another suspect

[shaun1956]

I think I might have an alternative suspect Dr Robert Claudius Billings (bishop of bedford) he fits the bill, powerful build, hated prostitutes esp; middle aged, he wanted to build dedicated penitentiaries for them, was a member of "The London Society" (hated jews) was based at Christ Church (centre of the pentagram of the c5) the coincedences are obvious Mitre sq, Church Passage, had a complete breakdown put down to work in 1891 was effectivley decomissioned by the church in 1895 died 1898 in convolescence eradicated from history (try checking him out) after his death the post he held was laid in abayance until the lat 20th century, just another one to get our teeth into, to prove or disprove. He also studied anatomy at Worcester college, took up appointment in Spitalfields April 1888 which gave him ample time 4 months to familiarise the area knew police beats times places, but he was a religious man just like the peados of today above suspicion.

[GUT]

I'd want to see some evidence against him before I even though about spending any time, this picking name out of history because they, in this case wanted prostitutes locked up, is in my opinion useless.

If someone on NY today, lets say the Mayor, called for Drug users to be locked up in special gaols would they be suspected if a string of drug dealers were killed, I really doubt it.

[MysterySinger]

Some interesting observations there Shaun. I've not heard of him but find the date of his appointment interesting as I wondered why the time frame for the murders. Was there any suspect activity in the vicinity of his previous appointment? I expect the census information wouldn't throw much light on his situation.

[Amanda]

Rather a random choice of suspect.....
So your theory is that because he was a bishop he must have been a sexual predator...mmmm interesting.....

Billings was born in 1857 - therefore only 31 at the time of the Ripper murders

Technically he died in office, although not on active duty he wasn't 'struck off' - just given a kind of 'gardening leave'.

Need to see some hard facts please to support your suspect - Billings was in a fragile state of mind when he died, surely during his rantings he would have sought out confession or forgiveness given his religious disposition.
Also think it's rather harsh to point the finger at him for being a hater of prostitutes and Jews, I would hazard a guess that would be the case for most 19th century men of the church.
Amanda

[Errata]

I think a man of the cloth is a good choice because it's one of the few people you see about late at night that you don't question. You assume either someone is dying or someone is being born (probably based on the look on their face), and you don't stop them for a chat. it's the same thing that made the Catholic church in Poland so effective in aiding and smuggling out Jews. So I think you always gotta look at the clergy for this stuff.

I think even before getting specific evidence you have to clear potential conflicts. Could he have been on the streets on those nights. If there was some Bishop Conference (I don't really know how it works) on one of those nights, that could knock him out. Is there anything that could explain Jack's knife skills? I know very little about C of E, so would it be weird if he was out late? Would that arouse suspicion, or would people take notice? It doesn't necessarily clear him, but you would expect someone mentioning they saw a priest if for no other reason than in the hope that the priest would alibi them.

Could he in general, was he physically able? Is there any reason the guy might be handy with a knife? On a scale of 1 to 10, how weird would it be to see him at 2 am? Because if it's just under seeing the Queen at 2 am, that's a problem. And does anything correlate with him stopping?

I think the first three questions can be deal breakers. The last isn't but it's helpful. We have no idea what is important. We don't know if Jews had anything to do with it in any way. We don't know if mental fragility or psychosis is important. We don't even know that a hatred of prostitutes in important. They are all compelling, but by no means proven. That stuff is dressing on a suspect after the basics are taken care of. That may well be wrong. Certainly Dahmer was not killing for the reasons the investigators initially though. So get the bones right. The rest might not be relevant.

[drstrange169]

Well, the bishop would have been familiar 29 Hanbury, it was opposite his church hall.

[Fisherman]

I'd want to see some evidence against him before I even though about spending any time, this picking name out of history because they, in this case wanted prostitutes locked up, is in my opinion useless.

Yes. I would much prefer a man found alone by the body of a victim, a man who fits the blood evidence, a man who gave the police a name that was not the one he was recorded by, a man who disagreed with the police over what was said ...

A man who has an established physical connection to the murder series, that is.

Iīm sure you agree.

[Rosella]

A man who has a physical connection to one murder, Polly Nichols, because he happened to find her body. Was Crossmere in bed with Mary Kelly, hanging around Mitre Square with Kate Eddowes, at the Workingman's Club perhaps, killing Liz and then slipping away to have a bit of a sing-song?

Church of England clergy would be out late at night very rarely on pastoral duties, IMO, except in the case of praying over dying parishioners, giving them comfort etc. They might baptise the occasional very sick baby at home if it was born late in the evening and not expected to survive.

[pinkmoon]

If we had to make a list of people who would stick out like a sore thumb in Whitechapel during the hours these murders were committed I would say a bishop would be in there as would the pope as would a doctor carrying a nice shiny Gladstone bag wearing a cloak and sporting a very high top hat .When proposing anyone as jack the ripper lets try and have someone who can be linked to the murders no matter how weakly.

