Name your top 3 suspects with top 3 reasons why you think so...

[Tom_Wescott]

Where can I read up more on this character?

Hi lemonjelly. Nothing of real substance has yet been published on Le Grand, but that will change in a week or two when Casebook Examiner #2 comes out with my essay. You can pick it up at www.casebook.org/examiner. I'm also working on a book about this exciting suspect.

Anything Mr Wescott writes or says has to be taken with a pinch of salt

Trevor is being characteristically disingenuous here. He has yet to read ANYTHING I've ever published.

know I shouldn't be, given the topic, but I am always slightly amused by the term 'homocidal tendencies' which I have seen many times in relation to suspects (indeed, even in the famous 'notes' I believe).

What exactly does this mean? A tendency to commit homocide? So, why is he roaming the streets? Or does it mean that, given the chance, he would commit homocide?

I can't speak for anyone else, and I'm sure it means different things about different suspects, but I meant it in the sense that Le Grand was murderous.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[richardnunweek]

Hi.
As I am a staunch supporter of Mrs Maxwell, my chief suspect has to be the last person seen with Mary Kelly ie, man described as a market porter.
Who was this person?
Obviously no idea, but description being aged around 50, short ,stout, would rule out suspects such as Barnett, Fleming, Tumblety, kosminsky,Hutchinson, kelly, Druit , and all of the others, apart from perhaps Maybrick.
We should remember that the only other man seen with a victim at daybreak plus, ie, Mrs Long describes the man as that age, and short.
I am of the opinion that the two victims killed on the 8/9th of a month ie Chapman, and kelly, were committed during daylight, and the killer worked at the market.
Regards Richard.

[Fleetwood Mac]

Future. I would go along with you on Bury and Kelly as being up there simply because they are known to have attacked women with knives. I would throw in Sadler into that group...too.

But.....it doesn't mean they're decent suspects. There will have been plenty of men knocking round in that area capable of attacking women with knives - including some of the gangs knocking about.

I like Sadler. I like the idea of someone on a ship who was around only Thursday to Sunday - hence the murders in those days - though Sadler could have been around on other days - and I'd concede it's one of a number of possible explanations. And with a sailor type being spotted with Eddowes - who was probably her killer - then it's a decent enough proposition.

But to me that is a very important point - the Thursday to Sunday days - law of averages says there's a good reason for that - rather than coincidence.

Tom Wescott seems to have someone who may prove interesting.

Oh and the graffiti on Bury's wall - did it actually exist? seems a like a tall tail to me.

[Fleetwood Mac]

Yes. But he murdered her for a reason. He knew she knew he was the Ripper. That is why he went through such an elaborate plan to go to Dundee. The fake employment letter, the box, etc.

Were that the case....fair to say those were the actions of a man trying to avoid detection. Why hang around then and turn up at the polis shop after killing his wife?

[Tom_Wescott]

Tom Wescott seems to have someone who may prove interesting.

You got that right. I'm not saying Le Grand was the Ripper, because I don't know that he was, but he's certainly the best suspect put forth yet. I think he will eventually emerge as the favored suspect because:

1) He has a cool name - Charles Le Grand. 'Jack the Ripper' is famous because he, too, had a cool name.

2) He was no mamsy pamsy nancy boy like Tumblety and Druitt, or chronic spanker like the Koz. He kept a house full of women and knew how to get paid.

3) He was a true Alpha Male - 6 ft tall, an arsenal of weapons, and a firm pimp hand.

I hope it doesn't seem like I'm being overly scientific in my approach to the facts, but let it be said that my suspect could beat up all the other suspects, and therefore deserves his place at the front of the line.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[spyglass]

My top three are...

1. William Gull

2. Walter sickert

3. John Netley

...We all know why.

[Adam Went]

Tom:

I'm certainly looking forward to your explanation of how Le Grand could be 6 feet tall and have all the major witnesses describe somebody far, far shorter than that. Plus the fence over which Albert Cadosch heard a bump was 5'6 tall, if it was Le Grand on the other side, Cadosch should have been able to see the colour of his coat, eh?

But I shall be objective and reserve judgement until I have the chance to read the entire article.....

Cheers,
Adam.

