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  • #1

    Who am I thinking of?

    Greetings Casebook,

    Long time lurker, first time poster.

    Like a lot of people, I've always been a dilettante of the Whitechapel Murders. It's the ultimate whodunnit with a little bit of conspiracy theory thrown in for good measure. What's not to love? However, in recent years I've had an ever-increasing obsession with the unexplained that I've begun delving deeper into history's greatest unsolved mystery, largely thanks to you good people at CB. So I hope can I defer to your greater knowledge once more.

    Back in the day, I remember watching a Jack the Ripper documentary (I want to say it was on the BBC? Don't quote me on that). We're talking around fifteen years ago here, so I was still a fresh-faced youth at the time and my memory's a little cloudy. It was stated that said suspect would return home in the middle of the night covered in bloodstains and he eventually escaped to America around the time the murders stopped. Would that be James Kelly? What I mainly remember is coming away from the show utterly convinced that this guy was Saucy Jacky. That was it, case closed, move on, nothing to see here, folks. That they never caught the guy red-handed was a mere technicality. This guy was JACK.

    For the record, I should clarify that I'm not proponent of this particular suspect anymore. I'd like to think that over the fullness of time, I've become a little more savvy to Ripperology and understand that almost every pet theory can be cogently presented by twisting the facts, especially to an impressionable kid. I'd just like to know for curiosity's sake who I'm probably thinking of.


    Thanks,
    Harry
    Last edited by Harry D; 05-16-2014, 05:07 AM.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Originally posted by Harry D View Post
    Greetings Casebook,

    Long time lurker, first time poster.

    Like a lot of people, I've always been a dilettante of the Whitechapel Murders. It's the ultimate whodunnit with a little bit of conspiracy theory thrown in for good measure. What's not to love? However, in recent years I've had an ever-increasing obsession with the unexplained that I've begun delving deeper into history's greatest unsolved mystery, largely thanks to you good people at CB. So I hope can I defer to your greater knowledge once more.

    Back in the day, I remember watching a Jack the Ripper documentary (I want to say it was on the BBC? Don't quote me on that). We're talking over ten years ago here, so I was still a fresh-faced youth at the time and my memory's a little cloudy. It was stated that said suspect would return home in the middle of the night covered in bloodstains and he eventually escaped to America around the time the murders stopped. Would that be James Kelly? What I mainly remember is coming away from the show utterly convinced that this guy was Saucy Jacky. That was it, case closed, move on, nothing to see here, folks. That they never caught the guy red-handed was a mere technicality. This guy was JACK.

    For the record, I should clarify that I'm not proponent of this particular suspect anymore. I'd like to think that over the fullness of time, I've become a little more savvy to Ripperology and understand that almost every pet theory can be cogently presented by twisting the facts, especially to an impressionable kid. I'd just like to know for curiosity's sake who I'm probably thinking of.


    Thanks,
    Harry
    Hi Harry and welcome.
    Kelly chapman and tumblety all went to the us. But as for the bloodstains at night. I don't think there is any direct evidence that it was Kelly that that alludes to.
    I think it is probably an apocryphal story that could be associated with any number of theories, the lodger springing to mind.

    Btw I think Kelly is a viable suspect candidate, along with a handful of others. But that being said they are all pretty weak suspects. As in the evidence against any is pretty weak.
    "Is all that we see or seem
    but a dream within a dream?"
    -Edgar Allan Poe


    "...the man and the peaked cap he is said to have worn
    quite tallies with the descriptions I got of him."
    -Frederick G. Abberline

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    • #3
      Hey Abby Normal,

      For what it's worth, I've amended my OP. It was closer to fifteen years ago rather than ten. I conveniently forget how old I am sometimes.

      It's possible that I've jumbled up details from multiple suspects but I'm 99.9% confident they were talking about the one guy, hence my conviction at the time.

      On second thoughts, I could be thinking of 'The Lodger' story? Shifty guy coming home at ungodly hours (reputedly)? Bloodstains found in his bedroom? For 'escaped to America' see 'returned to Canada?' I have a sneaky suspicion there was a medical knowledge mentioned in regards to my guy, though. And 'The Lodger' seems a little too obscure for a mainstream documentary.

