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Greetings all,
Lately, I’ve been intrigued by how little discussion there is about the man who was directly responsible for the Whitechapel investigation at the Whitechapel District, Inspector Abberline. In Don Rumbelow’s book, The Complete Jack the Ripper, Rumbelow comments on page 71, “In charge of the investigation was Inspector Frederick George Abberline. As so little is known of him it is worth putting down the few details we do have.” From 1878 to 19 November 1887, he was the local Inspector for the Whitechapel District, or H Division, but was then moved to headquarters at Scotland Yard (A Division and then to CO Division). In the fall of 1888, he was temporarily assigned back to Whitechapel to investigate the murders. Before this temporary assignment, it seems Abberline played a major role in the Jubilee Day dynamiters plot. Note what the following article states:
Auckland Star, November 9, 1888
THE WHITECHAPEL HORROR.
LONDON, September 21.
Another week has passed, and the Whitechapel murders are mysterious still. All hopes of finding the assassin have, indeed, been long ago abandoned, save by the indomitable Sir Charles Warren and the indefatigable Detective Superintendent Abberline. The last-named officer, you may remember, was the one who defeated the Jubilee Day dynamiters plot and brought the last of the famous gang to justice. He does not pretend to be a Lecocq, but, given a clue, he can follow it up as well as any man…
The ‘defeat’ of the Jubilee Day dynamiters plot falls at the time when Abberline was at headquarters in 1887, but wasn’t the Jubilee Day plot spearheaded by Special Branch? If so, why was Abberline involved? I guess it could be a logical assumption that he was a reinforcement to Special Branch just as he was with Whitechapel the following year, but the article seems to insinuate that he was the central figure in defeating the plot. To further stress Abberline’s significant involvement in Scotland Yard, in July 1889 –not even a year after the Whitechapel investigation- he was put in charge of the embarrassing Cleveland Street Scandal.
Some have suggested that Monro and Abberline never worked together until this scandal. Are you sure?
Any thoughts?
Sincerely,
Mike
Lately, I’ve been intrigued by how little discussion there is about the man who was directly responsible for the Whitechapel investigation at the Whitechapel District, Inspector Abberline. In Don Rumbelow’s book, The Complete Jack the Ripper, Rumbelow comments on page 71, “In charge of the investigation was Inspector Frederick George Abberline. As so little is known of him it is worth putting down the few details we do have.” From 1878 to 19 November 1887, he was the local Inspector for the Whitechapel District, or H Division, but was then moved to headquarters at Scotland Yard (A Division and then to CO Division). In the fall of 1888, he was temporarily assigned back to Whitechapel to investigate the murders. Before this temporary assignment, it seems Abberline played a major role in the Jubilee Day dynamiters plot. Note what the following article states:
Auckland Star, November 9, 1888
THE WHITECHAPEL HORROR.
LONDON, September 21.
Another week has passed, and the Whitechapel murders are mysterious still. All hopes of finding the assassin have, indeed, been long ago abandoned, save by the indomitable Sir Charles Warren and the indefatigable Detective Superintendent Abberline. The last-named officer, you may remember, was the one who defeated the Jubilee Day dynamiters plot and brought the last of the famous gang to justice. He does not pretend to be a Lecocq, but, given a clue, he can follow it up as well as any man…
The ‘defeat’ of the Jubilee Day dynamiters plot falls at the time when Abberline was at headquarters in 1887, but wasn’t the Jubilee Day plot spearheaded by Special Branch? If so, why was Abberline involved? I guess it could be a logical assumption that he was a reinforcement to Special Branch just as he was with Whitechapel the following year, but the article seems to insinuate that he was the central figure in defeating the plot. To further stress Abberline’s significant involvement in Scotland Yard, in July 1889 –not even a year after the Whitechapel investigation- he was put in charge of the embarrassing Cleveland Street Scandal.
Some have suggested that Monro and Abberline never worked together until this scandal. Are you sure?
Any thoughts?
Sincerely,
Mike
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