Why not McCarthy ?

[richardnunweek]

Hi,
I am known for speculation, so how about this one.
McCarthy was indeed being blackmailed by Kelly, she had seen him with one of the dead women , and had told him so, he asked her not to mention it to anyone, for not only would it ruin his marriage, but the police may become aware of it, and question the possibility that he was the killer.
In return he would waver the rent owed, although he would have to bother her to go through the pretence.
Its a far fetched scenario, but it would give him a motive for silencing her in the same mode as the others, right on his own doorstep, which the police would never consider, he would not even have to leave his own property, he simply sent his man to bother her for rent, sparing his wife and son the horror of discovering the body..
Now that is unreal , but it makes a change from Hutch/Cross.
No wonder Fiona insisted her great-grandfather McCarthy knew who the killer was and the motive.
It was him.....
Regards Richard.

[Cogidubnus]

Hi Dave. I was being silly, Le Grand being a blackmailing bully and all. But I am intrigued by your suggestion that someone was blackmailing McCarthy. Who, how, and why?

Hi Tom

I did wonder, (but if in doubt, play a straight bat and hope for the best)...

Well it made sense to me that maybe MJK was blackmailing McCarthy over something she knew or had seen...Richard's made one suggestion but obviously others are possible...In the case of a comely buxom 25 year old one might even consider an earlier sexual relationship perhaps...

If said blackmail then became intolerable, then MJK's death as a copycat (perhaps rage makes it an OTT copycat) might be considered...

I agree it's totally speculative, and not backed up by any evidence at all...but it does tick a lot of otherwise slightly awkward boxes...

All the best

Dave

[lynn cates]

motive

Hello Richard.

"it would give him a motive for silencing her in the same mode as the others"

So then, the overkill was to make her look like the others?

On your view, McCarthy was merely coincidentally connected to one of the others?

Cheers.
LC

[Gene Lewis]

Thanks Dave... I do think as you do... And all these speculations about the identity of the girl found dead & mutilated in n°13 have nothing to do with my primary question...neither the question of blackmailing.
Mary Kelly never exist, the girl of n°13 Miller's Court is a complete stranger, having by chance exactly the same name…

[lynn cates]

copycat

Hello Dave.

"then MJK's death as a copycat (perhaps rage makes it an OTT copycat) might be considered"

Not bad. It would answer a good many questions.

Cheers.
LC

[Gene Lewis]

so let me ask it in another way: why McCarthy could not have been that mad murderer ? (let aside the rent and blackmailing questions) ?

[lynn cates]

McCarthy

Hello Gene. there is no reason that McCarthy could not have killed "MJK" (whatever her real name).

Actually, one can build almost as good a case for his killing "MJK" as for, say, Barnett, Bowyer, or Toppy. After all, he was near the scene of the crime.

A good motive would make his candidacy even better. Physical evidence, too, would enhance him.

Cheers.
LC

[Tom_Wescott]

Hygeine. As Lynn says, there's no reason McCarthy couldn't have killed her. He certainly seems to have been fully aware of his position and went to lengths (not great, but lengths nonetheless) to keep himself safe from suspicion. As Don Souden wrote in an essay for Ripper Notes eons ago, McCarthy chopped open the door to his own property when the police asked him to open it in order to not be the only man with a key to the room. Don postulates that McCarthy may, in fact, have entered the room to take things out prior to sending Bowyer to fetch the police.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Barnaby]

What did he take out???

[Sally]

Easy..

I know -

McCarthy, Barnett and - ahem - 'Kelly' were in it together. All Fenian sympathisers (we could cast this net a bit wider if we tried hard enough). After all, the room appears to have been rented by the 'Kellys', with the assumption that Barnett was also called Kelly and was Kelly's (confusing myself here) husband. An assumed name, obviously.

Then there's the odd fashion in which McCarthy distances himself from the 'Kellys'. He gives the distinct impression that he didn't know them very well. Was vaguely aware of them at best.

Yet - how is this possible? He waived Kelly's rent (another clue) and paid for her funeral. Hmm.

And then there's the fact that Barnett disappeared for a decade (used to be more, but then he turned up in the records). One can only presume that he was living under (another) assumed name during this time. Why? Well, it could be argued to escape from the memory of the horrific murder of his girlfriend. If she even was his girlfriend. But maybe not. Maybe he needed to disappear for a bit.

Then, when he does reappear, he's been living with a woman named 'Louisa' since 1888. How?

Unless he was very quick off the mark after Kelly's death - OR - 'Louisa' and 'Marie Jeanette' were one and the same and the mutilated woman in the bed was one of the unamed 'unfortunates' staying with Kelly.

It explains everything. I rest my case.

[Gene Lewis]

Why couln't McCarthy have entered prior to "his man Bowyer", fort fetching something he 'd forgot in n°13 some hours before and would accuse him ?

[richardnunweek]

Hi Sally,
Mr Wilton [ sexton local church] waived the funeral expenses.
Hi Lynn,
No the overkill would have been a desire to give the police no doubt that this was a Ripper act, being that,.. it was a bit close to home,and he would never be suspected.
My suggestion was not a vague connection to a victim, but a very ''tongue in cheek'' that McCarthy was the actual Ripper...and Kelly was silenced because she saw him with a victim, and was killed.
Who else knew the residents habits, the routine of the court, knowledge when Mary was alone[ the back window of his shop looked over the court.]
The police would never have suspected a well known local like McCarthy, being the killer , and leaving his victim in one of the rooms.
Like Cross he had discovered a body, albeit second to Bowyer, however sent him to the room, and rather like another so called suspect Hutchinson, he assisted the police throughout the initial investigation.
So he is a suspect, by that reasoning. is he not...?
Regards Richard.

[Jon Guy]

Hi Dave

If said blackmail then became intolerable, then MJK's death as a copycat (perhaps rage makes it an OTT copycat) might be considered...

That`ll explain the roaring fire. The killer(s) would have needed the light of the fire to read all the Inquest reports in all the newspapers they must have taken into Millers Court to ensure that Kelly`s injuries matched the previous victims.

Seriously though, Dave. When we talk of copy cats, who on earth, other than the Ripper, could do that to a woman? We`re not talking poisoning, strangling or shooting, this is the worst kind of crime imagineable and only a few nutters out there do it. 99% of the sad sacks that are known as serial killers don`t even come close to the mess that our messed up guy inflicted.

Whoever copy cat`d Kelly must have been some kind of Ripperologist as he certainly croseed every T and dotted every I in the few weeks in which he had to prepare.

[lynn cates]

bio

Hello Sally. Would you perhaps have "MJK"'s bio handy? It could save a good bit of time.

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

no worse

Hello Richard. Well, he is no worse than some others.

Cheers.
LC