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Just pondering post-murder routes Jack may have taken. We’ve not much to go on, so this will require some speculation, but I hope I’m not pushing that overly far and I will try to point out when, and where, I’m doing that. Also, I apologize for how “busy” this map is. I grabbed it from another thread and don’t have a version without the red and white lines on it (they served purposes in that thread, and are not important here. The only routes I’m going to talk about are the lines drawn in blue (dark and light), purple, and green.
We do know that a piece of Eddowes’ apron was found on Gouston street. There is some debate when it was dropped there, which I wish to acknowledge, but for the present purposes I’m going to go with it having been dropped as JtR fled the scene. I believe the apron was found around the Goulston and Wentworth, and the Green line is just using those points as a “general direction of travel”, which includes the west end of Flower and Dean, and that area, which was the focus of police interest. The dark blue line from Eddowes shows a suggested path of travel from Eddowe’s to Flower and Dean. I don’t think that’s overly contentious and I’ve seen that route discussed before, but again, it is based upon the assumption that JtR hadn’t returned to drop the apron later.
Ok. My thoughts originally were trying to figure out how JtR meets Eddowes if Stride is a JtR victim. Obviously, if you discount Stride, this isn’t something one has to worry about. So again, at this point I’m assuming Stride is a JtR victim (and so is Eddowes), and trying to work out how they meet up if that’s the case, combined with the fact that it appears JtR’s final destination is somewhere roughly along that green line. Now it seems to me, if JtR fled Stride’s location up along Commercial road (i.e. heads west on the dark blue line, then north on the purple, and then straight up to Flower and Dean), there is little chance for him to meet Eddowes down around Mitre Square. If JtR’s destination where near where he dropped the apron, again, he just heads on the alternate purle line westerly on Whitechapple before heading up on Goulston, again seeming to come up a bit short of where he would have met Eddowes (note, obviously, it’s not impossible, I’m just thinking the probabilities are low). However, if he flees south along the dark blue line (on the idea that he was scared off by the approaching cart and horse, or something else, and is just trying to put distance in first), then he could very well have re-emerged right around Eddowes location.
Schwartz claims he ran as far as the railway arch, though the suspect didn’t follow him all the way. However, if Schwartz did see Stride’s killer (huge if), and he followed him part way, that would send him down along that route. All it takes is for Schwartz and JtR to miss each other as Schwartz heads off from the arch.
Yah, lots’ of if’s and speculation holding this train of thought together, but the fact that this route does seem to result in an encounter with Eddowes post Stride, rather than have to find a way for them to meet, is interesting to me.
Now, what’s also interesting is Nchols’ murder. We know Cross was heading westerly on Buck’s Lane, and that Nichol’s body was found still warm, so it is entirely possible JtR spotted Cross coming and left towards the east. Now, if he’s trying to get to Flower and Dean, or the Goulston street area, he would probably follow the purple lines as they seem most direct. However, if the final destination is further north along the Green line projected from Eddowes, then again, there’s a simple route to take (and he could also have taken that route to avoid the busy Whitechappel Road, by simply contining along the light blue line to Flower and Dean, etc).
The area around the intersection of the dark blue, light blue, and green line (and I mean a fairly generous region of interest, not that intersection exactly), is really close to Annie Chapman’s murder site. Annie Chapman was likely murdered as the sun was coming up. If JtR’s “bolt hole” in up around that area, then he’s not got far to go, which minimizes his risk in the early morning. Also, Mrs. Long reports that as she was walking westerly on Hanbury, it’s JtR who has his back to her, as if he’s come from the east (from the light blue line). That could be because he came from the east side of Flower and Dean, or because he came down the light blue from the northern bit.
Mary Kelly’s residence is also close to either the Flower and Dean area, or the northern location, and again, a short distance to travel would minimize the risks as he would be exposed to the public for that much less, giving him less reason to restrain himself with respect to blood (and also giving him a valid reason to be in the area if he is spotted).
Anyway, I’m certainly not saying these are the only possibilities, and I may be thinking in a rational way that JtR did not (he might not have been the least bit concerned about being spotted with bloody clothes and/or hands, etc). But I do find the Stride->Eddowes route, which then would explain how JtR contacts Eddowes so quickly after fleeing Stride, is satisfying investigatively. It also negates any need for conspiracy theory type explanations along the lines that Eddowes and JtR had planned to meet, etc.
