Maybrick--a Problem in Logic

[caz]

How much is known about Jenny Morrison, Caz? Seems to me if you take her out of the equation there's no corroboration for Mike already owning a copy of the Sphere volume. Did anyone other than SH ever get the chance to question her?

Hi Steven,

That's a great question. Yes, if we took Jenny out of the equation, we'd only have Mike's word for it that he owned a copy before early December 1994, when he finally handed Alan Gray the used one. But can we take her out of the equation? If I may, I'll return to this tomorrow, when I have looked afresh at what was done at the time to try and ascertain which books Jenny may have been given by Mike, during the summer of his discontent.

Love,

Caz
X

[caz]

Mike Barrett's "confessions" are strewn with such inconsistencies. The one that tickled me the most was his spelling of always as all ways, whilst in the same breath there are several fairly difficult words spelt correctly.

Also take a look at this from his 1995 confession

"When I got the Album and Compass home, I examined it closely, inside the front cover I noticed a makers stamp mark, dated 1908 or 1909 to remove this without trace I soaked the whole of the front cover in Linseed Oil, once the oil was absorbed by the front cover, which took about 2 days to dry out. I even used the heat from the gas oven to assist in the drying out"

No spelling mistakes here. examined spelled correctly, absorbed, compass, you get the idea.

A couple of paragraphs down we have this

We went home and on the same evening that we had purchased everything, that is the materials we needed, We decided to have a practise run and we used A4 paper for this, and at first we tried it in my handwriting, but we realised and I must emphasie (sic) this, my handwriting was to (sic) disstinctive (sic) so it had to be in Anne's handwriting, after the practise run which took us approximately two days, we decided to go for hell or bust.

I think what Barrett is doing here is to emphasie in a disstintive way he's no good at spelling.

Hi Observer,

The only slight problem with your observations is that Mike's sworn affidavit was typed up by Alan Gray. Keith has the original six paged blue carbon typed copy which Gray gave to him.

Do you now think what Gray was doing here was to 'emphasie' in a 'disstinctive' way his own shortcomings at spelling, or Mike's? Whose side was he on?

This would support my previous observation that poor spellers sometimes get words right, and they sometimes get words wrong, because if they knew the difference... you know the rest.

Love,

Caz
X

[caz]

Keith asks if the sender of the Lusk Letter knew it was going to be publicly advertised, or if Mike knew that his letter to Shirley would be transcribed and put up on the message boards 15 years later, for someone to pounce on a single word and suggest he was only pretending to be illiterate.

Apologies all. I realised in horror that my arithmetic was badly wrong here. My mother was a strict maths teacher, so she would have been very cross.

I meant 25 years later, not 15. Shows you how long this has been rumbling on, doesn't it?

More later...

Love,

Caz
X

[caz]

How much is known about Jenny Morrison, Caz? Seems to me if you take her out of the equation there's no corroboration for Mike already owning a copy of the Sphere volume. Did anyone other than SH ever get the chance to question her?

Hello Steven,

Sorry for the delay in responding. Not all that much seems to be known about Jenny, but I can let you have the following information, which I have taken from my diary timeline for 1994:

Friday 17^th June 1994
Extract of letter from Doreen Montgomery to Anne Graham:
Doreen has learned of emergence of Jenny in MB's life:
'It would be good to feel that at least she is keeping him off the drink...'

Wednesday 22^nd June 1994
Shirley H and Sally see MB at new girlfriend Jenny's house. MB tells them he is going to say he forged diary.

Tuesday 13^th September 1994
Extract of letter from Doreen M to MB:
'I don’t want to keep on harping on the amount of money you have got through, but I do have to say that £40,000 odd is a considerable sum and I just can't bear to think of it having been wasted. The small amounts paid out – for Jenny's car, for example – are a drop in the ocean in comparison.'

