why wasn't Jack caught?

[Trevor Marriott]

There is a lot of truth behind you beliefs but I am sure you will find many on here who will try to tell you otherwise.

Be advised stand your ground be not afraid of them stick to your beliefs.

"The truth is still out there and it draws closer"

[The Snapper]

Lots of reasons including some that probably haven't been worked out yet. His victims had a vested interest in avoiding the police so that was one problem removed for him. What cries were heard were either muffled or discounted as not being out of the ordinary. We'll never know why the potential witness at Hanbury street didnt look over the fence. Fear possibly. I suppose ultimately this leads to the question did he stop or was he stopped but I guess that's another thread.

[macknnc]

Lots of reasons including some that probably haven't been worked out yet. His victims had a vested interest in avoiding the police so that was one problem removed for him.

WOW!! Never, ever has that thought crossed my mind...But it's so damned simple...The Ripper was so successful avoiding police because his vicitims did most of the work for him...

From small acorns,mighty oaks grow....

[Rubyretro]

.

We'll never know why the potential witness at Hanbury street didnt look over the fence. Fear possibly. I suppose ultimately this leads to the question did he stop or was he stopped but I guess that's another thread.

[/QUOTE]

Cadosch didn't look over the fence, Snapper, not from fear, but because he was 'intent on getting to work' and had no reason to be worried by any thing that he heard. Infact he didn't even know that the noises came from next door..

there are problems with the noises he heard. Although most authors state as a matter of fact that he had definitely heard the voice which said "No" coming from the backyard of number 29 Cadosch wasn't actually sure of this. What he said was "I should think it came from the yard of No. 29. I, however, cannot say on which side it came from." 13 Or, to put it more clearly, "He could not be sure that it came from the yard of No. 29." 14 It could, therefore, have come from number 25 or some other yard and had nothing to do with the murder of Annie Chapman.

(Wolf Van der Linden dissertation 'Considerable Doubts ..'

[Fleetwood Mac]

The obvious solution is that he would have had to have been caught in the act .......no finger printing....no DNA.....

Also....consider a policeman with boots walking down the street.....it would have been like today's police sirens.....could have been the case at the Eddowes murder that he heard someone coming and did one through the exit leading away from the approaching person....

Not that difficult really.....

[Errata]

This may be oversimplified, but in a way its a "Man Bites Dog" scenario. A criminal committing crimes is not remarkable. One might argue it's a natural state. Certainly the criminal is acting according to his nature. Unless he does something contrary to successful performance, there is no reason for him to be caught.

Like a car on the road. It stays on the road, because barring interference, that's it's natural state. Something out of the ordinary must occur to cause a car to run off the road. We do not ask "Why didn't my car run off the road?". There are far too many factors as to why the car behaved the way it was supposed to, and the question is immaterial. It makes sense to ask "Why did my car run off the road?". There will be a reason, like a tire blew, or the steering went out. Something contrary to successful performance.

So to mangle some metaphors, the story of Jack the Ripper is "Dog Bites Man". Expected, ordinary, non newsworthy. Someone performing within expected parameters. If he had been caught, it would have been a "Man Bites Dog" situation. Unusual, unexpected, and probably with a really good story behind it.

[Varqm]

Partly it was dark.Partly the killer took precautions.Trying to avoid a policeman/vigilante stopping him let alone questioning/frisking him,he possibly duck in doorways/openings,check if the street is clear and moving again.Goulston was one of the doorways/openings he hid in - and was possibly one of the last - from Mitre Square to where he lived.I think in October he waited his time.They were after him,reinforcements,house to house searches,thousands of flyers,etc..He could not roam around the streets carrying a knife looking for a victim.
He happened upon Kelly who was sleeping alone by Wednesday (Harvey left on Tuesday), he cased her first, Millers court was relatively quiet,there were no policemen on patrol,Kelly was alone,no husband/boyfriend/friend sleeping with her.

[DJA]

Also Matthews and Abberline were on the case.
Main reasons Lord Henry Somerset wasn't apprehended the following year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Henry_Arthur_George_Somerset