Inspiration for the Fake 'Diary'

[caz]

Hi Jonathan,

I think it was penned prior to 1970 by someone who, for whatever reason, was unwilling or unable to make the handwriting look like James Maybrick's.

Love,

Caz
X

[Jonathan H]

I see, thanks.

The reason I think it is a modern fake is partly textual.

I was persuaded by this Melvin Harris article, having already felt that the provenance was too dubious.

http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/maybrick_diary/mb-mc.html

That the Diary's 'DNA' is contaminated by material invented by McCormick, but thought to be authentic by the unwary reader -- or hoaxer.

McCormick had also provided the demonstrably false tale about Dutton-Backert, which was the 'clincher' bridging source between the 1889 obits and the 1894 Mac Report(s) confirming Druitt as a contemporaneous suspect during the 1888-9 investigation.

Cullen and Farson both bought this, side-lining Macnaghten's memoirs which conceded Druitt was a posthumous suspect, and thus did enormous long-term damage to untangling the knot involving Jack the Ripper's true identity, historically speaking.

This provided the vacuum which was filled by the Royal hoax, and then, much more plausibly, by the local poor, madman (Cohen, Aaron Kosminski) then the Maybrick Hoax, and then much more plausibly Dr. Tumblety was rediscovered, and then this was followed by the [sincere] Cornwall nonsense about Sickert.

Yet culturally, Maybrick and Sickert did represent an orbiting back to the mythos of the Ripper as English gentleman (of sorts).

[PaulB]

I see, thanks.

The reason I think it is a modern fake is partly textual.

I was persuaded by this Melvin Harris article, having already felt that the provenance was too dubious.

http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/maybrick_diary/mb-mc.html

That the Diary's 'DNA' is contaminated by material invented by McCormick, but thought to be authentic by the unwary reader -- or hoaxer.

McCormick had also provided the demonstrably false tale about Dutton-Backert, which was the 'clincher' bridging source between the 1889 obits and the 1894 Mac Report(s) confirming Druitt as a contemporaneous suspect during the 1888-9 investigation.

Cullen and Farson both bought this, side-lining Macnaghten's memoirs which conceded Druitt was a posthumous suspect, and thus did enormous long-term damage to untangling the knot involving Jack the Ripper's true identity, historically speaking.

This provided the vacuum which was filled by the Royal hoax, and then, much more plausibly, by the local poor, madman (Cohen, Aaron Kosminski) then the Maybrick Hoax, and then much more plausibly Dr. Tumblety was rediscovered, and then this was followed by the [sincere] Cornwall nonsense about Sickert.

Yet culturally, Maybrick and Sickert did represent an orbiting back to the mythos of the Ripper as English gentleman (of sorts).

Hi Jonathan,
McCormick wrote pre-1970, in 1959/1962 in fact, so any McCormick contamination doesn't influence Caz's statement that she believes the diary was composed pre-1970 and why she challenges arguments that the diary is "obviously modern" (meaning a post-centenary invention, or post-1990 creation by Mike Barrett). And if Mike Barrett is taken out of the frame, an early date for the composition of the diary, despite the internal problems such an idea presents, becomes a reasonable postulate. What Caz is fighting against is a rather glib dismissal of the diary as "obviously modern" and by implication the creation of Mike Barrett when this is not altogether supported.
Paul

[Jonathan H]

Yes, I see your point - a hoax created before 1970 by people who did not realise they were being hoaxed by McCormick. Poetic justice.

Of course that it surfaced when it did, with people telling different stories and so on, would suggest that it is a more recent hoax than 1970.

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi Jonathan and Paul

Perhaps one of you could point out to me where in the Maybrick Diary there is material that appears to come from McCormick. I read Harris's dissertation some time ago. As far as I know he was just making a comparison with McCormick's fabrications, and was also using the Diary as a way to show he had exposed McCormick's falsehoods.

Best regards

Chris

[PaulB]

Yes, I see your point - a hoax created before 1970 by people who did not realise they were being hoaxed by McCormick. Poetic justice.

Of course that it surfaced when it did, with people telling different stories and so on, would suggest that it is a more recent hoax than 1970.

It depends on what 'different stories' you mean. Initially there was one story, then that changed as other factors came to bear, such as emotional crises, acrimonious marriage break ups, heavy drinking, the influence of outsiders... What truth, if any, lay within all this? It's hard to know. But if Mike didn't create the thing himself...

