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Francis Thompson & the Meynells. Were they involved in a Jack the Ripper murder conspiracy?
I have found facts that point to a husband and wife, knowingly harboring and profiting from the fugitive now known as Jack the Ripper. Since 1988 the English poet Francis Joseph Thompson (1859-1907) has been a suspected the Ripper, the murderer of women in London’s East in 1888. On the centenary of the Ripper murders, Medical Examiner for Nueces County, Texas, Joseph C. Rupp, M.D., Ph.D. published his article "Was Francis Thompson Jack the Ripper?" in "The Criminologist." His article told:
'Francis Thompson spent six years in medical school, in effect, he went through medical school three times. It is unlikely, no matter how disinterested he was or how few lectures he attended, that he did not absorb a significant amount of medical knowledge. …The Ripper was able to elude the police so many times in spite of the complete mobilization of many volunteer groups and the law enforcement agencies in London. If we look at Thompson's background, having lived on the streets for three years prior to this series of crimes, there is no doubt that he knew the back streets of London intimately and that his attire and condition as a derelict and drug addict would not arouse suspicion as he moved by day and night through the East End of London’
Thompson’s publishers and heir to his literary estate, were, Alice Thompson Meynell and Wilfrid Francis Meynell. It was their short-lived literary magazine that Thompson’s poems were first published in May 1888. Alice was a poetess and Wilfrid was a newspaper publisher and editor. Prior to this Wilfrid had performed voluntary work for the poor at around the shelter for London’s homeless. It was after the Meynells published Thompson first poems that in mid-November of 1888, they salvaged him from three years of homelessness in the East End. The Meynells took Thompson off to the country where he lived in a monastery and began writing for them. The Meynells essentially looked after Thompson for the rest of his life. In 1907 a daughter of the Meynells was used to lure Thompson into hospital by having feigned sickness and admitting herself first. Upon entry, Thompson was admitted as a fever patient, and was searched for drugs. Thompson was addicted to opium and found in the sole his shoe was a bag of opium powder. Wilfrid wrote to Thompson’s landlady who was concerned about Thompson. He told her Thompson was fine and that she was to take great care of his papers, books and memoranda. Thompson was placed in an isolation ward and a five days later his medication was withdrawn and he was given only opium. One week after entering the hospital Thompson was dead. He was only 47, when he died weighing less than thirty-two kilograms. The term 'morphomania' was used to indicate a drug-related death. The Meynells said that his condition was aggravated by tuberculosis. Even though this disease is typified by the coughing up of mucus mixed with blood, beforehand Thompson did not even have a cough. The Hospital Chaplin refused to give Thompson last rights so he was replaced. Though even the replacement refused to vouch for the name. A will was hastily drawn up by the husband of the Meynell’s daughter’s husband and signed by Thompson only hours before he died. It gave all monetary rights to Thompson’s works to Wilfrid. A patient who knew none of the men witnessed the will. Although no official autopsy was performed, Wilfred stated that Thompson's had only one functioning lung. Only a dozen mourners, mostly the Meynells, attended Thompson’s funeral. Within three years after Thompson's death, his poem the “Hound of Heaven” had sold 50,000 copies. Much of what Thompson wrote disappeared, was destroyed or vanished. Wilfrid burned a series of stories Thompson completed in 1901, detailing his time on the streets. Thompson’s sister burned his letters.
Wilfrid Meynell has a connection to the first ever story published on the Ripper murders. This was a short gothic novel, “The Curse Upon Mitre Square: A.D. 1530 – 1888”, by someone called John Francis Brewer. Wilfred was known to use pseudonyms. The murder of Catherine Eddowes in Mitre Square is a main plot point of the story. It published soon after her murder in October 1888. This novel was published by ‘Simpkin, Marshall and Co’ one of many hundreds of publishers in London at the time. As well as handling this 1st Jack the Ripper murder story they also handled works written and signed by Meynell. He published though ‘Simpkin, Marshall and Co,’ his ‘The Child Set in the Midst By Modern Poets’ in 1892. This publisher also handled the first biography on Thompson in 1912.
Wilfrid Meynell also has connections to another Ripper book fifteen years later. This was the 1913, “The Lodger,” written by Marie Belloc Lowndes. It was the first and widely successful novelization on the Ripper and made a fortune. This was published by “Methuen” one of the then many hundreds of publishing houses in London. Founded in 1889, “Methuen” also released Thompson’s “Selected Poems” in 1908, which included a biographical note by Wilfrid Meynell. Methuen Publishing had their offices at 36 Essex Street, London. On the same street, four doors down at number 44 were the officers of “Merry England”. It was here; prior to the Ripper murders that Thompson personally delivered his first specimens of poems addressed to Meynell. Wilfrid Meynell was also the life long friend, neighbor and publisher for Lowndes’s brother, the writer, Hilair Belloc. In the same year that the “Lodger” was published, Meynell published the 3 volumes "Works of Francis Thompson". After Thompson’s death, the Meynell’s made a fortune from selling the works of Francis Thompson. This included a story in which a man kills a woman with a knife in a satanic sacrifice. Thompson wrote it while he was still residing in the monastery in the autumn of 1889, on the 1st anniversary of the Ripper Murders.
The probability that this is all a coincidence seems remote. It appears that the Meynell’s concealed Thompson from the police and used their inside knowledge to benefit financially from the Ripper murders.
