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Exonerating Michael Kidney - A Fresh Look at Old Myths

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  • Exonerating Michael Kidney - A Fresh Look at Old Myths

    Hi all,

    Just wanted to let you know that my essay, 'Exonerating Michael Kidney', from the pilot issue of Casebook Examiner is now available to read in the Dissertations section. The link is below. The article examines the genesis of the idea that a) Stride wasn't a Ripper victim and b) she was killed by her beau, Michael Kidney. For those who haven't already read it, there should be some new and interesting stuff in there, or at least that was my intention.

    Link to essay: http://www.casebook.org/dissertation...ng-kidney.html

    Not to sound cocky, but out of the 15 or so essays I've published on the Ripper, mostly on the Stride murder, this is the only one I would consider a 'must read' for anyone who thinks Stride might not have been a Ripper victim, or might have been killed by Kidney.

    Yours truly,

    Tom Wescott

  • #2
    Michael Kidney

    Hello Tom,

    I didnīt need convincing that Liz Stride was a victim of JTR, but enjoyed reading your dissertation. A case very well put and which hopefully will silence anyone who continues to believe she was murdered by Kidney.

    I have always thought (have said this before) that Liz was the type of alchoholic called a "periodare" in swedish. That is, someone who will remain sober for weeks or even months at a time and then often drink themselves senseless for a period of time, only to go back to being sober again for a while. I think this would explain why she left Kidney from time to time.

    Best wishes,
    C4

    Comment


    • #3
      Hi Curious, thanks for taking the time to read it and comment. I certainly don't think Kidney was a saint, nor was Liz. But not being a saint doesn't make one a murderer, and the evidence shows Kidney to have been a very unlikely suspect. As for Stride's drinking, you might be on to something.

      Yours truly,

      Tom Wescott

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Tom_Wescott View Post
        when one considers that Stride was an habitual liar who herself was arrested a record-breaking eight times between 1887 and 1888 alone
        A very important point in a very well written and hard hitting dissertation. Thanks for taking the time to put it up !
        Managing Editor
        Casebook Wiki

        Comment


        • #5
          Thanks for the link I'll read it soon. I do wish we got more information of when new dissertations are published.

          Comment


          • #6
            Shouldn't there be mention that Tom's fine article first appeared in Casebook Examiner No. 1 (June 2010) ?

            Don.
            "To expose [the Senator] is rather like performing acts of charity among the deserving poor; it needs to be done and it makes one feel good, but it does nothing to end the problem."

            Comment


            • #7
              Don, I mentioned the article (as published in Examiner 1) a couple days ago in the Plausibility of Kozminsky thread. Apparently the present thread (Exonerating Michael Kidney) went completely unnoticed.

              Originally posted by jason_c View Post
              I do wish we got more information of when new dissertations are published.
              I guess the best way to advertize for any new dissertations or research developments is to post the info in an Anderson or Hutch thread.
              Last edited by mariab; 09-14-2011, 07:43 PM.
              Best regards,
              Maria

              Comment


              • #8
                .

                Just how common is the last name Kidney? I don't think I've ever heard of another Kidney besides Michael. The fact that anyone with that last name is related to this case makes me LOL every time I think too much about it.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Brenda View Post
                  The fact that anyone with that last name is related to this case makes me LOL every time I think too much about it.
                  As a newbie I used to find this hilarious too. It's a good thing Michael Kidney wasn't Eddowes' boyfriend, otherwise he might have been a major suspect for the Lusk letter.
                  Best regards,
                  Maria

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I meant, ought there not be a reference to the article first appearing in the Examiner accompanying the dissertation. And, valuable as the dissertations are (and I will admit I doubtless speak from a personal bias), they suffer some from lacking the formatting and illustrations in the original magazine article. Except, strangely enough it seems, an article that Jennifer Pegg (Shelden) and I wrote many years ago for Ripperologist. Last time I looked, it had the original illustrations.

                    Don.
                    "To expose [the Senator] is rather like performing acts of charity among the deserving poor; it needs to be done and it makes one feel good, but it does nothing to end the problem."

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Just how common is the last name Kidney?

                      For those with long memories and tenure on the boards, there was the hoaxer Arfa Kidney and his photograph of Aberline.

                      Don.
                      "To expose [the Senator] is rather like performing acts of charity among the deserving poor; it needs to be done and it makes one feel good, but it does nothing to end the problem."

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Hi Tom -I just read your article/dissertation and thought it one of the best written, and best supported, bits of writing that I've had the pleasure to read in Ripper Land.

                        Two bits leapt out at me though -you claim that that one example of Liz lying, was her claim to having a deformed palate. Garry Wroe cleaned up the photo of Liz dead in the morgue, and she clearly had a deformed lip. This coralated with Neal Sheldon's statement that Liz was known as 'Old Mother Gum' because she had a deformed lip. Liz was clearly born with this deformity (and it couldn't have been caused by anyone putting their foot in her mouth as she escaped from The Princess Alice), but there was clearly 'some' truth in her assertion.....ok a 'palate' isn't a 'lip' -but she did have a deformed mouth.

                        The second bit of interest to me was :

                        Coroner: Did you see her during that three months?
                        Tanner: Yes, frequently; sometimes once a week, and at other times almost every
                        other day.
                        Coroner: Did you understand what she was doing?
                        Tanner: She told me that she was at work among the Jews, and was living with a
                        man in Fashion Street
                        .
                        This exchange is very revealing, and is also quite important as it is coming from a woman who had known Stride for six or more years and had recently been spending much time with her
                        I have always thought that that the reason that Liz and Kate were targetted
                        was that they were soliciting for clients attending Jewish Clubs, the night of their deaths. The Statement about 'at work among the Jews ' (which I take as prostituting herself for jewish clients), and the mention of Fashion Street by both Liz and Kate...where there was a Synagogue....certainly gives food for thought.
                        http://youtu.be/GcBr3rosvNQ

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          RubyRetro,

                          I have always thought that that the reason that Liz and Kate were targetted was that they were soliciting for clients attending Jewish Clubs

                          In Liz'a case the "work among the Jews" reference almost assuredly refers to her doing odd-job cleaning work for Jewish families, even as she did in Sweden. Hence her supposed ability to speak Yiddish that was learned on the job in Stockholm.

                          Don.
                          "To expose [the Senator] is rather like performing acts of charity among the deserving poor; it needs to be done and it makes one feel good, but it does nothing to end the problem."

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            This is probably not relevant at all but I have read of Jewish families employing gentiles to perform certain tasks for them on the Sabbath since there were many things they were forbidden to do. Apparently, the young Elvis had such a Saturday job with a Jewish family in Memphis.

                            Best wishes,
                            Steve.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Steven,

                              Yes, the so-called shabbos-goy who would do all sorts of tasks on the Sabbath denied observing Jews, like starting fires and the like.

                              Don.
                              "To expose [the Senator] is rather like performing acts of charity among the deserving poor; it needs to be done and it makes one feel good, but it does nothing to end the problem."

                              Comment

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