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

[c.d.]

I should have added did the American papers get their story screwed up?

c.d.

[Jonathan H]

What 'mess'?

Dr Tumblety was the major contemporaneous Ripper suspect. That does not of course mean he was actually the murderer.

What R J Palmer has shown in his brilliant articles is that a strong, historical argument can be mounted that Anderson was anxious to investigate this suspect through various channels [why wouldn't he be?] and that the American Quack was arrested as a Whitechapel suspect, but charged with gross indecency.

Palmer's excellent point is to drop the word 'pursue' in favour of 'investigate' just as the British police did with Dr Cream. They are therefore not 'chasing' Tumblety, but trying to get information to understand him and see if it leads to further conclusions about him as 'Jack'?

Plus, is it really just a coincidence that the Edwardian image of the Ripper matches Tumblety in key features: a medical man, a 'deviant', one chased by police in 1888?

This is the whole point of the Littlechild Letter of 1913.

It is rudely stripping Sims' 'Drowned Doctor' of itss [un-named] Druitt-encrustations to reveal the real figure behind the mythos of the super-efficient police dragnet chasing the fiend who topped himself [two suspects fused together, one major and one minor; one believed to have suicided but definitely gone abroad, with one who was rumoured to have gone abroad but definitely suicided].

Arguably, Dt T has been there in front of us all along.

[Trevor Marriott]

What 'mess'?

Dr Tumblety was the major contemporaneous Ripper suspect. That does not of course mean he was actually the murderer.

What R J Palmer has shown in his brilliant articles is that a strong, historical argument can be mounted that Anderson was anxious to investigate this suspect through various channels [why wouldn't he be?] and that the American Quack was arrested as a Whitechapel suspect, but charged with gross indecency.

Palmer's excellent point is to drop the word 'pursue' in favour of 'investigate' just as the British police did with Dr Cream. They are therefore not 'chasing' Tumblety, but trying to get information to understand him and see if it leads to further conclusions about him as 'Jack'?

Plus, is it really just a coincidence that the Edwardian image of the Ripper matches Tumblety in key features: a medical man, a 'deviant', one chased by police in 1888?

This is the whole point of the Littlechild Letter of 1913.

It is rudely stripping Sims' 'Drowned Doctor' of itss [un-named] Druitt-encrustations to reveal the real figure behind the mythos of the super-efficient police dragnet chasing the fiend who topped himself [two suspects fused together, one major and one minor; one believed to have suicided but definitely gone abroad, with one who was rumoured to have gone abroad but definitely suicided].

Arguably, Dt T has been there in front of us all along.

But maybe for not much longer !!

[mklhawley]

I am completely confused here. It was my understanding that the only evidence for Tumblety being charged as a Ripper suspect came from a statement that he made to that effect. But I just looked at the suspect page and it said that he was charged and let out on bail before he fled the country. If that was the case, how could he have ever been let out on bail and most certainly he would have been followed would he not? And why did the New York police say that they couldn't extradite him because of the nature of his offense (which I take to mean the indecency charges)?

Somebody please help me out here.

c.d.

c.d.,

I think you are confuse with being arrested and being charged. Notice the following Article:

Rochester Democrat and Republican
3 December 1888
Special to the New York World.
LONDON, Dec. 1.--The last seen of Dr. Tumblety was at Havre, and it is taken for granted that he has sailed for New York. It will be remembered that the doctor, who is known in this country for his eccentricities, was arrested some time ago in London on suspicion of being concerned in the perpetration of the Whitechapel murders. The police, being unable to procure the necessary evidence against him in connection therewith, decided to hold him for trial for another offense against a statute which was passed shortly after the publication in the Pall Mall Gazette
TUMBLETY'S CAREER.


Under the rule of law, if someone pays bail set by a judge, officials are legally bound to let him go. The judge thought he was serious enough of a problem to set bail at $1,500, four years wages of a police inspector. Sadly, Tumblety was rich enough to work the system and pay the $300. Keep in mind, Tumblety had been honing his skills on getting out of tight legal corners for decades. Remember what Roger Palmer comments upon, American officials did not consider him a serious JTR suspect. Do we know that Scotland Yard did not try to extradite him on the gross indencency? Also, would that have been a public embarassment to spend the $25,000 (todays money) to extradite someone back to England?

