Assessing Cutbush

[Herlock Sholmes]

Hi Herlock,

Aren't you overlooking the fact that McNaughton produced his memorandum to indicate that Cutbush was a ridiculous suspect, and in support of that assertion provided three persons of interest which he considered had a higher claim to having been the ripper than Cutbush, one of whom was Druitt. However, since McNaughton had close to a 100% record of being wrong in all of his assessments, perhaps that record may be considered to extend to Cutbush. The incompetence factor.

Cheers, George

Hi George,

Macnaghten doesn’t call him a ridiculous suspect though, he just points out a couple of points where he feels that the two Sun reporters that wrote the articles were wrong then he goes on to name his three suspects who he suggests were better candidates than Cutbush (with Druitt being the likelier of the three) This doesn’t amount to an exoneration. I would have to ask George, if you feel that Macnaghten was incompetent, then doesn’t that mean that he could have been wrong about Cutbush too?

I think that we also have to consider the knowledge at the time. We know now that serial killers can have prolonged periods of inactivity and that they can alter methods due to circumstances or a change of mindset at certain times. So someone at the time might easily compare stabbing two women in the back and the horrific ripper murders 2 years or so previously and conclude that they couldn’t have been done by the same man.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Again Herlock we come down to interpretation of the evidence , i.e poetry ,prostitutes . We can only speculate as to motive ,what we must not do however is rule one out with a ''why would he do this, or that'' .

But it’s not interpretation Fishy. There is a difference. I’m not ‘interpreting’ the evidence, I’m stating it factually. That we cannot place Thompson in Whitechapel at the time of the murders is not my interpretation. It’s a fact.

[FISHY1118]

But it’s not interpretation Fishy. There is a difference. I’m not ‘interpreting’ the evidence, I’m stating it factually. That we cannot place Thompson in Whitechapel at the time of the murders is not my interpretation. It’s a fact.

What Factual Evidence is there that places Thompson ''Not' in Whitechapel at the time of the murders ?

[GBinOz]

I would have to ask George, if you feel that Macnaghten was incompetent, then doesn’t that mean that he could have been wrong about Cutbush too?

Hi Herlock,

I have to say that I perceive Macnaghten in much the same light as the current cabinet in the USA. A Tea Plantation owner in India brought into a position after the event based entirely on the "old boy network" - no skills, no talent, but he'll start at the top. I have reservations about everything that he said, including his "canonical five" conclusion.

Cheers, George