Top Jack the Ripper Suspects

[Rosella]

Of course, Cohen was only 23 at the time of his incarceration at Colney Hatch, considerably younger than the description of some of the suspects seen with Ripper victims would imply.

We don't know how long he had been seriously mentally ill, but his being incoherent, aggressive and communicative only in Yiddish doesn't suggest a Ripper who coolly and calmly killed mutilated then escaped without being apprehended. Or someone an East End prostitute, however desperate, would be willing to accompany to any dark and lonely spot.

[Scott Nelson]

Goodness, 88er!

That's a lot to digest.

[eighty-eighter]

1. David Cohen/Kaminsky
2. William Bury
3. An unknown

I'm not sure that the suspect Jew's real name was Kosminski; I think there may have been some confusion later on the police's part relating to the mad Jew who was allegedly taken to a police "seaside home" and identified by a witness who was of course also a Jew, and "blackmailed" not to go night time walkies again (allegedly the witness refused to make it official as it could have led to a co-Jew going to the gallows). Possibly the suspected killer would have been informed by the police that they knew he was the killer and would be watching him, however a lunatic asylum transfer soon after put paid to his nocturnal urges anyway.
I believe some researchers (including Martin Fido) have come up with a more likely mad Jewish suspect whose name was listed in records as David Cohen (it was a possibility that he was originally called Kaminsky - hence the confusion), apparently he fitted the mantle of Jack MUCH better than our Kosminski whom was by all accounts (including whilst held in the asylum)was a pretty harmless character by comparison, and well known around Whitechapel for being pretty harmless to boot.
Of course there was always the possibility that Cohen might not have been his real name as it was not beyond Victorian authorities in relation to difficult to spell Jewish immigrant names, to just put Cohen instead. Cohen/Kaminsky was a Whitechapel resident of course and of a VERY violent nature (listed in the asylum as being a danger to other inmates, unlike Kosminski) who had also been arrested in a local brothel at one stage, along with the Madame and several working girls!
Cohen/Kaminsky was so aggressive he had to be taken to Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum with his hands tied behind his back, soon after the last murder, and he was dead within the year.

[Haskins]

It's difficult for me to answer this because, really, I am not convinced by the cases put against any of the suspects. If I had to name three though, they would be:

1. Kosminski
2. Bury
3. Tumblety

[Harry D]

If "Mr. X" doesn't count, then I'll throw in William Grant Grainger.

[Wickerman]

If we could just find out if Grainger was in London in the fall of 1888, it might be a start.

[Defective Detective]

I first read about the case via Patricia Cornwell's Case Closed when I was twelve or thirteen (thanks to a true crime buff grandmother), but my real adult interest in Jack The Ripper was only fueled by reading Mr. Gordon's The American Murderers Of Jack The Ripper on Severin Klosowski. As a result, I have (what is very possibly) an irrational bias towards demonstrated murderers for the case, though I do not actually favor any of them for the role of murderer in the Ripper crimes. This feeling of mine extends also to the criminally violent against women more generally.

I think William Bury is a very good suspect, and whose prospects would greatly improved with a proven link to Whitechapel.

I think James Kelly is a good to very good suspect, but I want to know exactly where he was in August to December of 1888. I think this can be done, and will eventually be found out.

I am less impressed by Thomas Cutbush.

I think William Grant Grainger is a GREAT suspect, and Goddammit but we need more information on this man. To my knowledge there has not been a single suspect book published about the man; not a single 'name' in Ripperology has taken it upon themselves to make him into a pet suspect. This is a fellow we know who (A) attacked a prostitute with a knife and (B) targeted the abdominal area in doing so. I'd do it myself, but I'm American and do not have any sort of professional training as a historian or archivist and no idea how to begin. Are we seriously going to let Goddamn Lyttleton Forbes Winslow have the last word on this character? I am appealing to your sensibility as someone who knows how to do these things, whoever you areroduce more information on Grainger for us.

Grainger is the guy of the named suspects I like as the Ripper the most, though I do not think he actually was. I admit that he did not target the throat first, either for strangulation or for cutting, as the Ripper must have done, and for this reason he probably was not the Ripper. But we absolutely must know more about him.

[Abby Normal]

Thanks for elaborating. In future, you might want to ditch the 'tude.

Actually was trying to be funny/sarcastic. Sorry.

[Harry D]

He discovered the body what any detective worth his salt would take a look at and also said he saw her a day before her murder. Was ex military like a large percentage of serial killers are. Local man, would have known Mary's recently single condition as mcarthys lackey as well as her broken window as a way to get into her room.
Debra arif recently discovered a direct newspaper quote where he said he was in the court the night she died.

