Just Plain Silly...

[TomTomKent]

So in your opinion which suspect that has been nominated is a just plain silly idea? I don't mean somebody who happens to have an ironclad alibi, I mean a complete left field suggestion with no fragment of suspicion to begin with let alone supporting evidence. Giant Bats? Lewis Carol? A performer from the Wild West show? Er... Ninjas? Okay, I made up "Ninjas", but come on, every body has an idea they found that was clearly idiotic but utterly entertaining.

[Adam Went]

Montague John Druitt.

Cheers,
Adam.

[Rubyretro]

Prince Eddy

[protohistorian]

I apologize for taking some liberty with the question, I nominate all those who are not demonstrated to be in London. Because Ripperology has a tradition of delusional thought, there are way more than 1. Dave

[kensei]

King Leopold of Belgium.
Or a vampire.

[TomTomKent]

King Leopold of Belgium.
Or a vampire.

King Leopold is one I haven't heard of before and will be looking it up in my crisp new AtoZ (yeah, and Sherlock Holmes: The Whitechappel Horror was in the same basket. I am pretty sure the guy at waterstones sighed with relief when he saw my third purchase in the 3for2 offer wasn't following the theme).

Prince Eddy is a bit silly when swallowed with the entire conspiracy theory, but is perhaps less silly in context of WHY people think it is true. For many folks out there From Hell and The Final Solution are the only reference points they have for the Ripper.

I once toyed with the idea of starting a facebook campaign to "prove" Abe Lincoln was the Ripper just to see how far it went. I decided against it.

[johns]

The Royal stuff
The Masonic stuff
The Satanic/end of the world stuff
King Leopold of Belgium
Lewis Carroll
Dr Barnardo

...probably some others that I just can't even be bothered to look at.

[Laurie]

Lewis Carroll for sure

Prince Eddy

[Observer]

A bunch of anarchists

[kensei]

King Leopold is one I haven't heard of before and will be looking it up in my crisp new AtoZ (yeah, and Sherlock Holmes: The Whitechappel Horror was in the same basket. I am pretty sure the guy at waterstones sighed with relief when he saw my third purchase in the 3for2 offer wasn't following the theme).

I once toyed with the idea of starting a facebook campaign to "prove" Abe Lincoln was the Ripper just to see how far it went. I decided against it.

I first heard of King Leopold as a suspect from Phil Hutchinson on his Ripper tour in Sept. '08. It happened to be the exact spot at which the video I was shooting ran out of tape while Phil was speaking. "Suspects such as King Leopold of Belgium (chuckling from crowd) because he sometimes took..." End of tape. Wish I could remember the rest of that sentence. I think it might have been something like "sometimes took unchaperoned trips to London" or somesuch.

And the Abe Lincoln thing- hey, go for it! As it would have to be Lincoln's ghost taking a break from haunting the White House some 24 years after his death, what a thrilling tale that would be.
Afterthought: Might I suggest John Wilkes Booth as a suspect, as there is a fairly believable conspiracy theory about him not dying when history says he did. Resemblance to Druitt?

[Uncle Jack]

Virginia Woolf
Queen Victoria
Rose Mylett
Escaped Zoo Ape
Michael Jackson

Oh, and Francis Tumblety

[KatBradshaw]

Dr Barnardo.

Also liked the idea that it was Native Americans. I am sure no one would have noticed one of them in the East End!!

[FrancoLoco]

If we're looking for "silly silly," I've gotta go with Lewis Carroll. If we're talking "seriously silly," where an entire industry has been built around that suspect, it's a tie between the Royals/Masonic/Sickert conspiracy or the Maybrick diary.

And if we're talking "not just silly, but....well...silly," my vote is for O.J.