My theory on Kosminski

[Harry D]

Chapman, Nichols and Eddows (and probably Stride) I think were victims of the Ripper.. Kelly... that I feel was a much more personal attack...not a random....

The murders were escalating in violence, from abdominal mutilation to organ excision to organ excision + disfigurement. Mary Kelly’s murder follows that trajectory when the killer takes to murdering indoors. I don’t think there is any substantial evidence that Mary Kelly had any kind of relationship with her killer.

[Pontius2000]

I tend to agree on Stride, but am not convinced by Schwartz and certainly not on GSG.
but remain open to persuasion on all.

Steve

The GSG becomes, imo, much more likely to have been written by JtR when we understand better what it was. When we think of "graffiti" we ususually think of big sprawling writing or art on a wall. That is NOT what the GSG was. The wall where it was written was a white wall, with only the bottom 4 feet or so being painted black. The "graffiti" was written on this black portion of the wall, apparently directly over where he dropped Eddowes' apron. The letters of the graffiti were approximately 1 inch tall. So rather than big sprawling "graffiti", the more accurate description would be a small written "note" in chalk.

[Steadmund Brand]

The murders were escalating in violence, from abdominal mutilation to organ excision to organ excision + disfigurement. Mary Kelly’s murder follows that trajectory when the killer takes to murdering indoors. I don’t think there is any substantial evidence that Mary Kelly had any kind of relationship with her killer.

That I use to think as well.. but after talking to many police and homicide detectives they almost all agree...that attack seems personal...and not following the pattern, primarily due to the massive damage done to the face.. again... I am not saying I am right on my idea.. just my beliefs

Steadmund Brand

[Pontius2000]

However, that being said, I have serious doubts the ripper was jewish because of the GSG, the shout of lipski and none of the credible witnesses describe a jewish suspect.

to me, the spelling of Jews as "Juwes" makes me believe the writer was a foreign born Jew. Germany, which is next door to Poland, spells Jews as "Judan". The English word for the religion of course is "Judaism". So it's easy to see why someone who did not speak English as a first language would spell it as "Juwes". As for whether or not JtR wrote it, it seems all the police who were on the scene all seemed to be in pretty much agreement that the killer was the writer. They're the ones who actually saw the writing in situ in relation to the location of the apron, so I feel their opinion is probably more relevant than any of ours.

As I stated, I believe the killer's condition was exacerbated by alcohol and was probably drinking in pubs/clubs close to the crime scene. At the Berner St club adjacent to where Stride was killed, there were said to be at least 100 people drinking in the club that night, and most weren't members of the club. Most WERE young Jews, as the oldest club member was 29. So imo, coupled with the GSG, kind of leans heavily toward JtR being a young Jew who was probably drinking in the Berner St club as Stride seems to have been a "crime of opportunity, i.e. Not well planned out (since he was interrupted)

[Sam Flynn]

to me, the spelling of Jews as "Juwes" makes me believe the writer was a foreign born Jew. Germany, which is next door to Poland, spells Jews as "Judan"

Interesting idea. However, a German - or a Pole - would pronounce the "w" as a "v", so they'd be unlikely to include a "w" if they were guessing at the spelling of Jews. "Juwes", to a German/East European immigrant would have sounded something like "YOO-vess". They might try "Jues" or "Jus", but "Juwes" would be less likely, in my view.

[Harry D]

I don't think "Juwes" should be taken as gospel. The legibility of a small chalk scrawling on a brick jamb must be taken into consideration. The 'u' could so easily have been meant as an 'e'. In fact, "Jewes" was one of the alternative spellings recorded.

[Elamarna]

The GSG becomes, imo, much more likely to have been written by JtR when we understand better what it was. When we think of "graffiti" we ususually think of big sprawling writing or art on a wall. That is NOT what the GSG was. The wall where it was written was a white wall, with only the bottom 4 feet or so being painted black. The "graffiti" was written on this black portion of the wall, apparently directly over where he dropped Eddowes' apron. The letters of the graffiti were approximately 1 inch tall. So rather than big sprawling "graffiti", the more accurate description would be a small written "note" in chalk.

Which proves nothing as far as I can see.
I respect your opinion, but we will disagree at present.

Steve

[Elamarna]

to me, the spelling of Jews as "Juwes" makes me believe the writer was a foreign born Jew. Germany, which is next door to Poland, spells Jews as "Judan". The English word for the religion of course is "Judaism". So it's easy to see why someone who did not speak English as a first language would spell it as "Juwes". As for whether or not JtR wrote it, it seems all the police who were on the scene all seemed to be in pretty much agreement that the killer was the writer. They're the ones who actually saw the writing in situ in relation to the location of the apron, so I feel their opinion is probably more relevant than any of ours.

