hot potato

[Simon Wood]

Hi John,

I'd hardly call it an obsession. Anderson was an accomplished liar. He used to practice in his sleep.

The only reason people hang on to Anderson's every word is to lend credence to the patently absurd idea that Kosminski was the suspect/murderer.

I prefer to believe [and I admit to having nothing to substantiate my belief] that after the MM was written, Macnaghten promoted the lawyer, Anderson promoted the Polish Jew, with both ignoring Ostrog because he would have been a hard sell. His Autumn 1888 alibi and the fact that he'd been paid £10 compensation for false arrest were a matter of record.

Hope you're staying safe during these wretched times.

Regards,

Simon

[Michael W Richards]

Hi John,

I'd hardly call it an obsession. Anderson was an accomplished liar. He used to practice in his sleep.

The only reason people hang on to Anderson's every word is to lend credence to the patently absurd idea that Kosminski was the suspect/murderer.

I prefer to believe [and I admit to having nothing to substantiate my belief] that after the MM was written, Macnaghten promoted the lawyer, Anderson promoted the Polish Jew, with both ignoring Ostrog because he would have been a hard sell. His Autumn 1888 alibi and the fact that he'd been paid £10 compensation for false arrest were a matter of record.

Hope you're staying safe during these wretched times.

Regards,

Simon

In truth Simon I have my doubts just how tasked and committed Anderson was to these cases. I think many things he said, the fact that immediately upon being assigned duties he leaves for the continent having later to be summoned home when the murders continue, from Paris...a centre for all the Counter Intelligence, Espionage, National Security, Revolutionary organizations on the continent. Things like the stuff he did in his real job. I think he was the only one whose opinion was that the door to door searches in September revealed that the killer was an immigrant jew whose relations and friends were concealing him. He stated the killer was unequivocally such a person. Without any evidence at all to support it, and as Scott recently reminded, with lower ranking officers directly refuting him.

Personally, he is for me just a sidebar in this whole mess. An egotistical self righteous anti-Semite. Whose job it was to keep secrets. Monro is different. More moral character there, more internal compass usage. Most of the detectives I see as genuinely pursuing this killer with all they could muster, and I don't see anyone more committed to answers than Abberline. The guy who made his career in these neighborhoods. The guy who knew the streets. And the people on them. Many of the others are upper echelon corporate types, who would have seen these murders as distractions at best. They had bigger fish to fry.

[Scott Nelson]

Well I wouldn't go that far Michael...

[DJA]

Especially as far as Abberline goes .....

If you wanted someone to protect the upper echelon at the expense of the lower,he was your man.

[Michael W Richards]

Well I wouldn't go that far Michael...

Pretty judgmental reading back over it, fair point Scott.