The Strange Death Of Montague John Druitt

[Herlock Sholmes]

The question of which family member(s) might have suspected Monty, should always include the senior member of the family. The one family member who makes all the decisions, and that will be William.
So, (assuming its true), regardless who suspected anything, that family member would have approached William and discussed their suspicions with him. That was just a matter of respect & formality.
No action would be taken without William's authorization.

The problem for us today is, the one member of the family who was responsible to guard & defend the family reputation, is also the one person who is our only real informant.

And as William was the first point of contact for the unnamed friend he was the one positioned to do a damage limitation exercise for the family reputation and we have no way of knowing what information he might have kept from the public gaze; or for what reason?

[Herlock Sholmes]

Have you read The Ripper Legacy, by Howells & Skinner?

Not for some years. It’s on my ‘to re-read’ list.

[Wickerman]

Jon Hainsworth believes that Henry Farquharson received his information about Monty from the Reverend Charles Druitt - which of course could have been the case but could there have been a different link?

Isabella Druitt (Charles Druitt’s mother and family matriarch) informs her daughter Emily (in an angst-filled letter according to JH where she says that she feels that she’ll never be rid of this ‘encumbrance’) that she’s been to Cavendish Square. This is where Crawford lived. Crawford and Farquharson were both Tory m.p’s.

So could the chain have been Charles confided in his mother who goes to see Crawford who then, for whatever reason, discusses the matter with fellow Tory m.p Farquharson? Could it have been because he was a Dorset m.p and Crawford felt it best to have someone on hand that he’d have influence over to liaise with William so that they might ‘manage’ the situation? Farquharson turned out to have been a poor choice of confidante though.

Just a suggestion of course.

The question of which family member(s) might have suspected Monty, should always include the senior member of the family. The one family member who makes all the decisions, and that will be William.
So, (assuming its true), regardless who suspected anything, that family member would have approached William and discussed their suspicions with him. That was just a matter of respect & formality.
No action would be taken without William's authorization.

The problem for us today is, the one member of the family who was responsible to guard & defend the family reputation, is also the one person who is our only real informant.

[Wickerman]

Majendie appears to be a likely possible intermediary. Connected to the Druitt’s by marriage and a close friend of Mac’s. Though no certainty’s of course Abby. Like a lot of ripper-related stuff the truth is always frustratingly just out of reach. Whether Monty was the ripper or not I still find the events surrounding his death interesting. You know that I’m no conspiracy theorist but I think there’s at least a possibility that he might have been murdered.

Have you read The Ripper Legacy, by Howells & Skinner?

[Herlock Sholmes]

Jon Hainsworth believes that Henry Farquharson received his information about Monty from the Reverend Charles Druitt - which of course could have been the case but could there have been a different link?

Isabella Druitt (Charles Druitt’s mother and family matriarch) informs her daughter Emily (in an angst-filled letter according to JH where she says that she feels that she’ll never be rid of this ‘encumbrance’) that she’s been to Cavendish Square. This is where Crawford lived. Crawford and Farquharson were both Tory m.p’s.

So could the chain have been Charles confided in his mother who goes to see Crawford who then, for whatever reason, discusses the matter with fellow Tory m.p Farquharson? Could it have been because he was a Dorset m.p and Crawford felt it best to have someone on hand that he’d have influence over to liaise with William so that they might ‘manage’ the situation? Farquharson turned out to have been a poor choice of confidante though.

Just a suggestion of course.

[Herlock Sholmes]

thans herlock.

the way mac worded it dosnt sound like he heard from any direct family member.

Majendie appears to be a likely possible intermediary. Connected to the Druitt’s by marriage and a close friend of Mac’s. Though no certainty’s of course Abby. Like a lot of ripper-related stuff the truth is always frustratingly just out of reach. Whether Monty was the ripper or not I still find the events surrounding his death interesting. You know that I’m no conspiracy theorist but I think there’s at least a possibility that he might have been murdered.

[Abby Normal]

No one knows Abby. Jonathan Hainsworth believes that Monty might have confessed to his cousin The Reverend Charles Druitt who in turn told a fellow vicar, and his best friend, The Reverend Arthur Du Boulay-Hill. A letter was sent to The Daily Mail stating that a vicar knew the identity of JTR. The story was titled The Whitechurch Murders which seems strange. Charles Druitt’s parish was also known as Whitechurch.

Jon Hainsworth also suggests that the woman mentioned in the Crawford Letter might have been Isabella Druitt. There’s no proof of this of course but in a letter to a family member in November she tells of visiting Cavendish Square which is where Crawford lived.

It might have been his brother William of course. Druitt had stayed with him overnight in Bournemouth at the end of October.

Then of course there’s Colonel Vivian Majendie who was one of Mac’s best friends. He was related to the Druitt’s by marriage so he might have heard from the family and then told Macnaghten.

So basically there are candidates Abby but no proof against any. Someone told Macnaghten though. It wasnt me.

thans herlock.

the way mac worded it dosnt sound like he heard from any direct family member.

