Veracity

[Wickerman]

On 18th October 1896, Detective Chief Inspector Henry Moore reported his examination of a letter received by the police. It purported to be from “Jack the Ripper.” The writer stated that “he has returned from abroad, and is now ready to commence work again…”
Moore compared it favourably with the original JtR letter and postcard, finding “many similarities in the formation of letters,” but wrote, “considering the lapse of time, it would be interesting to know how the present writer was able to use the words—“The Jews are people that are blamed for nothing.”
Here there is a marginal note—
"Were not the exact words 'The Jewes are not the men to be blamed for nothing?'"
The marginal note was initialled “DSS.”
Henry Moore finally determined “that the present writer is not the original correspondent…”
The report was signed by a senior officer—
“In my opinion the handwritings are not the same. I agree as at A. I beg that the letter may be put with other similar letters. Its circulation is to be regretted.”
Signed, “Donald S. Swanson, Supt.”
This 1896 report makes nonsense of the 1910 [or later] Marginalia, in which Swanson allegedly wrote that the suspect “was sent to Stepney workhouse and then to Colney Hatch and died shortly afterwards. Kosminski was the suspect.”
On 7th February 1891, Aaron Kosminski was admitted to the County Lunatic Asylum at Colney Hatch. On 19th April 1894 he was moved to the Metropolitan Asylum for Chronic Imbeciles at Leavesden. At no time did he go abroad. He died at Leavesden Asylum on 24th March 1919.
If Kosminski [no forename] really was the suspect, why did Swanson not summarily dismiss the letter, certain in the knowledge that, a few years beforehand, the Ripper suspect had been committed to an asylum?
It all reinforces a widespread belief that the Swanson marginalia was a late 20th Century fictional construct.
Moore's report is the final entry in the Ultimate JtR Companion.

I suspect it is neither widespread, nor a belief.
It may however be a popular theory among a very small minority.

[Wickerman]

its actually the final entry in the wc police files. and all it reinforces is that anderson was a blow hard who in 1896 had no clue who the ripper was (and neither did swanson)but over the passing years came to beleive he "caught" jack the ripper and solved the mystery. and swanson his faithful lacky till he end, backed him up in 1910.

Thats more like it, the musings of two old men disgruntled with the fact the unidentified murderer evaded all their attempts to capture him.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Wickerman,

Popular among a very small minority?

We obviously don't move in the same circles.

Simon

[Simon Wood]

Hi Wickerman,

Your argument still adds up to the fact that the Swanson Marginalia ain't worth a hill of beans.

Simon

[Wickerman]

Hi Wickerman,

Your argument still adds up to the fact that the Swanson Marginalia ain't worth a hill of beans.

Simon

Hi Simon, I don't think any of the memoirs in this case are reliable enough to support the reliance a few theorists place on them.

[Wickerman]

Hi Wickerman,

Popular among a very small minority?

We obviously don't move in the same circles.

Simon

I do my utmost to avoid going round in circles, Simon.

[Abby Normal]

Thats more like it, the musings of two old men disgruntled with the fact the unidentified murderer evaded all their attempts to capture him.

bingo. however, all that being said, koz could still have been the ripper despite andersons bloviating. but its obviously not a "definite ascertained fact" that koz was the ripper as anderson claimed

[Simon Wood]

Hi Abby,

Anderson never claimed Kosminski was the Ripper. He hedged his bets by claiming the Ripper was a Polish Jew.

Simon

[Darryl Kenyon]

A senior police officer from the met in a documentary I watched [ and perhaps there are others ], believes there will never be a more serious suspect for the murder of Jill Dando than Barry George . Does that mean the case is solved, nope . Does that mean that if some new correspondence came to light, saying a Serbian hitman killed Jill it wouldn't be looked into, nope. What it does suggest is that senior officer believes they had the right man [ rightly or wrongly ], but couldn't prove it . Why can this not be a possibility with Anderson and especially Swanson, since he would have been the police officer most associated with all the evidence regarding the case ?
Surely again, rightly or wrongly he believed Kosminski was the num 1 suspect .

Regards Darryl

[Scott Nelson]

Anderson never claimed Kosminski was the Ripper. He hedged his bets by claiming the Ripper was a Polish Jew.

Who he could name if there was no threat of a libel action. Swanson fortuitously named the Ripper for him. Oh, Hi Simon.

[Phil Carter]

Who he could name if there was no threat of a libel action. Swanson fortuitously named the Ripper for him. Oh, Hi Simon.

Hello Scott,

A good point..

If, in 1910 or before, Jack the Ripper was caught..then why wasn't it announced,?

You see..if Swanson was certain that Kosminski was JTR, then theres absolutely nothing to stop s public announcement.
Ditto Anderson's..he doesn't have to just "hint" at it in a book. (Without naming the fellow)
No criminally insane lunatic is going to take SRA or Swanson to court for libel or defamation...not after 20 years sitting in a loony bin.

Point being, there is no reason to keep the identity secret.

Not, unless, it wasn't true and all wishful thinking or invention.

Hope you are well

Phil

[Scott Nelson]

Hope you are well

Thank you, Phil. Likewise.

I don't think it was announced publicly because they never had hard evidence against him. Plus, his family intervened after the "Seaside Home" identification to have him certified insane and permanently confined. There may even have been a thread of a lawsuit by the family if the police pushed the investigation and revealed his name.

Another question is why there was no consensus on his identity between police officers. I can't be sure why, except to guess that certain officials were 'in the know', like for example, the Seaside Home identification event, and other policemen were not privy to this and other information to keep potential leaks to a minimum.

[seanr]

A senior police officer from the met in a documentary I watched [ and perhaps there are others ], believes there will never be a more serious suspect for the murder of Jill Dando than Barry George . Does that mean the case is solved, nope . Does that mean that if some new correspondence came to light, saying a Serbian hitman killed Jill it wouldn't be looked into, nope. What it does suggest is that senior officer believes they had the right man [ rightly or wrongly ], but couldn't prove it .

I believe the DCS Hamish Campbell who may have [REDACTED] and been [REDACTED].

The two cases may be a case of comparing bad apples to oranges. Or maybe not.

[Barnaby]

It all reinforces a widespread belief that the Swanson marginalia was a late 20th Century fictional construct.

Hi Simon,

I'm new to this skepticism on the Swanson marginalia. Embarassingly, I had never even considered it could be a fake. I would like to learn more about this. Can you direct me to the best summary of the argument? Thanks!

[Simon Wood]

Hi Barnaby,

I can't really help you here, because most Ripper stalwarts have already thrown in their lot with the Swanson Marginalia.

See Ripperologist 128, which should tell you all you need to know about the people who have worked so diligently to make this particular phoney baloney aspect of the Ripper mystery a fact, and go from there.

Trust in facts and you will get your answer.

Simon