[pinkmoon]

I'd want to see some evidence against him before I even though about spending any time, this picking name out of history because they, in this case wanted prostitutes locked up, is in my opinion useless.

If someone on NY today, lets say the Mayor, called for Drug users to be locked up in special gaols would they be suspected if a string of drug dealers were killed, I really doubt it.

Look pal when has a lack of evidence every stopped anyone from accussing someone of been jack the ripper.

[caz]

Yes. I would much prefer a man found alone by the body of a victim, a man who fits the blood evidence, a man who gave the police a name that was not the one he was recorded by, a man who disagreed with the police over what was said ...

A man who has an established physical connection to the murder series, that is.

Iīm sure you agree.

That lets Lechmere off the hook then, since he was not found by a body. Paul saw him standing by himself. He was only made aware of a body by Lechmere himself, who tapped him on the shoulder and led him over to where the body was lying.

It's only fate that Paul didn't arrive at the scene first, moments before Lechmere. If that had happened, Paul would now be in Lechmere's shoes and might have made a slightly more promising suspect, given the trouble he gave the police to track him down.

Love,

Caz
X

[Fisherman]

That lets Lechmere off the hook then, since he was not found by a body. Paul saw him standing by himself. He was only made aware of a body by Lechmere himself, who tapped him on the shoulder and led him over to where the body was lying.

It's only fate that Paul didn't arrive at the scene first, moments before Lechmere. If that had happened, Paul would now be in Lechmere's shoes and might have made a slightly more promising suspect, given the trouble he gave the police to track him down.

Love,

Caz
X

You should ask the police if they immediately exonerate people who stand more than one yard away from freshly killed victims.

Their answer may astound you. Given the quality of your question, it may even offend you. The police can put things very bluntly and are not always gentlemen.

You are correct that Paul could equally have arrived first to Browns Stable Yard. But the police would never accuse him of anything in such a case, since Nichols would have been alive and well at that stage.

[Dane_F]

How dare a person discover something amiss and raise alarm to it. Surely only a killer would do such a thing...

As far as THIS suspect goes I would have to imagine if a man of the cloth was seen out and about he would, in fact, stick out very much. Out of all the descriptions we have of possible suspects and people of interests has any one suggested they saw a clergyman? I find this suspect just as far fetched as the other one mentioned in this thread sadly.

[Fisherman]

How dare a person discover something amiss and raise alarm to it. Surely only a killer would do such a thing...

As far as THIS suspect goes I would have to imagine if a man of the cloth was seen out and about he would, in fact, stick out very much. Out of all the descriptions we have of possible suspects and people of interests has any one suggested they saw a clergyman? I find this suspect just as far fetched as the other one mentioned in this thread sadly.

Thatīs great detective skills, Dane.

Have you noticed that one of them is connected to the case while the other one is not?

Has it occurred to you that Nicholsī blood was partly congealed as Mizen saw the body, around five, six minutes after Lechmere left the body?

Are you aware that this man had a working trek that seemingly took him right past the murder sites?

Have you grasped that he gave another name than his real one to the police?

Are you familiar with the fact that he and Mizen totally disagreed about the information the PC had been given?

To put him on par with a clergyman with not ties whatsoever to any of the murder sites and no proven connection at all to the series, is absolute bonkers, totally unrealistic, incredibly ignorant and ridiculously ill-informed.

To brag about it afterwards is even worse.

Sorry, Dane, but it had to be said.

[Dane_F]

Thatīs great detective skills, Dane.

Have you noticed that one of them is connected to the case while the other one is not?

Has it occurred to you that Nicholsī blood was partly congealed as Mizen saw the body, around five, six minutes after Lechmere left the body?

Are you aware that this man had a working trek that seemingly took him right past the murder sites?

Have you grasped that he gave another name than his real one to the police?

Are you familiar with the fact that he and Mizen totally disagreed about the information the PC had been given?

To put him on par with a clergyman with not ties whatsoever to any of the murder sites and no proven connection at all to the series, is absolute bonkers, totally unrealistic, incredibly ignorant and ridiculously ill-informed.

To brag about it afterwards is even worse.

Sorry, Dane, but it had to be said.

Why are you going into another person's suspect thread to pimp your guy? This has already been hashed, rehashed, hashed again, burned, buried, dug up, hashed, and rehashed. The circle is complete. Give new evidence to support him or simply walk away. But taking the opportunity to subtlety sneak him into another thread where he has no business opens him up to criticism, and at the least poking fun of, which is all it was.

But you're right on one point. The clergyman at least had a motive, was "put out to pasture", and passed away all within ~10 years of the crimes. He did not go on to lead a long heathy life, raise a family, start a successful business, and have the police know of him and be able to clear him as a suspect of the crimes. To put the two together was absolutely bonkers. It gives Lechmere far too much credence as a suspect.