Fido's Reconsideration of Aaron Kosminski

[Barnaby]

I recently watched a YouTube video on the Jack the Ripper tour channel when Steven Blomer and Richard Jones were discussing issues related to Aaron Kosminski, Nathan Kaminski, and David Cohen. It is available here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uIdC-ENk54&t=7s

Near the end, they discussed Martin Fido's reconsideration of Aaron Kosminski in the December, 2012 (No. 129) Ripperologist. This article is freely available through the back issues posted on the Ripperologist website. In this article, Fido concedes that Aaron Kosminski is a viable suspect in the murder of Elizabeth Stride; perhaps Aaron was identified by Schwartz and thus was Anderson's suspect. But Fido argues that even if this was the case, that doesn't mean Aaron Kosminski was responsible for the other canonical 5 murders. Indeed, Fido appears to find this unlikely.

Fido is, of course, technically correct on logical and legal grounds. However, if it was proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Aaron Kosminski killed Elizabeth Stride, I would have little doubt that Aaron Kosminski was Jack the Ripper. He wouldn't just jump to the front of the suspect list. I would consider the canonical 5 murders and probably the Tabram murder solved, just like Swanson and Anderson did.

Here is my question: Assuming the police obtained evidence that convinced them and you that Anderson's suspect was guilty of the Stride murder, is it reasonable to consider the identity of the Whitechapel murderer known, as Anderson states, despite the lack of evidence of guilt in the other murders? To me, this seems a reasonable inference. Would you be convinced?

In considering this, it is important to note that, in this scenario, Elizabeth Stride was not murdered by her partner, Michael Kidney. So those scenarios are not relevant. In this scenario, Stride was definitely killed by Aaron Kosminski. Is he Jack the Ripper, or are you skeptical like Fido?

[John Wheat]

Hi Barnaby

I highly doubt Kosminski was the Ripper. I'm not even convinced he's that good a suspect for Stride's murder.

Cheers John

[The Rookie Detective]

Hi Barnaby

I highly doubt Kosminski was the Ripper. I'm not even convinced he's that good a suspect for Stride's murder.

Cheers John

I agree.

Perhaps if the murders were committed by a maniacal lunatic, then he may be worth considering; but for me the Ripper victims were dispatched by someone who came across publicly as "normal."

A Jekyll and Hyde personality

Charming, enigmatic and calculating.

I may be wrong of course, but I believe that the police at the time perhaps focused on the generic "lunatic" because they couldn't quite comprehend how a man who presented as "normal" could be capable of concealing his inner rage in public and causing such horrific annihilation of his victims.

The neuroscience of psychopathy is far more understood now that it ever could have been back then.

Ultimately; if the Ripper was infact a raving "lunatic" then I believe the Ripper would or SHOULD have been caught.

I can understand the Ripper evading capture if he was a clinical sociopathic narcissistic psychopath, but I fail to understand how the police failed to catch him if he was a man who expressed public bouts of lunacy and was sent to an asylum.

The police; despite all their valid efforts; were seemingly way out of their depth when it came to knowing where to focus their attention on what kind of man the Ripper was.

Perhaps that's why the legacy of the unknown killer referred to as "Jsck the Ripper' is still talked about today; he was in a sense; way before his time.

[Kattrup]

In this scenario, Stride was definitely killed by Aaron Kosminski. Is he Jack the Ripper, or are you skeptical like Fido?

In my opinion, Stride was killed by Jack the Ripper.

Therefore, if Kosminski killed Stride, he was Jack the Ripper and killed at least four others.

[Wickerman]

I've never accepted Kozminski as the Ripper, 23 is just too young to match any published suspect description. It's not that 23 year olds can't kill, it's just that he doesn't fit.
And all the psychological 'evidence' used to try incriminate him, is taken from years after 1888. We have no idea what his mental condition was at the time of the murders.

On the other hand, in roughly my first decade as an interested student of the case I fully rejected Stride as a Ripper victim. Perhaps because I've learned so much more over the last 20 years, I have wobbled over 'yes she was' to 'no she wasn't', and back again.
Presently, I'm in the 'yes' mode of thinking, but I'm not 100% sure.

I also remember debating directly with Martin over his own choice of suspect, that he was not a good contender either.

[Lewis C]

I think that what Barnaby is saying is, let's start by assuming it has been proven that Aaron Kosminski killed Stride. Of course, that isn't a proven fact at all, far from it, but just for the sake of discussion, let's start by assuming that it has been proven. In that case, would you conclude that he was the Ripper? That would be heavily dependent on whether or not you think Stride was a Ripper victim. In my case, I'd say that I think there's about a 2/3 chance that she was a Ripper victim, 1/3 that she wasn't. So if it were proven that AK killed Stride, he would become my #1 Ripper suspect, easily, but I would consider the whole case solved, because there's still that 1/3 chance that Stride wasn't a Ripper victim.

[Barnaby]

I think that what Barnaby is saying is, let's start by assuming it has been proven that Aaron Kosminski killed Stride. Of course, that isn't a proven fact at all, far from it, but just for the sake of discussion, let's start by assuming that it has been proven. In that case, would you conclude that he was the Ripper? That would be heavily dependent on whether or not you think Stride was a Ripper victim. In my case, I'd say that I think there's about a 2/3 chance that she was a Ripper victim, 1/3 that she wasn't. So if it were proven that AK killed Stride, he would become my #1 Ripper suspect, easily, but I would consider the whole case solved, because there's still that 1/3 chance that Stride wasn't a Ripper victim.

Yes, this isn't a question of how likely it is that Aaron Kosminski is Jack the Ripper; the question is how likely Kosminski is Jack the Ripper IF he killed Stride. It's a conditional probability.

