Druitt and Winchester

[Captain Hook]

Mrs Hudson et al.

My point is that the Macnaghten Memorandum would not have helped anybody, let alone the Home Secretary or the Met Commissioner, deflect any pressure relating to Cutbush or lead public opinion away from him had he been considered a definitive Ripper suspect. The Memorandum is of great interest, of course, to students of the Ripper case. But all it offers is the unsubstantiated ruminations of an admittedly senior police officer about three other men who he thought were more likely candidates to be the Ripper than Cutbush was. In recent times, evidence has come to surface that Ostrog was in prison in France at the time of the Whitechapel murders. Despite the efforts of Paul Begg, Martin Fido and others, there is no absolute certainty that the Kosminski named by Macnaghten can be definitely identified with Aaron Kosminski, David Cohen or any other insane Polish Jew, and even less that any of these was the Ripper. At the time the Memorandum was prepared, Druitt was dead and no investigation of him in connection with the Ripper murders appears to have taken place during his lifetime or on the occasion of his suicide. While we can mention their names now, 100 years and more after the facts, no one could have made public Macnaghten's thoughts about his suspects without fear of legal action by their relatives. Even from the PR viewpoint, I fail to see how naming three flawed suspects could absolve Scotland Yard from responsibility for failing to nab Cutbush - yet another flawed suspect. In sum, I don't believe either a civil servant or a lawyer could have relied on the Macnaghten Memorandum to solve a PR problem concerning Cutbush. In my experience, a senior civil servant who received a copy of the Macnaghten Memorandum at the time would have destroyed it and pretended he - or she - had never seen it.

Furthermore, in modern parlance a memorandum is a sort of internal letter addressed to someone within a public or private organization. Yet the word used to refer to a private report compiled by someone in order to set forth information about a particular subject. That role is more commonly fulfilled nowadays by a note for the record or for the file, which is not addressed to anyone but filed away only to be retrieved if the information it contains is needed for some other purpose. This appears to me to be the nature of the Macnaghten Memorandum.

Cheers
Hook

[Chris]

Despite the efforts of Paul Begg, Martin Fido and others, there is no absolute certainty that the Kosminski named by Macnaghten can be definitely identified with Aaron Kosminski, David Cohen or any other insane Polish Jew, and even less that any of these was the Ripper.

One hears this said from time to time, but the fact is that despite all the research into people named Kozminski, no record has been found of anyone else of that name (or a similar name) having been committed to a lunatic asylum at all - let alone having been committed to Colney Hatch after living in his brother's house, with his condition being attributed to "self abuse".

As there is no other candidate named Kozminski, I'm not sure what the suggestion is. The only possibility I can think of is that someone else was committed to Colney Hatch under a different name, but was for some reason known to the police as Kozminski. I can't say it's impossible, but it seems very improbable, in comparison with the straightforward interpretation that Macnaghten's and Swanson's "Kosminski" was the Kozminski we know about.

Of course, whether Aaron Kozminski was the suspect is a different question from whether Aaron Kozminski was the murderer. I think that is unlikely; certainly there is no persuasive evidence to that effect.

[Captain Hook]

Hello Chris,

The operative word in the text you quoted is definitely . Indeed, Andersen's Polish Jew and Macnaghten's and Swanson's Kosminski have not yet been definitely identified as being all the same Aaron Kosminski. Martin Fido, for one, had doubts that led him to name David Cohen as the real "Kosminski".

At any rate, the main point in my posts was that the Macnaghten Memorandum would have been of little usefulness to the Home Secretary or another senior civil servant trying to answer questions about Cutbush in Parliament or elsewhere. Indeed, it might have prompted new and equally embarrassing questions about three new suspects concerning whom no conclusive evidence existed.

Cheers
Hook
[AKA Eduardo Z.]

[Chris]

The operative word in the text you quoted is definitely . Indeed, Andersen's Polish Jew and Macnaghten's and Swanson's Kosminski have not yet been definitely identified as being all the same Aaron Kosminski. Martin Fido, for one, had doubts that led him to name David Cohen as the real "Kosminski".

But the fact is that we have police statements about a man named "Kosminski" who was committed to Colney Hatch, and we know that only one man with that or a similar surname - Aaron Kozminski - was committed to Colney Hatch - and we know that that he fits two other quite specific statements about "Kosminski". Unless something very strange happened it is entirely reasonable to conclude that Aaron was the suspect.

