The Elephant Man

[JTRSickert]

JTR was none other than The Elephant Man himself, John/Joseph Merrick! Motive? The guy is very seriosuly deformed, mocked by many as a sideshow freak attraction, no woman wants him, he resides in a hospital (under the care of Dr. Treves); this could account for alleged "medical knowledge; the hospital is in the heart of Whitechapel, same hospital where Openshaw examined the "From hell" kidney and received a Ripper letter. He kills prostitutes to vent his rage against women and society in general and then makes his way back to the hospital, no one suspecting the truth. LOL.

[Mascara & Paranoia]

Aw, come on mate, leave poor Joseph alone. From what I read about him he seemed like a sweet bloke. Though I am amazed that there hasn't been a movie or book about him being the Ripper by now haha (or is there? o_O).

But on a more serious note, and I know you're joking, but Joseph being the Ripper is almost an impossibility. No offence but I can't imagine any prostitute servicing him, no matter how hard pressed they are for money (I know that sounds horrible but I can't think of a more sensitive way of putting it). That and he would've been spotted or caught in no time. It's just ridiculous to even consider on a serious level (which, again, I know you were joking, but still, some people might actually be daft enough to believe it ).

Let's let the man have some peace in death, eh? (And where the f**k did this heart suddenly appear from! )

[Limehouse]

The notion that people who suffer from disfigurement must therefore vent their rage and anger on society is highly insulting and vastly underestimates the courage and dignity of such people. This suggestion, particularly made in humour, is tasteless and insensitive. Please be aware that Mr Merrick was a real person, he has living relatives and there are people walking around today with the same disease that Mr Merrick had - and similar diseases.

You may be surprised to learn that a severely disfigured person known personally to me has no trouble attracting women because he is a deeply enagaging and caring person. He gets on with his life, holds no anger towards anyone (for anger is so destructive) and despite the added burden of physical disability caused by the disease that disfigures him (neurofibromatosis) he has never been out of work.

[JTRSickert]

Limehouse,

I was not mocking Merrick or his afflication. i was merely trying to make a humorous comment on the coincidence that he was in London in the same district and time period that JTR was around. I have nothing but sympathy for those that are afflicted with similar illnesses and dohope thay make it well through life.

[Limehouse]

Fair enough Mr Sickert, but your theory, mocking or otherwise, included lines such as:

"The guy is very seriosuly deformed, mocked by many as a sideshow freak attraction, no woman wants him"

AND:

[/I][/B]"He kills prostitutes to vent his rage against women and society in general"[I][B]

These are much expressed assumptions about people with disfigurements/disabilities which are stereotypes, maintaining that only 'normal, attractive people' can cope with life!

Ms Cornwell's motive for Sickert being the killer is his so-called 'penal disfigurement/disfunction' and other people HAVE pointed at Mr Merrick as a candidate for JtR based on his disfigurement.

[JTRSickert]

Please excuse my unintentional offense, limehouse.

by the way, no need for the formal "Mr. Sickert." it's not like I'm the real-life Wally. LOl

JT will do just fine

[Versa]

rofl the man couldnt lift his head from a pillow! and i think.... he might of been spotted lurching through the streets.

[Fictionnaire]

I was thinking about Jack The Ripper and Joseph Merrick. Not in the way of him being a suspect. But you have a young man who looks like a monster but could be a kind hearted caring man.

On the other hand, you have Jack The Ripper. (I'm assuming here) A man who's appearance may be charming, nice and trusting but a real monster on the inside.

I also believe that it couldn't be physically possible for Joseph to have committed these acts.

[belinda]

Not very funny.Joseph Merrick suffered enough in life.It's not fair to go on mocking the poor man.

*****I was thinking about Jack The Ripper and Joseph Merrick. Not in the way of him being a suspect. But you have a young man who looks like a monster but could be a kind hearted caring man.