Sincerely,

Mike

[mklhawley]

Also, Jonathan makes a valid point. We first need to separate the possibility of Tumblety being JTR with Scotland Yard considering him a serious suspect.

I believe the root cause to this particular controversy (Francis Tumblety being a serious JTR suspect in the eyes of Scotland Yard or not) for the last decade has been the brilliant writings of Wolf Vanderlinden. Before you think I am just sucking up, let me explain. For months I could not put my finger on why Wolf’s fact-based arguments did not convert me until Roger Palmer stated it so clearly. Wolf violated one of the tenets of the scientific process, the principle of parsimony (Ockham’s Razor), yet he crafted his arguments so well within the available evidence that it did not appear so. In other words, Ockham’s Razor means the simplest logical argument is most often the truth. Wolf clearly used primary sources to support his arguments, but in this case I believe parsimony was the missing piece.

Case in point on the principle of parsimony properly used in ripperology (by Wolf himself): The site of the ripper-like murder of New York City prostitute Carrie Brown (on the night of April 23/24, 1889) is smack dab in the middle of Francis Tumblety’s two places of residence and walking distance to both. At the same time of the murder, Tumblety was living in Brooklyn near the newly built Brooklyn Bridge (1883). Just on the other side of the bridge in New York City (.9 miles walking distance away) is Carrie Brown’s murder site. If one continues the northwesterly walk another 2.1 miles to Tumblety’s NYC residence, you’d be walking through the poor Whitechapel-type district of NYC (in 1889). All three locations are less than three miles walking distance from end to end! Even though Tumblety was in Hot Springs, Arkansas, about five days prior, he had ample time to take a train back to New York to commit the murder. With all of these surprising series of coincidences and even taking into account that Tumblety was also in the Whitechapel district during the murders, I am still convinced Tumblety did not kill Carrie Brown. Why? -because of Wolf Vanderlinden’s writings on Carrie Brown. In this case, not only are his arguments logical and fact-based with primary sources, he also followed the principle of parsimony. His arguments are the simplest.

In the case of Tumblety being considered a serious JTR suspect by Scotland Yard, specifically, did Dr. Anderson contact American Chief’s of Police to investigate Tumblety, notice what Roger Palmer states,

“Rather than an American police chief [Crowley] being ‘inspired’ by contemporary news reports of Tumblety’s London arrest, there is a far more simple explanation. Tumblety was ‘among the suspects’ in the Whitechapel murder case, so obviously there would have been a police investigation by the authorities in London.”

I never understood why a busy man like San Francisco Police Chief Crowley would voluntarily waste valuable resources on an idea he personally did not believe.

If someone does not understand the truth-searching power of the principle of parsimony, it is the filtering process in science when faced with multiple objective fact-based claims. Does it work? Proof is in the pudding. Notice the exponential rise in scientific discoveries within the last century.

If you have not read Palmer’s article, you need to. It is not a case of who’s right or who’s wrong, because this way of thinking misdirects the search to personal agendas of merely winning. It is a case of discovering the truth, and if Scotland Yard seriously considered Francis Tumblety as a JTR suspect, this is the path we need to follow regardless if he was JTR or not just as Jonathan was pointing out.

Sincerely,

Mike

[c.d.]

Hi Mike,

I am still confused. The Casebook suspect page says that "Tumblety was then charged on suspicion of the Whitechapel murders on the 12th." I guess I am confused as to whether he was arrested just one time or was it two separate occasions. In other words, was he arrested (but not charged) on suspicion of being the Ripper, let go for lack of evidence, and then arrested again and charged with gross indecency?

c.d.

[mklhawley]

Hi c.d.,

This is a really good question.

Here's what Roger Palmer states in his article, "Back on November 7th, Francis Tumblety had been picked up on London, but, by all appearances was quickly given police bail. Two days later, Mary Kelly was murdered in the East End. On November 14th a warrant was issued for Tumblety's arrest, and now back in custody, he was charged with four counts of gross indecency and four countsof indecent assault. Nonetheless, on November 16th, he again made bail."