Of course we can't have "absolute certainty" about this, because it's always possible to suggest some convoluted alternative way of accounting for the evidence - but then again we can't have absolute certainty about anything that happened in 1888.

And of course, Martin Fido didn't suggest that Aaron was not the "right" Kozminski - indeed, his suggestion that "Kosminski" had been confused with David Cohen relies in part on an acceptance that Aaron was the right Kozminski, but would not have been a credible suspect.

[aspallek]

Just a reminder that the identification of Farquharson gives us the plausible source for Macnaghten's info (tho not necessarily the private info) regarding Druitt.

1. Farquharson was blabbing about Druitt in 1891 and his story was indeed related to the police (according to news stories) and thus to Macnaghten.

2. Farquharson had coffee/tea plantations in Ceylon, giving him a potential tie to Macnaghten.

3. Farquharson attended Eton at the same time as Macnaghten, though was not in the same class, giving him another potential tie.

[Johnr]

Andy's reference to Eton linking Farqharson and Macnaghten, prompted another inkling in my mind.
In his obituary, Macnaghten was described as a great Etonite.He attended all their get-togethers and reunions. Especially Anniversary Days.
If he was on the committee which organised these functions, it is more than likely that Macnaghten bumped into, not only the turbulent Farquharson but also Evelyn Ruggles-Brise.
Thereby, forming a potential information loop which would have told him much of Druitt's Dorset cricketing background and the fact his family were strongly connected with medicine.
I too, think it highly likely family members, whilst suspicious of Druitt's "sexual madness" would not have uttered a word outside the family until he was dead.
This too probably gives the clue as to why the Druitt Suspicion did not take stronger hold until after MJD's death.The, family members and perhaps Farquharson ( remember he was a Dorset M.P.), possibly discovered more information following a search of Druitt's rooms and talked to school teacher/ cricketing pals.
After all, as Andy has pointed out, both Farquharson's theory re JTR being the suicided "son of a surgeon" (1891) and then the Macnaghten Aide Memoire
(1894) both seem to have emerged after MJD's death. JOHN RUFFELS.

[aspallek]

Andy's reference to Eton linking Farqharson and Macnaghten, prompted another inkling in my mind.
In his obituary, Macnaghten was described as a great Etonite.He attended all their get-togethers and reunions. Especially Anniversary Days.
If he was on the committee which organised these functions, it is more than likely that Macnaghten bumped into, not only the turbulent Farquharson but also Evelyn Ruggles-Brise.

As well as with John Henry Lonsdale, who was in the same class as Macnaghten at Eton and who was the Druitt family's clergyman at Wimborne Minster as well as a former colleage of Montague's at the bar and neighbor in Blackheath.

[Natalie Severn]

But surely Macnaghten,as Chief Constable and then in 1903 Asst Commissioner of CID,would have had continuous contact with Evelyn Ruggles- Brice at the Home Office? Whenever they needed the Home Office to discuss an anarchist cell, a fenian alert, a hanging etc ----Macnaghten would have liaised with him surely as part of their everyday work?

[Mrs Hudson]

Cap't Hook should be awarded with a "Ticking Crocodile Warning System" for pointing out, as he did in his message of 15th December, that the Macnaghten Memorandum is not a memorandum at all, but a "note for file", written for the attention of anyone with access to the respective file. That's why it's not addressed to anyone.

Yet another example of the seemingly irrestible power of alliteration. I would suggest "Macnaghten's Note" from now on.

Anyway, time for tea.

Best wishes to all.

[Captain Hook]

Mrs Hudson,

I would proudly accept the "Ticking Crocodile Warning System" Award if offered. I'm actually posting from crocodile land these days - Kenya - so it could be quite useful.