Anyway, just some thoughts.
We do know that a piece of Eddowes’ apron was found on Gouston street. There is some debate when it was dropped there, which I wish to acknowledge, but for the present purposes I’m going to go with it having been dropped as JtR fled the scene. I believe the apron was found around the Goulston and Wentworth, and the Green line is just using those points as a “general direction of travel”, which includes the west end of Flower and Dean, and that area, which was the focus of police interest. The dark blue line from Eddowes shows a suggested path of travel from Eddowe’s to Flower and Dean. I don’t think that’s overly contentious and I’ve seen that route discussed before, but again, it is based upon the assumption that JtR hadn’t returned to drop the apron later.
Ok. My thoughts originally were trying to figure out how JtR meets Eddowes if Stride is a JtR victim. Obviously, if you discount Stride, this isn’t something one has to worry about. So again, at this point I’m assuming Stride is a JtR victim (and so is Eddowes), and trying to work out how they meet up if that’s the case, combined with the fact that it appears JtR’s final destination is somewhere roughly along that green line. Now it seems to me, if JtR fled Stride’s location up along Commercial road (i.e. heads west on the dark blue line, then north on the purple, and then straight up to Flower and Dean), there is little chance for him to meet Eddowes down around Mitre Square. If JtR’s destination where near where he dropped the apron, again, he just heads on the alternate purle line westerly on Whitechapple before heading up on Goulston, again seeming to come up a bit short of where he would have met Eddowes (note, obviously, it’s not impossible, I’m just thinking the probabilities are low). However, if he flees south along the dark blue line (on the idea that he was scared off by the approaching cart and horse, or something else, and is just trying to put distance in first), then he could very well have re-emerged right around Eddowes location.
Schwartz claims he ran as far as the railway arch, though the suspect didn’t follow him all the way. However, if Schwartz did see Stride’s killer (huge if), and he followed him part way, that would send him down along that route. All it takes is for Schwartz and JtR to miss each other as Schwartz heads off from the arch.
Yah, lots’ of if’s and speculation holding this train of thought together, but the fact that this route does seem to result in an encounter with Eddowes post Stride, rather than have to find a way for them to meet, is interesting to me.
Now, what’s also interesting is Nchols’ murder. We know Cross was heading westerly on Buck’s Lane, and that Nichol’s body was found still warm, so it is entirely possible JtR spotted Cross coming and left towards the east. Now, if he’s trying to get to Flower and Dean, or the Goulston street area, he would probably follow the purple lines as they seem most direct. However, if the final destination is further north along the Green line projected from Eddowes, then again, there’s a simple route to take (and he could also have taken that route to avoid the busy Whitechappel Road, by simply contining along the light blue line to Flower and Dean, etc).
The area around the intersection of the dark blue, light blue, and green line (and I mean a fairly generous region of interest, not that intersection exactly), is really close to Annie Chapman’s murder site. Annie Chapman was likely murdered as the sun was coming up. If JtR’s “bolt hole” in up around that area, then he’s not got far to go, which minimizes his risk in the early morning. Also, Mrs. Long reports that as she was walking westerly on Hanbury, it’s JtR who has his back to her, as if he’s come from the east (from the light blue line). That could be because he came from the east side of Flower and Dean, or because he came down the light blue from the northern bit.
Mary Kelly’s residence is also close to either the Flower and Dean area, or the northern location, and again, a short distance to travel would minimize the risks as he would be exposed to the public for that much less, giving him less reason to restrain himself with respect to blood (and also giving him a valid reason to be in the area if he is spotted).
Anyway, I’m certainly not saying these are the only possibilities, and I may be thinking in a rational way that JtR did not (he might not have been the least bit concerned about being spotted with bloody clothes and/or hands, etc). But I do find the Stride->Eddowes route, which then would explain how JtR contacts Eddowes so quickly after fleeing Stride, is satisfying investigatively. It also negates any need for conspiracy theory type explanations along the lines that Eddowes and JtR had planned to meet, etc.
Anyway, just some thoughts.
- Jeff