Anderson in NY Times, March 20, 1910

[The Good Michael]

Quite frankly I believe it to be utterly ridiculous to say this person could possibly have been the dangerous killer that JtR was.

I understand exactly what you are saying. I suggest that no one who didn't want their brother executed, would have him committed as a mutilating butcher of women, and especially immigrant Jews who were already feeling the pains of immigration and the isolation from British society. I can give you plenty of cases where dangerous murderers were nothing of the sort once behind bars or in custody of some sort. You can recall those cases yourself. I will say to you that your arguments regarding Anderson as a Jew-hater and a religious zealot capable of absolutely foul deeds, are far more absurd than the idea of a family protecting a brother and themselves from retaliation. It is my opinion only. I may be not thinking straight at the moment, but let others judge which situation is the furthest from possible.

Cheers,

Mike

[Natalie Severn]

Of course that wouldn't be the reason given. Duh! It couldn't have been.

"My brother-in-law is Jack the Ripper. Would you mind if we left him here?"

No one has suggested such a ridiculous thing and to read such thing into any suggestion is as mad as suggesting Anderson was some religious fanatic hell-bent on persecuting Jews. No one would logically suggest that either.

Cheers,

Mike

Mike,
Can we be a bit clearer here.My original post re Robert Anderson and the possibility that he suffered from "religious mania" was addressed to Jeff who said his brother had expert knowledge about schizophrenia.As I myself have some knowledge about schizophrenia having worked in Art Therapy in a large psychiatric hospital in the North West of England,I have been profoundly puzzled by Aaron Kosminski"s case notes
,especially those recording upon his admission that he was HARMLESS and NOT A DANGER TO OTHERS both at Colney Hatch and later Leavesdon. Quite frankly I believe it to be utterly ridiculous to say this person could possibly have been the dangerous killer that JtR was.
Yes I do wonder about whether Robert Anderson had some sort of paranoia.His religious texts,what I have seen of them,strike me as being saturated with messianic fervour of a kind I have come to associate with religious fanaticism or mania-so I asked Jeff to discuss this with his brother to see what he thought.This way it begins to make sense as to why Anderson might have had such revulsion about about a mentally ill young man such as Aaron Kosminski whose symptoms were delusional and whose behaviour particularly ---according to Anderson- was "lower than the beast". -his "self abuse" being one symptom referred to by several people and which would likely have been an anathema to someone given to quoting and writing on biblical passages like Anderson did.And crucially for Anderson this "loathsome beast" fitted his profile of a "low class Polish Jew" from Whitechapel who he believed could have been sheltered from Gentile Justice by his people.

[The Good Michael]

---so long as they dont keep suggesting Kosminski"s admission to either Colney Hatch or Leavesdon had anything to do with him being a dangerous criminal such as Jack the Ripper.

Of course that wouldn't be the reason given. Duh! It couldn't have been.

"My brother-in-law is Jack the Ripper. Would you mind if we left him here?"

No one has suggested such a ridiculous thing and to read such thing into any suggestion is as mad as suggesting Anderson was some religious fanatic hell-bent on persecuting Jews. No one would logically suggest that either.

Cheers,

Mike

[Natalie Severn]

My Simon,---what huge glasses the poor little fella has to wear to check things out! Or is he just making sure everything isnt disappearing before his very eyes..............?

[Simon Wood]

Dear Doctor Wescott,

Thanks for the diagnosis.



So it makes you go blind, huh? And I thought it was just my advancing years.

Regards,

Simon

[Tom_Wescott]

More of a parody. It seems everybody is reading what they want into your words. I know from vast experience what that's like and how frustrating it is. But I must admit it's rather amusing when you're on the outside looking in!

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Chris]

It seems to me what you are suggesting is that masturbation makes a man go insane.

That is a joke, isn't it? On this thread, it's just a bit difficult to tell.

[Tom_Wescott]

Chris,

It seems to me what you are suggesting is that masturbation makes a man go insane. This, of course, flies in the face of medical science, which dicates masturbation only causes blindness. While I'm glad there's place on the internet for fantasy theorists like yourself, I'm grateful for more rational minded researchers like Simon Wood, who stay grounded in logic and don't try to twist the words of others and make mountains out of molehills. I suggest you follow his example.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Chris]

Are you suggesting then,with regards to the meaning of the words "self-abuse" that J Cohen and brother in law Wolf , along with the Old Etonian Macnaghten were so cloistered and ignorant that they were not aware that such activity was not exactly abnormal for a young man? Surely Kosminski must have been self abusing in a way that was a bit more "excessive" or odd than simple masturbation?

Here's what I'm suggesting again:
(1) The family attached no particular importance to this. It was just one of a number of facts mentioned by Jacob Cohen.
(2) The family didn't suggest it was the cause of Aaron's illness.
(3) The meaning of the phrase "self-abuse" isn't in question. It just means masturbation.

That is all I was saying, and I really do think that's all I want to say - or have time to say - on the subject.

With regards to your other point,I dont mind what anyone keeps in mind---so long as they dont keep suggesting Kosminski"s admission to either Colney Hatch or Leavesdon had anything to do with him being a dangerous criminal such as Jack the Ripper.

As you know, I'm not suggesting any such thing. Though no doubt other people will still feel free to suggest what they like!

[Chris]

I'm not surprised that the family didn't know any of this, for there is no reliable evidence to even suggest that [a] Aaron was suspected by the police, [b] that he was under surveillance or [c] that an attempt had been made to identify him.

But, as you know, I don't agree.

[Natalie Severn]

Chris,
Are you suggesting then,with regards to the meaning of the words "self-abuse" that J Cohen and brother in law Wolf , along with the Old Etonian Macnaghten were so cloistered and ignorant that they were not aware that such activity was not exactly abnormal for a young man? Surely Kosminski must have been self abusing in a way that was a bit more "excessive" or odd than simple masturbation?


With regards to your other point,I dont mind what anyone keeps in mind---so long as they dont keep suggesting Kosminski"s admission to either Colney Hatch or Leavesdon had anything to do with him being a dangerous criminal such as Jack the Ripper.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Chris,

I'm not surprised that the family didn't know any of this, for there is no reliable evidence to even suggest that [a] Aaron was suspected by the police, [b] that he was under surveillance or [c] that an attempt had been made to identify him.

Regards,

Simon

[Chris]

Could you please explain your last comment?

I just mean that there's no evidence that the family knew that he was suspected by the police, or under surveillance, or that an attempt had been made to identify him, or anything like that.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Chris,

Could you please explain your last comment?

Regards,

Simon

[Chris]

But while, as Chris says, "There is no evidence at all that Aaron's family was particularly concerned about this, or that they considered it the cause of his illness", it is only fair to point out that, equally, there is no evidence to suggest they thought he was Jack the Ripper.

Certainly. And in fact there is no evidence that they knew anyone else suspected that he was Jack the Ripper.