Cheers,
Hook

[Chris Scott]

Listing of Winchester College in 1871 census

Warden's House, St Mary's College
Head: Godfrey B Lee aged 54 - Clergyman M.A, Warden of Winchester College
Wife: Emma Lee aged 34
Children:
Agnes aged 4
Arthur aged 3
Georgina aged 5 months
Sister in law: Agnes R Crawford aged 40
Brother in Law: Alexander Crawford aged 36 - Lieut R.A. Active Service
Servants:
Thomas Bailey aged 32 - Butler
Jane Avery aged 50 - Cook
Mary Hickley aged 65 - Ladies maid
Eliza Knight aged 18 - Nursemaid
Mary Ridout aged 34 - Housemaid
Emma Garland aged 17 - Kitchen maid
Matilda Smith aged 33 - Nurse
Frances M Dyer aged 31 - Ladies maid
Scholars:
Charles R Lucas aged 17
Walter G Drake aged 18
George V Raynor aged 18
? K Nevill aged 17
John B Moyle aged 18
Reginald L Antrobus aged 17
George C Buckle aged 16
Russell C Day aged 17
Richard R Maxwell aged 17
Henry T Talbot aged 17
George S Bower aged 16
Philip A Fernandez aged 17
John D Todd aged 18
William F Crace aged 16
Arthur A Gossett aged 16
Fred. J Church aged 16
John Bain aged 16
Willoughby C Parr aged 17
Edward Mitford aged 17
Francis L Nash aged 15
James P Smith aged 16
Arthur B Carpenter aged 16
John R Hewett aged 16
William J Gorton aged 15
Thomas A Hampson aged 16
Herbert Bradley aged 16
Campbell Tracey aged 15
Edward A Jennings aged 15
George L Vincent aged 16
Edward T Cook aged 13
Arthur W Collard aged 16
Montague J Druitt aged 13
Francis T Phillips aged 13
Thomas B Bird agd 14
George Hawker aged 14
Edwin Vidal aged 12
James S Tombs aged 13
George R Trevelyan aged 12

Porter: James Thorpe aged 50

College Sick House:
Head: Margaret P Ferris aged 54 - Matron of Sick House
Sister in Law: Mary Farring aged 62
Nephew: Alfred Farring aged 21 - Carpenter

[aspallek]

Thanks, Chris. This information is potentially useful.

I believe Montague eventually ended up residing at Fearon's while in his later years at Winchester. According to Farson (paperback edition only) there was a student at Fearon's in the 1890's who knew of the Druitt family's suspicion of Montague. In the 1891 census there was a student from Parkestone, Dorset by the name of Harvey (Ann Druitt's maiden name) at a neighboring house to Fearon's but alas there appears to be no familial tie that I can establish.

[Mrs Hudson]

Cap't Hook,

I wouldn't hold my breath about the award. The whole idea is likely to fly out the window.

There's still hope though. I know someone who knows someone who knows you. These two men play cricket together. I wonder if they ever played against Druitt.

Talking about Druitt, here are my views on him.

Montague Druitt, from an early age, was a "boy worshipper", which is why Melville Macnaghten, a Victorian gentleman, labelled him "sexually insane".

That is also why Druitt was barred from the Oxford Union; why he went straight to the Blackheath school on leaving Oxford; why he remained at the school even after being called to the Bar; and why he got into "serious trouble" there and was sacked.

After being dismissed at the end of November 1888, Druitt vanished.

His Blackheath sporting friends, who would have known the details of his sacking, at first believed that he had "gone abroad", which is what they recorded in the Minutes of their sports club in December 1888. That is to say, they initially thought that he had left the country to avoid criminal prosecution, as Lord Arthur Somerset did the following year when the Cleveland Street Scandal erupted and as Oscar Wilde was advised to do when his libel case against the Marquis of Queensberry collapsed in 1895.

However, Druitt's friends were wrong. He had not crossed the Channel. He had in fact thrown himself into the Thames, from which his body was plucked on the last day of 1888.

Druitt could have drowned himself in the Thames near Blackheath. His body though was found off Chiswick on the other side of London. That he travelled so far in order to kill himself is a sign that he wished to distance his death from the location of the scandal which had driven him to suicide.

The discovery of Druitt's body meant an inquest into his death, which, in turn, made necessary a damage limitation exercise in order to protect his family, his school and his pupils.

That is why William Druitt, Montague's brother, apparently perjured himself at the inquest in respect of Druitt's surviving relatives; why no one from Druitt's school gave evidence; and why no embarrassing questions were asked about the "serious trouble" which had led to Druitt's dismissal.

The mention of the insanity of Druitt's mother was almost certainly a red herring designed to divert attention away from the real reason for Druitt's dismissal and suicide. In any case, the question of "conventional", as opposed to "sexual", insanity is incompatible with the original views of Druitt's friends that he had "gone abroad". (In my experience, leaving England for France is not an indication of mental derangement. Au contraire!)