I'm not so sure the 12th is correct. Notice that particular article does not talk about the Novemver 14th warrant out for his arrest. Can you charge someone if they are not present?


Mike

[Tom_Wescott]

Roger did not present his material as a "mess." I for one, understood his writing perfectly.

Please do not confuse my meaning to curry favor. RJ's writing is majesterial and clear as crystal. What I meant by 'mess' was the general confusion of sources which RJ acknowledges and is trying to work through. I'm sure my meaning was obvious.

Thanks for posting the newspaper sources, but it seems in this instance that for every report that says one thing, there's another that contradicts it.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[c.d.]

What we don't know is why Tumblety fell under suspicion. If the police were aware of the American doctor seeking to obtain uteri from hospitals, and if they believed Tumblety to be a real doctor and had heard of his supposed uteri collection, it is not unreasonable that they would want to question him. Throw in his alleged hatred of women and it would seem a no brainer. It is also possible that they wanted to question him about his Fenian activities and this would have been a good way to do a little fishing.

I know that I have said this before but it is extremely hard to believe that he would go on to kill Mary Kelly (yes, I am assuming that she was a Ripper victim) after being in police custody for whatever reason. He would have had to have been a complete fool to think that he was not being watched. (Please no rebuttals citing some sort of psychological profile -- yes, it is possible that he might have done so but seems extremely improbable, to me anyway).

c.d.

[Abby Normal]

1. George Chapman

Known multiple woman murderer, Abberlines man, possible surgical skill, fits witness description, lived in/knew environment, explains why murders ceased (moved away)

2. William Bury

Known woman murderer with knife, Police suspect, possible butcher experience, fits description, lived in/knew environment, explains why murders ceased (moved away-then hanged), possible grafitti at his home implicates as JtR, hangman's suspect

3. James Kelly

Known woman murderer with knife, police suspect, skill with blade, escaped asylum just before WM started, lived in/knew environment,fits description,"Warpath", slippery fellow, explains why murders ceased (moved away).


4. George Hutchinson

Places himself at murder scene, too detailed description of "suspect", admitted knew Mary Kelly, watched M Kellys room (probably E. Longs watcher), lived in/ knew area, implicated a jew, only witness that is also viable suspect

[mklhawley]

What we don't know is why Tumblety fell under suspicion. If the police were aware of the American doctor seeking to obtain uteri from hospitals, and if they believed Tumblety to be a real doctor and had heard of his supposed uteri collection, it is not unreasonable that they would want to question him. Throw in his alleged hatred of women and it would seem a no brainer. It is also possible that they wanted to question him about his Fenian activities and this would have been a good way to do a little fishing.

I know that I have said this before but it is extremely hard to believe that he would go on to kill Mary Kelly (yes, I am assuming that she was a Ripper victim) after being in police custody for whatever reason. He would have had to have been a complete fool to think that he was not being watched. (Please no rebuttals citing some sort of psychological profile -- yes, it is possible that he might have done so but seems extremely improbable, to me anyway).

c.d.

Hi c.d.,

I believe it had nothing to do with the uterus specimen story.

Roger Palmer makes a quick comment about this. He states, “And though we don’t know precisely when the Metropolitan Police first began to investigate Tumblety in 1888, it was, in all probability, shortly after the murders of Liz Stride and Kate Eddowes, for it is known that during the first week of October, 1888, a “man from New York who keeps an Herb Shop in Whitechapel,” was questioned by the police.”

I found this mentioned in The Bridgeport News on 08 October 1888 (see below) In it, it talks about Whitechapel authorities checking out all theories, and this particular theory suggested that JTR was looking for the elixir of life found in female body parts, such as the uterus (quite appropriate). Regardless of the truth to this, notice that the investigators went to a herb shop run by an American from New York. We know our Indian Herb Doctor, Tumblety, was in Whitechapel at this time, and notice what the article in The Brooklyn Citizen on November 23, 1888 states, "...He [Tumblety] came to this city [Brooklyn] in 1863 from Sherbrook, Canada, where he said he had been a practicing physician. He opened a store on the southeast corner of Fulton and Nassau streets, and sold herb preparations…”

It seems this could very well have been the first time Tumblety went on the Whitechapel investigators’ radar screen. I’m sure in true Tumblety fashion, he acted very odd and elusive to the authorities. It would not be a stretch to the imagination for these investigators to be very curious about the herb store owner.

