The Goulston Street Juwes

[spyglass]

Hi all,
This has proberbly been asked before, but here goes anyway.
Assuming the graffito was written by the killer or someone who knew something about the murders, It crossed my mind today that maybe the word Juwes could be a family name or a gang/family name, someone or someone's with a reputation in the area.
This also could be a spelling mistake of a name, for example the name Jewiss is quite well known in my locality ( not in a bad way I may add ) and yet it is quite a rare name over all.

Any thoughts ?

[Rosella]

Hi spyglass,
Yes, there has been tons of debate over the graffito with the odd syntax and spelling, hasn't there? I believe someone here or on JTRF (can't remember who, sorry) did track down a family named Juwes, but it turned out to be a dead end.

If there had been a gang of Jewish youth in Whitechapel who operated under the name Juwes (or Jewes etc) I think someone would have tracked it down by now as it would be the perfect explanation.

It just seems to me that the GSG was just what it has always been assumed to be, a message addressed to and about Jewish people in the district. It's been made ambiguous because of the double negatives and terrible spelling. Whether it's an anti-Semitic message or (as some posters believe) a pro-Jewish message, let alone if it's from Jack, is for every member of the forum to decide, really.

I happen to believe it was from Jack simply because of its proximity to Eddowes' apron. I believe he wrote it there because he expected (hoped) that, if none of the mostly Jewish residents of Wentworth buildings wiped it off, then the news of the finding of the apron and the graffito would promote anger among the costers and others gathering for the market in the early morning. In other words, he hoped to promote violence against the Jews of the district. I think Jack was a local, not well educated and an anti-Semite.

[Bridewell]

It's been made ambiguous because of the double negatives and terrible spelling.

The spelling isn't actually that terrible though, is it? Words like 'blamed' and 'nothing' are spelt correctly. Only 'Juwes' (if that's what it said) was spelt incorrectly. Why was that word, and that word only, wrongly spelt?As it was written in 'a good schoolboy hand' it could have been any one of several words properly spelt. (D'Onston Stevenson's) 'Juives', 'Juries' or perhaps even'James'. Was there a James gang in the 19th century East End?

[GUT]

The spelling isn't actually that terrible though, is it? Words like 'blamed' and 'nothing' are spelt correctly. Only 'Juwes' (if that's what it said) was spelt incorrectly. Why was that word, and that word only, wrongly spelt?As it was written in 'a good schoolboy hand' it could have been any one of several words properly spelt. (D'Onston Stevenson's) 'Juives', 'Juries' or perhaps even'James'. Was there a James gang in the 19th century East End?

Jesse maybe????

[Pierre]

[QUOTE=Bridewell;372725]

Hi,

I think your post is a perfect example of critical thinking at a simple level. Very relevant and with really interesting questions.

The spelling isn't actually that terrible though, is it? Words like 'blamed' and 'nothing' are spelt correctly.

Only 'Juwes' (if that's what it said) was spelt incorrectly.

That is an extremely important comment. Yes, it seems it is the unique combination of letters here that makes up this seemingly incorrect spelling.

Why was that word, and that word only, wrongly spelt?

This is one of the best questions I have ever seen here on Casebook. It is rational and clear and gives a perfect frame for critical thinking.

As it was written in 'a good schoolboy hand' it could have been any one of several words properly spelt. (D'Onston Stevenson's) 'Juives', 'Juries' or perhaps even'James'. Was there a James gang in the 19th century East End?

And here begins the important explorative thinking that could lead us to really interesting answers, I think. Thanks, Bridewell, for a brilliant post.

Kind regards, Pierre

[Pierre]

Hi all,
This has proberbly been asked before, but here goes anyway.
Assuming the graffito was written by the killer or someone who knew something about the murders, It crossed my mind today that maybe the word Juwes could be a family name or a gang/family name, someone or someone's with a reputation in the area.
This also could be a spelling mistake of a name, for example the name Jewiss is quite well known in my locality ( not in a bad way I may add ) and yet it is quite a rare name over all.

Any thoughts ?

A spelling mistake or a reading mistake?

Regards, Pierre

[MysterySinger]

Yes I can't help thinking that the word (assuming it was indeed spelt Juwes) was deliberate.

But then there's another take if the word was Jews or Jewes - given that the Ripper had just committed a murder in the City of London Police area, and their headquarters were at 26 The Old Jewry, it could have been an accusation aimed at the Police.

[DJA]

Perhaps both!

[DJA]

A spelling mistake or a reading mistake?

Regards, Pierre

Maybea

[GUT]

Yes I can't help thinking that the word (assuming it was indeed spelt Juwes) was deliberate.

But then there's another take if the word was Jews or Jewes - given that the Ripper had just committed a murder in the City of London Police area, and their headquarters were at 26 The Old Jewry, it could have been an accusation aimed at the Police.

I've often been taken by the Old Jewry angle.

[DJA]

Kinky

[Pierre]

I've often been taken by the Old Jewry angle.

Hi,

No idea.

Regards, Pierre

[spyglass]

Yes I can't help thinking that the word (assuming it was indeed spelt Juwes) was deliberate.

But then there's another take if the word was Jews or Jewes - given that the Ripper had just committed a murder in the City of London Police area, and their headquarters were at 26 The Old Jewry, it could have been an accusation aimed at the Police.

I have often thought about that as well, including the fact that Eddowes gave her name as "nothing" albeit at Bishopsgate.

As for my original post, I too was thinking about the correct spelling of "blamed " and " nothing " but a name such as Jewiss may cause some problems.

[David Orsam]

Hi all,
This has proberbly been asked before, but here goes anyway.
Assuming the graffito was written by the killer or someone who knew something about the murders, It crossed my mind today that maybe the word Juwes could be a family name or a gang/family name, someone or someone's with a reputation in the area.
This also could be a spelling mistake of a name, for example the name Jewiss is quite well known in my locality ( not in a bad way I may add ) and yet it is quite a rare name over all.

Any thoughts ?

Given that every word is spelt correctly in the above post other than the word "proberbly" what is the significance of that mis-spelling?

[spyglass]

Given that every word is spelt correctly in the above post other than the word "proberbly" what is the significance of that mis-spelling?

Ouch!
I'm guessing the significance maybe the writer of the GSG didn't have his spellcheck on when writing the word "Juwes".
In my defence, I am on here using a phone rather than a PC, and my eyes arn't what they used to be.

Regards.