The vague phrase, "said to be a doctor", used by Macnaghten in his Note (Note the word "Note"!) to describe Druitt's occupation was a continuation of this damage limitation exercise.

It is difficult to attribute Macnaghten's use of this phrase to ignorance or incompetence. When at Oxford, Druitt would have rubbed shoulders with the elite, men who went on to run the country and the Empire. Macnaghten would have had access to a number of these men when preparing his Note.

An obvious, indeed almost comical, example is Ruggles-Brise, the senior Home Office Civil Servant, who, I believe, went to Eton at the same time as Macnaghten and who almost certainly knew Druitt at Oxford.

None of the above, I stress, makes Druitt Jack the Ripper.

Well that's enough for today.

Sorry about the award, Hook. Never mind, though. You can always carry a short stick around when in Kenya. Just remember to use it vertically, not horizontally. You are likely to lose your other hand (at least), if you make that mistake.

[aspallek]

Mrs Hudson,

You've actually composed a fairly well-reasoned post here. Your theory suffers, however, from the lack of any evidence that Druitt was a homosexual or a "boy worshiper." You base this entirely on Macnaghten's labeling of Druitt as "sexually insane." In fact, other that one instance as used by Wilde, I cannot find this expression to be a euphemism for homosexuality in the VP.

You do make a number of reasoned deductions, however:

1. Macnaghten's "said to be a doctor" could possibly be an intentional ruse to conceal a portion of Druitt's identity. Whether you call the Macnaghten document a "note" or a "memorandum" is immaterial. Just remember also that you must interpret these things in light of Macnaghten's later views as expressed in his (1914) memoirs/autobiography where he uses the term "sexual mania" in relation to JtR. The former must be interpreted in light of the latter.

2. The expression "gone abroad" as used by Druitt's cricketing mates is probably not meant literally, i.e., they probably did not actually believe that he had fled the country.

3. Macnaghten was about four years older than Ruggles-Brise, so I'm not sure how well they would have known one another at Eton. However, I do believe Macnaghten was a bit older than the average student of his class. Edit -- Macnaghten, Lonsdale, and Ruggles-Brise are indeed all listed as "Upper School -- Fifth Form" at Eton for 1871. Henry Richard Farquharson is listed as "Upper School -- Fifth Form" for 1874.

4. Ruggles-Brise was Commissioner of Prisons at the time when Arthur Griffiths was Inspector of Prisons. Griffiths' note in his 1898 book "Mysteries of Police and Crime" shows that he was familiar with the contents of the Macnaghten memorandum. However, Macnaghten and Griffiths were good friends themselves so Ruggles-Brise need not have been involved in this.

5. Your observation regarding William Harvey Druitt's perjury at the inquest into his brother's death is a sound one, however it need not have anything to do with homosexuality. The scandal of suicide and insanity would be daunting enough to avoid at all costs. Remember that William Himself had experience conducting coroner's inquests and would have the knowledge and influence needed to manipulate these proceedings. See http://forum.casebook.org/showpost.p...17&postcount=1

6. Incidentally, there appears to be a Ruggles-Brise who attended Winchester in the 1880's (not Evelyn, of course).

[Mrs Hudson]

Dear Mr. Spallek,

Thank you for your comments.

I have no doubt that when Druitt's Blackheath sporting friends wrote those words "gone abroad" in the Minutes of their club they meant that quite literally, which, apart from anything else, is why they at the same time removed him from his club posts. They did not expect to see him ever again in Blackheath or, for that matter, anywhere where the Queen's writ ran.

Those friends would have known the details of his dismissal and would have been aware that he faced prosecution under (at the very least) the Criminal Law Amenment Act of 1885. That is why they interpreted his sudden disappearance as flight to a foreign land.

They were wrong of course; Druitt had chosen to end his torment in the Thames. However, their mistake was an honest and understandable one. I've no doubt that they genuinely believed that Druitt had "gone abroad" (i.e. left the country) when they wrote those Minutes.

Minutes after all are supposed to be an accurate record of events and as such reflect the integrity of the organisation which compiles them. They are not the place to use coded language.

Anyway, Happy New Year to all.