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

[spyglass]

My top three are...

1. William Gull

2. Walter sickert

3. John Netley

...We all know why.

[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

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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

[Radical Joe]

Jacob Levy is definitely a suspect worthy of further investigation, I've seen and read quite a bit about him just recently. It's almost criminal that poor M.J. Druitt should even be on the list at all....STILL. I genuinely feel sorry for the man.

As for Tumblety, despite his height and whatever colour his hair might have been, plus the fact that he was an extrovert and surely wouldn't have been able to keep his activities in Autumn 1888 to himself if he was responsible (given he lived for a further 15 years), he was also about 25 years too old, based on the major witness descriptions.....

That all being said, I'm still very much a Klosowski-ite....put simply, he is the most likely out of the field of suspects we have right now.

Cheers,
Adam.

Agreed. It's also a bit odd that Lewis Carroll (among others) merits an entry in the 'Suspects' sub-forum, while Levy is lumped in with 'other suspects' on here.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Limehouse,

Alternatively, perhaps Le Grand only abused prostitutes who had homicidal tendencies.

Regards,

Simon

[Limehouse]

1) Charles Le Grand. A known abuser of prostitutes with homicidal tendencies, skilled in the use of a knife, walking the streets of Whitechapel in silent shoes, was in the neighborhood of Berner Street at the time of Stride's murder, produced false witness testimony to throw the police off track, was thought to be the Ripper by inspectors and people who knew him. About 100 other reasons.

Tom Wescott

I 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? Of does it just mean he was a bit angry sometimes and had a habit of shouting at people who annoyed him? Does it belong in the same catory as he became insane due to many years indulgence in solitary vices?

[belinda]

1.Cohen

2.Mr X

3.Mr Y

He was a local.He knew the area very well and he was lucky.

[Trevor Marriott]

Hi Trevor,

From the exact same source that Tom Wescott used for his impressive article, Exonerating Michael Kidney, A Fresh Look as some old Myths. Evaluating ALL of the available evidence.

Do you honestly expect Scotland Yard to be touting Tumblety as a suspect and officially recording it for public record when they let him slip through their grip? How embarrassing. Recall the newspaper article reprinted by Chris Scott where U.S. officials in a dozen cities critiqued Scotland Yard’s dismal efforts in finding JTR. Public embarrassment was the last thing they wanted, and besides, if they kept it quiet and if Dr. T truly was JTR, then he may slip up in the states. For Scotland Yard not to have official records OPEN TO THE PUBLIC seems quite plausible. The New York City inspector even stated, he knew Tumblety was arriving one week prior to him arriving in New York. Who told him? There could only be one source, English authorities.


Sincerely,

Mike

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

I think you will find that it is common practice for the police to record details of suspects when investigating murders it is an important part of the investigation. The reason why Tumblety was never recorded was probably because he was never a suspect

Newspaper reports are not evidence of fact, usually hearsay !

[Adam Went]

Jacob Levy is definitely a suspect worthy of further investigation, I've seen and read quite a bit about him just recently. It's almost criminal that poor M.J. Druitt should even be on the list at all....STILL. I genuinely feel sorry for the man.

As for Tumblety, despite his height and whatever colour his hair might have been, plus the fact that he was an extrovert and surely wouldn't have been able to keep his activities in Autumn 1888 to himself if he was responsible (given he lived for a further 15 years), he was also about 25 years too old, based on the major witness descriptions.....

That all being said, I'm still very much a Klosowski-ite....put simply, he is the most likely out of the field of suspects we have right now.

Cheers,
Adam.

[Stephen Thomas]

Hi LJ

Try this

http://www.jtrforums.com/showthread.php?t=9369

[lemonjelly]

1) Charles Le Grand. A known abuser of prostitutes with homicidal tendencies, skilled in the use of a knife, walking the streets of Whitechapel in silent shoes, was in the neighborhood of Berner Street at the time of Stride's murder, produced false witness testimony to throw the police off track, was thought to be the Ripper by inspectors and people who knew him. About 100 other reasons.

Where can I read up more on this character?

[mklhawley]

And where in the official records is that documented ?

Hi Trevor,

From the exact same source that Tom Wescott used for his impressive article, Exonerating Michael Kidney, A Fresh Look as some old Myths. Evaluating ALL of the available evidence.

Do you honestly expect Scotland Yard to be touting Tumblety as a suspect and officially recording it for public record when they let him slip through their grip? How embarrassing. Recall the newspaper article reprinted by Chris Scott where U.S. officials in a dozen cities critiqued Scotland Yard’s dismal efforts in finding JTR. Public embarrassment was the last thing they wanted, and besides, if they kept it quiet and if Dr. T truly was JTR, then he may slip up in the states. For Scotland Yard not to have official records OPEN TO THE PUBLIC seems quite plausible. The New York City inspector even stated, he knew Tumblety was arriving one week prior to him arriving in New York. Who told him? There could only be one source, English authorities.

Sincerely,

Mike