The Jack the Ripper Mystery is Finally Solved — Scientifically

[Herlock Sholmes]

You've put it better than I could Herlock.

Cheers John

I don’t know about that John but I’ve never understood a reluctance when it comes to Bury. I’m not saying that he was the ripper or that everyone should accept him as such but can we imagine any police enquiry today looking into the murder and mutilation of women where the police had a guy who murdered and mutilated a women and was living next to the murder sites…and they just said “so what?” They would have pushed other suspects out of the way to get to him. He might have had an alibi but he’d have been the first guy on their list for a friendly chat. It’s not proven but there’s a fair chance that Kelly was the final victim - Bury left London not long after - troubled childhood - mother in an asylum - heavy drinker - violent to woman - linked to prostitutes.

I added this bit of speculation a few years ago John, I don’t know if you recall it. Catherine Eddowes reckoned that she knew who the killer was. If true you would assume that she would have had to have known that person reasonable well so less chance of it being a one off customer. So maybe she was in a pub one night in the East End when she heard a Black Country accent just like her own and she and the man got talking, had a drink together and got to know each other. Bury was from Stourbridge and Eddowes was from Wolverhampton.

[John Wheat]

I don’t understand your opposition even to the suggestion of Bury as a suspect George; especially compared to Thompson. We just don’t know how much knowledge the killer had. We certainly can’t assume that Bury only had a pen knife.

We have no evidence that Thompson was a violent man - Bury was. He attacked a woman with a knife.

Thompson never murdered anyone as far as we know - Bury did (even though some appear to take an “oh hum” attitude to this fact which I find a little strange in a murder case.)

We can’t place Thompson in the East End at the time of the murders with any certainty - we certainly can place Bury there.

The murder of women sadly isn’t rare - post mortem mutilation is however.


There’s no competition. Bury is a worthy suspect. Thompson is a case of taking someone alive at the time, finding that he was a troubled man, and then weaving a fantasy around him.

There’s nothing about Thompson that raises an eyebrow. Another non-suspect.

You've put it better than I could Herlock.

Cheers John

[Herlock Sholmes]

Hmm. I'm just trying to imagine a drunken little no-hoper falling off his sawdust cart and executing, in the dark, an abdominal hysterectomy, without damaging the bladder, and a kidney extraction with his trusty little penknife. Unless, of course, these were done afterwards.

I don’t understand your opposition even to the suggestion of Bury as a suspect George; especially compared to Thompson. We just don’t know how much knowledge the killer had. We certainly can’t assume that Bury only had a pen knife.

We have no evidence that Thompson was a violent man - Bury was. He attacked a woman with a knife.

Thompson never murdered anyone as far as we know - Bury did (even though some appear to take an “oh hum” attitude to this fact which I find a little strange in a murder case.)

We can’t place Thompson in the East End at the time of the murders with any certainty - we certainly can place Bury there.

The murder of women sadly isn’t rare - post mortem mutilation is however.


There’s no competition. Bury is a worthy suspect. Thompson is a case of taking someone alive at the time, finding that he was a troubled man, and then weaving a fantasy around him.

There’s nothing about Thompson that raises an eyebrow. Another non-suspect.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Interesting. Isn't that around the time that there was a pause in the ripper murders?

It could also mean that he was in hospital for either the Double Event or the Kelly murder though. We can’t know anything for certain but a state of near total collapse surely wouldn’t have come on over night? At the very least it raises a doubt about Thompson’s health during that period.

[John Wheat]

The attacks on Farmer, Tabram and Mylett might conceivably be attributed to Bury, but I would label him as being capable of the attacks on Chapman, Eddowes and Kelly as tripe, were I not so fond of tripe, particularly with white parsley sauce.

If Bury was the purpotrayor of the attacks on Farmer, Tabram and Mylett surely it's odds on he was the Ripper. The chances of them all off a sudden being several violent serial killers at the same time in London are virtually zero.

[Herlock Sholmes]

That does seem to be a lot of "accidents".

Certainly not enough to accuse him of being an arsonist though George.

[Patrick Differ]

Thompson, rather like Van Gogh, was a tragic figure. Mental health issues and drug addiction. Poor health in general. Absolutely no history of violence. Richard Patterson has woven a fantasy around him portraying him as some Dracula-type figure skulking around the East End with a violent vendetta against prostitutes. It’s nonsense.

Compared to Bury, Thompson only has the ‘advantage’ of medical knowledge and we can’t even be certain of what level of medical or anatomical knowledge the ripper had.

To even mention him on the same breath as Bury is in act of falling for a con job from the guy that produced the despicable tripe that Geddy highlighted in post #1.

