M.P. Farquharson-Druitt -- A New Source

[Jonathan H]

No Man

A veiled reference to me? Hey, look man, Druitt's name is not mentioned pre-Macnaghten. Farquharson could have meant another individual entirely. Like the insane Dr., Saunders, or someone else, say the failed barrister, Newland Francis Forrester Smith. You've got to start looking into these alternatives.

Well, veiled inadvertently as I could not recall who had posted this unlikely opinion.

I realise it must be one helluva wrench to face up to [the best historical argument] being Druitt after all, if you have invested a great deal of emotional energy in it not being that solution, but I had to do the same when I saw the MP article for the first time in late 2007.

Look, man, consider the odds against Farquharson talking about somebody other than Druitt and Macnaghten, by himself, coming up with another sucided suspect who originated less than ten miles down the road from the MP.

You're cluching at staws, but if that is what you want to do -- then clutch away.

The identification of the politician in 2008 made it much elss likely that Macnaghten knew little about the real Druitt, let alone confused him with somebody else.

Further research of the original Mac sources, and the Mac-proxy sources, have firmed up this revisionist, or throwback take on this prime suspect.

[PaulB]

Hello Paul,

I read the WHOLE article. Including Adam's own end conclusions, and after much thought, have my own, as tentatively 'wondered' about as stated earlier. I may be mistaken but do not believe that I stated that 'i did not know'.

What you wrote was: "Lady Aberconway gave Dan Farson a 'her father's private notes which she had copied out soon after his death"....Ive always wondered what she copied them FROM- as there is no factual record of ANOTHER set of notes from THAT time, and seeing that the Aberconway version is SO different from the original in the specific and important areas."

What she copied from was the original document which had passed to her elder sister, Julia, and which is thought to have passed from her to her son Gerald. That's what you have 'always wondered what she copied FROM', that's the set of notes of which there is in fact a factual record which you said there isn't. So, no, you did not state that you didn't know, but when you say you have 'always wondered' and state that no factual records exists for something when it does then it's not unreasonable to assume that you didn't know. However, if you did know it, I find your post none too clear.

What I have observed over the last month or two was the clamour of at times seemingly pained attention as soon as the article came out, both on message boards and on a Rippercast, at the 'silence that has been deafening' comments. It could be said that invititingly mocking tone too. That tends to be met with silence in life, I have noticed. So waiting with a hatchet for immediate use has backfired. Silence blunts the axe. Nothing personal at all toward any individual.

It is hopefully sensibly noted that some, myself included, are neither gang-goaded nor individually pushed into counter comment or discussion before they are ready to.
Adam has invited opinion and has been contacted in relation to any pending response from this writer. If or when that response comes into print depends on time- as I am occupied by other things at this moment in time. I hope that answer is accepted as is.

I attempt to write respectfully. Please note that I will not argue for the sake of it and unless I feel the need to, wont comment further until I am ready to.

Best wishes

Phil

I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. You made a statement, I answered it. You said you knew about the Donner version, I was and am baffled why you therefore said you had always wondered what she copied from. I asked you why. You haven't answered. Fair enough. Don't clarify.

[Fleetwood Mac]

The most interesting aspect of the MM is the desire to exonerate Cutbush.

I may be mistaken here, but my understanding is that he wasn't the only suspect to be placed into the public domain; and, yet, no such police defiance regarding those suspects.

Clearly, MM is simply saying: "he's not a great suspect; here are a few more likely chaps". This reads to me that the underlying purpose of the MM was to exonerate Cutbush first and foremost, with the 3 named suspects being of secondary importance.

[lynn cates]

belief

Hello Mac. Wonder whether that was related to the belief that Cutbush had indeed a relative at the Met?

Cheers.
LC

[Fleetwood Mac]

Hello Mac. Wonder whether that was related to the belief that Cutbush had indeed a relative at the Met?

Cheers.
LC

Hello Lynn,

Possibly.

Or maybe Cutbush was the ripper - hence being detained at her majesty's pleasure in Broadmoor - and the police made a decision to not make this public knowledge borne out of no other reason than 'no public gain'. Once the decision was made, there was no going back.

He certainly is an interesting character. Clearly violent towards women; clearly in the habit of late night wanderings. Was it Stephen White who supposedly spoke with the man with the musical voice and bright/sharp eyes? If memory serves Cutbush would be a good match for White's description. Locked up in Broadmoor a few weeks after the Coles murder; the one which bore significant resemblance to Stride.

Would have thought this man compares favourably with Druitt, Kos and Ostrog as viable candidates, but MM goes out of his way to claim otherwise.

Edited to add: the other point I'd make is that most seem to think that anyone stabbing a woman in a manner dissimilar to Jack's murders makes him less likely. I would disagree. Different responses to different scenarios. The perpertrator of the WMs clearly set out with the objective of mutilation in a dark corner. It doesn't follow that he wasn't capable of being in an entirely different mood another day and just fancied stabbing someone out of sheer spite and sadism. I would argue that someone who is capable of stabbing someone in the street improves his candidacy for Jack (for a kick off, it places this person in the select band of men proven to be capable of extreme violence towards women).

