OK whos your favored suspect/s and why?

[Fernglas]

Abberline clearly didn't know what he was talking about.I suspect the police at the time were looking for a foreign suspect and Klosowski was of course a foreigner who had murdered women. The fact that it was in a completely different manner obviously doesn't seem to have mattered to Abberline.

I found, not only in this forum, the notion to exclude Klosowski simply based on his MO as absurd! Yes, a majority of serial offenders just "refine" their typical way of murder, but there are examples of murderers changing how they kill radically. Israel Keyes is prime example.

Just for a moment, let us look at Klosowski outside his MO: He was a proven serial killer (luckily these guys do not grow on trees and being one "requires" a very special state of mind), a sadist (the poison he used is a terrible death for the victim), he had good medical knowledge (Antimon was not well known in Britain at that time, even among doctors), the murders fit to the times Klosowski was in London (it should be remembered that no murder predates his arrival in England, whereas several other suspects resided in London for decades or their whole lifes and there was no ripperlike case after he started to poison), he was a Janusface (one of his victims stated before her death that Klosowski could be really nice and charming, but was a brutal sadist when noone looked), he fits into the various Ripper descriptions (so not being out for e.g. "too tall", "too thin" or "too thick").
When the Klosowskis were in the US, there was a witnessed situation where Klosowski nearly stabbed his wife to death, only the arrival of customers prevented the deed. Besides that, what the Ripper did to Kelly was something which would change even Jack. Even a monster cannot do what he did to Mary and not be affected by it.
This only as a short post why Klosowski should be among the top suspects.

[Aethelwulf]

mckenzie could have changed his mind about bury

Could well be, but reading what Abberline wrote he seems more struck by the general idea of Chapman as the ripper, rather than any particular victims (he doesn't mention any). It's clear though that Abberline was just doing what we do here, speculating on circumstantial evidence. He doesn't appear to have had anything concrete to link Chapman to the murders. IMO what he does mention sounds far less compelling than the results of the police investigation into Bury.

[Abby Normal]

Only thing I would add is that we know who Abberline suspected in 1902, but not before that. Someone was in charge of the detectives trying to trace Bury's activities, 'ordering' detectives to say nothing and 'sending' detectives to his execution. Surely Abberline was best placed to be doing that. Abberline could well have suspected Bury but just changed his mind with the passage of time. It would be natural I think for Abberline to settle on a serial killer, especially as the Bury case was left open with him not confessing.

mckenzie could have changed his mind about bury

[Aethelwulf]

Abberline clearly didn't know what he was talking about.I suspect the police at the time were looking for a foreign suspect and Klosowski was of course a foreigner who had murdered women. The fact that it was in a completely different manner obviously doesn't seem to have mattered to Abberline.

Only thing I would add is that we know who Abberline suspected in 1902, but not before that. Someone was in charge of the detectives trying to trace Bury's activities, 'ordering' detectives to say nothing and 'sending' detectives to his execution. Surely Abberline was best placed to be doing that. Abberline could well have suspected Bury but just changed his mind with the passage of time. It would be natural I think for Abberline to settle on a serial killer, especially as the Bury case was left open with him not confessing.

[John Wheat]

But that's my point. Why was Abberline convinced Kloswoski was "their man" when he was just a serial poisoner, but had no interest in the mutilator who fled the East End a couple months after the C5? Doesn't make sense.

Abberline clearly didn't know what he was talking about.I suspect the police at the time were looking for a foreign suspect and Klosowski was of course a foreigner who had murdered women. The fact that it was in a completely different manner obviously doesn't seem to have mattered to Abberline.

[mpriestnall]

Hi mpriestnall, interesting theory of yours, that the upper ranks knew who Jack was. That is possible, but only a handful at most, because more than one of the upper ranks of MET and CoL Police only shone with profound non-knowledge. :-)
By the way, what do you think about Henry Tomkins? For me he is one of the "Dark Horses" in the race who was Jack. His alibi highly questionable and a remarkable "performance" at the inquest he was part off. Answering a totally different question with the statement how much he loathes people like the victim! What a nice fellow!

He's better than Lechmere!

[Mike J. G.]

The Number 1 Suspect HAS to be Maybrick…. Followed by:

2. Tumbltey
3. Cutbush
4. Kosminski
5. Bury

Maybrick ahead of Bury is a head-scratcher, then again, Maybrick ahead of virtually anyone including Batman's butler is a head-scratcher.

[Fernglas]

Hi Fermglas, I don't underestimate the knowledge and abilities of the police or the genuine desire and effort of the police on the ground to find JTR. However I am quite sure the police bosses knew the identity of JTR. I would say his name being in the records, even back in the day, is another thing.