Thompson clearly had medical knowledge. But so did the Doctors first at the scene of these murders. If I interpret their conclusions and first impressions at these scenes they did not believe a medically trained person performed the murders.

I could be wrong but there were only 3 suspects that lived in the area and can be proved - Chapman, Kosminski and Levy. Chapman and Kosminski both immigrants and Levy the only suspect born in Whitechapel.

As far as the Police and Witnesses are concerned they either had a complete bias toward immigrant Jews or some of what they said was likely true. If you want to talk mathmatical probability then consider the word foriegner in the equation. I would also consider the Legacy Jewish Englishman who had ample reason to implicate immigrant Jews. The Jewish Chronicle, as the voice of the Jewish Englishman, was not sympathetic. However would a gentile witness be able to distinguish one Jewish man from another? Only if they knew them possibly.

What is the mathmatical probability that the killer lived in the general area of the murders? My guess would be high since he hunted the same area and managed to always just disappear. The women all lived near each other and frequented the same pubs. Edmund Reid believed the killer did as well. Who knew the habits of the Whitechapel residents better than Reid? Its not clear he should be dismissed easily.

Modern day Police officers I know have told me that the higher probability of a murder is someone the person knew. With Serial Killers it was more about their childhood history and patterns of behavior over time. Prostitutes have always been easy prey. As are young boys and men. There are patterns that speak to the killer. Unfortunately not until after they were caught. In defense of using probability models its understandable why you might use it today.

if Thompson or any other suspect was living in Whitechapel at the time and it can be proven then I think they would have to be considered a viable suspect.

I dont believe this was a medically trained person. Although they were likely exposed to blood and guts and detached from
any emotion to the murder. They cut before and Nichols, Chapman and Eddowes were the same method. Had they done that before?

My observations. Thompson is a likely candidate if there is proof he lived there.

[GBinOz]

The attacks on Farmer, Tabram and Mylett might conceivably be attributed to Bury, but I would label him as being capable of the attacks on Chapman, Eddowes and Kelly as tripe, were I not so fond of tripe, particularly with white parsley sauce.

[GBinOz]

Compared to Bury, Thompson only has the ‘advantage’ of medical knowledge and we can’t even be certain of what level of medical or anatomical knowledge the ripper had.

Hmm. I'm just trying to imagine a drunken little no-hoper falling off his sawdust cart and executing, in the dark, an abdominal hysterectomy, without damaging the bladder, and a kidney extraction with his trusty little penknife. Unless, of course, these were done afterwards.

[GBinOz]

Some time between October and December of 1888 Thompson spent around 6 weeks in hospital due to being in a state of near total collapse. Thompson was often in poor health.

Interesting. Isn't that around the time that there was a pause in the ripper murders?

[GBinOz]

It’s an attempt at shoehorning a suspect as you probably suspected Fiver.


Thompson the arsonist:

As an alter boy he took some candle lighters and started a fire at the alter - so it looks like a case of a boy playing around with matches. POSSIBLE ACCIDENT

On another occasion, after an argument, he spun an incense burner around his head and accidentally caused a small fire. ACCIDENT

Later he kicked over a lamp in his lodging house (probably under the influence) - ACCIDENT

He caused a small fire at the house of his editor by absent-mindedly leaving a lit pipe in his coat that he’d hung up. ACCIDENT


Francis Thompson wasn’t an arsonist.

That does seem to be a lot of "accidents".

[Herlock Sholmes]

Thompson, rather like Van Gogh, was a tragic figure. Mental health issues and drug addiction. Poor health in general. Absolutely no history of violence. Richard Patterson has woven a fantasy around him portraying him as some Dracula-type figure skulking around the East End with a violent vendetta against prostitutes. It’s nonsense.

Compared to Bury, Thompson only has the ‘advantage’ of medical knowledge and we can’t even be certain of what level of medical or anatomical knowledge the ripper had.

To even mention him on the same breath as Bury is in act of falling for a con job from the guy that produced the despicable tripe that Geddy highlighted in post #1.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Some time between October and December of 1888 Thompson spent around 6 weeks in hospital due to being in a state of near total collapse. Thompson was often in poor health.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Thompson’s biographer:

“How long a period of such doss-house misery and actual street Thomson endured remains uncertain - it was at least six months, perhaps as much as eight or nine - but the worst of it came to and end when he was rescued by from some particularly dire situation by one of the army of harlots that infested London’s West End. With this nameless prostitute he eventually entered a more or less steady relationship.“

[Herlock Sholmes]

None of his poems mention prostitutes.