Wednesday 12^th October 1994
KS notes ansafone message left by SH re 'O Costly…' quote:
Shirley phoned Jenny (MB's current girlfriend) who corroborated MB's story that during the summer he had taken books around to Jenny's son, James, who was studying for his O levels. MB thought books (which he had acquired for Hillsborough Disaster Auction) might help him – but, in fact, they were too advanced. Anne apparently denies all knowledge of these books and the auction.* During Mike’s serious week at library, when he found the reference, he later recalled that he had these particular books, which were the ones he had loaned to James. Mike insisted he discovered the reference for himself at the library - and nobody did it for him.
Mike has appt this pm with solicitor (to discuss divorce) – will take book with him.
According to SH, Jenny says that MB was trying to use the book to prove he forged diary, but Jenny doesn't believe him.

[*Note for Mandy Rice-J Palmer re Anne's denial, to save time later: Well she would, wouldn't she?]

Wednesday 12^th October 1994
KS scribbles a note for himself:

1. Corroborate that MB has been spending a lot of time at Library.
2. Ask librarian whether she remembers MB pestering her about books.
3. Ask Anne
4. Ask MB to produce book

Thursday 13^th October 1994
Liz Winter, assistant to MB’s solicitor, Richard Bark-Jones, has thirty-minute phone call with MB. From her notes:
“O sweet [sic] intercourse of death”, Vol 2 P 184. In diary. Santa [sic] Maria 1643-1652. Found phrase in library.

Tuesday 6^th December 1994
Alan Gray & Mike Barrett: audio cassette recording
The Sphere volume containing 'O costly…' is handed over to Alan Gray at MB's solicitors.

Next post will be from 1995 and beyond...

Love,

Caz
X

[caz]

Wednesday 18^th January 1995
Extracts from a recorded conversation between MB and KS, SH, Sally Evemy and an independent witness:
MB admits making false statement to Brough to "get back at Anne" for not speaking to him or letting him see Caroline from January to May 1994.
Says he knows diary is genuine.
Says he made up stuff about forging diary and watch just to "kick up the ****".
He is bitter about his efforts to work out diary author’s identity "night in, night out", hour after hour, while Anne was upstairs.
MB confirms the "bloody great big blazing argument" with Anne over getting diary published, not understanding why she was so against it if it was genuine, as he believed it to be, after all his efforts night after night.
MB bemoans his debts etc. SH asks what happened to all his diary money. He says he "pissed it up against the wall" because Anne wasn't with him.
MB says he wants to prove diary a forgery to "get back at Anne", but is frustrated that he can't do so. Again expresses anger towards PF for various threats, phone-calls and pressure.
KS asks MB about Alan Gray. Says he found him through Yellow Pages, wanting a private detective to find Anne. Says Gray got caught up in diary story. MB gave Gray list of ripperologists, including Melvin Harris.
MB says he made up story about Outhwaite & Litherland while drunk, but is still prepared to "kick up the ****" and swear diary is forgery until he can see Anne.
Sees it as his only way to achieve this.
Talks about his kidney problems, low self-esteem, role-reversal with Anne working, all pre-diary. Wanted a bash at writing through enterprise allowance scheme. Felt Anne was taking something away from him by having to step in and tidy up his interview articles. He "failed miserably" doing it by himself and ended up even more frustrated.
Then MB organised auction for Hillsborough disaster fund (from April 1989), among items received from Sphere Books were volumes of poetry, too "heavy and deep" for him to understand.
Kept these back, later giving them to Jenny, a friend of his, for her son. Says while reading SH's book, he came across 'oh costly' reference in same volumes in library. Checking at Jenny's, he found volumes matched. Also says he found same volumes, "piles of them", in an out-of-print bookshop. Proud of his find, his attitude is, "I've found it, so screw the lot of 'em".
MB says he didn't take diary seriously at first. Never heard of 'Poisoned Life of Mrs Maybrick' before SH mentioned it to him. Says TD was dead before MB connected James Maybrick to diary. Says he concentrated on ripper stuff first, not thinking of Liverpool angle until later.
Before SH got involved, he had checked ripper books such as Rumbelow, Paul Harrison, A-Z, Stephen Knight. But not John Morrison (when asked specifically by SH).
MB denies ability to write diary, citing alcoholism, lack of skills. Made up story of which ink he used, again to "get back at Anne". Says he chose Bluecoat Chambers for convenience, simply because of the one-way system.
Says he lied about taking photos from front of journal, again the lie was to "get back at Anne".
MB says he discovered JtR's identity, only to end up with "no marriage, no daughter, no money, no nothing".
Hates world knowing about his alcoholism, marital problems etc.
MB says he is broke, deeply hurt by Anne's actions, and intends to "fight back".