[mklhawley]

You got that right. I'm not saying Le Grand was the Ripper, because I don't know that he was, but he's certainly the best suspect put forth yet. I think he will eventually emerge as the favored suspect because:

1) He has a cool name - Charles Le Grand. 'Jack the Ripper' is famous because he, too, had a cool name.

2) He was no mamsy pamsy nancy boy like Tumblety and Druitt, or chronic spanker like the Koz. He kept a house full of women and knew how to get paid.

3) He was a true Alpha Male - 6 ft tall, an arsenal of weapons, and a firm pimp hand.

I hope it doesn't seem like I'm being overly scientific in my approach to the facts, but let it be said that my suspect could beat up all the other suspects, and therefore deserves his place at the front of the line.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

I like your thinking, especially the first one, but my Tumblety would just hire some thugs to do the dirty work. Problem is, his thugs would probably lose.

Sincerely,

Mike

[ChainzCooper]

Whats up everyone,
I would say from the general JTR books and JTR suspect books I've read the two (don't have a third yet) that intrigue me the most are James Maybrick and James Kelly. I just recently purchased Jack the Ripper:Unmasked and from what I've read on the boards here William Bury seems like a strong suspect,considering the manner he killed and mutilated his wife. Has anyone read this book and what did do you guys think about it?
Jordan

[SaraCarter33]

Don't know about james kelly, however as for maybrick i won't say maybrick was JTR, but in my eyes i consider him to be a strong suspect that's just my opinion anyways. come to think of it i need to get back into my research of JTR.


have you read the diary of jack the ripper by shirley harrison? that book goes into great detail about mr maybrick.

[Gman992]

I'll give you my top three who DIDN'T do it.

1). Sir William Gull--seventy years+stroke victim--probably couldn't even pick up a knife to butter his bread without difficulty.
2). Prince Eddy--wasn't even in town when the murders happened.
3). Dr. Franicis Tumblety--a dandy, charaltan, teller of tall tales, most likely gay-meaning he wouldn't be killing women, he would be killing gay men, very distinguished looking-I mean people would've noticed this guy, and very probably drop dead at the site of blood. Also, wasn't he in jail when Mary Kelly was killed?

[Adam Went]

Radical Joe:

My apologies, I didn't see your earlier post mentioning Lewis Carroll. Sometimes it seems to be just about name-dropping when it comes to JTR suspects. With that in mind, who's going to create more interest to your average outsider, the author of Alice in Wonderland or the butcher with syphilis? Unfortunately some people don't let the facts get in the way of such hypothesis, but that's the way it is - however, Levy definitely needs to be out on his own.

W.H. Bury is definitely far from being the worst suspect out there either...

Cheers,
Adam.

[tji]

Hi all

For those who know me they won't be surprised to know my number one suspect is :-

Jacob Levy - He just seems to fit for me.

2 Hyam Hyams. He is very similar to Jacob Levy however Jacob just seems to have that edge. One problem I have with Hyams against Levy was that he was a fruiterer, Levy was a butcher.

3 Francis Tumblety - this was is for sentimental reasons. He was the person that got me interested in Jtr.


Tj

[Tom_Wescott]

I'm certainly looking forward to your explanation of how Le Grand could be 6 feet tall and have all the major witnesses describe somebody far, far shorter than that. Plus the fence over which Albert Cadosch heard a bump was 5'6 tall, if it was Le Grand on the other side, Cadosch should have been able to see the colour of his coat, eh?

My essay is mostly hard fact. I don't get too much into explanations or speculation, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait for my book, although I assure you the explanation for my your first question is a simple one. As for Cadosch, I posted about this on the forums yesterday. He had just had stomach surgery, was very uncomfortable, and was apparently going into his backyard to use the privvy. He did not look towards the fence and spent the entirety of the time inside the privvy, where he could not see anything but the walls around him. As for Le Grand's height, I'm willing to wager that the Ripper did not mutilate Chapman with his toes while standing up, thus must have been hunched over well below the fence line.

In any event, if this thread is anything to go by, the Ripper was either William Gull, Lewis Carroll, James Maybrick, or William Bury, or perhaps a collaboration of all four, so we're just spinning our wheels looking at the real police suspects!

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Roy Corduroy]

...the real police suspects!

James Kelly was a real police suspect, too.

Looking forward to your essay, Tom. And if you have swung a book deal, all the better, and congratulations.

Roy