Hi mpriestnall, interesting theory of yours, that the upper ranks knew who Jack was. That is possible, but only a handful at most, because more than one of the upper ranks of MET and CoL Police only shone with profound non-knowledge. :-)
By the way, what do you think about Henry Tomkins? For me he is one of the "Dark Horses" in the race who was Jack. His alibi highly questionable and a remarkable "performance" at the inquest he was part off. Answering a totally different question with the statement how much he loathes people like the victim! What a nice fellow!

[mpriestnall]

There is a possibility for your theory, but in my honest opinion, it is a rather small one. It is easy to dismiss the work of the old police viewed from today, but that is not really warranted. They were at a disadvantage, but they talked with an enormous number of people, so even if Jack´s real name might never have been mentioned as a full suspect in a document, I am very sure the Ripper´s name is in one.
We cannot forget the Ripper had a "must have" skillset, local knowledge and the opportunity to execute the murders, not all that many men back in 1888 fit this. The Yard was desperate and interviewed "half of London". I am sure JtR was among those people.

Hi Fermglas, I don't underestimate the knowledge and abilities of the police or the genuine desire and effort of the police on the ground to find JTR. However I am quite sure the police bosses knew the identity of JTR. I would say his name being in the records, even back in the day, is another thing.

[Fernglas]

I actually think the murder is NOT in the reports IMHO. I favour JTR as being the Great Unnamed One or perhaps more optimistically The One Who Is Yet To Be Named.

There is a possibility for your theory, but in my honest opinion, it is a rather small one. It is easy to dismiss the work of the old police viewed from today, but that is not really warranted. They were at a disadvantage, but they talked with an enormous number of people, so even if Jack´s real name might never have been mentioned as a full suspect in a document, I am very sure the Ripper´s name is in one.
We cannot forget the Ripper had a "must have" skillset, local knowledge and the opportunity to execute the murders, not all that many men back in 1888 fit this. The Yard was desperate and interviewed "half of London". I am sure JtR was among those people.

[mpriestnall]

As a foreword, something the German Police is fond of saying when they have the case more or less solved, but there is not enough evidence to bring the suspect behind bars: "Der Name des Mörders steht in den Akten."(The name of the murderer is in the reports)
That said, I am sure Jack is not a nobody from the left field, who would have all of us surprised if it suddenly became known, but a person who was mentioned back in the day.
My favourite suspects are:

1) Klosowski (I´ll explain it in his thread, why I think so)
2) the guy Inspektor Sagar mentioned he and the CoL Police had an eye on and ended in asylum
3) "Mustache Man" (I think Hutch did NOT lie and really saw Jack, not necessarily only on that evening and later on, but before! I theorise he wanted to make sure they catch him and did what he should not have done, going overboard on the clothes description)
4) Tomkins
5) Hyams

The other suspects on my list give me, for various reasons, stomach grumblings. They are possible, but there are pieces of the puzzle not fitting.

Kosminski, Bury, Druitt, Tumblety

I actually think the murder is NOT in the reports IMHO. I favour JTR as being the Great Unnamed One or perhaps more optimistically The One Who Is Yet To Be Named.

[Fernglas]

As a foreword, something the German Police is fond of saying when they have the case more or less solved, but there is not enough evidence to bring the suspect behind bars: "Der Name des Mörders steht in den Akten."(The name of the murderer is in the reports)
That said, I am sure Jack is not a nobody from the left field, who would have all of us surprised if it suddenly became known, but a person who was mentioned back in the day.
My favourite suspects are:

1) Klosowski (I´ll explain it in his thread, why I think so)
2) the guy Inspektor Sagar mentioned he and the CoL Police had an eye on and ended in asylum
3) "Mustache Man" (I think Hutch did NOT lie and really saw Jack, not necessarily only on that evening and later on, but before! I theorise he wanted to make sure they catch him and did what he should not have done, going overboard on the clothes description)
4) Tomkins
5) Hyams

The other suspects on my list give me, for various reasons, stomach grumblings. They are possible, but there are pieces of the puzzle not fitting.

Kosminski, Bury, Druitt, Tumblety

[Fleetwood Mac]

There is no known person likely to have been 'the Whitechapel Murderer'.

I'd like to know more about Thomas Cutbush. But, as it stands, the case against him wouldn't reach a court of law.

[DJA]

Fanatics live by their own rules.

[Pcdunn]

Okay, but you didn't answer the "why" part for these fellows.