One Incontrovertible, Unequivocal, Undeniable Fact Which Refutes the Diary

[Soothsayer]

... whereas the notion that police and medical officials all overlooked some "initials" is impossibly ridiculous.

Regards,
Ben

My favourite sort of 'ridiculous'!

[Simon Wood]

Hi Soothsayer,

There's more than one "FM"? God help us all.

If you think this is fun, you should get out more.

The diary is a big fat dud. Trust me.

If I told you more, I'd have to kill you.

Regards,

Simon

[Soothsayer]

Hi Soothsayer,

There's more than one "FM"? God help us all.

Regards,

Simon

Yep - on another thread on this Casebook. It wasn't anything like as clear as the 'FM' you first spotted in 1988.

Det. Soothsayer

[Soothsayer]

The diary is a big fat dud. Trust me.

If I told you more, I'd have to kill you.

Bit of contradictio in adjecto going on there, I suspect ...

PS I can think of more than one of you just itching to be the first to reply, "Yes, and you're an oxymoron"!

Hurry - it could be you!

[Tom_Wescott]

Hi Soothsayer,

Our forger was the second person to "see" the initials.

That's true, and I hereby accuse the Diary author of plaguirizing Simon Wood. Anybody have any handwriting samples from Sam Flynn?

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Sam Flynn]

That's true, and I hereby accuse the Diary author of plaguirizing Simon Wood. Anybody have any handwriting samples from Sam Flynn?

...I never said that!

PS: The last time I was asked to give a sample of my handwriting, I misunderstood and urinated over the notebook they gave me.

[Tom_Wescott]

Oops, now Sam has ME giving him credit for something someone else wrote! I went back and edited it to say Simon Wood. And please, don't urinate all over your computer!

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Sam Flynn]

Oops, now Sam has ME giving him credit for something someone else wrote!

This is Diaryworld, Tom. Anything can happen, and probably will

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

A little couplet I learned when I was knee high to a grasshopper—

"Plagiarize, plagiarize,
Let no one else's work evade your eyes."

Regards,

Simon

[Soothsayer]

As you know, the great Detective Soothsayer personally believes that the forger of the diary (if forgery it be - open to discussion, I imagine; your views are welcome here) will be monitoring this site and is probably quite active on it.

With this in mind, I challenge all of the key players (you know who you are - so does everyone else come to that) to submit proven examples of their handwriting, a few crude attempts at verse, and photocopies of their bank accounts.

Gradually, we will eliminate the literate, the poets, and the poor, and be left with the erstwhile 13-year old (now circa 30, I guess) who - it is said - wrote this thing one wet weekend in Grimsby in November 'cos their SKY TV was faulty, and is now rolling in the green stuff.

I assume that you will understand why - as the Final Standard Bearer of Truth - I feel no need to do this myself ...

[Moriarty]

Hi All,

A little couplet I learned when I was knee high to a grasshopper—

"Plagiarize, plagiarize,
Let no one else's work evade your eyes."

Regards,

Simon

You got that from me.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Moriarty,

I don't think so. I've never heard of you [except as SH's arch-nemesis].

Regards,

Simon

[Soothsayer]

Hi Moriarty,

I don't think so. I've never heard of you [except as SH's arch-nemesis].

Regards,

Simon

Humour is seriously wasted on this site.

Soothy

[Plagiarism, then 'You got that from me' ... geddit???]

[Nick Scovell]

Obvious Answer..?

Well, this is my first posting on this forum and I was inspired to enter a conversation as I am revisiting my intertest in the Ripper after something of an absence as I am revamping my play about the subject which will be performed next year.

I have to say Maybrick is my top suspect. I devoured loads of books when first researching the murders years ago and I seem to be returning to the same controversy over the diary once again!

To me, the diary was sold to me on one simple fact that came to me when reading it. I have long wanted to submit this fact to discussion, and if anyone else has done so, forgive me, but here goes...

If a forger wanted to make a Ripper diary for whatever reason, I feel sure the first thing he would do is research the subject via the hundreds of books and internet sites available. Second thing, surely, would be to choose a suspect to name.

Before the diary was published, Maybrick had never been linked to the crimes, had he? Where would such divine inspiration come from?

For me, apart from anything else, he fits the 'suspect no-one ever thought of scenario' perfectly. For a forger to choose a 'new' suspect seems so far removed from reality as to be impossible! Apart from all the other evidence that has surfaced to support the diary, this one sticks out to me like a sore thumb.

[Ben]

Welcome, Nick.

Where would such divine inspiration come from?

The Florence Maybrick trial is perhaps the most famous murder case to have emerged from Liverpool's history. If you live in Liverpool and have an interest in true crime, you're almost certain to be familiar with both Jack the Ripper and the Maybrick case. It doesn't take "divine inspiration" to juxtapose the two most famous criminal cases from London and Liverpool respectively.

It's a lazy choice, if anything.

Apart from all the other evidence that has surfaced to support the diary

Errmmm...