Patricia Cornwell: Meet Jack the Ripper

[KRS]

Walter Sickert is low on my list of ripper suspects.

But, as I don't think the case is solvable based on the information we currently possess, I've become somewhat more interested in the ripper's influence on the English speaking world lately. In this, I find Sickert to perhaps be a fascinating part of the story. She does seem to demonstrate that Sickert wrote some ripper letters, (but does little to prove the ripper wrote said letters other than statements of opinion in a field in which she has presumably no expertise; the "From Hell" letter is not tied so explicitly to Sickert). She references the Sickert as associated with the story of the Lodger and the source of the Royal conspiracy. Whether or not Sickert actually inspired the lodger story is not necessarily important, what seems interesting is the way he seems to have inserted himself into that narrative and his own musings on the case seem to show us something of the way enthusiasm for the ripper expressed itself in the pre-Knight era.

[FISHY1118]

your warm.... he wasnt the murderer , but he was at each crime scene

[BTCG]

During this era.... a serial killer was unheard of. No one had yet baited the police in this manner. Yet Sickert wrote many, many letters to the press. How many? At least a half-dozen that's certain. Many, many more where the standard is highly likely.

Even if you want to believe Sickert was simply playing a practical joke, as others sometimes do, it's one or two times... maybe three. You don't do it on the scale he did without having been involved in the crime. His level and duration of interest in the crimes go way too deeply. He had to be JTR.

[Michael W Richards]

Cornwell had the pillowcase of a theory about Sickert and paid "Ripperologists" …...for the "stuffing" .

That's a great line Fantomas, so apt.

I just removed the individuals name because its your personal opinion.

[erobitha]

One day Keith Skinner will need pinned down, either by interview or expose, on the metaphorical Tower Bridges he sells to "name" ripperologists. In the meantime, a few months on casebook.org will sharpen your wits, strengthen your integrity and raise your standards.

Pinning down seems a little aggressive but I for one would see Mr Skinner as the most informed of all the researchers connected to ripperology. Of course I do not begrudge anyone making a living and I certainly don’t think he is selling “Tower Bridges” the authors already bought the bridge they wanted and asked him to try and find the blueprint to match it.

His research is actually of the highest order but I am keen to get a sense from Skinner the man and not Skinner the researcher, what his true thoughts and feelings on who the ripper really was.

[erobitha]

Oherga,

HOOEY! You've got Ripper letters using stationary the was a part of WS's quire of paper. The only answer offered by Ripperologist's here is

"well, that doesn't prove WS wrote them..."

The obvious allusion being WS's wife (who was in Ireland around this time) would also be a suspect... which is absurd!

Say what you will, but writing a letter taking credit for the deed is tantamount to a confession.

Or, are you saying a confession is not enough to convict?

Did Cornwall release which Ripper letters apparently came from the same quire (ream) that she believes she so conclusively matched?

I don’t believe anyone ever doubted Sickert’s fascination with The Ripper, and he may have even been a fan. Fans tend to write fan letters or dare I say it, fan fiction. Even if we can conclusively match the paper to the letters and even if the letter said “It was me what did it” - doesn’t mean it is him.

[Michael W Richards]

You can pick from among dozens of characters in the relevant locations and time frames and get some fascinating information. What we have learned from Ms Cornwell is that Walter Sickert was creepy as well as talented. Lots of creepy men around at that time. Perhaps if she focused on marketing her research as discoveries about Sickert rather than solutions to crimes,...which her theories are not provably so, people could enjoy the read more. As it is, I agree with the posters who believe self serving anecdotes are not a solution. She believes, obviously with conviction, but you cant suggest that is represented by monies she has spent on the research. That's just investment in futures.

[richardnunweek]

Hi.
If you could prove that suspects such as Druitt, Joe Fleming, Maybrick, Cross, Joe Barnett, Dan Barnett, and a host of others wrote at least one Ripper letter, I would say alarm bells would ring.. So Sickert surely has to be a very strong candidate, especially as we know he was obsessed with murder.
Regards Richard.

[Syclone]

Sickert was an eccentric individual, to say the least. He may have penned some letters because it was humorous to him.

But how does a severe germ o phobe become a serial killer who preys on prostitutes?

Cornwell stated Sickert was deathly afraid of germs, and wouldn't wear a hat if once worn by another.

[Holmes' Idiot Brother]

I'm a retired Corrections Officer and will never forget the first time I was introduced to this ridiculous woman and her execrable book: Having been a student of the case since the early 1980s, many younger officers asked me questions about it and I did the best I could to answer them. But a female officer approached me with the blunt statement: "Hey Mike, they caught Jack The Ripper!" She saw the look on my face, laughed, and immediately handed me a copy of Cornwell's book. It's a good thing she wanted it back, because I was sorely tempted to burn it after reading this dreck! I confess at the time I knew very little of Walter Sickert, but I *had* a dim awareness of who he was and what he did. Cornwell's book is an affront to logic and the deductive process! It is also, no doubt, one of the biggest pieces of *character assassination* I have ever seen; it is on par with what David Wickes did to George Lusk in the mini-series "Jack The Ripper!" If I were a descendant of Walter Sickert, I would seriously consider some type of legal action against Cornwell for defamation and slander. And if it's true that she had actually destroyed one or more of Sickert's paintings, she should be held on remand! My disappointment was considerable, as I had been a fan of Cornwell's *fiction*.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that Ms. Cornwell had been diagnosed as mentally ill! Shocked! Shocked, I tells ya! (well, not all THAT shocked LOL) Only someone in the grip of irrational hatred for Sickert (or men in general), could construct such a fantasy. When I discovered her sexual orientation, the picture became clear. Ms. Cornwell has since had some unpleasant run-ins with the law and seems to have a problem with alcohol. Even if she uncovered incontrovertible proof that Sickert was Jack, that she had a notarized confession and pics of Sickert killing the victims.....her opinions may be safely ignored.