As I stated, I believe the killer's condition was exacerbated by alcohol and was probably drinking in pubs/clubs close to the crime scene. At the Berner St club adjacent to where Stride was killed, there were said to be at least 100 people drinking in the club that night, and most weren't members of the club. Most WERE young Jews, as the oldest club member was 29. So imo, coupled with the GSG, kind of leans heavily toward JtR being a young Jew who was probably drinking in the Berner St club as Stride seems to have been a "crime of opportunity, i.e. Not well planned out (since he was interrupted)

Interesting argument.

I see no objections to the later part, the GSG still leaves me unconvinced, but you make a good argument


Steve

[PaulB]

At the Berner St club adjacent to where Stride was killed, there were said to be at least 100 people drinking in the club that night, and most weren't members of the club. Most WERE young Jews, as the oldest club member was 29. So imo, coupled with the GSG, kind of leans heavily toward JtR being a young Jew who was probably drinking in the Berner St club as Stride seems to have been a "crime of opportunity, i.e. Not well planned out (since he was interrupted)

As a matter of interest, what's your source for saying the oldest club member was 29, that most of the 100 people there that night weren't members, and that the 100 people there were drinking?

Thanks
Paul

[Sam Flynn]

I don't think "Juwes" should be taken as gospel. The legibility of a small chalk scrawling on a brick jamb must be taken into consideration. The 'u' could so easily have been meant as an 'e'. In fact, "Jewes" was one of the alternative spellings recorded.

I agree, Harry. In fact, it might even have been spelled "Jews", but some glitch in the writing process turned what should have been a loop into a spurious letter "e".

[Yabs]

If the writer of the graffiti just wrote across the bricks then the cement that separates each brick would render a letter that crosses that particular area ambiguous.
Unless the writer wrote each word separately on twelve bricks.
Which seems unlikely, especially if written on the jamb.

[John G]

to me, the spelling of Jews as "Juwes" makes me believe the writer was a foreign born Jew. Germany, which is next door to Poland, spells Jews as "Judan". The English word for the religion of course is "Judaism". So it's easy to see why someone who did not speak English as a first language would spell it as "Juwes". As for whether or not JtR wrote it, it seems all the police who were on the scene all seemed to be in pretty much agreement that the killer was the writer. They're the ones who actually saw the writing in situ in relation to the location of the apron, so I feel their opinion is probably more relevant than any of ours.

As I stated, I believe the killer's condition was exacerbated by alcohol and was probably drinking in pubs/clubs close to the crime scene. At the Berner St club adjacent to where Stride was killed, there were said to be at least 100 people drinking in the club that night, and most weren't members of the club. Most WERE young Jews, as the oldest club member was 29. So imo, coupled with the GSG, kind of leans heavily toward JtR being a young Jew who was probably drinking in the Berner St club as Stride seems to have been a "crime of opportunity, i.e. Not well planned out (since he was interrupted)

The club had been busy earlier in the evening, but only around 30-40 members remained after the talk finished, which was between 11:30 and 12:00pm. See: http://www.casebook.org/press_report...l?printer=true

[Sam Flynn]

If the writer of the graffiti just wrote across the bricks then the cement that separates each brick would render a letter that crosses that particular area ambiguous.

Thanks, Yabs. That's precisely what I think that might have happened; indeed, there seems to have been ambiguity in more than one quarter, with "Jewes" and "Juwes" being offered as alternative readings.

[John G]

That I use to think as well.. but after talking to many police and homicide detectives they almost all agree...that attack seems personal...and not following the pattern, primarily due to the massive damage done to the face.. again... I am not saying I am right on my idea.. just my beliefs

Steadmund Brand

I seem to remember reading somewhere that where facial disfigurement is a factor the victim is almost always known to the perpetrator. Do you know if any research has been done in this area?

[rjpalmer]

This will sound like splitting hairs, but its not so much the bald fact that Kosminski was docile after incarceration, but, rather, the fact that the administrative staff treated him as docile. Recall that Robert Anderson wants us to believe that Kosminski was positively identified as the man who murdered 5 or 6 women, cut one of them to ribbons, removed organs, etc, but lo, instead of being carted off to Broadmoor, by all appearances he was treated as a 'typical' lunatic--with not a peep out of his medical attendants that they had a dangerous menace under their care. (I refer to the case notes). Do you see the distinction? If you accept this, then you must also accept the utterly unfathomable conclusion that Anderson and Swanson kept the evidence of Kosminski's 'true nature' (that he was the Ripper) from his warders. I find that incredible.