The Ripper & Ed Gein

[Abby Normal]

just finished the book by C. Keers about Suff. excellent book.

[Bambi]

As a VERY new member, apologies if I haven't read enough to be commenting, but the Ed Gein and Ripper murders appear to me very different. Gein was particularly focused on the 'aftermath' of death. Keeping, holding, and retaining.

[Errata]

As a VERY new member, apologies if I haven't read enough to be commenting, but the Ed Gein and Ripper murders appear to me very different. Gein was particularly focused on the 'aftermath' of death. Keeping, holding, and retaining.

No you're right. But since the Ripper didn't torture, and mostly didn't mutilate outside the necessities of his "mission", the argument can be made that the Ripper was mostly concerned only with "harvesting". Like Gein. There are some similarities in theme. Whether those are enough to make them alike, well, that's the debate.

[GregBaron]

Tough to compare...

Hi newbies et al…

I think it difficult to compare modern serialists to the Rip. 19th century East London was a different animal. Rip probably didn’t have the ability to bring someone back to his crib to perform his dastardly deeds. Even if he did, disposal would be tough; Dahmer wasn’t very good at it. Perhaps he would have been Dahmer-like if he had the chance except for the homosexual part.

Targeting internal organs is pretty strange. They may be for trophies but there was definitely also an element of humiliation. He must have hated the street walkers but there is no sadism.

Part of our fascination with the Rip is because they seemed to have thrown away the script after this nutter retired…


Greg

[Vincenzo]

No you're right. But since the Ripper didn't torture, and mostly didn't mutilate outside the necessities of his "mission", the argument can be made that the Ripper was mostly concerned only with "harvesting". Like Gein. There are some similarities in theme. Whether those are enough to make them alike, well, that's the debate.

He certainly did mutilate. It probably wasn't his prime motivation (that seemed to be the organs) but it certainly seems to me that it was something he was very interested in. I just think that he was restricted by time and location in most cases.

The murder and mutilation of Mary Kelly is a glimpse of who Jack was deep down inside. He had the time and privacy to be himself and do everything he wanted and mutilation was a huge part of what he did there. Didn't he also 'lightly' mutilate one of the previous four victims with cuts to the face? Correct me if I am wrong, I cannot think of which victim off of the top of my head, but the point is that I think there is ample evidence that JtR was very interested in mutilation.

[Vincenzo]

Welcome to the forums.

[Penhalion]

Katherine Eddowes/Mitre Square was significantly mutilated on her face. Her nose was pretty much cut off and her eyelids were cut vertically as well as several other marks to her cheeks.

[DJA]

Thanks for that.

Any more information that might be useful?