Kosminski - Dead or Alive

[mklhawley]

My thought would be that men in general were all potentially the killer.

Men who were of foreing extraction were all useful bids.

Men who were of foreign extraction, and who had displayed some sort of violence at some time, preferably against women, were all good bids.

Men who were of foreign extraction, and who had displayed some sort of violence at some time, preferably against women, and who had a story of insanity to add to the picture, were all very good bids.

And men who were of foreign extraction, and who had displayed some sort of violence at some time, preferably against women, who had a story of insanity to add to the picture and who couuld be in one way or another connected to Whitechapel, were probably the Ripper. All of them.

I don´t think it is a iot harder than that.

The best,
Fisherman

Hi Fisherman,

You nailed part of it. In the case of Tumblety, he was an American (Americanisms in the Dear Boss letter), was wearing an American slouch hat (Constables were on the lookout for this), and exhibited erratic behavior with unfortunates (according to a few accounts). This is why he was brought into the station 'on suspicion'.

...but that's not what Littlechild was involved for back at Headquarters. Once they realized who they had, things changed.

Sincerely,

Mike

[Fisherman]

If Littlechild was directly involved in the Ripper inquiry then his use of 'very' would come, we might presume, from personal knowledge, and therefore be of some significance.
If Littlechild was not directly involved, then his use of 'very' is just repeating the opinions of others whom he trusts.

So, which is it, and therefore, how significant is his use of 'very'?

My thought would be that men in general were all potentially the killer.

Men who were of foreing extraction were all useful bids.

Men who were of foreign extraction, and who had displayed some sort of violence at some time, preferably against women, were all good bids.

Men who were of foreign extraction, and who had displayed some sort of violence at some time, preferably against women, and who had a story of insanity to add to the picture, were all very good bids.

And men who were of foreign extraction, and who had displayed some sort of violence at some time, preferably against women, who had a story of insanity to add to the picture and who couuld be in one way or another connected to Whitechapel, were probably the Ripper. All of them.

I don´t think it is a iot harder than that.

The best,
Fisherman

[mklhawley]

It depends if Tumblety's name came to attention via Special Branch sources..These are murky waters!

Yes, and Francis Tumblety was neighbors with Irish nationalists in New York City. There are a number of accounts of Tumblety interacting with Irish nationalists. Interestingly, Francis Tumblety escaped England (did not leave his usual Liverpool exit) in the very same way Irish nationalists escaped, through Folkstone Harbour.

Sincerely,

Mike

[Steve S]

If Littlechild was directly involved in the Ripper inquiry then his use of 'very' would come, we might presume, from personal knowledge, and therefore be of some significance.
If Littlechild was not directly involved, then his use of 'very' is just repeating the opinions of others whom he trusts.

So, which is it, and therefore, how significant is his use of 'very'?

It depends if Tumblety's name came to attention via Special Branch sources..These are murky waters!

[Wickerman]

If Littlechild was directly involved in the Ripper inquiry then his use of 'very' would come, we might presume, from personal knowledge, and therefore be of some significance.
If Littlechild was not directly involved, then his use of 'very' is just repeating the opinions of others whom he trusts.

So, which is it, and therefore, how significant is his use of 'very'?

[mklhawley]

It has been brought to my attention that rather significantly, perhaps, the 'very' has been omitted on page 213 of the new book Jack the Ripper: CSI Whitechapel where it states, '...and, later, John Littlechild - formerly of Special Branch - who named Dr Francis Tumblety as a "likely" suspect in a letter written in 1913...' People seem to just not like that pesky word 'very'.

Hi Stewart,

Now that's disheartening. The use of 'very' is quite specific, and to not use it seems to alter Littlechild's intention:

I never heard of a Dr D. in connection with the Whitechapel murders but amongst the suspects, and to my mind a very likely one, was a Dr. T. (which sounds much like D.) He was an American quack named Tumblety and was at one time a frequent visitor to London and on these occasions constantly brought under the notice of police, there being a large dossier concerning him at Scotland Yard.

Sincerely,

Mike

[Stewart P Evans]

'Very'

Why do people always leave out the 'very' from Littlechild's description of Tumblety as a 'very likely one'?