More in a bit...

Love,

Caz
X

[StevenOwl]

Hello Steven,

Sorry for the delay in responding. Not all that much seems to be known about Jenny, but I can let you have the following information, which I have taken from my diary timeline for 1994:

Friday 17^th June 1994
Extract of letter from Doreen Montgomery to Anne Graham:
Doreen has learned of emergence of Jenny in MB's life:
'It would be good to feel that at least she is keeping him off the drink...'

Wednesday 22^nd June 1994
Shirley H and Sally see MB at new girlfriend Jenny's house. MB tells them he is going to say he forged diary.

Tuesday 13^th September 1994
Extract of letter from Doreen M to MB:
'I don’t want to keep on harping on the amount of money you have got through, but I do have to say that £40,000 odd is a considerable sum and I just can't bear to think of it having been wasted. The small amounts paid out – for Jenny's car, for example – are a drop in the ocean in comparison.'

Wednesday 12^th October 1994
KS notes ansafone message left by SH re 'O Costly…' quote:
Shirley phoned Jenny (MB's current girlfriend) who corroborated MB's story that during the summer he had taken books around to Jenny's son, James, who was studying for his O levels. MB thought books (which he had acquired for Hillsborough Disaster Auction) might help him – but, in fact, they were too advanced. Anne apparently denies all knowledge of these books and the auction.* During Mike’s serious week at library, when he found the reference, he later recalled that he had these particular books, which were the ones he had loaned to James. Mike insisted he discovered the reference for himself at the library - and nobody did it for him.
Mike has appt this pm with solicitor (to discuss divorce) – will take book with him.
According to SH, Jenny says that MB was trying to use the book to prove he forged diary, but Jenny doesn't believe him.

[*Note for Mandy Rice-J Palmer re Anne's denial, to save time later: Well she would, wouldn't she?]

Wednesday 12^th October 1994
KS scribbles a note for himself:

1. Corroborate that MB has been spending a lot of time at Library.
2. Ask librarian whether she remembers MB pestering her about books.
3. Ask Anne
4. Ask MB to produce book

Thursday 13^th October 1994
Liz Winter, assistant to MB’s solicitor, Richard Bark-Jones, has thirty-minute phone call with MB. From her notes:
“O sweet [sic] intercourse of death”, Vol 2 P 184. In diary. Santa [sic] Maria 1643-1652. Found phrase in library.

Tuesday 6^th December 1994
Alan Gray & Mike Barrett: audio cassette recording
The Sphere volume containing 'O costly…' is handed over to Alan Gray at MB's solicitors.

Next post will be from 1995 and beyond...

Love,

Caz
X

Thanks Caz, fascinating as always. So Jenny confirmed that MB did indeed give her books which he'd obtained with the intention of raising money for the Hillsborough fund, but not exactly what those books were? I reckon the story is broadly true, but that the Sphere volume wasn't among said books.

