Did the inhabitants of the East End in 1888 know/suspect who the killer was?

[belinda]

I think it's highly possible that somebody had a good idea of who it was. I , personally, would have been too scared to go to the Police

[Harry D]

That's an interesting question...there is the story about the graffiti saying the killers live here or something near to 35 Dorset was it? And also the story of the woman accosting wolf levinson and claiming he was the ripper...levinson is the one who actually worked at the shop where George chapman was claimed to work...the hair dresser spot that supposedly makes him a suspect...interestingly xhapman never worked there...but levinson did.

Do you have a source for this? A quick Google search brought up nothing.

[GUT]

We know that the inhabitants did put up with searches of their homes by the police in an effort to find Jack, though.

Also the police/Scotland Yard received thousands of letters from people all over the country suggesting ways of catching Jack and pointing the finger at males, neighbours, family members, acquaintances, whom they regarded as suspicious. Why wouldn't some of the inhabitants of Whitechapel have done the same if they wanted the killer caught? They might not have approached the local coppers or called in at the local police station but there'd be nothing stopping them writing a letter anonymously pointing someone out together with the reasons why, IMO.

For me it's mainly because of a distrust, or maybe more accurately dislike, of authorities.

Putting up with having your house searched (something they had no real choice over anyway) is a far cry from actively helping.

I also don't suggest that it would have been common knowledge, but suspect that if he was a local, some knew who it was.

[Rosella]

We know that the inhabitants did put up with searches of their homes by the police in an effort to find Jack, though.

Also the police/Scotland Yard received thousands of letters from people all over the country suggesting ways of catching Jack and pointing the finger at males, neighbours, family members, acquaintances, whom they regarded as suspicious. Why wouldn't some of the inhabitants of Whitechapel have done the same if they wanted the killer caught? They might not have approached the local coppers or called in at the local police station but there'd be nothing stopping them writing a letter anonymously pointing someone out together with the reasons why, IMO.

[GUT]

I forgot to say, if he wasn't a TOFF but still an outsider, I suspect they wouldn't have hesitated to shop him.

[GUT]

If he was TOFF no way, they'd have turned him in, in a heartbeat.

If he was one of them, possibly, maybe even probably, some knew who he was.

If you mean while the killings were going on.

If you mean after they stopped, I suspect many had a good guess at who it was.

[RockySullivan]

That's an interesting question...there is the story about the graffiti saying the killers live here or something near to 35 Dorset was it? And also the story of the woman accosting wolf levinson and claiming he was the ripper...levinson is the one who actually worked at the shop where George chapman was claimed to work...the hair dresser spot that supposedly makes him a suspect...interestingly xhapman never worked there...but levinson did.

[curious4]

There are lots of references, especially in the older(ish) books to people who knew, or thought they knew who the killer was, so why did they not go to the police with information? If the killer was attached to one of the many vicious criminal gangs which have flourished in the East End since the Middle Ages, when it was called Alsatia, up until the Krays and beyond, perhaps people knew but were too afraid of what the gangs would do to them and their families if they went to the police. Or did they suspect someone from the "ruling classes" and feel that it was hopeless to try to stop them.

It seems to me that living as closely as they did, they must have had some idea of who was responsible. Relations with the police were not of the best. I had a friend who was a district nurse in the area in the 1960s and she often said that she heard things but going to the police would effectively prevent her from continuing with her job, which was an important one for the health of the mothers and children she cared for. There is a long tradition of keeping silent. Would this have hindered the police in their efforts?

Best wishes
C4