people were asking were had all the young girls gone? Cleared off the streets,cleared out of the pubs,cleared out of the brothels, by the frightened keepers."
If this is true, then it looks like Jack the Ripper had little choice in his type of victim, at least as far as age was concerned.

[The Snapper]

"ideal victim circumstance"

That's a good way of putting it for lots of reasons. I'm leaning toward the belief that the hair colour is a red herring though I'm assuning here that the initial selection was in poor light conditions. The height could be more relevant and may be an indication of his own approximate height. I believe build is not that relevant if only because it would be hard to judge given the various layers the women wore.

[The Good Michael]

Caps,

I agree with you. Perhaps a youthful victim provided something extra that allowed JTR to be finished with his business, and therefore was the one. I don't think he would have known that up front, however.

Mike

[cappuccina]

I would say that JtR had an "ideal victim circumstance" rather than an "ideal victim type", meaning, he was not like Ted Bundy who was looking for young women of a certain age with long dak hair parted in the middle, etc.

Rather, JtR was looking for the truly "unfortunate" women of the East End, those that would go with him for the smallest amount of money, or maybe even an offer of just food, and who would be more likely not to be immediately missed by family, friends or anyone...

[The Good Michael]

For the Ripper to have been Barnett or Hutchinson (esp. Barnett), it's not unlikely at all. Possibly...

Very unlikely, my mistake. One may make some romantic case for Kelly, but for the others, I can't imagine a good case being made, unless you have some unshared information.

Cheers,

Mike

[Ben]

No offense, but to describe something as "not very possible" is deeply, deeply silly. Either something is possible or it isn't. There are no degrees of "possibility", and although I don't buy into Barnett as the killer (by way of illustration) it is by no means "impossible" that he was. I'm afraid you'll often find, Maria, that when people have argued very unconvincingly against a certain suspect (and obsessive arguments in favour of any given suspect can be just as annoying as those against), they will often use exaggerated terminology to bolster their pro/anti case, and "not very possible" is a case in point.

[mariab]

For the Ripper to have been Barnett or Hutchinson (esp. Barnett), it's not unlikely at all. Possibly...

[The Good Michael]

Wasn't Barnett or Hutchinson... not very possible. And I have no compassion for either the victim or the murderer. Just looking for answers.

Cheers,

Mike

[mariab]

Wow, very romantic! Although I hope your compassion is with her, not with him!!
But I'm afraid the explanation is much more pedestrian. He either got scared off by having become visible to the investigation (esp. if he was Barnett or Hutchinson), or he anonymously ended up in an asylum, or he went back to America (if he was Tumblety).

[The Good Michael]

Maria,

Everything before Kelly seems to me exploratory. With Kelly, he may have gotten answers. One answer may have been that he couldn't find what he was looking for despite exhausting himself on the destruction he created, and despite the time spent doing so. He may have come to the startling conclusion that he couldn't find what he sought. That may have been his end. Time, opportunity, youthfulness, lighting, tools... all for nothing.

Cheers,

Mike

[mariab]

I'd say it depends on which suspect (or on which kind of suspect) one chooses to consider. It could be that he had mother issues if he was a relatively young local, perhaps even a Jew (with the traditional mother issues which go along in Jewish traditions), so he chose the old, “motherly“ looking ones. Or it could be sheer opportunism if he was a pimp (someone like BS or Le Grand) or even someone not locally involved, like Tumblety, so he chose the old, weakest looking ones.

The Good Michael wrote:
It's possible that Kelly was what he was looking for all along and the realization of achieving that goal led to the awesome destruction that was wrought upon her. He may have been looking for that type of woman with such destruction in mind from the get go.
I could definitely see something like this, even if the Ripper wasn't acquainted with Mary Kelly, such as Barnett or Hutchinson as suspects. If the Ripper didn't end up arrested, in an asylum, or left for other parts (America?), then this would be the only explanation left, why he stopped. Plus, I've often considered Annie Millwood as his first attempt, and she was young and pretty, and he failed to kill her (or at least she didn't die immediately and to his knowledge), so possibly he reconsidered the victim type until he got more confidence, as in the night of the "double event".

[j.r-ahde]

Hello Michael!

In fact, that's one of my conclusions too;

The others were a shot in the dark, but MJK was "the one"!

All the best
Jukka

[The Good Michael]

Mycroft,

Valid point. It's possible that Kelly was what he was looking for all along and the realization of achieving that goal led to the awesome destruction that was wrought upon her. He may have been looking for that type of woman with such destruction in mind from the get go.

Mike