On the other hand, you have Jack The Ripper. (I'm assuming here) A man who's appearance may be charming, nice and trusting but a real monster on the inside.*****

Very interesting point

[Eastender]

An interesting point about Joseph Merrick is that he used the vast underground network of tunnels and stores under the London Hospital to get about without being troubled by observers. I have often wondered if JTR did the same. What better place to hide stolen organs than in a gigantic store of bottled organs and tissue samples. As late as 1975 the entrances to the tunnels were not kept locked, and any student, porter or hospital cleaner knew how to get into them.

[Nschaal]

I think people should start to seriously consider the possibility of Joseph Merrick as Jack the Ripper. Let’s look at the facts…

• His mother, Mary Jane Potterton (also somewhat deformed) died when he was just 12 years old.

• It has also been speculated that his mother was in fact a prostitute.

• His father remarried and his stepmother didn’t want him (rejection by women).

• Marrick worked and lived in the Whitechapel before Dr. Fredrick Treves discovered him (259 Whitechapel Road, E1 - now called the Ukay London Sari Centre).

• Merrick admitted himself in the freak show willingly and wasn’t abused (contrary to the David Lynch film).

• The Royal London Hospital, where Merrick lived out most of his life, is located in Whitechapel on Whitechapel Road, E1 1BB.

• The Hospital was connected to an intricate series of tunnels that could have been used by the Ripper to evade the police (double event).

• While accepting the hospitality of Dr. Treves by being admitted to the Royal London Hospital, Merrick had access to a wide range of medical utensils.

• Dr. Openshaw examined the Kidney from the “From Hell Letter” at the Royal London Hospital. A letter allegedly sent by Jack the Ripper to Openshaw was mailed to the Royal London Hospital.

• It has been speculated that Jack the Ripper was left handed, Joseph Merrick could only use his left hand due to his disfigurement.

• Take a look at the penmanship of the Openshaw letter and a letter written by Joseph Merrick...





• The eyewitness reports of Jack the Ripper match the “public clothing” that Merrick wore…



• We all know the psychological effects of bullying/maltreatment, Merrick had this plus the stigma attached to being deformed.

• Joseph Merrick was a local celebrity at the time and one can hypothesize that possibly Dr. Treves/ the Queen covered up his homicidal tendencies to get funding for the Royal London Hospital.

• Serial killers are often very kind on the surface (Ted Bundy), but in reality are sociopaths covering up their true feelings towards humanity.

• Joseph Merrick committed suicide on the 11th of April 1890, two years after the death of Mary Jane Kelly.

Joseph Merrick had the opportunity, the motive, and the capability to perpetrate the Whitechapel murders. Just because he was a celebrity at the time and had the façade of a kind man doesn’t make him exempt as a serious Ripper suspect.

[Phil Carter]

Hello Nschaal,

Oh God, here we go again...right... one chance.

FACT:- There is a 100% chance that this poor man would have been recognised.
FACT:- Hiding his deformed face and body could only have made him even more suspect, thereby recognisable.
FACT:- Men didnt normally walk around in the dead of night with their heads and faces covered up by an oversized cloth bag on their head, with slits for eyes.
FACT:- He does not fit any description of any person seen near the murders, in the area and was never even seen at all outside during the whole of the WM.

Now please go somewhere else and play little games..

[Nschaal]

FACT: Eyewitness reports are notoriously inaccurate and are often discounted by even the most hardened police officers.

Joseph Merrick could have easily used the tunnel system running underneath Whitechapel and the Royal London Hospital to avoid detection. People give Joseph Merrick a pass because of his disability, if anything it gives him more motive than the average person. He was taunted and teased by the majority of the impoverished people of Whitechapel; he took out his rage on drunken prostitutes then killed himself because of the immense guilt he felt. Bullying has a huge effect on people, just look at Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

Also, this isn't a game, you're just jealous I solved one of the greatest murder mysteries of all time.

[Monty]

I think your chain is being yanked Phil.

The evidence, left hand and throat cuts for example, lead away from Merrick.

Its extremely unlikely he was Jack the Ripper.

And some of the 'facts' presented are incorrect.

Monty

[kensei]

Bullying has a huge effect on people, just look at Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

Sorry this is slightly off topic, but the recent book "Columbine" by Dave Cullen exposes the belief that Harris and Klebold were bullied as being largely a myth.