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      • #4
        To Harry

        It seems like the suspect your thinking of is Francis Tumblety an American quack. Timblety was suspected of being the Lodger.

        Cheers John

        Comment

        • #5
          Yes, it's likely to be Tumblety. He was originally thought to be the "Batty Street Lodger," who supposedly returned to his rooms in Batty Street with blood stained clothes. There is now a great deal of doubt that there ever was a Batty Street lodger as originally reported and if there was he wasn't Tumblety.

          Wolf.

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          • #6
            What I could never understand about the Batty Street Lodger is that if it were a true story, wouldn't the police have brought in the landlady to make an identification of any suspect that seemed to fit the bill?

            c.d.

            Comment

            • #7
              Originally posted by Harry D View Post
              Back in the day, I remember watching a Jack the Ripper documentary (I want to say it was on the BBC? Don't quote me on that). We're talking around fifteen years ago here, so I was still a fresh-faced youth at the time and my memory's a little cloudy. It was stated that said suspect would return home in the middle of the night covered in bloodstains and he eventually escaped to America around the time the murders stopped. Would that be James Kelly? What I mainly remember is coming away from the show utterly convinced that this guy was Saucy Jacky. That was it, case closed, move on, nothing to see here, folks. That they never caught the guy red-handed was a mere technicality. This guy was JACK.

              It was a 1990s documentary based on the Evans/Gainey book 'The Lodger'.

              It's probably on Youtube somewhere.

              And it's about Tumblety who was then a novel suspect.
              allisvanityandvexationofspirit

              Comment

              • #8
                Originally posted by Harry D View Post
                Greetings Casebook,


                Back in the day, I remember watching a Jack the Ripper documentary (I want to say it was on the BBC? Don't quote me on that). We're talking around fifteen years ago here, so I was still a fresh-faced youth at the time and my memory's a little cloudy. It was stated that said suspect would return home in the middle of the night covered in bloodstains and he eventually escaped to America around the time the murders stopped. Would that be James Kelly? What I mainly remember is coming away from the show utterly convinced that this guy was Saucy Jacky. That was it, case closed, move on, nothing to see here, folks. That they never caught the guy red-handed was a mere technicality. This guy was JACK.



                Thanks,
                Harry
                Was this perhaps a panel hosted by Peter Ustinov? It would have been more than 15 years ago, but you might have caught a repeat. I seem to remember something about the changing clothes bit from that show.
                The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Originally posted by Stephen Thomas View Post
                  It was a 1990s documentary based on the Evans/Gainey book 'The Lodger'.

                  It's probably on Youtube somewhere.

                  And it's about Tumblety who was then a novel suspect.
                  And it was given away in the UK on VHS with a 'famous murders' magazine.

                  Surely someone must know the title of this.
                  allisvanityandvexationofspirit

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    "The Whitechaple Murders" from 1996. On youtube
                    I confess that altruistic and cynically selfish talk seem to me about equally unreal. With all humility, I think 'whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might,' infinitely more important than the vain attempt to love one's neighbour as one's self. If you want to hit a bird on the wing you must have all your will in focus, you must not be thinking about yourself, and equally, you must not be thinking about your neighbour; you must be living with your eye on that bird. Every achievement is a bird on the wing.
                    Oliver Wendell Holmes

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Originally posted by sleekviper View Post
                      "The Whitechapel Murders" from 1996. On youtube
                      Many thanks SV.

                      There you go, Harry. Problem sorted.

                      (Video not to be confused with one called 'The Whitechapel Murderer').
                      allisvanityandvexationofspirit

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Very welcome, I started to watch a month ago but became sidetracked.
                        I confess that altruistic and cynically selfish talk seem to me about equally unreal. With all humility, I think 'whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might,' infinitely more important than the vain attempt to love one's neighbour as one's self. If you want to hit a bird on the wing you must have all your will in focus, you must not be thinking about yourself, and equally, you must not be thinking about your neighbour; you must be living with your eye on that bird. Every achievement is a bird on the wing.
                        Oliver Wendell Holmes

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Originally posted by sleekviper View Post
                          "The Whitechaple Murders" from 1996. On youtube
                          Yup, that seems to be the one. I was about 10 at the time.

                          Nice find, SV.

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