Sincerely,

Mike

[mklhawley]

Here’s what the Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette (26 December 1888) and The Bucks County Gazette (13 December, 1888) have to say about his starting the herb business in Whitechapel.

“…His "herb doctoring" finally became unprofitable in America; so he went to London, located near the Whitechapel road, and for a while did a big business. His oddity of manner, dress and speech soon made him notorious as the "American doctor"; but he enjoyed notoriety and turned it into money, till the Whitechapel horrors caused a general overhauling of suspicious characters…”

Either this is a huge coincidence, or the Whitechapel investigators certainly did visit Tumblety in early October.

Sincerely,

Mike

[Abby Normal]

Here’s what the Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette (26 December 1888) and The Bucks County Gazette (13 December, 1888) have to say about his starting the herb business in Whitechapel.

“…His "herb doctoring" finally became unprofitable in America; so he went to London, located near the Whitechapel road, and for a while did a big business. His oddity of manner, dress and speech soon made him notorious as the "American doctor"; but he enjoyed notoriety and turned it into money, till the Whitechapel horrors caused a general overhauling of suspicious characters…”

Either this is a huge coincidence, or the Whitechapel investigators certainly did visit Tumblety in early October.

Sincerely,

Mike

Hello
Tumblety is an intriguein charactor, but do you think and old, large, fat man-ostentatious in appearance and personality, was capable of moving like a shadow unseen through the strrets and alleyways of Whitechapel?

[mklhawley]

Hi Abby Normal,

I believe all of these types of arguments were secondary add-ons, once people believed Tumblety was not a serious suspect in the eyes of Scotland Yard. Below are some counter-arguments I posted months ago. Some need to be updated, but you'll get the point. ...so, the answer is I have yet to hear an argument that eliminates Tumblety as a serious JTR suspect.

Argument 1: Tumblety was too much of a flamboyant fame-seeking publicity hound to be JTR. He would ultimately have wanted to take credit for being the world’s famous serial killer.
Even if he was a publicity hound, it’s quite common for people to lead two separate lives (an acceptable public life and a seedy private life). We know Tumblety actually did lead two separate lives because of his arrest for having multiple homosexual Whitechapel encounters. Yet, I believe this is a serious misconception. Many see him as a harmless eccentric guy with the motivation to fit in with the rich and famous. On the contrary, Tumblety’s actions suggest he was the poster child for an aggressive narcissist. After Corey123 had made convincing arguments to show JTR was the worst kind of narcissist, it hit me that Tumblety shared some of these traits. Notice the Hare Psychopathy checklist for an aggressive narcissist: Glibness/superficial charm, Grandiose sense of self-worth, Pathological lying, Cunning/manipulative, Lack of remorse or guilt, Shallow affect (expressing emotions deceptively), Callous/lack of empathy, Failure to accept responsibility for own actions. Each one is classic Tumblety. His flamboyance was merely a tool for manipulation in order to attain his true desire: personal financial gain. He was a narcissistic scam artist employing effective sales and marketing techniques in order to manipulate a gullible public. In an era of slow mass communication, Tumblety would enter a new city in full glamour as if he were on a parade. There are numerous newspaper articles discussing this and even discussing the wealth he acquired. Even his parties were attempts to gain credibility with the more fortunate crowds in order to reinforce his money making practice. Once the public finally learned about his true background from better-informed authorities or once his patients started getting sick and even dying (evidence of no remorse), he merely pulled up his stakes and took his freshly earned money and business to a new city (or country).

Argument 2: Tumblety was nearly 6’ tall and had a huge mustache, so he would have been too conspicuous in the Whitechapel streets.
If Tumblety were JTR, do you really think it would be impossible for him to be inconspicuous? He certainly felt inconspicuous enough to pursue his homosexual activities with multiple young men in the Whitechapel district in November 1888 when authorities were at the height of combing the streets for JTR.

