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Ok so I've got your attention.
How hard would we have to work to build up a case against Robert Paul as the killer of Mary Ann Nichols and, as a consequence, suggest him as Jack the Ripper?
I'll start by suggesting four things that would have to be at least possibly true for my scenario to work. They are:
1. That Robert Paul, who like CL would have used Bucks Row to get to work every day, could have been at least 'aware' of CL. Not in person of course. I'm talking about as footsteps or as a figure in the dim distance trudging on to work. What I'm suggesting therefore is that it's possible that Paul knew that another person used Bucks Row every morning at around 3.40/3.45.
2. That Robert Paul could also have been aware that a Constable patrolled Bucks Row at around 3.50. Maybe he'd been late a couple of times and passed the Bobby on his beat?
3. That Robert Paul could have left home earlier than he said he did. It's been suggested for CL so it's not unreasonable to suggest it for Paul.
4. That a serial killer might get a kind of 'kick' from the thought of someone else discovering his 'handiwork.' A pleasure added to by the opportunity of being able possibly incriminate someone else whilst at the same time offering to 'help.'
Ok.
Robert Paul leaves home at say 3am. He picks up a very drunk Polly Nichols a few streets away. He takes her to Bucks Row and kills her. By the way, it's been suggested that CL did just this and I've argued the unlikelihood of him taking her to his work route on Bucks Row. This scenario at least gives a reason for doing just that. After he kills her he rounds the Board School goes through Woods Buildings and along the Whitechapel Road ( I'm guessing at 5 minutes here.) He then waits in a doorway or passage until he sees the figure of CL go along Brady Street and into Bucks Row. He gives him say a minutes head start and then follows on until he comes upon CL at the body. He had planned to hang around with CL for the beat Constable but they agree to go in search of another.
Later that day Paul speaks quite voluntarily to the press (as they had no idea that he even existed) and takes the opportunity to slate the police (how long the body had lain undiscovered and Mizen's 'knocking up' activities) and to play down CL's role in going for a Constable: "...and told the other man (CL) that I would send the first policeman I saw."
Have I cracked it?..........maybe not. Who knows though?
All I had to do to arrive at this scenario was to accept four, I believe, fairly reasonable suggestions as true. Is Paul a more or less likely suspect than CL? What would we think if some researcher found that Paul had once threatened someone with a knife? Or that he frequented prostitutes? It doesn't take much to be able to view a witness as a suspect.
(By the way, a while ago someone on here suggested Paul 'doubling back' to kill Nichols (even if it was tongue-in-cheek) and I'm too lazy to trawl back through to find who it was. I suspect that it was Patrick S but I may be wrong. Whoever it was can be assured of a reward from the royalties from my groundbreaking book!)
How hard would we have to work to build up a case against Robert Paul as the killer of Mary Ann Nichols and, as a consequence, suggest him as Jack the Ripper?
I'll start by suggesting four things that would have to be at least possibly true for my scenario to work. They are:
1. That Robert Paul, who like CL would have used Bucks Row to get to work every day, could have been at least 'aware' of CL. Not in person of course. I'm talking about as footsteps or as a figure in the dim distance trudging on to work. What I'm suggesting therefore is that it's possible that Paul knew that another person used Bucks Row every morning at around 3.40/3.45.
2. That Robert Paul could also have been aware that a Constable patrolled Bucks Row at around 3.50. Maybe he'd been late a couple of times and passed the Bobby on his beat?
3. That Robert Paul could have left home earlier than he said he did. It's been suggested for CL so it's not unreasonable to suggest it for Paul.
4. That a serial killer might get a kind of 'kick' from the thought of someone else discovering his 'handiwork.' A pleasure added to by the opportunity of being able possibly incriminate someone else whilst at the same time offering to 'help.'
Ok.
Robert Paul leaves home at say 3am. He picks up a very drunk Polly Nichols a few streets away. He takes her to Bucks Row and kills her. By the way, it's been suggested that CL did just this and I've argued the unlikelihood of him taking her to his work route on Bucks Row. This scenario at least gives a reason for doing just that. After he kills her he rounds the Board School goes through Woods Buildings and along the Whitechapel Road ( I'm guessing at 5 minutes here.) He then waits in a doorway or passage until he sees the figure of CL go along Brady Street and into Bucks Row. He gives him say a minutes head start and then follows on until he comes upon CL at the body. He had planned to hang around with CL for the beat Constable but they agree to go in search of another.
Later that day Paul speaks quite voluntarily to the press (as they had no idea that he even existed) and takes the opportunity to slate the police (how long the body had lain undiscovered and Mizen's 'knocking up' activities) and to play down CL's role in going for a Constable: "...and told the other man (CL) that I would send the first policeman I saw."
Have I cracked it?..........maybe not. Who knows though?
All I had to do to arrive at this scenario was to accept four, I believe, fairly reasonable suggestions as true. Is Paul a more or less likely suspect than CL? What would we think if some researcher found that Paul had once threatened someone with a knife? Or that he frequented prostitutes? It doesn't take much to be able to view a witness as a suspect.
(By the way, a while ago someone on here suggested Paul 'doubling back' to kill Nichols (even if it was tongue-in-cheek) and I'm too lazy to trawl back through to find who it was. I suspect that it was Patrick S but I may be wrong. Whoever it was can be assured of a reward from the royalties from my groundbreaking book!)
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