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The Swanson family recently came across Jim Swanson's correspondence from the 1980s concerning the 'marginalia', and kindly made it available to Keith Skinner. Keith suggested it might be useful if I posted a summary of the salient information here. This post summarises the chronology. Below I'll post some extracts from the letters, in which Jim Swanson wrote about his grandfather, described the material and explained his reasons for offering it for publication.
The Swanson family also came across some more of Donald Sutherland Swanson's police notebooks and these too were sent to Keith. Another notebook had been loaned to the Crime Museum in July 2006. It has now been agreed that all of these notebooks should be loaned to the Metropolitan Police Historical Collection where they will be more accessible to researchers, and Keith will be arranging this transfer.
Donald Sutherland Swanson's last surviving child, Alice Julia, died on 14 November 1980, at the age of 91. Her nephew, James Douglas Swanson (JDS) (the son of DSS's eldest son, Donald Nevill), was her executor. As such, he came into possession of DSS's books and personal papers.
On 26 March 1981, JDS wrote to the editor of the News of The World, noting that the impending trial of the so-called Yorkshire Ripper (Peter Sutcliffe, who had been charged in January and was due to be tried in May) was bound to stimulate interest in the Jack the Ripper case. He explained that his grandfather, who had been a Superintendent in the Metropolitan CID, had an intimate knowledge of the case, and described printed and written information in his possession, naming a suspect, explaining why he was not brought to justice and stating what happened to him, which he was offering for sale. Evidently he wrote a similar letter to the Sunday Express at or around the same time.
According to later correspondence, Charles Sandell, the News of the World's Chief Crime Reporter, responded to the letter and was sent to examine and assess the material. JDS initially asked for £1000, but Sandell persuaded him to accept £750 for exclusive rights to the information, and this offer was confirmed in writing on 16 April 1981 by Robert Warren, the News Editor. On 20 April 1981, JDS wrote to Charles Sandell, saying that he had discussed the matter with his brothers and sisters, who felt that the information was worth more, and suggested modifying the agreement to provide for a further payment of £250 if there were sufficient interest in the revelations to merit a further article. Warren wrote on 22 April 1981 agreeing to this suggestion, and the offer was accepted on 23 April 1981. The payment of £750 was made on 14 May 1981, and according to later correspondence the money was split five ways between JDS and his brothers and sisters.
In the meantime James Kinlay, the Deputy Editor (Features) of the Sunday Express had also written on 9 April to express interest, but on 23 April he was told that the story had been sold.
According to later correspondence, it was planned that Charles Sandell should write an article on the 'marginalia' whose publication was to coincide with the trial of the Yorkshire Ripper. In fact, nothing was ever published by the News of the World. It appears that JDS tried to revive Charles Sandell's interest in the subject the following year, as Sandell wrote on 29 April 1982 to return a 'booklet' he had been lent. He mentioned that he had been out of action for three months due to a heart attack, and that he hoped to resume work soon, but there was no mention of the Ripper article.
Nothing happened for another five years, except that in March 1983 HM Inspector of Taxes noticed the payment of £750 that had been made two years earlier and queried whether income tax should have been paid on it. This led to a protracted correspondence between JDS and his accountant, which continued until February 1984.
Finally, in September 1987, Martin Fido's "The Crimes, Detection and Death of Jack the Ripper" was published, including the newly discovered records of Aaron Kozminski and his admission to Colney Hatch Asylum. On 27 September the Sunday Telegraph published an article by Daniel Farson reviewing the suspects, entitled "The last laugh's still with Jack the Ripper." Farson recounted the story of his discovery of the Aberconway version of the Macnaghten Memorandum nearly 30 years earlier, and listed the three suspects mentioned in it, including "Kosmanski [sic], a Polish Jew." Evidently, JDS saw this article and on the same day wrote to the News of the World, asking for permission to send his information about the Ripper case to another newspaper. (The 1981 contract had given the News of the World exclusive rights, so he needed their permission to communicate the material to anyone else.) On 1 October Robert Warren replied, releasing JDS from the contract.
A further Ripper article , "Jack: the Gripping Tale," by Charles Nevin, appeared in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday 3 October, and again listed the suspects mentioned in the Macnaghten Memorandum, including Kosminski. On the same day JDS wrote to the editor, saying he had been prompted to do so by articles in the last two weekend Telegraphs. Again he recounted his grandfather's role in the Ripper investigation, and again he described the information he had naming a suspect. He explained that he was offering the material so that the truth about Jack the Ripper could be published, and so that his grandfather could have "a favourable mention or two."
This time the offer was accepted, and an article about the 'marginalia' was written for the Telegraph by Charles Nevin. On 3 October JDS wrote to Nevin to say that he had discovered some more of his grandfather's papers, including the instruction putting the Ripper investigation into DSS's hands and the list of victims (both reproduced in Evans and Rumbelow, "Jack the Ripper: Scotland Yard Investigates," pp. 85, 224). The article was published on 19 October 1987, and included reactions from Martin Fido and Donald Rumbelow, both of whom were said to be "intrigued ... but still unconvinced." A letter from Martin Fido, clarifying his view of the marginalia, was published on 22 October, and another from Jonathan Goodman, criticising Nevin's article and suggesting that it should be agreed that "Jack the Ripper was Peter J. Harpick" (Goodman's anagrammatic spoof suspect), appeared on 27 October. In response, JDS wrote a letter to the editor, which apparently was not published, bemoaning the fact that speculation about the case seemed likely to "Rumblelow on ad infidotum," and reiterating his belief that his grandfather's notes had identified the real murderer.