Keep in mind; the majestic tiger with its massive body and flamboyant colors has an MO of stealth and stalking, not unlike Jack the Ripper. Why are 500 – 800 pound brightly colored tigers so good at surprising their prey? They effectively use the environment. According to Donald Rumbelow, the streets of Whitechapel were very dark with multiple nooks and crannies. Although a picture of Tumblety has his mustache displayed out, the photograph of him in uniform has his mustache following the contour of his face and neck. This could easily fit into a cloak. A 5 foot 11 inch man is no different than a 5 foot 8-inch man at night and in the shadows, especially if he dresses down. Even in Tumblety’s interview in January 1889, he admits to dressing inconspicuously, “I was not dressed in a way to attract attention…”

Argument 3: Tumblety is too old to be a credible JTR suspect.
Remember, Tumblety was arrested twice for violent homosexual encounters in November 1888 with no less than four men. I’m sure the authorities who arrested him at the time for aggressive illegal sexual activities would not consider him too old to handle middle-aged female prostitutes (one at a time). Tumblety had certainly enough mojo to pursue multiple young men while in his fifties. Newspapers continued to characterize him as a powerfully built man. Keep in mind; the oldest known serial killer was a full 20 years older than Tumblety was at the time of the Whitechapel murders. It is also interesting to note that the JTR victims were in their forties; easier targets than younger prostitutes. Didn’t the youthful Ted Bundy likewise hunt youthful victims, so it is not out of the question that an older JTR would prefer older prostitutes?

Argument 4: There is no concrete evidence that Scotland Yard considered Tumblety a serious suspect.
To me, Evans & Gainey’s arguments are convincing enough to answer this argument, but even if you do not, absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence. This is especially true with such a cold case as JTR where concrete physical evidence is all but absent. According to Donald Rumbelow, Scotland Yard officials were directed to exclude the press on the JTR investigation entirely. In view of this, how can one conclude Tumblety’d JTR suspect status by what Scotland Yard said or what they told the press? No wonder the UK press was so silent about Tumblety. With this kind of policy, in order to discover their true motives, one should not consider what Scotland Yard said but consider what they did. They certainly followed Tumblety to the U.S., and in following known Scotland Yard policy, claimed he was not being investigated for the Whitechapel murders.
Tumblety himself admitted to a reporter in January 1889 that Whitechapel authorities not only arrested him for the Whitechapel murders but also charged him with the murders. Tumblety stated, “I happened to be there when these Whitechapel murders…I was not dressed in a way to attract attention… I had simply been guilty of wearing a slouch hat, and for that I was charged with a series of the most horrible crimes ever recorded.” I believe it is foolhardy to reject Tumblety’s truthfulness in this particular part of the interview. He had nothing to gain by admitting to this, especially in light of his chosen profession. Tumblety would be more convincing to begin with facts already known to the public (being arrested and charged in connection with his type of hat), and then twist the story from there into a plausible yet deceptive story.
Interestingly, Tumblety claimed he was going to prepare a pamphlet to refute all charges against him, which never happened. This is reminiscent of what OJ Simpson claimed and then failed to do (recall that he claimed he was going to search tirelessly for the true killers on Nicole Brown Simpson once he was found innocent).

[add on] This argument needs some post-Palmer updates.