I have found facts that point to a husband and wife, knowingly harboring and profiting from the fugitive now known as Jack the Ripper. Since 1988 the English poet Francis Joseph Thompson (1859-1907) has been a suspected the Ripper, the murderer of women in London’s East in 1888. On the centenary of the Ripper murders, Medical Examiner for Nueces County, Texas, Joseph C. Rupp, M.D., Ph.D. published his article "Was Francis Thompson Jack the Ripper?" in "The Criminologist." His article told:
'Francis Thompson spent six years in medical school, in effect, he went through medical school three times. It is unlikely, no matter how disinterested he was or how few lectures he attended, that he did not absorb a significant amount of medical knowledge. …The Ripper was able to elude the police so many times in spite of the complete mobilization of many volunteer groups and the law enforcement agencies in London. If we look at Thompson's background, having lived on the streets for three years prior to this series of crimes, there is no doubt that he knew the back streets of London intimately and that his attire and condition as a derelict and drug addict would not arouse suspicion as he moved by day and night through the East End of London’
Thompson’s publishers and heir to his literary estate, were, Alice Thompson Meynell and Wilfrid Francis Meynell. It was their short-lived literary magazine that Thompson’s poems were first published in May 1888. Alice was a poetess and Wilfrid was a newspaper publisher and editor. Prior to this Wilfrid had performed voluntary work for the poor at around the shelter for London’s homeless. It was after the Meynells published Thompson first poems that in mid-November of 1888, they salvaged him from three years of homelessness in the East End. The Meynells took Thompson off to the country where he lived in a monastery and began writing for them. The Meynells essentially looked after Thompson for the rest of his life. In 1907 a daughter of the Meynells was used to lure Thompson into hospital by having feigned sickness and admitting herself first. Upon entry, Thompson was admitted as a fever patient, and was searched for drugs. Thompson was addicted to opium and found in the sole his shoe was a bag of opium powder. Wilfrid wrote to Thompson’s landlady who was concerned about Thompson. He told her Thompson was fine and that she was to take great care of his papers, books and memoranda. Thompson was placed in an isolation ward and a five days later his medication was withdrawn and he was given only opium. One week after entering the hospital Thompson was dead. He was only 47, when he died weighing less than thirty-two kilograms. The term 'morphomania' was used to indicate a drug-related death. The Meynells said that his condition was aggravated by tuberculosis. Even though this disease is typified by the coughing up of mucus mixed with blood, beforehand Thompson did not even have a cough. The Hospital Chaplin refused to give Thompson last rights so he was replaced. Though even the replacement refused to vouch for the name. A will was hastily drawn up by the husband of the Meynell’s daughter’s husband and signed by Thompson only hours before he died. It gave all monetary rights to Thompson’s works to Wilfrid. A patient who knew none of the men witnessed the will. Although no official autopsy was performed, Wilfred stated that Thompson's had only one functioning lung. Only a dozen mourners, mostly the Meynells, attended Thompson’s funeral. Within three years after Thompson's death, his poem the “Hound of Heaven” had sold 50,000 copies. Much of what Thompson wrote disappeared, was destroyed or vanished. Wilfrid burned a series of stories Thompson completed in 1901, detailing his time on the streets. Thompson’s sister burned his letters.
Wilfrid Meynell has a connection to the first ever story published on the Ripper murders. This was a short gothic novel, “The Curse Upon Mitre Square: A.D. 1530 – 1888”, by someone called John Francis Brewer. Wilfred was known to use pseudonyms. The murder of Catherine Eddowes in Mitre Square is a main plot point of the story. It published soon after her murder in October 1888. This novel was published by ‘Simpkin, Marshall and Co’ one of many hundreds of publishers in London at the time. As well as handling this 1st Jack the Ripper murder story they also handled works written and signed by Meynell. He published though ‘Simpkin, Marshall and Co,’ his ‘The Child Set in the Midst By Modern Poets’ in 1892. This publisher also handled the first biography on Thompson in 1912.
Wilfrid Meynell also has connections to another Ripper book fifteen years later. This was the 1913, “The Lodger,” written by Marie Belloc Lowndes. It was the first and widely successful novelization on the Ripper and made a fortune. This was published by “Methuen” one of the then many hundreds of publishing houses in London. Founded in 1889, “Methuen” also released Thompson’s “Selected Poems” in 1908, which included a biographical note by Wilfrid Meynell. Methuen Publishing had their offices at 36 Essex Street, London. On the same street, four doors down at number 44 were the officers of “Merry England”. It was here; prior to the Ripper murders that Thompson personally delivered his first specimens of poems addressed to Meynell. Wilfrid Meynell was also the life long friend, neighbor and publisher for Lowndes’s brother, the writer, Hilair Belloc. In the same year that the “Lodger” was published, Meynell published the 3 volumes "Works of Francis Thompson". After Thompson’s death, the Meynell’s made a fortune from selling the works of Francis Thompson. This included a story in which a man kills a woman with a knife in a satanic sacrifice. Thompson wrote it while he was still residing in the monastery in the autumn of 1889, on the 1st anniversary of the Ripper Murders.
The probability that this is all a coincidence seems remote. It appears that the Meynell’s concealed Thompson from the police and used their inside knowledge to benefit financially from the Ripper murders.
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