New Maybrick Website

[Maria]

Caroline:

Keith said a year ago that he had the "evidence " which would convince a court of law. Where is that evidence Caroline ?

Why do you continually cover for Keith Skinner ? If it´s true that he has this so called " evidence " then he should produce it and not have any problems in showing it to us. Should he ? Unless of course, he can´t produce it because it doesn´t exist. It is as simple as that.

I have never said that I had any evidence that would convince a court of law. I simply said that I remember someone telling Peter and myself that Feldman went to Australia, Peter remembers exactly the same too, so I know that what Stephen Powell is saying has to be the truth. I only came forward in here because I heard this, if it helps. I´m not bragging at an event like Keith did, whilst being paid to do it.

I´m not being paid to do this. So do NOT compare me with Keith Skinner.

There is no point for you to be defensive about it. Tell Keith to come forward to be a man instead of hiding himself under your skirt like a coward.

-Maria

[caz]

I simply said that I remember someone telling Peter and myself that Feldman went to Australia, Peter remembers exactly the same too, so I know that what Stephen Powell is saying has to be the truth...

Hi Maria,

Then all I can say is thank goodness nobody paid you to come here and deliver the astonishing information that just because you remember 'someone' telling you that Feldy had been to Australia, you 'know' that Powell has to be telling the truth.

Have you or Peter remembered who told you? You claimed it was Stewart Evans, but he has denied it.

Incidentally, I'm glad Omlor appears to appreciate how deliciously insane it would be for anyone to compare your claims (or Powell's) with Keith's without their tongue firmly in their cheek at the time. I was beginning to wonder at one point.

Love,

Caz
X

[Omlor]

Caroline writes something about me in her post above. I think it is in response to a post I wrote some time back in this thread, when I hoped that...

"Perhaps even Caroline is starting to recognize the long term consequences of what Graham has elsewhere called "the Skinner Tactic" -- that is, blabbing in public about having evidence and telling everyone what the evidence allows you to conclude without being willing or able to either put up the evidence to support your claim or even to explain why the evidence must remain secret."

Sadly, I was clearly being too optimistic. Like Steve Powell, like IKJ, like any others who claim to have secret evidence about the origins of the diary but are unwilling or unable to produce said evidence to back up their public claims, Keith too just continued the game when he told the "trial" members about his secret squirrel evidence and what it proved but then failed to produce the goods and wouldn't even say why he wouldn't or couldn't.

I know why Caroline has a blind spot in this particular instance, but it doesn't change the situation as it currently stands and as the days and weeks and months and even years go by.

Still nothing new, still nothing real,

--John

[caz]

No blind spot here, Omlor.

Your blind spot is that you would only ever expect anything new or real to help confirm your own faith in the diary and watch as a pair of late 20th century fakes. So whether or not anything new arrives in your lap courtesy of someone else's work, it remains your belief in the existence of modern hoaxers that requires something real to sustain it.

You may have forgotten that Keith does not claim to know of anything new or real that could ever remove all the question marks. He simply works on the ones he has a chance of removing.

You, on the other hand, are constantly claiming that there is something real out there to be discovered (either in the diary ink or the watch scratches or in the form of a guilty modern hoaxer), that could permanently remove every last question mark for everyone. Yet you seem quite helpless to do anything about it - nothing new, nothing real.

But then you can always claim to be a victim of other people's failure.

Someone real might even fall for it.

Love,

Caz
X

[Omlor]

Caroline writes,

"You may have forgotten that Keith does not claim to know of anything new or real that could ever remove all the question marks."

And there's the blind spot.

Because Keith has claimed in a public forum to know of something that would establish that the diary came from the real James Maybrick's old house. But he has been unwilling or unable to support such a claim with any actual evidence. And he won't even say why he can't or won't support his claim.

When someone else did such a thing a long time ago, Caroline was more than happy to lambast him in public and in private (I still have the congratulatory e-mails when I criticized that person for making such claims and not backing them up).

When Keith does it, we hear nothing but excuses and willing blindness from Caroline.

I guess it all depends on whose ox is being gored, eh?

Still nothing new or real,

--John

[douglaid]

Factual, but hard to navigate

The Web site seems solid and factual enough, but it is extremely slow to navigate. Links for only main subdivisions are given. I went looking for David Rumbelow's article. I had to start with the A-Z link, then turn one page at a time and wait for that page to load, then turn the next page, etc, etc. Who has all day to do that? In the end, I gave up.

A good example of why not to use Flash. The book appearance is effective, but the delays are enough to drive users away. A graphic of the book, while not as effective, would have been more user-friendly.

[anna]

Hi everyone,
I think the new site is brilliant. Nice graphics and sound effect.

I'm joining the forum.

ANNA.

[caz]

Hi Doug,

I don't think you'll find that David Rumbelow is a recognised expert on Maybrick (or the diary, if there is such a beast as a diary expert). So you probably didn't miss anything.