Argument 5: Tumblety does not fit the eyewitness testimonies.
Point one is that it certainly could be true that eyewitnesses were describing the wrong man, just as inspector Aberline suggested. Point two brings up a second revelation, which requires a change in Jack the Ripper’s MO. If the From Hell letter did come from JTR, recall how he signed it, “Catch me when you can.” This points to a killer proud of how he can mutilate a body on the public streets and then easily elude authorities. Not only does he have power over these women, he had power over a frightened public and a baffled police force. Would it not be more effective for a serial killer to focus just as much upon the set up to the attack as the attack itself? If I were JTR, I would certainly draw less attention to myself by not being seen with the prostitute in public at all. I would leisurely follow a selected prostitute on the crowded Whitechapel streets, wait for a John to solicit her, follow the two of them to an obviously private place, watch their sexual encounter, ensure no one else was around, and then once the John left the area, approach the prostitute for the attack whether it be in an ally, a court, or in an apartment. This would conveniently ensure false eyewitness testimony as an effective method of eluding the authorities in the future. While the authorities are looking for a younger, shorter, foreign guy, the taller, older JTR would be better able to roam the streets.
If JTR’s MO was to use a John to solicit his victim, then this opens up the possibility that Tumblety may have murdered Carrie Brown in New York City on April 23/24, 1891, as well. The eyewitness testimony may merely be describing the John and not the killer. Why I bring this up again is because of the amazing coincidence that not only was he in Whitechapel during murders, his residence was walking distance to Carrie Brown’s murder site in 1891 (another ripper-style murder)!
Some consider a stumbling block for Tumblety being Brown’s murderer is the robbery of him in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on “Friday night” (according to The Brooklyn Eagle), which would make it April 17. This is six full days prior to Brown’s murder, and a train ride back home to NYC was only a 2- or 3-day ride. It doesn’t seem too out of the question for Tumblety to quickly come back to NYC to get more cash, since he lost it all in Hot Springs. He could even have been so irritated at losing his precious hard-earned cash that this narcissist had to relieve himself by settling some scores with NYC authorities claiming JTR could never elude them (OK, this one is stretch, but hey, I’m trying to think out of the box).

Argument 6: There is no direct evidence of Tumblety being a violent woman hater and collector of uterus specimens.
To elaborate, the eyewitness testimony of Colonel Dunham is the only direct eyewitness evidence that Tumblety had an extensive collection of uterus specimens and that he was also a woman hater. Since Dunham was a known liar and cheat, these two claims are now suspect, and should not be used. Tumblety no longer has a motive for the JTR killings, thus he is no longer a viable suspect.
This argument impresses me, but I have a few points. I do agree that Colonel Dunham spun a tail about Tumblety in December 1888 for personal reasons, especially since Tumblety was in all of the U.S. papers at the time as a major Ripper suspect. I do not agree, however, to entirely reject these two claims. In order for Dunham to get the biggest public reaction from this deceptive interview, why not embellish upon what Tumblety has previously been accused of. My contention is that the two claims, especially the woman hater claim, should not be ignored since Scotland Yard mostly likely considered them. Keep in mind; Littlechild in his letter stated, “…but his feelings towards women were remarkable and bitter in the extreme, a fact on record.”
Regardless, I believe this argument is missing the point. The argument is challenging a possible motive for Tumblety to murder. Being a woman-hater is only one motive that fits a narcissistic Tumblety. According to the experts, the following are general motives for serial killers: visionary (voices told me to do it), mission-oriented (hate men, women, prostitutes, etc.), hedonistic (lust, for the thrill, for comfort/profit), and power. Apparently, all known serial killers have one thing in common, child abuse and/or neglect. Remember, Tumblety was selling pornographic material on the locks as a youth. This type of upbringing screams of parental neglect and even possible physical/sexual abuse.

Sincerely,

Mike

[Abby Normal]

Hi Abby Normal,

I believe all of these types of arguments were secondary add-ons, once people believed Tumblety was not a serious suspect in the eyes of Scotland Yard. Below are some counter-arguments I posted months ago. Some need to be updated, but you'll get the point. ...so, the answer is I have yet to hear an argument that eliminates Tumblety as a serious JTR suspect.

Argument 1: Tumblety was too much of a flamboyant fame-seeking publicity hound to be JTR. He would ultimately have wanted to take credit for being the world’s famous serial killer.
Even if he was a publicity hound, it’s quite common for people to lead two separate lives (an acceptable public life and a seedy private life). We know Tumblety actually did lead two separate lives because of his arrest for having multiple homosexual Whitechapel encounters. Yet, I believe this is a serious misconception. Many see him as a harmless eccentric guy with the motivation to fit in with the rich and famous. On the contrary, Tumblety’s actions suggest he was the poster child for an aggressive narcissist. After Corey123 had made convincing arguments to show JTR was the worst kind of narcissist, it hit me that Tumblety shared some of these traits. Notice the Hare Psychopathy checklist for an aggressive narcissist: Glibness/superficial charm, Grandiose sense of self-worth, Pathological lying, Cunning/manipulative, Lack of remorse or guilt, Shallow affect (expressing emotions deceptively), Callous/lack of empathy, Failure to accept responsibility for own actions. Each one is classic Tumblety. His flamboyance was merely a tool for manipulation in order to attain his true desire: personal financial gain. He was a narcissistic scam artist employing effective sales and marketing techniques in order to manipulate a gullible public. In an era of slow mass communication, Tumblety would enter a new city in full glamour as if he were on a parade. There are numerous newspaper articles discussing this and even discussing the wealth he acquired. Even his parties were attempts to gain credibility with the more fortunate crowds in order to reinforce his money making practice. Once the public finally learned about his true background from better-informed authorities or once his patients started getting sick and even dying (evidence of no remorse), he merely pulled up his stakes and took his freshly earned money and business to a new city (or country).

