Reasons why?

[Herlock Sholmes]

The fact that Macnaghten thought that Druitt was a doctor is an indication of the quality of his information.

Whoever supplied him with his 'private information' evidently did not tell him the most basic fact about Druitt: what he did for a living.

Or…….Macnaghten was given his info and there was a gap of time before he came to write his memorandum. He relied on his memory for minor details and simply misremembered.

[PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 1]

Or…….Macnaghten was given his info and there was a gap of time before he came to write his memorandum. He relied on his memory for minor details and simply misremembered.

If you are right, then I do not see how his memorandum can be considered to be factually reliable.

[Herlock Sholmes]

If you are right, then I do not see how his memorandum can be considered to be factually reliable.

I’m not even saying that I am right PI but it’s still easily possible to make a statement that’s generally true whilst getting a couple of details wrong. There could have been a fairly lengthy gap of time between hearing the info and writing the memorandum so 41 instead of 31 is an understandable error of memory. Likewise the ‘doctor’ considering that he was the son of one. The things that would have been more likely to stick in his memory are the reason or reasons. And of course none of this means that Druitt was certainly guilty but Mac clearly thought that there was persuasive evidence.

And as I said earlier, it’s unlikely that when compiling his list (a list that he could easily have left at Kosminski and Ostrog) that Mac would have recalled a barely recorded suicide six years previously. So research would surely have provided him or a subordinate with the details about Druitt (age and occupation) so this tends to point toward him having reason to recall something whilst misremembering personal details instead of him having the story in front of him.

When I suggested that he could have selected any number of dead or incarcerated criminals or lunatics it’s worth adding (imo) that the suggestion from some is that Macnaghten was lying, so he could he could very easily have said ‘I have reason to believe that the killer was x after I received information from one of his close associates that …..” Picking Druitt just because of his suicide just doesn’t add up.

[PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 1]

If Macnaghten received information about Druitt directly from his relatives, then why was he unaware of his dismissal from his post at the school, which obviously had a bearing on his suicide?

[Herlock Sholmes]

If Macnaghten received information about Druitt directly from his relatives, then why was he unaware of his dismissal from his post at the school, which obviously had a bearing on his suicide?

1. I haven’t said that he must have got his info directly from the family. Only that he might have.
2. Just because Macnaghten didn’t mention Druitt’s dismissal doesn’t mean that he hadn’t heard about it.
3. It’s not at all obvious that his dismissal had a direct bearing on his suicide. It might have been the case that his mental health was deteriorating and that his dismissal was a by-product of it. If he hadn’t been sacked we can’t say that he wouldn’t still have committed suicide.

[PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 1]

Just because Macnaghten didn’t mention Druitt’s dismissal doesn’t mean that he hadn’t heard about it.

It is quite obvious that Macnaghten had not heard about Druitt's dismissal.

You should be able to work that out, Herlock.

[Herlock Sholmes]

It is quite obvious that Macnaghten had not heard about Druitt's dismissal.

You should be able to work that out, Herlock.

Explain please.

[PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 1]

Explain please.

Certainly.

If Macnaghten had known about Druitt's dismissal from the school, he would have known that he was a school teacher - not a doctor.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Certainly.

If Macnaghten had known about Druitt's dismissal from the school, he would have known that he was a school teacher - not a doctor.

1. Perhaps they had just told Macnaghten that ‘he’d recently been sacked from his job,’ without mentioning that it was at a school? (And I’ll repeat, I never said that Macnaghten must have received the information directly from the family.)
2. You still haven’t answered the question - why does the fact that Macnaghten didn’t mentioning Druitt’s sacking mean that he was unaware of it?

[PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 1]

You still haven’t answered the question - why does the fact that Macnaghten didn’t mentioning Druitt’s sacking mean that he was unaware of it?

It is not just that Macnaghten did not mention Druitt's dismissal, but the fact that he evidently was unaware that Druitt was a school teacher.

Had he known of Druitt's dismissal, then he could hardly have thought that he was a doctor.

[Wickerman]

It said “since Friday..” and nothing more. There is absolutely nothing the could preclude a longer standing problem which culminated with him deciding on the Friday that he was going to commit suicide. All else is conjecture. When we are faced with an unknown as we clearly are here why can’t you simply accept it? It’s not a sign of weakness to admit that there are things that we simply have no way of knowing but you are reluctant to do so. I’m not.

The question 'which Friday?' is the point, I would think.

The day of the murder was a Friday (9 Nov.), and his body was found on Monday 31st Dec., but had been estimated to have been in the water for over a month. Which suggests he killed himself in November, and there are only four Fridays that qualify - 9, 16, 23, 30. I just think if the official estimate was correct we must dismiss 30 Nov., I know it's borderline but we either select 'a month' or 'over a month'.
So, I think we are required to look at the 9th, 16th & 23rd.

Didn't Montie visit William sometime in November, or was it October?
It's so long since I read up on this, if we can rule out another November Friday it might help to clarify which Friday was referred to in the suicide note.

[PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 1]

I just think if the official estimate was correct we must dismiss 30 Nov...

Why?

[Herlock Sholmes]

It is not just that Macnaghten did not mention Druitt's dismissal, but the fact that he evidently was unaware that Druitt was a school teacher.

Had he known of Druitt's dismissal, then he could hardly have thought that he was a doctor.

Sorry PI, but you’ve ignored my last post where I made a suggestion on this point.

We keep going over this PI. We don’t know what gap of time occurred between Macnaghten hearing the info and him writing the memorandum. It might have been months. If he had been told his occupation (not a certainty) he might simply have misremembered. Why is this such an issue? It’s a trivial detail.

[PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 1]

If he had been told his occupation (not a certainty) he might simply have misremembered. Why is this such an issue? It’s a trivial detail.

Are you seriously suggesting that although Macnaghten may have been told that Druitt was a school teacher, he mis-remembered him as a doctor?

If he knew his occupation, then he must have known that he was dismissed.

You are not, presumably, going to suggest that Macnaghten thought Druitt had been struck off the medical register.

[Wickerman]

And if Herlock is smart he will refuse to accept the baton and will instead head to the sidelines to drink beer.

c.d.

I've got a case of Guiness that needs breaking into....