Some info on Lionel Druitt

[lynn cates]

good idea

Hello John. That makes eminent sense to me. It could:

1. cut down on time researching articles previously posted

and

2. cut down on duplication of material.

Good thinking!

Cheers.
LC

[Johnr]

Lets Take A Leaf From A.P.Wolfe's Book...

Hello Lynn and Adam,

Both of your observations and hopes are entirely valid in my opinion.

One of the sad things happening on this marvellous Internet Experiment called "Casebook: Jack the Ripper", is that it is burgeoning: becoming too big.

As the result, people are exploding at others watering down the evidence in favour of their favourite JTR suspect, getting all huffy, and taking their theories elsewhere. Some have moved for other, valid reasons.

Now they can go to Casebook Examiner; Ripper Notes: Ripperologist or JTRForums....

Perhaps we should all do what the legendary, swashbuckling Ripperologist A.P.Wolfe does, and ensure at least one copy of their marvellous research is posted onto a freely accessible site, where all can enjoy the gems of hard-won research .

I am thinking here that I do not subscribe to Ripper Notes, and thus have not read Andrew Spallek's good research on Dr Druitt.

Perhaps there needs to be some kind of Central Directory or Index (or is that called a Search Engine?) where we can all locate relevant articles by other
Ripper researchers?

I have not considered the cost incurred by these researchers in acquiring their information. Some would say surely they are entitled to recoup their expenses by selling their articles? I agree. But how about putting the details on a Central List somewhere?

Or releasing the original for open access after some years have passed?


JOHN RUFFELS.

[Adam Went]

Hi Lynn and John,

According to "Montague John Druitt: Still Our Best Suspect" by Andrew J. Spallek (Ripper Notes, July 2005:

Much is made of the "wild goose chase" that occupied Daniel Farson, Martin Howells and Keith Skinner and many others. Briefly, Farson relates the story of a file of his that went missing from Television House in 1959. The file allegedly contained a correspondence from a Mr. A. Knowles describing a document he had seen long ago in Australia titled "The East End Murderer - I Knew Him." Significantly, Knowles had thought that the author of this document was a Lionel Druitt or Drewett. Montague had a cousin named Lionel Druitt who had emigrated to Australia. Extensive research eventually tracked this document down, and it was shown to have nothing to do with Lionel Druitt. The document was merely a supplement in the St. Arnaud Mercury of Nov. 29, 1890. It did not relate to Montague Druitt.

Now I will confess that I was actually secretly hopeful that something of this document might be tucked away amongst the medical records of Dr. Druitt in Swansea, but in truth, none of his medical records are now in existence there - this is not an uncommon thing, only two of the doctors who practiced there during Druitt's era have any significant medical records at all - but nonetheless, there was nothing to be made of it.

So while it would be excellent if John or anybody else could ever make anything more of this document, I tend to think that it might be, like so much else in the Ripper case, a bit of a red herring.

Cheers,
Adam.

[lynn cates]

book

Hello John. Then I must obtain that book as I am keen to know Monro's take on all this. Perhaps one may induce the nature of his "hot potato"?

Cheers.
LC

[Johnr]

Thanks ForYour Kind Words Lynn, and Adam.

Yes, Lynn, I agree the Druitts are a fascinating study.

Not least because Montague Druitt does not fit the mould of a down-at-heel struggling East End Jewish immigrant.

I long ago posited the theory, it was only after all the (Canonical Five) JTR murders were over and processed, that the police considered a middle class suspect like Druitt.

I know they questioned "respectable" persons lurking in the stews of East London after dark...and frequently seemed to let them go with a touch of the hat and a " Enjoy the rest of your evening, Sir. Sorry to bother you".

So did the Metropolitan police suddenly realise they had been looking in the wrong direction?

Although, they must have considered doctors from the London Hospital et cetera.

I shall definitely pen my story about Dr Lionel Druitt and his Australia family for "Ripperologist"; and also details of my search for the elusive " The East End Murderer:I Knew Him".

Martin Howells and Keith Skinner in their book "The Ripper Legacy" dealt rather well with the Druitt family in Australia, drawing on their own extensive research, supported by that of a Druitt/Mayo family historian.

It was late in the day they decided to contact me, and I gave them the results of all my extensive research.Which they acknowledged.

I was disappointed when they sought to provide a tidy ending to the Fell pamphlet mystery by saying I had overlooked it! That was definitely not the case. And it made me look a bit of a chump. I was not happy!

However, the rest of their book ( except for the improbable ending) was finely researched, and provided valuable information on James Monro and his opinion on JTR.

JOHN RUFFELS.

[lynn cates]

Druitts

Hello Adam and John. You do great work, as always. The Druitts are a fascinating study--intellectually, a mile ahead of most.

Would that they should break the silence and at least discuss the various family traditions/rumours concerning Monty.

Please keep us posted.

Cheers.
LC

[Adam Went]

Hi John,

Thanks very much for that! Glad to hear that somebody else has done similar research!

I actually only got roped into it quite recently when I was asked to track down Reg A. Watson's section about the Tassie connection in his Crime Stories book, and then it went on from there and culminated in a trip down to Swansea last week.

I must admit I was pretty excited when I was speaking to the heritage centre curator, who mentioned the word "diaries" lol, but while the information I got was helpful, it was perhaps a bit of a disappointment compared to the calibre i'd built myself up to expect.

That's interesting about his time in Victoria, wasn't aware of that. Anyway, thanks again and best of luck with all of your future researches into him....

Cheers,
Adam.

[Johnr]

Thanks For Sharing, Adam!

Thanks very much for sharing your researches on Dr Druitt and his family Adam.

Good hunting!

Over on JTRforums I have posted a private message to Howard Brown. Asking him to send some of the details to you which I included on Dr Druitt in Swansea.

Back in the 1970's, excited by Daniel Farson's 1973 paperback eponymously titled: ("Jack The Ripper"), I got cracking sleuthing in several states to find just where Dr Druitt and family drifted to. And drifted they did.

Why once, with Mrs Druitt seven months pregnant, they up and left St Arnaud in country Victoria, and never mentioned that they'd been in that town ever again!

My aim was, of course, to be the first to discover Mr Farson's elusive pamphlet ; "The East End Murderer: I Knew Him" written by a Mr Fell and published in Dandenong, Victoria in 1890.

Well, in the end, I was to join the ranks of Irving Rosenwater, Colin Wilson, the BBC, and countless others, in failing to find it.

But the search itself was marvellous. From it I, with the help of stalwart colleagues, dogged Dr Druitt's tracks to every point, and accumulated a rather good picture of the life of a country doctor in Australia one hundred years ago.

Stories a bit like that Martin Clunes series.

Anyway, now I have time, there will be no excuse. Only trouble is Adam's research is on JTRForums, mine is promised to "Ripperologist".
Oh dear!


JOHN RUFFELS.

[Adam Went]

I've posted up some new information on the thread on JTR Forums about Dr. Druitt this morning, including a photo of his practice in Swansea, as well as one of the church where he was described as a "lay preacher", amongst some other odds and ends that might be of interest.

Cheers,
Adam.

[Adam Went]

Hey all,

I'm doing a bit of research into Dr. Lionel Druitt and his time practicing in Swansea, Tasmania at the moment (1891-1896) - for those of you who are interested, rather than post the same thing on two different forums, you might like to check out this thread over on JTR Forums:

http://jtrforums.com/showthread.php?p=109104

The research is ongoing and there may be more to add to it soon, so watch this space.....

Cheers,
Adam.