Argument 2: Tumblety was nearly 6’ tall and had a huge mustache, so he would have been too conspicuous in the Whitechapel streets.
If Tumblety were JTR, do you really think it would be impossible for him to be inconspicuous? He certainly felt inconspicuous enough to pursue his homosexual activities with multiple young men in the Whitechapel district in November 1888 when authorities were at the height of combing the streets for JTR.

Keep in mind; the majestic tiger with its massive body and flamboyant colors has an MO of stealth and stalking, not unlike Jack the Ripper. Why are 500 – 800 pound brightly colored tigers so good at surprising their prey? They effectively use the environment. According to Donald Rumbelow, the streets of Whitechapel were very dark with multiple nooks and crannies. Although a picture of Tumblety has his mustache displayed out, the photograph of him in uniform has his mustache following the contour of his face and neck. This could easily fit into a cloak. A 5 foot 11 inch man is no different than a 5 foot 8-inch man at night and in the shadows, especially if he dresses down. Even in Tumblety’s interview in January 1889, he admits to dressing inconspicuously, “I was not dressed in a way to attract attention…”

Argument 3: Tumblety is too old to be a credible JTR suspect.
Remember, Tumblety was arrested twice for violent homosexual encounters in November 1888 with no less than four men. I’m sure the authorities who arrested him at the time for aggressive illegal sexual activities would not consider him too old to handle middle-aged female prostitutes (one at a time). Tumblety had certainly enough mojo to pursue multiple young men while in his fifties. Newspapers continued to characterize him as a powerfully built man. Keep in mind; the oldest known serial killer was a full 20 years older than Tumblety was at the time of the Whitechapel murders. It is also interesting to note that the JTR victims were in their forties; easier targets than younger prostitutes. Didn’t the youthful Ted Bundy likewise hunt youthful victims, so it is not out of the question that an older JTR would prefer older prostitutes?

Argument 4: There is no concrete evidence that Scotland Yard considered Tumblety a serious suspect.
To me, Evans & Gainey’s arguments are convincing enough to answer this argument, but even if you do not, absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence. This is especially true with such a cold case as JTR where concrete physical evidence is all but absent. According to Donald Rumbelow, Scotland Yard officials were directed to exclude the press on the JTR investigation entirely. In view of this, how can one conclude Tumblety’d JTR suspect status by what Scotland Yard said or what they told the press? No wonder the UK press was so silent about Tumblety. With this kind of policy, in order to discover their true motives, one should not consider what Scotland Yard said but consider what they did. They certainly followed Tumblety to the U.S., and in following known Scotland Yard policy, claimed he was not being investigated for the Whitechapel murders.
Tumblety himself admitted to a reporter in January 1889 that Whitechapel authorities not only arrested him for the Whitechapel murders but also charged him with the murders. Tumblety stated, “I happened to be there when these Whitechapel murders…I was not dressed in a way to attract attention… I had simply been guilty of wearing a slouch hat, and for that I was charged with a series of the most horrible crimes ever recorded.” I believe it is foolhardy to reject Tumblety’s truthfulness in this particular part of the interview. He had nothing to gain by admitting to this, especially in light of his chosen profession. Tumblety would be more convincing to begin with facts already known to the public (being arrested and charged in connection with his type of hat), and then twist the story from there into a plausible yet deceptive story.
Interestingly, Tumblety claimed he was going to prepare a pamphlet to refute all charges against him, which never happened. This is reminiscent of what OJ Simpson claimed and then failed to do (recall that he claimed he was going to search tirelessly for the true killers on Nicole Brown Simpson once he was found innocent).