So put that in your little laughing emoticon and smoke it and read up on the less known articles of the case Einstein. : )

Thanks for elaborating. In future, you might want to ditch the 'tude.

[mechanicalcannibal]

Oh my gosh, thanks to everyone who mentioned their suspects.

I'll tally up the votes, but I see a lot of them being Montague John Druitt, Kosminski was mentioned a bit, the blotchy man who was with Kelly, and Tumblety (who in actuality is one of the suspects I put up in the top, but I wanted to use others opinions, not my own).

Another thing is, I wanted to ask about the Myabrick diaries and what your opinion is on them. I looked into the diaries and I'm sketchy about them.

Kaitlyn

[Fisherman]

He discovered the body what any detective worth his salt would take a look at and also said he saw her a day before her murder. Was ex military like a large percentage of serial killers are. Local man, would have known Mary's recently single condition as mcarthys lackey as well as her broken window as a way to get into her room.
Debra arif recently discovered a direct newspaper quote where he said he was in the court the night she died.

So put that in your little laughing emoticon and smoke it and read up on the less known articles of the case Einstein. : )

I think we should lend some weight to the fact that Kelly had been dead many hours when Bowyer discovered her. Much as I like the angle of taking a look at those who discover bodies , I think the circumstances must be weighed in too.

The best,
Fisherman

[Rosella]

(1) Unknown local who slipped through the net.

(2) Ditto.

(3) David Cohen, who was at least violent, in contrast to Kosminski.

'Indian Harry' could indeed be a suspect.

[GUT]

1. Montague Druitt

Montie's getting plenty of votes.

Which actually surprises me a little since generally when he's bought up it is ridiculed. "The only reason is the timing of his suicide" seems to be the normal response, but to my mind there's a lot more than that.

[David Andersen]

1. Montague Druitt

[Mayerling]

I actually never had a real choice candidate - I always felt totally unable to make such a choice because, despite all the wonderful finds that were good finds of evidence in this case I feel that at this late date we can never be perfectly sure.

That said, I am most interested in reading Jonathan's future book on Druitt and Macnaghten. I tend to find Jon has been doing some fascinating research into Sir Melville's use of his information from 1891 through 1914. Because (at the time Jon first began bringing this forward) I was reading a book dealing with a similar change of "testimony"/"commentary" by another party involved in another famous historical subject ("the Titanic Disaster") I found Jon was probably on the right track.

Though I feel sorry even now for Montie (that suicide still gets me), I will grant he is the best candidate for being the Ripper.

After him it is anyone's guess. The brouhaha over the Kosminski book and it's questionable use of DNA has sort of put that gentleman aside for the time being (in my mind) as a serious candidate. Pity because he shared that list with Montie, and Ostrog as the three chief suspects (as far as Macnaghten actually listed any by name).

I find that instead of picking names of the best candidates I concentrate on the ones I find personally interesting in their own right:

1) Montie,
2) Dr. Tumblety (because of his possible connection with the Lincoln assassination and definite connection to the American Civil War)
3) D'Onston Stevenson (because of his interest in the occult - a big subject in Victorian England, even more than now).
4) Bury - of the murderers that have been suggested (Deeming, Cream, Chapman, Holmes, Mrs. Pearcey) Bury was technically first and interested some police involved in his case, as well (apparently) as his hangman, James Berry.

There is one curious thing nagging at me. When they had that "Royal Conspiracy" theory centered around Prince Eddy, they suggested the killings were actually perpetrated by the Royal physician Sir William Gull. Actually Gull was one of several Royal physicians to Victoria, Prince Bertie / Edward VII, and other leading royals. Another one was Sir James Reid, for example. But I mentioned on one of these threads a doctor fully as notable in the 1880s as Gull, who definitely is known to have been interested in crime, and is associated with a famous quip concerning the "Pimlico" Poisoning Case of 1885-86 regarding Edwin and Adelaide Bartlett. Mrs Bartlett was acquitted due to the brilliant courtroom work of her barrister Sir Edward Clarke. Afterwards, the surgeon, Sir James Paget, said, "Now that we know she is innocent, and cannot be tried again, in the interest of science she should tell us how she did it!!" Paget's family loved to discuss mysteries - his son John Paget wrote an excellent 1860 book called "Puzzles and Paradoxes" dealing with cases like Eliza Fenning, and Elizabeth Canning. The book (which I read in college) was actually up-to-date for the time, as John Paget mentions the case of James Mullins (hanged in 1860 for the murder of a Mrs. Elmsley) in passing in one of his chapters. That suggest crime was discussed in the Paget circle. It doesn't mean that it was not discussed in Gull's family, but there is a clearer path of involvement with Paget's family. I'm curious about what Paget was up to in 1888, and how his health was (Gull had had a stroke).

Jeff