Who Is The Ripper? A Poll of Casebookers

[Abby Normal]

Hi - I'm the author of a new series of books called Cold Case Jury. The premise of each is that I examine a historic cold case and, as a reader and Cold Case Juror, you can enter your decision on what you think happened at the Cold Case Jury website. You can find more details at my website, if you are interested.

The first case is Poisoning at the Priory, which examines the different theories about how Charles Bravo died. The second, which I'm finishing now, called Death of an Actress, examines the porthole murder case from 1947. For a future book, I would like to tackle the ripper (despite all its attendant difficulties). To help research the topic intelligently, I would love to gauge the views of casebookers. I have two questions:

1) If you had to bet your house on correctly identifying the ripper, on which one suspect would you bet and why?

2) If you had to make money on correctly identifying the ripper, on which long-shot suspect would bet and why? One name only. By long-shot I do not mean a ridiculous choice but a suspect who would, in your view, not typically make the Top 3 Suspects List of most ripperologists.

That's it! If you do post a reply, let me say thank you in advance. I will read every post.

Antony Matthew Brown
www.coldcasejury.com

1.George Hutchinson

close second-Blotchy

then further down:
Bury
Kosminsky
Chapman
Kelly

Futher down still:
Barnett
Lechmere
Flemming
Bowyer
Druitt
Tumblety
Richardson

[Ben]

After four successful killings, maybe five, Jack may very well have been supremely self confident, and didn't care that he was dressed to kill.

But his degree of self-confidence wouldn't have made any difference to the external factors I described, and moreover, we might assume that the reason he was so successful at evading capture after previous murders had at least something to do with the fact that he didn't dress to the nines, and with a "please mug me" gold watch chain on display.

I happen to believe Hutch. I know you and many other posters don't and that's OK. I can live with that!

Well, you pays yer money, and all that...

[ColdCaseJury]

The blotchy faced man seen by Mrs cox with Mary Jane Kelly.

If that's the same Mrs Cox who once lived at Balham Priory, we have the biggest scoop in criminology!

Mmm... The Blotchy Face Murders. Not sure about this as a title!

Antony

[Mayerling]

If that's the same Mrs Cox who once lived at Balham Priory, we have the biggest scoop in criminology!

Antony

Oh Anthony, no such luck unfortunately in this field!!

Most likely - no name, but probably some person who lived and roamed in the East End.

Biggest long shot - Vincent Van Gogh or Walter Sickert. If we need an artist as a serial killer, pick some mediocrity, not some great or good artist. Monsieur Steinheil, whose wife was tried for his murder in 1911, might be a good choice. Who cares about his paintings?

Hm, interesting comment made earlier regarding people running to pawnshops in Whitechapel. Maybe the fellow seen flashing the gold watch was an insane pawn broker with an unlimited number of gold watches at his disposal to use (provided they were gathering years of dust in his pawnshop).

Jeff

[Sally]

Charles Lechmere!

Just kidding - Druitt.

No, no - what am I saying?

Not Druitt at all - some possibly unknown itinerant local bloke habitually frequenting doss houses, casual wards - relief stations even.

Him.

But anyway - good luck with the documentary Antony - sure it'll be an interesting experience.

[packers stem]

Have to go with Sickert now after the last month but doubt he worked alone and certainly aided by Kelly in millers court

As for a long shot McCarthy maybe
Why was he at Abberline's retirement do??

[Fisherman]

Charles Lechmere!

Just kidding - Druitt.

No, no - what am I saying?

Not Druitt at all - some possibly unknown itinerant local bloke habitually frequenting doss houses, casual wards - relief stations even.

Him.

But anyway - good luck with the documentary Antony - sure it'll be an interesting experience.

What makes you think the killer habitually frequented doss houses and casual wards?

[IchabodCrane]

Hi Antony,

I would not bet my house on it, but the man seen loitering after 2am in front of Miller's court would have some more explaining to do in front of the Cold Case Jury than we have heard from him in his police statement (if they were one and the same person).

So would the man seen in Buck's Row standing close to a woman's body which was still thought to have been faintly breathing. Was there really not a sound he heard of someone walking away from the scene?

And so would the man with the mustache and the appearance of a sailor seen talking to a woman in front of the passage to Mitre square minutes before this woman was found brutally murdered there. But this man, our best description, is the big unknown.

Good luck with your project / poll,
IchabodCrane

[Patrick S]

I can't give you a name. I'm not in the business of naming "suspects" or "candidates" or any of the other silly names we apply to our respective pet theories.

I've read most of that books that have proclaimed "case closed". I've read the "I've found him" threads on this and other boards. I've seen the movies, miniseries, and documentaries that have puported to have "solved" the case, "named" the killer. We keep doing the same things again and again. We name famous artists, writers, etc. Because we know their names, people know who we are talking about when we say, "Lewis Carrol was Jack the Ripper!" People will buy our book when we say that "Walter Sickert was a serial killer!"

The next bit of foolishness is what I've come to call "witness bingo". Rather than name a famous person from 1888, we name a witness. Anyone who testified at an inquest or was interviewed by the police or press will do. Man. Hutchinson. Barnett. Cross. It's a LONG list. It's the same game with a slightly different angle: It's a name you know. We know something about these people, so we can invent a back story - no matter how foolish - that "supports" our case.

It all seems rather absurd to me. But, that's fine. So long as it's not boring.

[DJA]

As for a long shot McCarthy maybe
Why was he at Abberline's retirement do??

" to show their appreciation to Abberline and the police for helping to protect their district when he served H Division."

I won't name the author out of respect.

[Pcdunn]

I won't bet my house, but I'm intrigued by James Kelly as a suspect. I also like Montague Druitt as a suspect.

I think Lewis Carroll is the longest long-shot of them all, as suspects go.

Good luck with your project, ColdCaseJury. You are likely to find we have created Jack the Ripper, and that he is everybody... and nobody.

[Barnaby]

I think answering unknown local is against the spirit of the question, so I will go with 1. Kelly and 2. Lechmere.

[GUT]

I think answering unknown local is against the spirit of the question, so I will go with 1. Kelly and 2. Lechmere.

Why is it against the Spirit, it's the honest answer in my case about 100 to one on.

[Damaso Marte]

Keep in mind that in this scenario you are FORCED to bet, and you MUST bet on a named suspect.

For well known suspect, I bet Aaron Kosminsky.

For obscure suspect, I bet Lechmere.

I suspect I lose either bet, but if I'm limited to the named suspects that's where I am.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Hi Rosella,

Not wishing to start that debate again, but I can't quite reconcile the image of an "anonymous local loser" with someone who dresses up in expensive clothes and prominently displays his "thick gold watch chain" to go a-ripping at the weekend, not unless he wanted his murderous designs to be thwarted by the attention of muggers and plain-clothes coppers.

Not to bust your bubble Ben but it is highly, highly, highly unlikely that the "Ripper" dressed in type of clothing he is often depicted wearing in drawings of him floating around these days. Someone dressed as modern drawings see him, in that area of London, would attract far too much attention. Yes what was said is true, even serial killers do dress up occasionally but they are smarter, unless they want to get caught, than to draw attention to themselves.

Regards
Mr Holmes