[PaulB]

Hi Jonathan and Paul

Perhaps one of you could point out to me where in the Maybrick Diary there is material that appears to come from McCormick. I read Harris's dissertation some time ago. As far as I know he was just making a comparison with the McCormick's fabrications, and was also using the Diary as a way to show he had exposed McCormick's falsehoods.

Best regards

Chris

As I recall it was the little whores poem in particular. Among other non-McCormick anachronisms was 'tin matchbox, empty' and 'Poste House'.

[Jonathan H]

... then maybe somebody in Mike Barrett's circle?

For Chris George

http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/maybrick_diary/mb-mc.html

[caz]

Not if it was created prior to 1970, Jonathan. And I prefer to put a little more faith in the scientists (the Rendell Team of 1993) who tried - but failed - to prove it "glaringly modern" and had to fall back on "prior to 1970" than I'd put in any of the claims that relied on Barrett as a source of information.

Misinformation is all he could ever be trusted to supply.

By the way, I never really got the claim that the diary author must have read "eight little whores" in order to come up with the age-old idea of a counting rhyme. "Three Little Maids From School" comes a lot closer, and a revival of the Mikado was performed to a packed Savoy during the first half of 1888.

Love,

Caz
X

[ChrisGeorge]

... then maybe somebody in Mike Barrett's circle?

For Chris George

http://www.casebook.org/dissertation...ary/mb-mc.html

Hi Paul, Caz, and Jonathan

Okay yes the eight little whores poem is possibly from McCormick but I don't see much else. As I say, that dissertation is mostly an excuse for Harris to once more expose McCormick and not the Diary at all, so he goes on at length about Chapman and Levisohn and Le Queux. What he says was used in the Diary is Ryan's book not McCormick and that is only stated right at the end of his dissertation almost as if it is an afterthought.

All the best

Chris

[caz]

As I recall it was the little whores poem in particular. Among other non-McCormick anachronisms was 'tin matchbox, empty' and 'Poste House'.

As you know, Paul, the author misspells 'post haste' as 'poste haste', and there was a Post Office Tavern in 1888, just a short walk away from Central Station where Maybrick boarded the train home when working in Liverpool. So it's not clear whether Poste House is really an anachronism, or just a similar spelling mistake by someone referring to the old tavern as the Post House.

Love,

Caz
X

[caz]

Hi Paul, Caz, and Jonathan

Okay yes the eight little whores poem is possibly from McCormick but I don't see much else. As I say, that dissertation is mostly an excuse for Harris to once more expose McCormick and not the Diary at all, so he goes on at length about Chapman and Levisohn and Le Queux. What he says was used in the Diary is Ryan's book not McCormick and that is only stated right at the end of his dissertation almost as if it is an afterthought.

All the best

Chris

Hi Chris,

The irony here is that Ryan himself couldn't see it, and in fact believed that Feldy was right.

Love,

Caz
X

[ChrisGeorge]

As you know, Paul, the author misspells 'post haste' as 'poste haste', and there was a Post Office Tavern in 1888, just a short walk away from Central Station where Maybrick boarded the train home when working in Liverpool. So it's not clear whether Poste House is really an anachronism, or just a similar spelling mistake by someone referring to the old tavern as the Post House.

Love,

Caz
X

The Poste House in Cumberland Street was convenient to the Cotton Exchange as was the thoroughfare in Liverpool known as Whitechapel. Those were probably a couple of the ingredients that helped someone to mock up the Maybrick Diary, as the candidacy of James Maybrick as Jack conveniently all fell into place.

[PaulB]

... then maybe somebody in Mike Barrett's circle?

For Chris George

http://www.casebook.org/dissertation...ary/mb-mc.html

Ah, well, but who? Or why not somebody in Ann's circle? Or why not a 'friend' or a 'friend's circle. Or somebody who set Mike up. Or a gang that included Devereaux (the man in the pub) who slipped the diary to Mike and then inconveniently died before the gang could put the rest of the plan in operation. Or those pesky little green men from Mars foisted it on Mike? The trouble is that the range of possibilities are varied and numerous and most have been investigated as best they could be, turning up zilch.

[PaulB]

As you know, Paul, the author misspells 'post haste' as 'poste haste', and there was a Post Office Tavern in 1888, just a short walk away from Central Station where Maybrick boarded the train home when working in Liverpool. So it's not clear whether Poste House is really an anachronism, or just a similar spelling mistake by someone referring to the old tavern as the Post House.

Love,

Caz
X

I do indeed recall that. Ah, happy days. :-)