[caz]

Wednesday 29^th March 1995
Extracts from typed letter from MB to Doreen M:
A lady – not Jenny – has been looking after MB.
MB says he can't help still being in love with Anne.
MB shows sense of humour over Robert's one-time suggestion that he write a book about what has gone on behind the scenes of the diary: 'Iv'e caused one Nigthmare by producing the Dairy, you could always give him an other by asking him to ediot this lot….' [sic]
MB asks if Doreen now understands why he wanted them all to believe Anne wrote diary – simply to get back at her and hurt her the way she hurt him.
'We all know Tony gave me that Diary.' But MB has yet to see proof that Anne is related to Florie. MB researched diary and spent sleepless nights over it – not Anne.
She leaves him, then less than eight months later she is some sort of relative of Florie.
MB complains about the world knowing he is an alcoholic because of SH's book.

Thursday 20^th July 1995
Extract from Mike Barrett, Paul Feldman, Keith Skinner and Martin Howells in conversation at Baker Street:
MB: I am not trying to get back at Anne. Anne tried to get back at me for something I didn't do. She accused me of sleeping with Jenny and I never did. So I said, "Sod it, I wrote the bleedin' diary and to hell with it all."

Thursday 14^th September 1995
Memo from SH to 'The Team':
Jenny's address and phone number given.
MB reported finding 'O costly…' quote on 30^th September 1994.
Sally and SH saw MB at Jenny's house on 22^nd June 1994.
KS adds note: MB told SH and Sally on 22^nd June 1994 that he was going to say he forged diary – then, after Brough article and prior to paperback coming out, MB calmed down and SH told him to do something constructive – ie. source 'O costly…' quote.

More shortly...

Love,

Caz
X

[caz]

Last lot for you now, Steven...

Thursday 5^th December 1996
KS makes handwritten note:
Shirley phoned.
AEG [Anne Graham] has obtained, from L'pool Central library copy of Sphere Book containing O Costly..
AEG photocopying relevant page
KS suggested to Shirley that AEG also photocopy date stamps at beginning of book.
Jenny still has Sphere volumes minus the relevant one which Mike took when he left + £70!
KS asked Shirley to see whether we could get hold of these books from Jenny.

[It's not clear whether Shirley had spoken directly to Jenny, or whether it was Mike who claimed Jenny still had the books 'minus the relevant one'. I have no idea what the £70 was all about.]

Wednesday 17^th April 2002
Melvin Harris posts on internet: Doubtful Standards
Harris states he will not be naming diary forgers in his new book and is not obliged to explain why.
'Alan [Gray] has done no more than faithfully record the bare facts. He was first told about an evidential book in August 1994…' 'It became relevant only when he was re-engaged by Mike during the first week of September.' 'It was in that week, that the book was named variously as a poem book, as a Sphere book of poems, as a Sphere book of poetry.'
'I first made contact with Alan Gray in the last week of October 1994. This was at the request of the Sunday Times. When I asked about hard evidence he told me about the Sphere book…'
MB 'never claimed that Volume 2 had been lent to Jenny or was even seen by her. He simply stated that Jenny and other people could testify that he owned a NUMBER of the Sphere volumes. And he did not mention it to the Liverpool Post because he held it in reserve as a possible money spinner'.
Source: Melvin Harris, 17^th April 2002, Internet JtR Casebook (CAM/KS/2002)


I can see two problems with the above, Steven. Firstly, neither Gray nor Melvin Harris ever produced this 'faithfully' recorded bare fact, that he was told about 'a Sphere book' of poetry as early as 'the first week of September' 1994. And of course, by 'the last week of October 1994', when Harris first made contact with Gray, everyone knew about it, except that Mike had so far not shown his 'hard evidence' - the Sphere Volume 2 itself - to any investigator.

Secondly, Melvin Harris appears to shoot himself in the foot by stating that Mike 'never claimed that Volume 2 had been lent to Jenny or was even seen by her'. I'm wondering if this was because even Harris found it hard to believe that Mike would have let the Crashaw volume slip out of his hands like that. Or might Harris have managed to ascertain from Jenny herself [via Gray?], that Volume 2 was not among the books Mike had lent her son? If Mike did take back the volume described as 'the relevant one', might this have been Volume 6, The Victorians? It would make sense, because this was the volume Mike referred to by mistake, when phoning Shirley to say he'd found the quote in a library book. He told her he 'thought' it was in Volume 6. Did he retrieve the wrong volume from Jenny and try to find the quote again? I'd be willing to bet the Victorians would have been the first, and most obvious one he'd have flicked through in the library. Shirley had to send him back there to find the right one. Was that when he realised his mistake and knew he'd have to track down a Volume 2 of his own?

