Why Did Simms Write to Him?

[Jonathan H]

To Curious4

I believe that 'in all probability' Druitt was the Ripper, or at least was 'believed' to have been by his family, and by people privy to the full story to have been the Ripper.

I believe Macnaghten was privy to the full story and he too believed.

Butt Druitt may have only believed that he was the fiend; he suffered from a delusion.

But, guilty or not, he was not the 'official' police suspect.

That was something that Mac convinced the Edwardian public via Griffiths and Sims, though the same public were denied not only Druitt's name but also accurate biog. info.

M. J. Druitt's name appears on only a single document of state, and in that obscure 'Report', seen by nobody and referred to by nobody, Macnaghten dismisses the might-be-a-doctor as a minor, hearsay suspect, just better than Cutbush because the former killed himself immediately after the Kelly murder -- which he didn't!

All anybody at Scotland Yard and the Home Office knew about Druitt was what they read in George Sims -- in which he is carefully disguised as the 'drowned doctor'.

A perplexed Jack Littlechild thought Sims' 'Dr D' must be a garbled reference to 'Dr T'; the Irish-American flim flammer, Tumblety, who really had been a Ripper suspect in 1888.

[mklhawley]

This document, PRO reference CRIM/1037 21927, was discovered by Andy Aliffe back in 1995 and I've had a copy for the past sixteen years.

Thanks Stewart,

It’s interesting that the arresting officers on this document have connections with Tumblety (this document) and the Whitechapel murders investigation. I believe rough and tumble Frank Froest stated years later that he was the only police detective in the Whitechapel murders investigation to get into trouble. When Tumblety mentioned his ill-treatment while incarcerated, I wonder if Froest got a little too aggressive. I also believe Police Sergeant Walter Dinnie (CID) worked directly with Inspector Andrews the following year, and as per Walter Dew, Inspector Andrews was one of the inspectors from Headquarters to augment the Whitechapel murders investigation.

Sincerely,
Mike

[curious4]

To Curious4

I believe that 'in all probability' Druitt was the Ripper, or at least was 'believed' to have been by his family, and by people privy to the full story to have been the Ripper.

I believe Macnaghten was privy to the full story and he too believed.

Butt Druitt may have only believed that he was the fiend; he suffered from a delusion.

But, guilty or not, he was not the 'official' police suspect.

That was something that Mac convinced the Edwardian public via Griffiths and Sims, though the same public were denied not only Druitt's name but also accurate biog. info.

M. J. Druitt's name appears on only a single document of state, and in that obscure 'Report', seen by nobody and referred to by nobody, Macnaghten dismisses the might-be-a-doctor as a minor, hearsay suspect, just better than Cutbush because the former killed himself immediately after the Kelly murder -- which he didn't!

All anybody at Scotland Yard and the Home Office knew about Druitt was what they read in George Sims -- in which he is carefully disguised as the 'drowned doctor'.

A perplexed Jack Littlechild thought Sims' 'Dr D' must be a garbled reference to 'Dr T'; the Irish-American flim flammer, Tumblety, who really had been a Ripper suspect in 1888.

Dear Jonathon H,

Language skills disappearing - maybe I should go back to my knitting! By "official" I meant, of course, what was believed by the general public prior to the renewal of interest in the case - that is, if you were to ask most people who JTR was, they would reply that it was a young doctor who threw himself into the Thames. You are quite right that Druittīs name would not come up. Not with you that Druitt "dunnit" though - I am not even sure that we can accept 100% that the body found was Druittīs.

Best wishes
C4