The Swanson family also came across some more of Donald Sutherland Swanson's police notebooks and these too were sent to Keith. Another notebook had been loaned to the Crime Museum in July 2006. It has now been agreed that all of these notebooks should be loaned to the Metropolitan Police Historical Collection where they will be more accessible to researchers, and Keith will be arranging this transfer.
Donald Sutherland Swanson's last surviving child, Alice Julia, died on 14 November 1980, at the age of 91. Her nephew, James Douglas Swanson (JDS) (the son of DSS's eldest son, Donald Nevill), was her executor. As such, he came into possession of DSS's books and personal papers.
On 26 March 1981, JDS wrote to the editor of the News of The World, noting that the impending trial of the so-called Yorkshire Ripper (Peter Sutcliffe, who had been charged in January and was due to be tried in May) was bound to stimulate interest in the Jack the Ripper case. He explained that his grandfather, who had been a Superintendent in the Metropolitan CID, had an intimate knowledge of the case, and described printed and written information in his possession, naming a suspect, explaining why he was not brought to justice and stating what happened to him, which he was offering for sale. Evidently he wrote a similar letter to the Sunday Express at or around the same time.
According to later correspondence, Charles Sandell, the News of the World's Chief Crime Reporter, responded to the letter and was sent to examine and assess the material. JDS initially asked for £1000, but Sandell persuaded him to accept £750 for exclusive rights to the information, and this offer was confirmed in writing on 16 April 1981 by Robert Warren, the News Editor. On 20 April 1981, JDS wrote to Charles Sandell, saying that he had discussed the matter with his brothers and sisters, who felt that the information was worth more, and suggested modifying the agreement to provide for a further payment of £250 if there were sufficient interest in the revelations to merit a further article. Warren wrote on 22 April 1981 agreeing to this suggestion, and the offer was accepted on 23 April 1981. The payment of £750 was made on 14 May 1981, and according to later correspondence the money was split five ways between JDS and his brothers and sisters.
In the meantime James Kinlay, the Deputy Editor (Features) of the Sunday Express had also written on 9 April to express interest, but on 23 April he was told that the story had been sold.
According to later correspondence, it was planned that Charles Sandell should write an article on the 'marginalia' whose publication was to coincide with the trial of the Yorkshire Ripper. In fact, nothing was ever published by the News of the World. It appears that JDS tried to revive Charles Sandell's interest in the subject the following year, as Sandell wrote on 29 April 1982 to return a 'booklet' he had been lent. He mentioned that he had been out of action for three months due to a heart attack, and that he hoped to resume work soon, but there was no mention of the Ripper article.
Nothing happened for another five years, except that in March 1983 HM Inspector of Taxes noticed the payment of £750 that had been made two years earlier and queried whether income tax should have been paid on it. This led to a protracted correspondence between JDS and his accountant, which continued until February 1984.
Finally, in September 1987, Martin Fido's "The Crimes, Detection and Death of Jack the Ripper" was published, including the newly discovered records of Aaron Kozminski and his admission to Colney Hatch Asylum. On 27 September the Sunday Telegraph published an article by Daniel Farson reviewing the suspects, entitled "The last laugh's still with Jack the Ripper." Farson recounted the story of his discovery of the Aberconway version of the Macnaghten Memorandum nearly 30 years earlier, and listed the three suspects mentioned in it, including "Kosmanski [sic], a Polish Jew." Evidently, JDS saw this article and on the same day wrote to the News of the World, asking for permission to send his information about the Ripper case to another newspaper. (The 1981 contract had given the News of the World exclusive rights, so he needed their permission to communicate the material to anyone else.) On 1 October Robert Warren replied, releasing JDS from the contract.
A further Ripper article , "Jack: the Gripping Tale," by Charles Nevin, appeared in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday 3 October, and again listed the suspects mentioned in the Macnaghten Memorandum, including Kosminski. On the same day JDS wrote to the editor, saying he had been prompted to do so by articles in the last two weekend Telegraphs. Again he recounted his grandfather's role in the Ripper investigation, and again he described the information he had naming a suspect. He explained that he was offering the material so that the truth about Jack the Ripper could be published, and so that his grandfather could have "a favourable mention or two."
This time the offer was accepted, and an article about the 'marginalia' was written for the Telegraph by Charles Nevin. On 3 October JDS wrote to Nevin to say that he had discovered some more of his grandfather's papers, including the instruction putting the Ripper investigation into DSS's hands and the list of victims (both reproduced in Evans and Rumbelow, "Jack the Ripper: Scotland Yard Investigates," pp. 85, 224). The article was published on 19 October 1987, and included reactions from Martin Fido and Donald Rumbelow, both of whom were said to be "intrigued ... but still unconvinced." A letter from Martin Fido, clarifying his view of the marginalia, was published on 22 October, and another from Jonathan Goodman, criticising Nevin's article and suggesting that it should be agreed that "Jack the Ripper was Peter J. Harpick" (Goodman's anagrammatic spoof suspect), appeared on 27 October. In response, JDS wrote a letter to the editor, which apparently was not published, bemoaning the fact that speculation about the case seemed likely to "Rumblelow on ad infidotum," and reiterating his belief that his grandfather's notes had identified the real murderer.
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