Moving swiftly on...


Thursday 2^nd May 2002
Letter from KS to Jenny (Morrison), copied to SH and Seth:
KS tells Jenny about diary book and wishes to clarify MB's report of giving her son, James, some books during summer of 1994.
Rather complex story that KS would prefer to discuss with Jenny and James in person.
KS will ask SH to telephone Jenny on his behalf, to vouch for his credibility. Then KS will give Jenny a call.
Source: copy of letter (CAM/KS/2002

Monday 21^st – Friday 25^th October 2002
'Ripper Diary' research trip to Liverpool:
Note made by CAM [that's me!] on Tuesday 22^nd October:
'Contact Jenny re price of car and Mike's birthday party, in May 1994.'

Keith can’t remember the significance of the birthday party question, and neither can I! But what Keith does remember is Seth telephoning Jenny to try and arrange to see her and Jenny not wanting to be involved. She couldn't remember very much and neither could her son - didn't have the books anymore – didn't know what had happened to them - so not much point in us going to see her.

Hope this helps!

Love,

Caz
X

[StevenOwl]

Last lot for you now, Steven...

Thursday 5^th December 1996
KS makes handwritten note:
Shirley phoned.
AEG [Anne Graham] has obtained, from L'pool Central library copy of Sphere Book containing O Costly..
AEG photocopying relevant page
KS suggested to Shirley that AEG also photocopy date stamps at beginning of book.
Jenny still has Sphere volumes minus the relevant one which Mike took when he left + £70!
KS asked Shirley to see whether we could get hold of these books from Jenny.

[It's not clear whether Shirley had spoken directly to Jenny, or whether it was Mike who claimed Jenny still had the books 'minus the relevant one'. I have no idea what the £70 was all about.]

Wednesday 17^th April 2002
Melvin Harris posts on internet: Doubtful Standards
Harris states he will not be naming diary forgers in his new book and is not obliged to explain why.
'Alan [Gray] has done no more than faithfully record the bare facts. He was first told about an evidential book in August 1994…' 'It became relevant only when he was re-engaged by Mike during the first week of September.' 'It was in that week, that the book was named variously as a poem book, as a Sphere book of poems, as a Sphere book of poetry.'
'I first made contact with Alan Gray in the last week of October 1994. This was at the request of the Sunday Times. When I asked about hard evidence he told me about the Sphere book…'
MB 'never claimed that Volume 2 had been lent to Jenny or was even seen by her. He simply stated that Jenny and other people could testify that he owned a NUMBER of the Sphere volumes. And he did not mention it to the Liverpool Post because he held it in reserve as a possible money spinner'.
Source: Melvin Harris, 17^th April 2002, Internet JtR Casebook (CAM/KS/2002)


I can see two problems with the above, Steven. Firstly, neither Gray nor Melvin Harris ever produced this 'faithfully' recorded bare fact, that he was told about 'a Sphere book' of poetry as early as 'the first week of September' 1994. And of course, by 'the last week of October 1994', when Harris first made contact with Gray, everyone knew about it, except that Mike had so far not shown his 'hard evidence' - the Sphere Volume 2 itself - to any investigator.

