HH Holmes

[TheMacJew]

Hello everyone. I'm curious what everyone thinks about the theory about H.H. Holmes being Jack the Ripper. Personally, I have not given the matter much thought (I do not know much about Holmes, to be honest), so what is the evidence for and against him being Saucy Jack?

[Penhalion]

I have studied HH Holmes a bit and from what I can see the only reason to think he was JtR is that he was alive at the same time and killed some people. The uncomfortable facts that he was in a different country on the other side of the ocean and killed in a different way for (as far as we know) different reasons, doesn't get in the way of people who want to further sensationalize two cases that are already plenty sensational.

[MayBea]

Here is the best breakdown on Mudget/Holmes. It's by the Dept. of Psychology of the University of Radford in Virginia.

It's got the timeline and breakdown on individual victims, M.O.s, etc.

He was pretty busy in 1888. Five victims were killed. Construction was started on the castle (some sources say it was in the fall), totally designed and overseen by himself, and completed two years later.

http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%...n%20_2012_.pdf

Isn't there a stipulation that real SKs don't make a financial profit from their killings?

[Ginger]

Hello everyone. I'm curious what everyone thinks about the theory about H.H. Holmes being Jack the Ripper. Personally, I have not given the matter much thought (I do not know much about Holmes, to be honest), so what is the evidence for and against him being Saucy Jack?

I don't think Holmes was the Ripper. First, Holmes' murders seemed to all be driven by a desire for money. Some have speculated that he was selling their wombs to anatomists, but that seems unlikely to me, plus not all of the presumed victims were mutilated in that fashion.

Also, even though carelessness eventually got him caught, Holmes just doesn't seem the sort to have left dead bodies lying on the footpath. Indeed, he went to sometimes extraordinary lengths to control the environment in which he committed his crimes.

All that being said, you really owe it to yourself to read up on him. The man was remarkable, like a Hammer movie come to life.

[Barnaby]

I agree that it is highly unlikely that H.H. Holmes was the Ripper. Having said that, if he can be conclusively placed in London during the time of the murders, the possibility should be taken more seriously. Whitechapel '88 seems like quite the bohemian mix of artists, actors, serial killers, writers, occultists, anarchists, prostitutes, pyromaniacs, body snatchers, and time travelers! Ah, the good old days!

[TheMacJew]

Thanks everyone for your replies.