It has been brought to my attention that rather significantly, perhaps, the 'very' has been omitted on page 213 of the new book Jack the Ripper: CSI Whitechapel where it states, '...and, later, John Littlechild - formerly of Special Branch - who named Dr Francis Tumblety as a "likely" suspect in a letter written in 1913...' People seem to just not like that pesky word 'very'.

[Stephen Thomas]

In November 1888, anybody who could spell "knife" ran the risk of becoming a favoured suspect of the police

And them what couldn't spell 'nice' as well.

[mklhawley]

Druitt was dead soon after Kelly, not Tumblety and not Aaron Kosminski, yet somebody is mixing and matching bits and pieces and telling all this to significant police figures.

Tom Divall in the 1930's claims that Macnaghten had told him that the Ripper was a man who fled to the US and died in an asylum. This was soon after Kelly, and the murders ended.

Hi Jonathan,

The fact that someone admitted Macnaghten was basically mixing and matching is very convincing.


Hi Fisherman,
Yes indeed.


Sincerely,

Mike

[Fisherman]

I love the very 'very'! I have to tell you, though. With Tumblety, it's not a case of limited evidence so either of us might be right. 'Very' actually means 'very', just as Stewart has pointed out. You will enjoy my next two articles coming out in the near future. This should clarify things.

Now, back to Kosminski.

Sincerely,

Mike

Looking forward to it, Mike - I could do with a brushing up on my Tumblety. Will you go into the homosexuality bit too?

The best,
Fisherman

[Jonathan H]

Littlechild writes to Sims that somebody 'believed' that Tumblety committed suicide. Satisfyingly it could have happened after he jumped his bail.

This echoes what Swanson jots down about 'Kosminski': satisfyingly deceased soon after Kelly.

Littlechild also never questions the status of 'Dr. D' which we know from all Sims other writings was the [alleged] prime suspect of 1888.

The 'very' matches that notion: the chief suspect -- except a Yank not a Brit, and was arrested and not about to be, and believed to have taken his own life, not that we we were sure, let alone in a river.

Does nobody else see a pattern here?

Druitt was dead soon after Kelly, not Tumblety and not Aaron Kosminski, yet somebody is mixing and matching bits and pieces and telling all this to significant police figures.

Tom Divall in the 1930's claims that Macnaghten had told him that the Ripper was a man who fled to the US and died in an asylum. This was soon after Kelly, and the murders ended.

[mklhawley]

One mention after event by a senior policeman....But one who was actually involved at the time........I'm not talking about later refs by Anderson/Swanson,but just comparing Littlechild to MM..........Obviously there's a lot of newspaper stuff about and by Tumblety,but I'm just looking at Police sources........

And that’s not the only police source. The entire cascade of Tumblety newspaper articles find their origin from a New York World foreign correspondent stating that his source was, …’the police’. This was confirmed by US Chiefs of Police Byrnes, Crowley, and Campbell by them admitting in one way or another that Tumblety was considered a Ripper suspect by Scotland Yard.

Now, back to Kosminski.

Mike

[Steve S]

Amounting to...?

Fisherman

One mention after event by a senior policeman....But one who was actually involved at the time........I'm not talking about later refs by Anderson/Swanson,but just comparing Littlechild to MM..........Obviously there's a lot of newspaper stuff about and by Tumblety,but I'm just looking at Police sources........

[mklhawley]

I notice that Stewart Evans asks why the "very" is left out when Tumblety is spoken of. And that is a fair question. In my case, I guess I am somewhat coloured - as you suggest - by my own take on who Jack was, and so I make that blunder. Littlechild wrote "very" but it is a "very" that does not feel very "very" to me. Call it a hunch, and I know that you have the upper hand semantically here, but there you are.

I love the very 'very'! I have to tell you, though. With Tumblety, it's not a case of limited evidence so either of us might be right. 'Very' actually means 'very', just as Stewart has pointed out. You will enjoy my next two articles coming out in the near future. This should clarify things.

Now, back to Kosminski.

Sincerely,

Mike

[Fisherman]

Amounting to...?

Fisherman