Secondly, Melvin Harris appears to shoot himself in the foot by stating that Mike 'never claimed that Volume 2 had been lent to Jenny or was even seen by her'. I'm wondering if this was because even Harris found it hard to believe that Mike would have let the Crashaw volume slip out of his hands like that. Or might Harris have managed to ascertain from Jenny herself [via Gray?], that Volume 2 was not among the books Mike had lent her son? If Mike did take back the volume described as 'the relevant one', might this have been Volume 6, The Victorians? It would make sense, because this was the volume Mike referred to by mistake, when phoning Shirley to say he'd found the quote in a library book. He told her he 'thought' it was in Volume 6. Did he retrieve the wrong volume from Jenny and try to find the quote again? I'd be willing to bet the Victorians would have been the first, and most obvious one he'd have flicked through in the library. Shirley had to send him back there to find the right one. Was that when he realised his mistake and knew he'd have to track down a Volume 2 of his own?

Moving swiftly on...


Thursday 2^nd May 2002
Letter from KS to Jenny (Morrison), copied to SH and Seth:
KS tells Jenny about diary book and wishes to clarify MB's report of giving her son, James, some books during summer of 1994.
Rather complex story that KS would prefer to discuss with Jenny and James in person.
KS will ask SH to telephone Jenny on his behalf, to vouch for his credibility. Then KS will give Jenny a call.
Source: copy of letter (CAM/KS/2002

Monday 21^st – Friday 25^th October 2002
'Ripper Diary' research trip to Liverpool:
Note made by CAM [that's me!] on Tuesday 22^nd October:
'Contact Jenny re price of car and Mike's birthday party, in May 1994.'

Keith can’t remember the significance of the birthday party question, and neither can I! But what Keith does remember is Seth telephoning Jenny to try and arrange to see her and Jenny not wanting to be involved. She couldn't remember very much and neither could her son - didn't have the books anymore – didn't know what had happened to them - so not much point in us going to see her.

Hope this helps!

Love,

Caz
X

Brilliant information, thanks a lot Caz. As with everything in Diary-world though, it just leaves you with more questions than answers!!

[Iconoclast]

Brilliant information, thanks a lot Caz. As with everything in Diary-world though, it just leaves you with more questions than answers!!

Or more quotation than response?

[caz]

You are most welcome, Steven. Sorry to overload you though, there's a lot to take in!

It's a modern mystery because the diary only surfaced in 1992, and the unanswered questions arise from four basic possibilities regarding where it was up until that point:

1) A modern hoax, as stated by Mike Barrett in his affidavit of January 5th 1995, taking the events back to whenever the idea first came to the three amigos, Tony Devereux, Anne and Mike. When did Mike first meet Tony, for instance? And how long before they became chummy enough to discuss forging Jack the Ripper's diary?

We could leave it there really, because where there are inconsistencies in his affidavit, as well as all around it, we have always been able to rely on some kind soul to help Mike out and come to his rescue with a detail which he never even hinted at himself, such as the very specific O&L auction held on March 31st 1992, and then make everything else fit round it. If it can't be shown that Mike didn't attend that auction, or that an album containing some 125 highly collectible WWI photographs, worth in excess of £100 at the time, would not have been included in one of their regular weekly auctions in any case, people can go on believing. Worst case would be having to conjure up a completely different scenario to make Mike's claims, and the conjurer's dreams, come true again. It's a bit too much like digging oneself into a corner for my liking. But where there's a will, I suppose there will always be a way out of one corner - and into another.

2) Mike's original story, that he was given the diary by Tony in the late Spring/early Summer of 1991. This allows for it still to be a modern hoax, but with Mike being unaware of what he was taking on.

3) Anne's story, that she gave the diary to Tony to give to Mike.

4) Or it was found and removed from the house on Riversdale Road, by an electrician who used the same pub as Mike [and lived on the same road as Tony had, up until his death], on the same day Mike phoned Doreen, using a false name, to tell her he had Jack the Ripper's diary. It can still be a modern hoax, if nobody knows where the old book was the day before.

Love,

Caz
X

[Iconoclast]

You are most welcome, Steven. Sorry to overload you though, there's a lot to take in!

4) Or it was found and removed from the house on Riversdale Road, by an electrician who used the same pub as Mike [and lived on the same road as Tony had, up until his death], on the same day Mike phoned Doreen, using a false name, to tell her he had Jack the Ripper's diary. It can still be a modern hoax, if nobody knows where the old book was the day before.

