What makes Druitt a viable suspect?

[Abby Normal]

Was that before Druitt committed suicide or after?! Before Macnaghten joined the force or after, Sam ?!


If he was under their radar before he committed suicide, then you have a case.


The Baron

who said:

the police were looking for him(druitt) alive when he turned up dead? or something to that effect.

[Abby Normal]

Yes, but - I'll say it again - in the context of this discussion, the salient point is that Druitt was on the police radar in 1888/89, to the extent that a report was sent to the Home Office about him. This should quell those doubters who believe that Druitt's status as a suspect was something that only Macnaghten and his informant(s) conjured up a few years later. And, here's the thing, I used to be one of those doubters... until today, in fact, when the import of Abberline's interview finally sunk in. It's true what they say - you're never too old to learn

so true Sam-Me too-I had forgotten about that part of Abberlines statement.

and all this made this come to mind-

the police were looking for him(druitt) alive when he turned up dead? or something to that effect.

who said that again?

[The Baron]

who said:

the police were looking for him(druitt) alive when he turned up dead? or something to that effect.

George R. Sims, the referee 13, Juli 1902


The Baron

[Trevor Marriott]

so true Sam-Me too-I had forgotten about that part of Abberlines statement.

and all this made this come to mind-

the police were looking for him(druitt) alive when he turned up dead? or something to that effect.

who said that again?

When did they start looking for him the day he died ? Or coincidentally, and conveniently to some on here. between Nov 9th and when they found his body

They didn't look very hard. He was easy to find. He had a fixed residence, he was gainfully employed, and he had barristers chambers, so are we really expected to believe they were really looking for him. Once again we see a false trail, and a smokescreen put up by those wanting to support Druitts status as a suspect

https://www.trevormarriott.co.uk

[Herlock Sholmes]

When did they start looking for him the day he died ? Or coincidentally, and conveniently to some on here. between Nov 9th and when they found his body

They didn't look very hard. He was easy to find. He had a fixed residence, he was gainfully employed, and he had barristers chambers, so are we really expected to believe they were really looking for him. Once again we see a false trail, and a smokescreen put up by those wanting to support Druitts status as a suspect

www.trevormarriott.co.uk

And if he was so easy to find why were his friends and colleagues so worried about his absence that they contacted his brother in Dorset? What if he’d been sacked from the Blackheath School because he’d gone AWOL?

And by the way, it isn’t posters on here that are saying that Druitt was in the police’s radar. There’s no smokescreen apart from the one you continually try to put up for blatantly obvious reasons.

[Trevor Marriott]

And if he was so easy to find why were his friends and colleagues so worried about his absence that they contacted his brother in Dorset? What if he’d been sacked from the Blackheath School because he’d gone AWOL?

And by the way, it isn’t posters on here that are saying that Druitt was in the police’s radar. There’s no smokescreen apart from the one you continually try to put up for blatantly obvious reasons.

Why does it have to be so sinister, when there is a simple and plausible explantion for the actions of the police., that was they were simply treating him as a missing person, and not a murder suspect which is what the police do when they get a report of someone going missing they contact friends, relatives and work colleagues etc.

Now prove that to be wrong, and at the same time provide evidence that the police had him on the radar as a murder suspect !

Remember the saying put up, or shut up !

www.trevormarriott.co.uk

[Abby Normal]

George R. Sims, the referee 13, Juli 1902


The Baron

Thanks Baron
but dosnt this imply the police were looking for him before he committed suicide... ie he was on the police radar sooner?

[Abby Normal]

Why does it have to be so sinister, when there is a simple and plausible explantion for the actions of the police., that was they were simply treating him as a missing person, and not a murder suspect which is what the police do when they get a report of someone going missing they contact friends, relatives and work colleagues etc.

Now prove that to be wrong, and at the same time provide evidence that the police had him on the radar as a murder suspect !

Remember the saying put up, or shut up !

www.trevormarriott.co.uk

Trevor
does anyone say that the police were only looking for him as a missing person? If not isnt it clear in this context that they were looking for him as a suspect?

[Wickerman]

Agreed. On reflection, I think Abberline was merely saying that the police remained on alert for several months after Druitt's death, the implication being that the case against him wasn't found to be conclusive. There's no indication in Abberline's interview that there was a particular "trigger" - be it McKenzie's murder or something else - that rekindled the investigation in 1889.

I think that would be consistent with what Mac. wrote, that certain evidence didn't come to him about Druitt until a few years after he joined the force.
Druitt died in innocence - just a sad case of suicide. Only later (months/years?) did suspicions emerge.
And Abberline's quote's in the Pall Mall Gaz. of Mar. 1903 do not conflict with that interpretation.

[Wickerman]

All that aside, it still leaves us with Abberline's statement that a report about Druitt was sent to the Home Office.

I'd be less specific, a report was sent to the Home Office about a doctor's suicide in the Thames, we just have no name for this doctor.
I'm not so sure we should assign this paragraph by Abberline to Mac's Confidential Report.

[Wickerman]

Yes, but - I'll say it again - in the context of this discussion, the salient point is that Druitt was on the police radar in 1888/89, to the extent that a report was sent to the Home Office about him. This should quell those doubters who believe that Druitt's status as a suspect was something that only Macnaghten and his informant(s) conjured up a few years later. And, here's the thing, I used to be one of those doubters... until today, in fact, when the import of Abberline's interview finally sunk in. It's true what they say - you're never too old to learn

Welcome aboard, I'm just not so sure I agree with that interpretation - ( that Abberline was talking about Druitt).

[The Baron]

Thanks Baron
but dosnt this imply the police were looking for him before he committed suicide... ie he was on the police radar sooner?

Hi Abby,

Maybe, This was a journalist phrase or wording, means, the police were looking for him alive (Jack) when they found him dead (Druitt)


The Baron

[The Baron]

I think that would be consistent with what Mac. wrote, that certain evidence didn't come to him about Druitt until a few years after he joined the force.
Druitt died in innocence - just a sad case of suicide. Only later (months/years?) did suspicions emerge.
And Abberline's quote's in the Pall Mall Gaz. of Mar. 1903 do not conflict with that interpretation.

Agree. And thats how I read into it.


The Baron

[Sam Flynn]

I'd be less specific, a report was sent to the Home Office about a doctor's suicide in the Thames, we just have no name for this doctor.

The way I see it, Abberline was probably referring to a mis-remembered drowned teacher.

[Wickerman]

.......... Why would Abberline have even known about the Memoranda's existence? He retired 8 February 1892, two years before it was written.
.......The tone of his response seems to suggest that he is referring to earlier events of which he had first-hand knowledge. RP

Exactly, which is why I am not sure the drown doctor in the Thames referred to by Abberline was actually Druitt.