Who were they?

[Iconoclast]

Enjoy your weekend.

Aston Villa 3, Newcastle 0 (heaviest defeat of the season)
Hibernian 1, Hearts 0

Hardly ...

[rjpalmer]

Aston Villa 3, Newcastle 0 (heaviest defeat of the season)
Hibernian 1, Hearts 0

Hardly ...

Well, I imagine you are getting used to these drubbings. It looks like the Hearts have dropped five in a row.

In his 'David Cohen' book, Martin Fido wrote:

"In January 1993, I was the only Ripper expert of five consulted to insist that the document was not genuine and could not represent the truth. Today, almost all agree with me. The scientific evidence may allow the document to be less than six years old. Apart from two tentative graphologists, specialist document examiners unanimously agree that the diary could not have been written by Maybrick, whose will and marriage certificate give satisfactory examples of his writing. James Maybrick is another red herring (though his name yields the delightful anagram "Barmy Jack is Me”!)"

"Two tentative graphologists," , Martin had a way with words, but I don't think there was anything 'tentative' about the Israeli lady. She was a full-blown graphologist. Any port in a storm.

[Paddy Goose]

... Druitt was murdered but not by the Cambridge Apostles but by those who helped out JTR and AMan.

I like your theory because I don't have to read books or know anything because you won't say. You just show up and drop hints.

Whereas the diary, I would have to read the Diary again, then apparently I would have to read other books too. Books about it. I would have to possess a photographic memory of all these machinations of thirty years ago down to a "t'.

Yes Father Nall I like your theory way better.

[mpriestnall]

I like your theory because I don't have to read books or know anything because you won't say. You just show up and drop hints.

Whereas the diary, I would have to read the Diary again, then apparently I would have to read other books too. Books about it. I would have to possess a photographic memory of all these machinations of thirty years ago down to a "t'.

Yes Father Nall I like your theory way better.

Brevity is the soul of wit.

[Sam Flynn]

Brevity is the soul of wit.

Or, as the English wit Willie Rushton once said: "Brevity is the soul of"

[caz]

Of course, an alternative theory is that certain people are privately gushing to Keith about Maybrick's guilt and the authenticity of the diary, and mentioning his preference for Druitt could be a gentle reminder that he doesn't agree with their views.

Completely untrue in my case, if RJ is still interested in alternative theories. I have had emails from Keith on more than one occasion, to the effect that if he had to pick a ripper suspect it would still be Druitt. And it was most certainly not some gentle reminder to me about his views, to stop me 'privately gushing' to him about Maybrick's guilt or the authenticity of the diary. We have always shared the opinion that the Barretts had nothing to do with the diary's creation, but neither of us knows who may have written it or why. When Keith mentions Druitt to me, it is invariably because someone on the message boards [see Abby Normal's post on page one for an example] has once again left their own mistaken impression that he once believed, or may even 'still' believe, that the diary could be authentic.

Keith has never asked me to set that particular record straight, arguably because he's not that precious about what people think of him. But when I see it posted that he is a diary 'defender', with the unspoken implication that he believes Maybrick wrote it [merely because he doesn't believe the Barretts did], I like to issue a not-so-gentle reminder that this does not reflect his views as shared with me off the boards.

Love,

Caz
X

[Abby Normal]

Completely untrue in my case, if RJ is still interested in alternative theories. I have had emails from Keith on more than one occasion, to the effect that if he had to pick a ripper suspect it would still be Druitt. And it was most certainly not some gentle reminder to me about his views, to stop me 'privately gushing' to him about Maybrick's guilt or the authenticity of the diary. We have always shared the opinion that the Barretts had nothing to do with the diary's creation, but neither of us knows who may have written it or why. When Keith mentions Druitt to me, it is invariably because someone on the message boards [see Abby Normal's post on page one for an example] has once again left their own mistaken impression that he once believed, or may even 'still' believe, that the diary could be authentic.

Keith has never asked me to set that particular record straight, arguably because he's not that precious about what people think of him. But when I see it posted that he is a diary 'defender', with the unspoken implication that he believes Maybrick wrote it [merely because he doesn't believe the Barretts did], I like to issue a not-so-gentle reminder that this does not reflect his views as shared with me off the boards.

Love,

Caz
X

so Keith has never believed that theres a possibility that the diary could be authentic?

[John Wheat]

so Keith has never believed that theres a possibility that the diary could be authentic?

Who cares about the Diary it is not the real deal?

[erobitha]

Who cares about the Diary it is not the real deal?

Because the story might still be true with or without the scrapbook John.

The watch remains an inconvenience for those dismissing Maybrick, and for me at least, I want to know why and who wrote the book.

If the watch emerged before the scrapbook, how would the world have responded?

[John Wheat]

Because the story might still be true with or without the scrapbook John.

The watch remains an inconvenience for those dismissing Maybrick, and for me at least, I want to know why and who wrote the book.

If the watch emerged before the scrapbook, how would the world have responded?

Get real.

[rjpalmer]

Completely untrue in my case, if RJ is still interested in alternative theories. I have had emails from Keith on more than one occasion, to the effect that if he had to pick a ripper suspect it would still be Druitt. And it was most certainly not some gentle reminder to me about his views, to stop me 'privately gushing' to him about Maybrick's guilt or the authenticity of the diary.

Quite right, Caz. I believe you.

I still wonder about Ike and Erobitha, though.

Seeing that they are both vocal supporters of the Maybrick Dunnit theory, what could be more natural to remind them, even as they are apparently allowed access to some of Keith's documentation, that he doesn't share their views? And what could be a more natural and kind-hearted way of doing this than to gently remind them that he is still a Druittist, and not a fellow Maybrickian?

As for people publicly claiming one thing, but privately holding a different view about the Diary, it isn't me but Tom Mitchell who frequently sings this tune.

Tom has suggested--more than once, but without evidence--that despite Martin Fido's very public denouncement of the Maybrick Hoax, he was secretly and privately "on the fence" about the diary's authenticity, but feared admitting as much, since it would damage his academic standing.

There have been similar paranoid accusations made by and about other people, not too unlike Ed Stow suggesting that those who take the time to bash the Lechmere theory must be secretly worried that his theory is valid and correct.

Do you believe Tom is accurately portraying Martin's beliefs? What evidence is there that Fido held these secret doubts?

[erobitha]

Get real.

Good talk.

[John Wheat]

Because the story might still be true with or without the scrapbook John.

The watch remains an inconvenience for those dismissing Maybrick, and for me at least, I want to know why and who wrote the book.

If the watch emerged before the scrapbook, how would the world have responded?

The Barretts wrote the book in all likelihood.

[Abby Normal]

The Barretts wrote the book in all likelihood.

id go farther than that. they wrote it. period.

[John Wheat]

id go farther than that. they wrote it. period.

Fair enough Abby.