[add on] This argument needs some post-Palmer updates.

Argument 5: Tumblety does not fit the eyewitness testimonies.
Point one is that it certainly could be true that eyewitnesses were describing the wrong man, just as inspector Aberline suggested. Point two brings up a second revelation, which requires a change in Jack the Ripper’s MO. If the From Hell letter did come from JTR, recall how he signed it, “Catch me when you can.” This points to a killer proud of how he can mutilate a body on the public streets and then easily elude authorities. Not only does he have power over these women, he had power over a frightened public and a baffled police force. Would it not be more effective for a serial killer to focus just as much upon the set up to the attack as the attack itself? If I were JTR, I would certainly draw less attention to myself by not being seen with the prostitute in public at all. I would leisurely follow a selected prostitute on the crowded Whitechapel streets, wait for a John to solicit her, follow the two of them to an obviously private place, watch their sexual encounter, ensure no one else was around, and then once the John left the area, approach the prostitute for the attack whether it be in an ally, a court, or in an apartment. This would conveniently ensure false eyewitness testimony as an effective method of eluding the authorities in the future. While the authorities are looking for a younger, shorter, foreign guy, the taller, older JTR would be better able to roam the streets.
If JTR’s MO was to use a John to solicit his victim, then this opens up the possibility that Tumblety may have murdered Carrie Brown in New York City on April 23/24, 1891, as well. The eyewitness testimony may merely be describing the John and not the killer. Why I bring this up again is because of the amazing coincidence that not only was he in Whitechapel during murders, his residence was walking distance to Carrie Brown’s murder site in 1891 (another ripper-style murder)!
Some consider a stumbling block for Tumblety being Brown’s murderer is the robbery of him in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on “Friday night” (according to The Brooklyn Eagle), which would make it April 17. This is six full days prior to Brown’s murder, and a train ride back home to NYC was only a 2- or 3-day ride. It doesn’t seem too out of the question for Tumblety to quickly come back to NYC to get more cash, since he lost it all in Hot Springs. He could even have been so irritated at losing his precious hard-earned cash that this narcissist had to relieve himself by settling some scores with NYC authorities claiming JTR could never elude them (OK, this one is stretch, but hey, I’m trying to think out of the box).

Argument 6: There is no direct evidence of Tumblety being a violent woman hater and collector of uterus specimens.
To elaborate, the eyewitness testimony of Colonel Dunham is the only direct eyewitness evidence that Tumblety had an extensive collection of uterus specimens and that he was also a woman hater. Since Dunham was a known liar and cheat, these two claims are now suspect, and should not be used. Tumblety no longer has a motive for the JTR killings, thus he is no longer a viable suspect.
This argument impresses me, but I have a few points. I do agree that Colonel Dunham spun a tail about Tumblety in December 1888 for personal reasons, especially since Tumblety was in all of the U.S. papers at the time as a major Ripper suspect. I do not agree, however, to entirely reject these two claims. In order for Dunham to get the biggest public reaction from this deceptive interview, why not embellish upon what Tumblety has previously been accused of. My contention is that the two claims, especially the woman hater claim, should not be ignored since Scotland Yard mostly likely considered them. Keep in mind; Littlechild in his letter stated, “…but his feelings towards women were remarkable and bitter in the extreme, a fact on record.”
Regardless, I believe this argument is missing the point. The argument is challenging a possible motive for Tumblety to murder. Being a woman-hater is only one motive that fits a narcissistic Tumblety. According to the experts, the following are general motives for serial killers: visionary (voices told me to do it), mission-oriented (hate men, women, prostitutes, etc.), hedonistic (lust, for the thrill, for comfort/profit), and power. Apparently, all known serial killers have one thing in common, child abuse and/or neglect. Remember, Tumblety was selling pornographic material on the locks as a youth. This type of upbringing screams of parental neglect and even possible physical/sexual abuse.

Sincerely,

Mike

Thanks Mike
read your whole post-many interesting observations.
I just think that there are too many things that point away from Dr T being JtR although i would not totally rule him out. he is in my top 10 but definitely not in my top 5. Thanks again for the reply.