Love,

Caz
X

[caz]

Omlor,

I couldn't help noticing, when I saw your name again just below mine, that my toenails need clipping.

Love,

Caz
X

[Omlor]

Charming.

But, I admit, just the sort of response this whole topic deserves.

--John

[Suzi]

Hi Doug,

I don't think you'll find that David Rumbelow is a recognised expert on Maybrick (or the diary, if there is such a beast as a diary expert). So you probably didn't miss anything.

Love,

Caz
X

Is that a relation of Donald Icke?? If so- I think we should be warned ' ! (-and so should Donald!)
Suz xx

[Chris Jones]

Dr Humphreys and Professor Canter

The Maybrick website has undergone an update and some changes.

In the Latest News section we have two new things that might interest you.

1. We have a link with a site showing a short video of Professor Canter. We would like to thank him for allowing us to use the video. It deals with some of the issues he touches upon in his excellent book, Mapping Murder.

2. We also have an obituary for Dr Humphreys OBE from a local Liverpool paper. An interesting read.

Best wishes, Chris Jones

[Chris Jones]

Latest News

Dear All,

This month I have added nine new items to the archive section of the Maybrick website. One of these is the first part of a report about the death of Florence Maybrick from The New Milford Times, the newspaper that covered the area where she lived for the final twenty-four years of her life. The report provides some interesting details about Florence’s final years, especially the manner in which she lived her life.

Another new item in the archives is an interview that Mrs Briggs gave to the newspapers shortly after Florence Maybrick’s trial. Mrs Briggs and her family were old friends of the Maybricks and she was a frequent visitor to Battlecrease House. She was also friendly with Florence and accompanied her on a visit to Dr Hopper the day after the Grand National in March 1889. Mrs Briggs’ role at the time of James’ death and Florence’s trial has been criticised by many people. Charles Ratcliffe in a letter to John Aunspaugh shortly after James’ death refers to Mrs Briggs and Nurse Yapp as the ‘female serpents.’

I have also included the full version of an article written by Bill Rubinstein, the Professor of History at the University of Wales-Aberystwyth. The article, “The Hunt for Jack the Ripper,” appeared in History Today, in May 2000 and became the best-selling issue in its history. The article is probably very familiar to some of you on these boards. Bill holds the belief that James Maybrick could well have been Jack the Ripper and the article presents the evidence in support of his view. In the interest of balance, next month we will add a very different article to our archives, one that attacks the authenticity of the Diary and James Maybrick’s credibility as a Ripper suspect.

Best wishes, Chris Jones

[Chris Jones]

Albert Johnson

As you are probably all aware, Albert Johnson, owner of the Maybrick Watch, died recently and was cremated last Wednesday (20th October 2008).

I had only known Albert for two years, but I had got to like and admire him. He was a real gentleman and in the murky world of Maybrick politics, he was one of the few characters who was universally respected.

On our website (jamesmaybrick.org) I have now placed an obituary for Albert. It includes some words from his close family and friends, the thoughts of Shirley Harrison and Caroline (Caz) Morris; and one of his poems. I hope some of you are able to take time to read it. I have placed it on our website rather than here on casebook, as I did not want to provoke a series of disrespectful messages on this or any other forum. If you feel the need to comment, please be positive and supportive to the family.

Albert was a nice guy and he will be sadly missed by all those who had the privilege of meeting him.

Chris Jones

[Chris Jones]

Website update

Dear All,

This month I have added fifteen new items to the archive section of my website (www.jamesmaybrick.org). One of these is a two-part article written by Bill Beadle, who is Chairman of the Whitechapel Society 1888. Bill Beadle (as I am sure you are all aware) does not think that the Diary is authentic and he does not think that James Maybrick was Jack the Ripper. Indeed, in 1997, Bill put forward his own candidate, William Bury, to be Jack the Ripper, in his book, ‘An Anatomy of a Myth.’ I have included Bill’s article on the Diary in our archives because it is an excellently written and well-argued dissertation and also because I want include a range of very different views on this website about the alleged Maybrick/Ripper link.

I have also added two items on Spring-Heeled Jack. He was a paranormal character from English folklore that supposedly existed during the Victorian period and was capable of extraordinary leaps. The character has been linked to Jack the Ripper in certain respects, such as his name, his tendency to sexually assault women and the fact that some of the alleged incidents involving him took place in the East End of London. The reports from The Liverpool Citizen newspaper make it clear that everyone in Liverpool was talking about Spring-Heeled Jack in 1887. Indeed, one report even suggests that the character may have even been a young ‘buck’ from the Cotton Exchange, where James Maybrick worked, who was acting in the manner of the mythical demon to win a bet.

Finally, recently I visited James Maybrick's grave in Anfield Cemetery on my way to the Liverpool/Everton cup match. Sadly, I have to tell you that the headstone is still damaged, though someone (not me) had left some fresh flowers on the grave.

best wishes, Chris Jones