Broadmoor Archives finally open

[Cap'n Jack]

Quite right, Simon.
And if you read the extensive research I carried out on young Reg, it does show that he was permitted walkabout's while in the asylum in 1888, with a knife you must understand; and that the tale of young Reg can be linked quite firmly to the strange tale of Dr Harold Dearden.

Sara, nice to have you on board this wobbly ship.

[Simon Wood]

Hi AP,

Wow! A cast of thousands—including Drs. Thomas Bond and Forbes Winslow. A veritable Who's Who of JtR.

RTBS finally declared unfit to plead and detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure.

You can't half pick 'em, AP.

Thanks.

Regards,

Simon

[Cap'n Jack]

As I said, Simon, indeed.
And for Natalie as well, we have to remember exactly who young Reg was, and represented: the crown of majesty.

'Reginald Llewelyn Traherne Bassett Saunderson was extremely well connected.
As I said he was a direct descendant of Mary Tudor; and the nephew of Colonel Edward J Saunderson, the leading 'Orange' Member of Parliament for Northern Ireland, Deputy Lieutenent for the province and a magistrate.
He was the son of Llewelyn Traherne Basset Saunderson, Esq. Justice of the Peace, married to Lady Scott, sister of the Earl of Clonmell.
Who had his own castle, Castle Saunderson.
He was also related to Lady Caroline Monck, Viscount Monck and the Fitzclarence's; and the Earl of Munster, grandson of William IV.
Now that is a hot potatoe indeed.
And some members of the press felt that he was Jack the Ripper.'
(from an earlier post)

[Chris]

But of course the snag with Saunderson is that he was only 14 at the time of the Whitechapel Murders.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Chris,

A child prodigy—and master of disguise.

Regards,

Simon

[Natalie Severn]

Addison road is where I used to take Sid Vicious,my much loved 18 year old cat, to the vets!And the artists studio referred to, is a block away from the studio of the artist Lucian Freud.Its funny to hear of all these happenings so near here over a hundred years ago!
But what a find AP-----quite amazing.And thanks Simon for the news article.
I think with those sorts of aristocratic connections,even though its pretty clear he murdered more than once-it would have been a case of keeping mum in 1888 and quietly placing Reginald in the bin.
But heck,he must have been a very "precocious" [if not "progressive"] serial killer if he was Jack the Ripper at 15 years of age only six years earlier-when they first noted his mental problems?
Its quite possible though, if he was past puberty .

[Cap'n Jack]

As you know, Natalie, I have always speculated that the killer was a child.
Thomas or Reg suit me.

[Natalie Severn]

As you know, Natalie, I have always speculated that the killer was a child.
Thomas or Reg suit me.

Well given the predilection for knife killings among teenagers currently, its not beyond the realms of possibility I suppose!

[Chris]

But what a find AP-----quite amazing.And thanks Simon for the news article.

There's an earlier discussion here (starting in 2003):

http://www.casebook.org/forum/messages/4927/5585.html

[Natalie Severn]

Thanks Chris,I knew there had been a discussion but had forgotten certain details.

[perrymason]

Hi all,

A very interesting thread all round. Question for you AP regarding this Reginald Traherne Bassett Saunderson.

Is there a Rev Francis Saunderson in that family tree, around 1825....I searched and found that this fella had married a daughter of the 3rd Earl Erne of Crom Castle. Sounds like something from a Conan or Tarzan movie.

Best regards

[Sara]

Sara

HALLO

and welcome to Casebook.

Hallo Robert!! and thanks all for the welcome
Casebook certainly makes a change from Facebook LOL
(though I'd guess there are fewer nutters on here)

[Sara]

There's an earlier discussion here (starting in 2003):
http://www.casebook.org/forum/messages/4927/5585.html

Ijust read through the other thread, interesting stuff. I was struck that a couple of people remarked that several of these psychopathic nutters come from upper class backgrounds.

I don't find that so surprising, especially in the period we are discussing. Children were routinely denied any emotional succour since they were brought up by servants, seeing little of their parents. Boys especially had very tough early childhoods in those days (read Dickens!). At my age and coming from my background, I've met a lot of ex-public-school men who were [or are!] in many ways suffering from some inability to form normal emotional relationships after being wrenched too early from their mothers and the wider family. I'm sure it can foster all kinds of psychopathy to endure such early emotional deprivations

[COBBLER]

Hi all,

I visited Berkshire Records Office several weeks ago as they had kindly granted me permission to view the three files which they hold on Thomas Cutbush. I had originally contacted Broadmoor directly four years ago but at that time they could only provide me with extracts.

The files themselves provide a real insight into the mind and madness of Cutbush aswell as the violence that lay within him.

I spent a good portion of the day copying and making notes and found it fascinating.

They are made up of notes, letters and reports written by numerous attendants in charge of Cutbush. They prove that he was a most dangerous lunatic who was violent, mad and completely paranoid. Who had an obsession with obtaining a knife in order to stab and kill.

For the first time we have a detailed description of his appearance, taken on his admittance to Broadmoor, even down to his missing a tooth. In my opinion the description held within the files matches that given by Sgt. White of the strange young man who he saw fleeing a murder site. A man who was thin, professional in appearance, walked with a stoop and had the most brilliant eyes. Cutbush was slight in build, worked as a clerk was bent at the back and had dark blue eyes described as very sharp.

Cutbush would refuse to eat for fear of being poisend and suffered extreme bouts of violence. On one occasion he hit another patient in the face in a completely unprovoked attack on another he attempted to bite the face of his own mother on one of her visits, after which he then proceeded to swear at both her and his aunt.

There is also a somewhat unsettling remark made by his mother that Thomas used to protect little boys.

Another startling point was that Cutbush actually makes reference to Scotland Yard and the police team working on the Ripper case. In one outburst threatening to get revenge on "the crew of cut throats" for fitting him up.

At times he was found talking in a language known only to him and would become violent if his books were taken away.

Im sure that there will be a great number of people visiting the Berkshire Records Office in the coming weeks. Believe me you wont be disappointed.

I am currently working on a book called "The Man Who Would Be Jack" in which I will be including lots of information contained in the files as well as my other research, thoughts and ideas. I will also be including a brand new twist on the case.

Below is a one of the reports written by Night Attendant Bailey on 23rd May 1891:

I was listening outside Cutbush's window during the night; he was using some very disgusting and threatening language: said that if he had a knife suitable for the job he would rip up the attendants or anyone else that upset him as soon as look at them. Said the doctor was trying to do him to death but would make a mark of one of them if they did not look out; said he would harm them all.

All the best

David Bullock

[Fisherman]

This, of course, is a fascinating thread. But I can´t help wondering about things like the threats to "rip up the attendants" and such, just as I can´t help asking myself about the strange likeness inbetween Colicott, Cutbush and Saunderson, all displaying traits that may lead the thoughts to the Ripper:
They could not ALL have been the Ripper, could they?

I think that biting people in their faces, stabbing them in their buttocks and so on, while hurling threats to rip them up around the neighbourhood does not necessarily make up any Ripper. My gut feeling is that Jack had a firmly established role as the Bogeyman by the time many of these deeds were carried out, and my suspiscion is that this coloured the language and threats of those who wanted to install fear in their victims.

Much as I am fascinated by what may surface through the Broadmoor journals, I think this must be added to the perspective, just as it must be added that the people who worked at these instituions would have heard of Jack too - maybe the step between having a violent patient roaming your corridor at work, throwing threats about him, to asking yourself "could it have been him...?" is not that far.

All the best,
Fisherman