[lynn cates]

fanny

Hello Mac.

"Clearly violent towards women"

I suppose we must say that. But as Mac says, he was stabbing at their fannies. Seems a far cry from MJK.

Cheers.
LC

[Cogidubnus]

Depends whether those are US or UK fannies Lynn!

Dave

[Fleetwood Mac]

Hello Mac.

"Clearly violent towards women"

I suppose we must say that. But as Mac says, he was stabbing at their fannies. Seems a far cry from MJK.

Cheers.
LC

I added an edit you may have missed, Lynn.

In my mind, it doesn't follow that the WM was not capable of stabbing someone in the street. I don't see the logic in such a conclusion.

I don't go along with the notion that Jack was a honed, professional mutilator and mutilator alone. I think the most professional aspect was that he knew how to minimise blood spray, but from there just went to town with no particular purpose outside of ripping.

Seems to me he was some fella who wanted to rip up women first and foremost. It's not such a leap to suggest that given certain circumstances and a certain mood on a certain day he was capable of stabbing at someone out of spite and sadism. I think this makes him more likely as opposed to less likely.

[lynn cates]

sadism

Hello Mac. Thanks.

Could be. But the "sadism" seems altogether lacking in the C5.

Cheers.
LC

[Fleetwood Mac]

Hello Mac. Thanks.

Could be. But the "sadism" seems altogether lacking in the C5.

Cheers.
LC

Yes, it does in the sense that he dispatched them quickly rather than toy with them.

Maybe the word I was looking for was viciousness (is there such a word).

I think the MO aspect is less important in a lawless environment.

[Hunter]

Hello Mac. Wonder whether that was related to the belief that Cutbush had indeed a relative at the Met?

That's a good question, Lynn.

Macnaghten, certainly and mistakenly thought he was. Its difficult to see what all of the fuss about Cutbush would be without that. The police, in general, knew what 'Tay Pay' O'Connor was capable of publishing in regards to police 'incompetence'. He ran the Star during the fall of '88. And nothing has ever surfaced from the Home Office or Commissioner Bradford to indicate that a request was even made for Macnaghten to put something together as a response to the Sun.

Might also explain why the MM never got to anyone else's desk and was simply filed away.

A comedy of errors in purpose and content.

If a request for information or for a response to the Sun articles was made, it seems it would have been made to the man in charge of the investigation. That's who they trotted out during the Grainger controversy and had used to send reports to the HO during the murders.

Macnaghten never acts like he's answering a request either. He just starts writing that he knows who the Sun is referring to and that he believes they are 'full of it' and here's why; only to expose himself as being 'full of it' also when he's placed under scrutiny by historians.

[lynn cates]

"He was vicious."

Hello Mac.

"Maybe the word I was looking for was viciousness (is there such a word)."

There is indeed. It is hard to visualise Cutbush in this context, but of course it is possible.

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

Mac's concern

Hello Cris. Those are some astute observations. Wonder whether Mac were acting solo and, as Jonathan opines, from a perspective of "just in case"?

Still, one wonders--as you do--"What's it to Mac?"

Cheers.
LC

[Fleetwood Mac]

Hello Mac.

"Maybe the word I was looking for was viciousness (is there such a word)."

There is indeed. It is hard to visualise Cutbush in this context, but of course it is possible.

Cheers.
LC

Hello Lynn,

Hard to visualise?!

The fella's running round stabbing people in the street! Dunno about you but I'd be more than slightly disappointed in the event someone stabbed me, and not exactly prone to empathy. I'd be thinking: "yeah, that's pretty vicious".

Never really understood the idea that a potential suspect who stabbed someone in the street is less likely to have been Jack.

I suppose it comes down to what you think of Jack and his motivations. Me: I think he was a cunning, wild, opportunist operating on instinct rather than some controlled, skilled woman slayer operating within the realms of reason.

Cutbush would fit my view of Jack pretty well.

I think Jack simply loved cutting people up with a knife - no great mystery - and that wouldn't rule him out of stabbing someone outside the WMs in the event he was in that sort of mood.

[Bridewell]

Quote: Jonathan H: I even more strenuously disagree with you that the Druitts could have coped with the public knowledge that their deceased member was England's most notorious criminal maniac!
They'd have been inevitably shunned in their bourgeoisie circles as if they were Typhus carriers, and they knew it.

That's so naive!

It might have been naive, had that been what I said, but it wasn't. I said they would have been acting honourably - and they would. If you are arguing that the Druitts lacked the moral courage to do what was right, that's another matter entirely.

I am arguing that Macnaghten acted honourably not dishonourably. Your view is anathema to me on that score.

Are you seriously arguing that a senior police officer who identified the most famous serial killer in history, and not only kept quiet about what he had learned, but actively covered up the truth, would be acting honourably?

My view that he would be acting dishonourably is anathema to you? Fine. There is nothing honourable about a police officer who conceals the identity of a vicious serial killer just to protect the good name of his family - then or now.

Regards, Bridewell.