Lewis, I think the 2/3 chance she was a Ripper victim, 1/3 she wasn't might be your baseline given the current evidence. Many are on the fence like this. But if we knew her killer was Kosminski, that means her killer was not Kidney. That means her murder was not a domestic violence situation, as we have no evidence that she knew Kosminski. So, she was killed by a stranger. To me, that moves the needle some in the favor that she was a Jack the Ripper victim.

Anyway, here is why I'm asking the question. If Anderson had solid evidence that Aaron Kosminski killed Liz Stride, is it more reasonable to assume Kosminski is Jack the Ripper, or more reasonable to remain skeptical given the differences in the murders and lack of evidence connecting Kosminski to the other murders? Surprisingly, I side with Anderson here (and not Fido).

But this is a conditional probability thought experiment. I am far from convinced Kosminski is the Ripper. I'm trying to understand Anderson's conclusion.

[Wickerman]

.... I'm trying to understand Anderson's conclusion.

I doubt his conclusion had not developed from anything deeper than his desire to silence his peers, and their constant ribbing that the Ripper beat him.
"I knew who he was, and would have had him if it wasn't for......etc...etc."

[John Wheat]

I doubt his conclusion had not developed from anything deeper than his desire to silence his peers, and their constant ribbing that the Ripper beat him.
"I knew who he was, and would have had him if it wasn't for......etc...etc."

Hi Wickerman

I think this is a good point.

Cheers John

[Scott Nelson]

I doubt his conclusion had not developed from anything deeper than his desire to silence his peers, and their constant ribbing that the Ripper beat him.
"I knew who he was, and would have had him if it wasn't for......etc...etc."

Robert Anderson:
“I recognise that in this matter I said either too much or too little. But the fact is that as my words were merely a repetition of what I published several years ago without exciting comment, they flowed from my pen without any consideration."

One wishes he would have said more, certainly not less (about what he knew).

[Scott Nelson]

I believe Paul Begg's position at one time (not sure about the present) was that Schwartz may have seen Kosminski assaulting Stride, but Kosminski didn't necessarily kill the other victims. So, the likely witness was Schwartz, but all police had was the circumstances of the Stride Murder to go with.

[Holmes' Idiot Brother]

Robert Anderson:
“I recognise that in this matter I said either too much or too little. But the fact is that as my words were merely a repetition of what I published several years ago without exciting comment, they flowed from my pen without any consideration."

One wishes he would have said more, certainly not less (about what he knew).

Agreed. I am convinced this is mere bravado on Anderson's part. I don't believe he had the faintest clue who the Ripper was. I also do not think Kosminski was the Ripper; this guy would have had extreme difficulty in cajoling these women into giving him the time of day, much less serve as a punter for their services. Kosminski at that time had already been exhibiting signs of paranoid schizophrenia since the age of 17: he would not bathe, had a flat affect, suffered auditory hallucinations, refused to allow anyone to feed him, and subsequently ate from the gutters (S. K. LEKH, 1992). I don't feel he had the guile to be the Ripper. As for Stride, I give it a 50/50 chance she was a Ripper victim. If it is somehow proven beyond a doubt that Stride was the victim of a domestic argument gone bad, I will accept it.

[Damaso Marte]

Kosminski can be placed in Whitechapel at the time of the killings and had violent tendencies. These two facts alone make him better than most suspects. The fact that he was also (apparently) seriously considered by police at the time means he has earned his place on the Mount Rushmore of Ripper suspects. Do I think he killed anyone? No. But in the tallest midget contest that is Ripper suspects he stands tall.

Seriously there have been books - PLURAL - written about suspects who cannot even be placed in Whitechapel during the Autumn of Terror. Low standards here.

[John Wheat]

Kosminski can be placed in Whitechapel at the time of the killings and had violent tendencies. These two facts alone make him better than most suspects. The fact that he was also (apparently) seriously considered by police at the time means he has earned his place on the Mount Rushmore of Ripper suspects. Do I think he killed anyone? No. But in the tallest midget contest that is Ripper suspects he stands tall.

Seriously there have been books - PLURAL - written about suspects who cannot even be placed in Whitechapel during the Autumn of Terror. Low standards here.

I see your points but I think you are overestimating Kosminski as a Ripper suspect. The violent tendencies you speak of for example it's not like he strangled then mutilated anyone that we know of.

Cheers John

[Lewis C]

Yes, this isn't a question of how likely it is that Aaron Kosminski is Jack the Ripper; the question is how likely Kosminski is Jack the Ripper IF he killed Stride. It's a conditional probability.

Lewis, I think the 2/3 chance she was a Ripper victim, 1/3 she wasn't might be your baseline given the current evidence. Many are on the fence like this. But if we knew her killer was Kosminski, that means her killer was not Kidney. That means her murder was not a domestic violence situation, as we have no evidence that she knew Kosminski. So, she was killed by a stranger. To me, that moves the needle some in the favor that she was a Jack the Ripper victim.

Anyway, here is why I'm asking the question. If Anderson had solid evidence that Aaron Kosminski killed Liz Stride, is it more reasonable to assume Kosminski is Jack the Ripper, or more reasonable to remain skeptical given the differences in the murders and lack of evidence connecting Kosminski to the other murders? Surprisingly, I side with Anderson here (and not Fido).

But this is a conditional probability thought experiment. I am far from convinced Kosminski is the Ripper. I'm trying to understand Anderson's conclusion.

I'm convinced that Kidney didn't kill Stride anyway. So in the scenario that you describe, Kosminski would then be my #1 suspect for the other Ripper murders, but I wouldn't consider the case solved.