Does The Killer Scope Out Locations Before He Kills?

[DJA]

Just to see if anyone is paying attention.

What/who did the kidney expert that Major Henry Smith have examine the "Lusk kidney" have in common with the Shoreditch Vestry Board where Mary Kelly's corpse should not have been?

What was that London Hospital kidney expert prepared to gamble on his opinion?

Which profession was his main claim to fame?

[DJA]

What have you done with the real Michael Richards?

C'mon,'fess up b4 I call the Mounties.

[Michael W Richards]

Somewhere in the Afterlife a journalist is laughing his head off that someone's taking that Dear Boss letter seriously...
Of all the Ripper correspondence IMO there is only one candidate for the real deal and that's From Hell. Which BTW is not signed 'Jack the Ripper'. And even that one along with its accompanying bit of kidney is not a sure thing.

From Hell is my choice as well, and I believe the reason its not signed is because the man who sent it didnt identify himself as Jack the Ripper. He only mentions one victim. I also believe the frying and eating bits were solely to intimidate Lusk. This wasnt a communication to a vigilante committee, or to Central News, it was to Lusk. And not the first time he felt threatened in the weeks leading up to that parcel and note.

[NotBlamedForNothing]

no, ill just spell it out. the killer wrote in dear boss he tried to save some of chapmans blood in a ginger beer bottle and it went thick like glue. thats what would happen, and how many people would know that? it adds authenticity to the letter. a ginger beer bottle was found in mary kellys room. the two may be connected. if finger printing was around a few years earlier in 1888 if i was police i would be testing that ginger beer bottle.

Abby,
I was thinking about your very literal interpretation of Dear Boss, and something occurred to me...

You also seem to believe that interpretation of the graffito is straightforward, based on the idea that the killer is blaming the Jews, and that he was interrupted (which itself, is a fairly literal interpretation).

Blames Jews + interruption = Jack blamed the Jews for interrupting him

So while just about everyone else struggles with the meaning (me included), for you "it's not rocket science".

In the current Stride thread, you asked me about being more specific about a complicated theory, and I referred to "dribs and drabs", and you didn't know what I meant by that.

A while back I added a signature to my posts, making it obvious to everyone except yourself, what my first name is.

Are you aware that you're making these very literal interpretations, and struggling a bit with metaphorical language?

[DJA]

Such a pleasure to see a Jane Coram post again.

[Al Bundy's Eyes]

So why did he stop producing them after saucy jacky? Surely this journo was getting a bit worried by 1889?

Good Question. Letters for profit

Then there is the 1896 letter, which could well be by the same hand. It was not sent to the CNA, so where does that leave the 'drumming-up interest' theory?

Again, worth asking. I'd defer to Palmer, Woods, Orsam, Arif, Begg et al.

I'm sorry, but this is another half-baked theory that ignores some of the evidence.

Agreed

[NotBlamedForNothing]

Dear Boss was written by a journalist to get the most mileage out of these stories that he could, so trying to create drama isnt surprising.

So why did he stop producing them after saucy jacky? Surely this journo was getting a bit worried by 1889?

Then there is the 1896 letter, which could well be by the same hand. It was not sent to the CNA, so where does that leave the 'drumming-up interest' theory?

I'm sorry, but this is another half-baked theory that ignores some of the evidence.

[NotBlamedForNothing]

no, ill just spell it out. the killer wrote in dear boss he tried to save some of chapmans blood in a ginger beer bottle and it went thick like glue. thats what would happen, and how many people would know that? it adds authenticity to the letter. a ginger beer bottle was found in mary kellys room. the two may be connected. if finger printing was around a few years earlier in 1888 if i was police i would be testing that ginger beer bottle.

That's a very literal interpretation, but Madam Red seems to agree with it - https://forum.casebook.org/forum/rip...ottle#post4508

My understanding is that it was 'bottles' plural. Did they arrive individually or at the same time?

Re fingerprinting - https://forum.casebook.org/forum/rip...340#post731340

[Chava]

Somewhere in the Afterlife a journalist is laughing his head off that someone's taking that Dear Boss letter seriously...
Of all the Ripper correspondence IMO there is only one candidate for the real deal and that's From Hell. Which BTW is not signed 'Jack the Ripper'. And even that one along with its accompanying bit of kidney is not a sure thing.

[Michael W Richards]

Or, the writer wanted a dramatic"written in blood" effect, but that's not realistic in real life, so he created an excuse so he could use his funky red ink and still look cool.

I think if fingerprinting was around at the time, the bottle would be checked as routine.

Dear Boss was written by a journalist to get the most mileage out of these stories that he could, so trying to create drama isnt surprising.

[DJA]

hi al
dear boss/saucy jack have other things going for them that also lend to their authenticity

Counts out you Yanks.

Otherwise he'd be Ketchup Jack.

[Abby Normal]

Or, the writer wanted a dramatic"written in blood" effect, but that's not realistic in real life, so he created an excuse so he could use his funky red ink and still look cool.

I think if fingerprinting was around at the time, the bottle would be checked as routine.

hi al
agree on both counts. but dear boss/saucy jack have other things going for them that also lend to their authenticity: wanting to get to work soon, clipping the ears and first one squealed a bit. and the use of a ginger beer bottle and one showing up in kellys room is all just too much coincidence for me.

I lean heavily that dear boss/saucy jack are authentic, but im not married to it-I think theres also a possibility it could have been a journalist drumming up business.

[Al Bundy's Eyes]

no, ill just spell it out. the killer wrote in dear boss he tried to save some of chapmans blood in a ginger beer bottle and it went thick like glue. thats what would happen, and how many people would know that? it adds authenticity to the letter. a ginger beer bottle was found in mary kellys room. the two may be connected. if finger printing was around a few years earlier in 1888 if i was police i would be testing that ginger beer bottle.

Or, the writer wanted a dramatic"written in blood" effect, but that's not realistic in real life, so he created an excuse so he could use his funky red ink and still look cool.

I think if fingerprinting was around at the time, the bottle would be checked as routine.

[Abby Normal]

Can you give me another hint?

no, ill just spell it out. the killer wrote in dear boss he tried to save some of chapmans blood in a ginger beer bottle and it went thick like glue. thats what would happen, and how many people would know that? it adds authenticity to the letter. a ginger beer bottle was found in mary kellys room. the two may be connected. if finger printing was around a few years earlier in 1888 if i was police i would be testing that ginger beer bottle.

[NotBlamedForNothing]

trd and not crack me up. you guys are so into finding clues that dont exist, or crazy conclusions from ones that do, you miss the ones staring you right in the face.
re the ginger beer bottle... cmon whats the real clue here? ill give you a hint. coagulating blood.

Can you give me another hint?