[Herlock Sholmes]

It's been over two decades since I rode a train in London, but it doesn't look like one can travel directly from Charing Cross Underground to Hammersmith nowadays. There's not a line that has both stops. So that ticket doesn't make sense.

I think what is being called 'Charing Cross' at the inquest is was what is now called Embankment. The best stop on the South Eastern line for Druitt to reach KBW would have been Cannon Street. So, assuming Druitt started his last trip from Blackheath, he must have blown past his usual stop, and stepped off the train at Charing Cross (Embankment) and then transferred to a train that went to Hammersmith. Which would suggest that he had no desire to make one final curtain call at chambers.

On the other hand, he could have simply walked to the Embankment from KBW and bought the ticket to Hammersmith.

So it doesn't really tell us a damned thing. But the suicide note was supposedly left at Blackheath, so it seems strange that he would go to KBW and tidy up his desk before plunging in the Thames in the middle of the winter.

What I find strange Roger is that if the note was found at the school then it was found around a fortnight after Monty’s sacking? Then again I suppose that Valentine might have been waiting for Monty to collect his stuff (or send someone to collect it?) With something so serious though (whatever it was) I’d have thought Valentine would have wanted everything of Monty’s gone immediately?

[Herlock Sholmes]

hey folks-I have a stupid question: which family member leaked they thought he was the ripper?

No one knows Abby. Jonathan Hainsworth believes that Monty might have confessed to his cousin The Reverend Charles Druitt who in turn told a fellow vicar, and his best friend, The Reverend Arthur Du Boulay-Hill. A letter was sent to The Daily Mail stating that a vicar knew the identity of JTR. The story was titled The Whitechurch Murders which seems strange. Charles Druitt’s parish was also known as Whitechurch.

Jon Hainsworth also suggests that the woman mentioned in the Crawford Letter might have been Isabella Druitt. There’s no proof of this of course but in a letter to a family member in November she tells of visiting Cavendish Square which is where Crawford lived.

It might have been his brother William of course. Druitt had stayed with him overnight in Bournemouth at the end of October.

Then of course there’s Colonel Vivian Majendie who was one of Mac’s best friends. He was related to the Druitt’s by marriage so he might have heard from the family and then told Macnaghten.

So basically there are candidates Abby but no proof against any. Someone told Macnaghten though. It wasnt me.

[Abby Normal]

hey folks-I have a stupid question: which family member leaked they thought he was the ripper?

[rjpalmer]

It's been over two decades since I rode a train in London, but it doesn't look like one can travel directly from Charing Cross Underground to Hammersmith nowadays. There's not a line that has both stops. So that ticket doesn't make sense.

I think what is being called 'Charing Cross' at the inquest is was what is now called Embankment. The best stop on the South Eastern line for Druitt to reach KBW would have been Cannon Street. So, assuming Druitt started his last trip from Blackheath, he must have blown past his usual stop, and stepped off the train at Charing Cross (Embankment) and then transferred to a train that went to Hammersmith. Which would suggest that he had no desire to make one final curtain call at chambers.

On the other hand, he could have simply walked to the Embankment from KBW and bought the ticket to Hammersmith.

So it doesn't really tell us a damned thing. But the suicide note was supposedly left at Blackheath, so it seems strange that he would go to KBW and tidy up his desk before plunging in the Thames in the middle of the winter.

[Herlock Sholmes]

I seem to recall the press reports being so vague as to permit the question, how many letters are we talking about, one or two?

I don’t have any books with me to check at the moment Wick but yes I’m pretty sure that there was mention of letters addressed to William and George Valentine which doesn’t help clarity.

There were other discrepancies like the Gazette saying ‘no papers or letters were found on the body’ and the Independent saying ‘certain papers found on the body.’ I think that it’s been assumed that the ‘papers’ named by the Independent were the cheques.

Also so why wasn’t it ascertained who was the last person to have seen Monty alive?

Also I’ve always thought it a bit strange that it was said that Monty’s “...things had been searched where he resided.” I might be overthinking this bit but it sounds as if they didn’t want the place where he had been living mentioning. There was also no mention of George Valentine at the Inquest.

[Wickerman]

I seem to recall the press reports being so vague as to permit the question, how many letters are we talking about, one or two?

[Herlock Sholmes]

In the 5th January newspaper report it states that the note was found when his things were found “..where he resided.” Leighton takes this to have meant the school. If this was the case then we would have to ask why Monty’s possessions were still at the school around a fortnight after he’d been dismissed? It’s possible of course that after being sacked he was staying elsewhere. KBW for example?

[Herlock Sholmes]

Considering the farewell letter, no marks of injury and the stones in his pocket, it’s difficult to accept that possibility.

True of course but the letter might have been written by William for example. He could have been drugged and had stones put in his pocket. Is it possible that the condition of the body after so long in the water might have hidden a mark or two?

Im certainly not saying that he was murdered. Just an “is it possible?”