Broadmoor Archives finally open

[Robert]

Stephen, we do know that THC's appearance seems to have been odd - one report describes it as "terrible" and another as "very singular." He was I think born in 1865, but his birth cert, which I have somewhere, would confirm that.

The White sighting hasn't won favour with Ripperologists in general. Lawende's sighting seems the best bet to me.

Nats, he may have reacted against the female upbringing he received, though we should remember that his grandad was alive for part of his childhood.

And of course in the background lurks "Uncle" Charles. Would there have been seaside excursions for candy floss, ice cream and gull shooting?

[Stephen Thomas]

From the Sun articles Feb 16th 1894

The man's eyes had a morbid fascination for me......dull, vacant, unconscious of life or care or hope. They were not ferocious but simply stolid, like the glass eyes of a wax figure. They implied to me that in such a man all actions were possible, that to their owner it was as simple a thing to put a knife upon a human throat as upon a piece of thick twist tobacco. As we gazed at him we wondered whether awful visions of the past did not at times flit across his brain and twinge with horror that impassive face - visions of squalid, ill lighted streets and alleys, with draggle haired women, of whispered consultations, of sudden stabbing and hacking at palpitating bodies, of hair breadth escapes from capture, and mad races for life through the darkness

I suppose a photo would be too much to expect.

[Fisherman]

Natalie writes:

"The ripper could easily have been 22 !"

Absolutely, Natalie! It was your notion that Cutbush would have been 30 at the time I objected against.

As for Macnaghtens "No one ever saw the Whitechapel murderer", that is obviously wrong, unless our man was invisible. What Macnaghten acknowledges is that there was never any CONCLUSIVE sighting made, nothing else.
Or are you saying that Lawende´s man could not have been the Ripper, thereby confirming Macnaghtens statement?

The best,
Fisherman

[Natalie Severn]

Fair enough.Make no mistake,I have been greatly taken with Jack the Myth so any further info will be well received.
Cheers AP!

[Cap'n Jack]

Thanks Natalie, I'm butting out of this chat now, as I have many a penny invested in the outcome. All I will say now is read the Colony module; then read the 'Myth'; and then we may see that worm in the bud.
I rest on my perfect perch.

[Natalie Severn]

Quite a few of them knew their bible through and through and thought they had a direct line to God didnt they,Cap"n? I wonder if any of these had a "party line"?

[Cap'n Jack]

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

Thomas thought he had a direct line to God, so he spoke in tongues that only God would understand... he knew his bible.
He was 'chosen'.
I imagine he spoke 'Yiddish'.

[Natalie Severn]

Don,
Any idea who this City PC "who was a beat sic" was? He can"t be referring to Watkins or Harvey who insisted they saw nothing.Morris was an ex cop---so who did he mean was in or around Mitre Square?
Ps-did you get my pm on William Morris/Michael Davitt?

[Natalie Severn]

[QUOTE=Fisherman;53268]Natalie writes:

"I think Thomas Cutbush was about 30 at the time of the murders".

That would depend on how "about" "about" is; he was born 1866 in Kennington, I believe.

The best, Natalie!



No problem,Fisherman.The ripper could easily have been 22 !

On this I totally agree with Scotland Yard and Macnaghten viz NO ONE EVER SAW THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERER [unless POSSIBLY the CITY PC who was a beat sic in Mitre Square].That was the view of the City police too ----according to City Police,Chief Commissioner Henry Smith.

[Fisherman]

Natalie writes:

"I think Thomas Cutbush was about 30 at the time of the murders".

That would depend on how "about" "about" is; he was born 1866 in Kennington, I believe.

The best, Natalie!
Fisherman

[Supe]

David,

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.

Ah, but Sgt. Stephen White never saw anyone flee a murder site, did he?

Don.

[Jeff Leahy]

Hello Cap n Jack

I would be interested in your thoughts on Annie Millwood. How similar is that attack to those committed by Mr Cutbush?

Yours Pirate

PS the Gales are getting up here in Kent, having to batten down the hatches!

[Natalie Severn]

Thats a curious comment attributed to his mother,AP, and I am quite intrigued by it. If he wanted to "protect little boys" then like you say,it would likely be he, himself,Thomas Cutbush that he was unconsciously out to "protect".But it wouldnt be the twenty -eight year old Thomas he was "protecting" would it,but rather the powerless infant Thomas .To little Thomas ,Mother and Aunt would have had all the power and control ----so when he cut women up and laid them out, he did so first of all by tracings of anatomical drawings of women and their reproductive organs from medical texts ,Thomas was making a magical transference of "power and control" to himself while at the same time "magically" removing from them the source of their power,viz
their reproductive organs and in Mary Kelly"s case,the heart, symbol of love but sometimes ofcourse, the source of a child"s captivity,viz a parents possessive "love".
And the kidney?......well now, mummy insisted on him eating his steak and kidney pie didnt she ,so maybe Mr Lusk would like a bit of mummy to see how he likes it...

PS just caught sight of Fisherman"s post.I think Thomas Cutbush was about 30 at the time of the murders [1888]-!

[Fisherman]

Natalie writes:

"This may have been just one such outlet for his mania at that specific time -1890/1-but at other times he could have been "experimenting" very darkly , very differently and very dangerously!"

...the operative words being "may" and "could". We have nothing at all resembling any ripped victims, whereas we have a lot of talking about it going on, and that is where the warning lights stare me in the face, Natalie!
The fact that A P Wolf gets a long earned shot warms my heart, but I prefer to sit very tight for the moment being, pondering how many reports we have on fifteen year old boys roaming the murder sites we have, among other things.
I think we have a description of the Ripper, provided by Lawende. And that description seems to rule out the three youngsters on trial on this thread. But I will follow it all with fascination, nevertheless!

The best, Natalie!
Fisherman

[Cap'n Jack]

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

Yes, thank you, David, for that preview of what is to come.
And welcome to the wobbly ship.

My considered opinion of Thomas Cutbush has always been that he was of a mental age of perhaps 9 or 10, although very clever to boot, and that he was immensely confused about his sexual identity, reinforcing that with the company of small male children who made him feel adult...
And of course he was protecting those little boys from their mothers and aunts, just as he did, by cutting 'em up and laying 'em down.
All the little boys were safe then.
And Thomas was a hero.