Swanson Said Dear Boss Letter Writer Was Known?

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi Stewart

Rather than post this on the Marginalia threads, do I gather that further up the page in the shot of the Marginalia that you posted, Swanson noted that the identity of the Dear Boss letter writer was known to the top police officials at Scotland Yard? Perhaps you could post that bit of marginalia in full if you would.

Thanks

Chris

[Stewart P Evans]

Faint

Hi Stewart
Rather than post this on the Marginalia threads, do I gather that further up the page in the shot of the Marginalia that you posted, Swanson noted that the identity of the Dear Boss letter writer was known to the top police officials at Scotland Yard? Perhaps you could post that bit of marginalia in full if you would.
Thanks
Chris

Chris, here's the part you refer to, but again you can see how faint it is. You might like to download the image and play with it.

[Stewart P Evans]

Better

I think that this is a better version -

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

Stewart's post seems to add, "known to Scotland Yard head office[rs] [of/and?] CID".



Regards,

Simon

[Tom_Wescott]

Yes, it seems to me to say 'known to head officers of C.I.D.'.

It's frustrating that he doesn't name the fellow. It's as though he's merely reiterating what he read Anderson say. Makes me wonder if he (Swanson) even knew the identity of the suspected author.

I'm no more convinced that Tom Bulling wrote the Dear Boss letter than I am convinced Kosminski was the Ripper.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Mitch Rowe]

Known to Scotland Yard. Head offices of CID?

[Mitch Rowe]

Yes, it seems to me to say 'known to head officers of C.I.D.'.

It's frustrating that he doesn't name the fellow. It's as though he's merely reiterating what he read Anderson say. Makes me wonder if he (Swanson) even knew the identity of the suspected author.

I'm no more convinced that Tom Bulling wrote the Dear Boss letter than I am convinced Kosminski was the Ripper.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

Our paths crossed. I think we are reading it correctly?

[Robert]

Funny the idiosyncracies of people. I'm a bit of a compulsive note-taker (as Swanson seems to have been) and if I'd spent my life having to write "Scotland yard" I would have abbreviated it to "SY" by the time I'd retired.

[Sam Flynn]

"...head officers of CID" I think. Does anyone find it odd that the word "head" is underlined - twice?

[Mitch Rowe]

"...head officers of CID" I think. Does anyone find it odd that the word "head" is underlined - twice?

Unless the word is read. Maybe read something of CID???

[Tom_Wescott]

To me it looks like either 'Lead' or 'Head', but that's an excellent suggestion, Mitch. And a great point, Sam. Perhaps he just wanted to qualify that this information was known only to a small group of people, none of whom were apparently Anderson's critics.

An alternative suggestion is not that the identity of the man was known to the head offices of CID, but that the man was PERSONALLY known. Allegedly, Bulling had the fullest confidences of Monro, so he was likely personally known to quite a few ranking officials.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Tom_Wescott]

The word we're reading as 'officers' and offices' might in fact be 'officials'. Notice the second 'i' and the 'extra' letter.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi All,

Stewart's post seems to add, "known to Scotland Yard head office[rs] [of/and?] CID".

[ATTACH]4848[/ATTACH]

Regards,

Simon

Hi Stewart

Many thanks for posting the scan, Stewart, and to Simon and Tom for adding their opinions. Yes I agree it appears to read, as Simon thinks, "known to Scotland Yard head office[rs] [of/and?] CID".

This notation thus seems to confirm the notions of Anderson, Macnaghten and Littlechild that the name of the journalist behind "Dear Boss" was known, and was presumably Thomas J. Bulling of the Central News Agency if we go by the Littlechild letter.

Although, as does Tom Wescott, I continue to find the police suspicion somewhat suspect and a bit too certain. Still it's good to get the opinion of one more top official on the matter, for what it's worth!

All the best

Chris

[robhouse]

I am posting another scan of the marginalia that make make the writing a bit clearer.

It should also be pointed out that Swanson has underlined the part of the sentence that reads "and it would ill become me to violate the unwritten rule of the service." He also drew a line to the left of the paragraph that states: "Scotland Yard can boast that not even the subordinate officers of the department will tell tales out of school..." apparently to highlight it. This followed the sentence where Anderson states that "the ‘Jack-the-Ripper’ crimes are not within that category." (ie. the category of undiscovered crimes)

I think this makes it at least feasible that the phrase "known to Scotland Yard head officers of CID" refers not to the Jack the Ripper letter, but instead to the identity of the Ripper.

Rob H

[Stewart P Evans]

Belief

Hi Stewart
This notation thus seems to confirm the notions of Anderson, Macnaghten and Littlechild that the name of the journalist behind "Dear Boss" was known, and was presumably Thomas J. Bulling of the Central News Agency if we go by the Littlechild letter.
Although, as does Tom Wescott, I continue to find the police suspicion somewhat suspect and a bit too certain. Still it's good to get the opinion of one more top official on the matter, for what it's worth!
All the best
Chris

Chris, in view of the clear cut statement of Littlechild that "it was generally believed at the Yard that Tom Bullen [sic] of the Central News was the originator..." I see no reason to doubt that what he says here is correct and that Bulling (and or Moore) was the one that Anderson and Macnaghten had in mind. Of course, Warren thought it was a hoax too.

What is interesting though, is the fact that Littlechild doesn't state that it was 'Bullen', but that it was believed that it was, thus indicating that it wasn't a proven fact, but was a belief. There can be several reasons for this, not least of all the fact that it is most difficult to actually prove in a court of law that something was written by a particular person.

Like much else in the case, the likelihood is that we shall never know for sure.