One Incontrovertible, Unequivocal, Undeniable Fact Which Refutes the Diary

[Graham]

I missed the 's' of Leeds. 'S' for ****...roaring laughter!

True story, now. I watched the Villa annihilate Bristol Rovers - can't remember the score, but the local BBC reporter had difficulty with such a huge number. Walking home with my mate up Trinity Road, behind a pair of Bristolians, we heard the following exchange:

1st Bristolian: Useless bloody baaaarstaards! If moi tea ain't ready when Oi gets 'ome, there'll be trouble.

2nd Bristolian: Ar, an' if MOI tea IS ready, Oi don't fuggin' want it.

Ai thenk yew.

Graham

[Soothsayer]

I watched the Villa annihilate Bristol Rovers - can't remember the score, but the local BBC reporter had difficulty with such a huge number.

Quite bizarre. Just out of interest, I thought I'd get the scoreline for you from Google, and having typed in 'Aston Villa Bristol Rovers', the third item was on eBay - a memorial match for one Mike Barrett!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/11.9.84-Bristol-ROvers-v-Aston-Villa-M-Barrett-Memorial_W0QQitemZ380120332270QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090427?IMSfp=TL0904271310002r22682#ebayphotohosting

44 page programme in very good condition . Mike Barrett Memorial Match.

You just couldn't write it!

PS In case anyone thinks I'm being sick, it obviously wasn't the same Mike Barrett!

PPS Did you not mean Bristol City? Most you've ever beaten Rovers by is 4-0 in the FA Cup on 9 January 1961.

[Graham]

Listen, mate, Bristol is Bristol, Rovers or bloody City I don't care. They're both on the very edge of civilisation. And I'm talking the sixties here, not 1980-81 as your link would suggest.

They can't even pronounce the name of their home town - Bristow, they say.
I'd have them all lined up against any convenient wall and - where was I? Oh yes, Mike Barrett. Him that said he'd written the Diary. But did he?

Graham

[Soothsayer]

Listen, mate, Bristol is Bristol, Rovers or bloody City I don't care. They're both on the very edge of civilisation. And I'm talking the sixties here, not 1980-81 as your link would suggest.

They can't even pronounce the name of their home town - Bristow, they say.
I'd have them all lined up against any convenient wall and - where was I? Oh yes, Mike Barrett. Him that said he'd written the Diary. But did he?

Graham

Yes, he definitely said he wrote the diary.

[Roy Corduroy]

Mr. Soothsayer, what about the bit in the Diary where James was jealous of Michael's verse writing ability. Does that prove anything?

Roy

[Soothsayer]

Mr. Soothsayer, what about the bit in the Diary where James was jealous of Michael's verse writing ability. Does that prove anything?

Roy

Yes. Very much so.

[Roy Corduroy]

But Michael wrote no verse. Only music.

[Soothsayer]

But Michael wrote no verse. Only music.

Very true.

Okay, be serious Soothsayer!

It is true that he misunderstood what Michael did. Interestingly enough, either the forger also did so or else he was utterly cunning beyond ordinary cunning and deliberately got that bit wrong.

Obviously, as I believe the journal to be authentic, I have to see James' misunderstanding in the context of his simply not knowing what his brother literally did.

I accept that it ranks amongst 'Post Haste', handwriting, 'tin match box empty', and Kelly's breasts as thoroughly inconvenient for those millions* of us who believe the journal to be authentic.

What about you, Mr. Corduroy? What light can you throw on the issue? And where do you stand on Maybrick's candidacy for the leading role?

* Could be billions

[Roy Corduroy]

I wrote eons ago on this thread I read the book, found it entertaining, exciting even. Somehow though it just didn't ring true to me. But thanks for asking.

Roy

ps - Michael's anthem Jerusalem is still quite popular in churches and vocal ensembles here in the US.

[Victor]

The gist of my response was the journal makes a clear reference to 'FM' when it states "An initial here, an initial there, will tell of the whoring mother" whilst he was referring to the Kelly murder.

Soothy,

Doesn't the above mean that you are supposed to find a "F" in one place "here" and an "M" in another place "there"?

I think I can definitely see an "M" on the scanned image of Kelly's wall even though I think it's a natural result of the blood splattering so if Kelly's wall is the "there" where are you proposing is the "here" with the "F"?

KR,
Vic.

[Soothsayer]

Soothy,

Doesn't the above mean that you are supposed to find a "F" in one place "here" and an "M" in another place "there"?

I think I can definitely see an "M" on the scanned image of Kelly's wall even though I think it's a natural result of the blood splattering so if Kelly's wall is the "there" where are you proposing is the "here" with the "F"?

KR,
Vic.

Same place.

I'm delighted that you can see the 'M'. Have you noticed how it has a rising second half, just as it does in the journal? Intriguing.

It's definitely not blood splatters. Neither blood (nor rivulets) can write.

[Victor]

Same place.

But the quote "an initial here, an initial there" implies that the initals are to be found in different places, and definitely not "FM" in one place.

I'm delighted that you can see the 'M'. Have you noticed how it has a rising second half, just as it does in the journal? Intriguing.

It's definitely not blood splatters. Neither blood (nor rivulets) can write.

But "M" is just 2 vertical lines and 2 slanted off-vertical lines together and can easily be formed naturally, or do you think that JtR drew it with his finger dipped in blood? It doesn't look wide enough for that.

[The Good Michael]

I'd say it looks like a 'w'. If it's a letter, then it could be a 'w'. The only argument against that is the diary. That argument would be invalid as its origins are in question. If it can be proven that that is an 'm', then we can use the diary as corroboration. I say it's a 'w', and that it was written in blood by Kelly as she was on her back, and that's why it's upside down.

Now, what does the 'w' mean? It may be Walter who was sketching her before he went postal.

Mike

[Soothsayer]

But the quote "an initial here, an initial there" implies that the initals are to be found in different places, and definitely not "FM" in one place.

If you believe the journal is authentic, you would assume that Maybrick was simply helping the 'poem' along. After all, it's one of his better attempts at doggerel. The rest are pretty awful. I don't take it as meaning literally 'all over the place', which is funny really as his next line is something like "I left it all over the place".

[Soothsayer]

I'd say it looks like a 'w'. If it's a letter, then it could be a 'w'. The only argument against that is the diary. That argument would be invalid as its origins are in question. If it can be proven that that is an 'm', then we can use the diary as corroboration. I say it's a 'w', and that it was written in blood by Kelly as she was on her back, and that's why it's upside down.

Now, what does the 'w' mean? It may be Walter who was sketching her before he went postal.

Mike

The Great and The Good,

The nearest this gets to a 'W' is if you stand on your head, sir.

The 'F' next to it is significantly vaguer, but discernible nevertheless.

The ink and the manuscript are sound.

It's little short of a done deal, you know ...