Upon what basis did the Druitt family suspect Montague?

[Abby Normal]

Brother? Don’t think so.

‘…from private information I have little doubt but that his own family believed him to have been the murderer.’

or

‘From private information I have little doubt that his own family suspected this man of being the Whitechapel murderer.’

That doesn’t sound like the private information actually came from the family. It sounds like the family told someone who privately told him. Hearsay.

I have a better word for it. Rumor.

[pinkmoon]

That is the most logical conclusion.......bit boring though

[Lechmere]

Boring?
Then let's concoct an over-elaborate theory involving and elephantine memoried Macnaghten keeping his fellow police officers in ignorance while he protected the Druitt fairly good family name, while simultaneously dropping veiled yet deliberately misleading hints in his own missives and those of his sycophantic cronies

[Cogidubnus]

Having heard all of Jonathans (on the whole very well reasoned) arguments I have to agree Ed..**** me (again not literally) that's twice inside a month

All the best

Dave

[pinkmoon]

Didn't mean to upset you it's just that some times with this case we try and make more out of things than we should in all probability the only reason druitt was considered was because of his suicide.I think we all want to put a name to the killer buts let's face the police didn't really have a clue at the time if there was any real evidence against druitt this would have been shared amongst the police.like you said rumour is the obvious answer.I send you my best wishes didn't mean to offend

[Wickerman]

Robert Clifford Spicer undoubtedly existed, and I have seen family trees on Ancestry in which he is mentioned. It looks to me like he was dismissed in 1889 :

http://www.casebook.org/dissertation...personnel.html

Thankyou Robert.
I did see a Robert C Spicer listed as "Jobbing Gardener" in the 1891 census, the article did claim he took up gardening.

I think you provided the link I thought I remembered seeing, just wasn't sure - thanks for that.

[pinkmoon]

once again didn't mean to offend

[Lechmere]

Three things in life that don't stay hidden for too long: one’s the sun; one’s the moon; and the other is the truth.

[Mayerling]

Yes, but frequently by the time the truth comes out of hiding - it is far too late to be more than just an explanation of what happened. In short, unless there is a heaven and hell in existance, Jack was probably never punished - and if we got his name we still can't punish him or her.

[Mayerling]

I wonder if the following could have set off the suicide (if you care about another assumed theory). Montie has since August carried out the homicides without being seen "by anyone who could identify him or knows him well". Even if he is the man the Constable caught and took to the local police station, that is meaningless (although the Constable was certain his suspect was Jack - or at least said so in the newspaper interview). But supposedly on Nov. 9, 1888 Montie is finished killing and mutilating Mary Kelly. He leaves her room and is hurrying away from Dorset Street - and somewhere close by runs into "X". Flustered by this, Montie says he is just in the neighborhooe, and this strikes "X" as odd, but after a few minutes they part. Montie broods over this in the next three weeks or so, and suddenly gets a message from "X" or relating to "X" about the accidental meeting. The message mentions that "X" has relayed to some third or more parties about this odd incident, and that nobody can figure out why Montie is in that district of London. On top of that why on the night of that horrid murder. Nobody (least of all "X" or the person relaying the message tells Montie that there is any suspicion connecting him and the victim Kelly (or any of the Victims). But he sees through such a comment that his friends or family are concerned about why he was there. And suddenly everything he has done so far to protect himself from the police is now threatened by this chance meeting. It preys on his mind, and sets him on a self-destructive course - possibly affecting his job performance at Valentine's school (leading to his dismissal), and to his considering if he is insane after all (the image of the self-congradulating Ripper is not necessarily one that would always last - the Ripper if he did survive 1888 would have always wondered if all links between him and the crime were cleared up.

By the way, in the 1877 Penge murder case involving the Staunton Brothers starving the wife of one of them (and her baby) to death, it came apart in Penge because one of the Stauntons (when going into a store) ran into a family friend of the Victim Harriet Staunton. That set off the chain reaction leading to the trial and conviction of the brothers.

Jeff

[crberger]

Seems plausible

A well-known cricketeer spotted in Whitechapel around the time of the murders, hm.
So would the person "X" communicate from curiousity or blackmail; ie, lose the next game, tell the headmaster, money, etc?

[Mayerling]

Maybe...

I like the idea of a cricket fancier who sees a chance for a minor "killing" in gambling.

"If you don't throw the next match at Little Spoffington on the Drone next December 11th, I'll tell your brothers about our encounter!! And don't come to visit me - ever!!"

[Robert]

Perhaps cricket explains why Monty originally headed east to Goulston St instead of west to King's Bench Walk on Sept 30th? He wanted to go west but, being a cricketer, couldn't resist pacing in the opposite direction and taking a run-up.

[pinkmoon]

sorry i cant help myself

After all he had just bowled a maiden over

[Mayerling]

In any case, Montie may have found himself with a real sticky wicket.