Love,

Caz
X

Thanks Caz - fascinating stuff indeed.

It's truly amazing to have gradually revealed by genuine scrapbook insiders (pardon the obvious pun) such as yourself the level of archive detail which is available and which may not (generally speaking) have been ever in print before. It begs the question what The Good Lord Orsam and his Acolytes would make of it all?

By the way, I know a much quicker way to describe Option 4!!!!

Cheers,

Ike

[caz]

There is an old saying in my neck of the woods: if a person is going to lie, they better have a good memory.

Oh the irony.

If we accept your take on the diary, R.J, Mike Barrett had a wonderful memory for a lie, but one like a sieve when it came to telling the truth.

PS to Ike. "Incontrovertible" thread, Post #5100. You said it was "inconceivable" that Kevin Whay didn't check the date 31 March 1992 in the O & L records. Yes it IS inconceivable that he wasn't asked to check that date ---but he wasn't, and by all appearances he didn't.

To be fair, R.J, I took that to be Ike's personal interpretation, and a minor one at that, in the great scheme of things. If Mike remembered getting the scrapbook at the end of March 1992, and told the truth about it to anyone investigating his story, then I too would find it inconceivable that Kevin Whay didn't check the records for the first quarter of that year, or wasn't asked to do so. But then I find it inconceivable that Mike's memory could have been so bad that he never so much as hinted at any date in 1992. Was he yanking everyone's chain, giving them all the wrong dates to avoid being nicked for forgery, or did he not get the scrapbook from O&L at all?

In short, either Mike recalled the 'truth' for once, when speaking to Harold Brough, or to Shirley, or to Doreen, or to Alan Gray [but made a big old mistake where it mattered most, in his affidavit], and said he attended the auction in 1992, in which case this would have been checked out, or he didn't, so it wasn't. Why would it be 'inconceivable' to you that Kevin Whay wasn't asked to check right up to April 1992, if Mike had given everyone different dates, ranging from 1987 to 1990, and nobody had any reason to suppose he had meant to say 1992, not even Melvin Harris? Where's the sense in clinging onto that affidavit for dear life, then blaming everyone else but Mike, for not instantly realising that his 'end of January 1990' could in fact be 'the end of March 1992'? That only came years later, after Keith had finally tracked down the advert which had produced the 1891 diary. But that was no thanks to Mike. He was the only one who knew when and where he obtained the scrapbook, but he failed to give anyone a straight story when it might have been possible to confirm or disprove it beyond all doubt.

Love,

Caz
X

[caz]

I might have jumped the gun here, after having a brief look at the Diary I noticed the following words. Never the less. Un do. In tact.

When Mike Barrett wrote All ways in one of his confessions, perhaps he'd slipped subconsciously into Ripper Diary mode.

Interesting, Observer. I don't immediately recall those examples from the diary facsimile, but would like to see them again 'in the flesh' so to speak. Could you give me the page numbers please, or at least say roughly where you found them?

Thanks!

We do know that Mike had a penchant for peppering his conversations and correspondence with words or phrases from the diary, but that doesn't tell us much because he may only have picked up the habit after picking up and reading the diary.

Love,

Caz
X

[caz]

I do not buy Anne Graham's story of the diary being her father's and handed down. I think Feldman was offering her a way to get something out of this whole debacle and between themselves concoted these theories with no basis in fact from any of the "evidence" I have seen.

Hi erobitha,

I don't believe Feldman 'concocted' anything with Anne. I simply think she told him what he was waiting and expecting to hear, and convinced him as much as he had already convinced himself. He ruined his health and his marriage, and threw good money after bad, chasing an impossible dream, not spending a weekend concocting a lie with Anne, which would have required no actual research, just the hubris to get enough people believing it.

There, never let it be said [not by Mandy Rice-J Palmer at least] that I only ever challenge the opinions of Barrett hoax believers.

Love,

Caz
X