Francis Thompson. The Perfect Suspect.

[Richard Patterson]

Richard, your research is impressive. The devil is in the detail. Whether one agrees or disagrees with your conclusion, it is one of the most thorough investigations into a suspect. Thompson was fascinating in his own right. I have an open mind about him but he scores much higher than many so called suspects.
With regards to Providence Row, have you searched The London Metropolitan Archive online. A quick look reveals they have Correspondence and papers pertaining to the night shelter.A/FWA/C/D/049/001

Regards Miss Marple

Hi Miss Marple,

You are very kind to speak well of my book. I also appreciate the tip with searching Providence Row at the London metropolitan archives. I live in Australia but I hope to visit London in November and while there I should pay a visit to the archives to access the documents they have on the refuge. I am certain these documents will provide some fascinating insights into the workings of the institution and what Thompson may have experienced wile sleeping there. My book may not have convinced you that Thompson is Jack the Ripper but I am glad to have introduced you to a 19th century figure who lived a fascinating life imbued with experiences that so much relate to the very best and worst of the revolution and the Victorian age. I hope my book shows up these murders in a different light and also returns to the essentials of what we should be looking for regarding finding the murderer.

All the very best,
Richard

[miss marple]

Richard, your research is impressive. The devil is in the detail. Whether one agrees or disagrees with your conclusion, it is one of the most thorough investigations into a suspect. Thompson was fascinating in his own right. I have an open mind about him but he scores much higher than many so called suspects.
With regards to Providence Row, have you searched The London Metropolitan Archive online. A quick look reveals they have Correspondence and papers pertaining to the night shelter.A/FWA/C/D/049/001

Regards Miss Marple

[John G]

Hello John.

Interesting question and on the face of it I saw a strong possibility. Thompson had a thing for names. Thompson’s sister was named Mary and so was his mother. The root of Thompson’s conflict with his doctor father was over his remarrying. After the death of Mary, the mother, Dr. Charles Thompson, became engaged to a woman named Anne. What I think is more than a coincidence is that almost all the victims shared the same names as with members of Thompson’s family. As you know two of the Ripper’s victims were named Mary, and another was called Ann. In the 1901 murder, the victim does too with, her name being Mary Ann Austin. Thompson’s sister, Mary, changed her name to Mother Austin, when she became, before this murder. Thompson, who had spent most of his post 1888 life in country monasteries, was living in London in 1901. Details of the 1901 murder are reminiscent of the Ripper, with the focus on mutilation of the reproductive organs. In addition, Thompson’s relationship with his prostitute lover ended when she fled him at the start of June, and the murder of Mary Ann Austin occurred on June 1st.

Despite these things, I am not convinced Thompson killed Mary Ann Austin. The perpetrator slept with the victim. I know that Thompson had a sexual relationship with a prostitute in before 1888, but I think it would have been out of character for Thompson to sleep with an unknown. Also Thompson was living in London, but in Elgin Avenue, on the other side of the city. It still is interesting, that this 1901 murder might have been done by the Ripper, or Thompson, or both, if they are one and the same. I will look into it and find the exact circumstance of Thompson’s movements and mental state during the Austin murder, see if there are any correlations worth presenting.

Thanks for the interest.

Hello Richard,

Thanks, it would certainly be interesting to see what Thompson was doing in 1901, and what his mental state may have been. I find it curious, to say the least, that he was in London at the relevant time and the connection with his sister, i.e. the fact that she changed her name to Austin.

[Richard Patterson]

Hello John.

Interesting question and on the face of it I saw a strong possibility. Thompson had a thing for names. Thompson’s sister was named Mary and so was his mother. The root of Thompson’s conflict with his doctor father was over his remarrying. After the death of Mary, the mother, Dr. Charles Thompson, became engaged to a woman named Anne. What I think is more than a coincidence is that almost all the victims shared the same names as with members of Thompson’s family. As you know two of the Ripper’s victims were named Mary, and another was called Ann. In the 1901 murder, the victim does too with, her name being Mary Ann Austin. Thompson’s sister, Mary, changed her name to Mother Austin, when she became, before this murder. Thompson, who had spent most of his post 1888 life in country monasteries, was living in London in 1901. Details of the 1901 murder are reminiscent of the Ripper, with the focus on mutilation of the reproductive organs. In addition, Thompson’s relationship with his prostitute lover ended when she fled him at the start of June, and the murder of Mary Ann Austin occurred on June 1st.

Despite these things, I am not convinced Thompson killed Mary Ann Austin. The perpetrator slept with the victim. I know that Thompson had a sexual relationship with a prostitute in before 1888, but I think it would have been out of character for Thompson to sleep with an unknown. Also Thompson was living in London, but in Elgin Avenue, on the other side of the city. It still is interesting, that this 1901 murder might have been done by the Ripper, or Thompson, or both, if they are one and the same. I will look into it and find the exact circumstance of Thompson’s movements and mental state during the Austin murder, see if there are any correlations worth presenting.

Thanks for the interest.

[John G]

Hello Richard,

Just out of interest, do you think Thompson could be a candidate for the Mary Ann Austin murder? She was brutally attacked in Dorset Street in 1901, and it has been suggested that this was a Ripper-style murder.

[Richard Patterson]

How is Francis Thompson the perfect Ripper Suspect?

It's hyperbole. I'm not a big believer on perfection on Earth. In a way it is pun on Thompson who wrote essays on Perfection and held strong opinions about its meaning. In this instance I more means that, compared to all the other suspects out there, he beats them hands down. Nobody, it seems but Thompson, was as close to the murders, and as well equipped to perform them. Nobody else has an identifiable motive so soon beforehand and cause to stop so soon after. No other suspect, or anyone else we can name, fits the profile better. I don't think we could find a suspect with better skill to cut into humans. Nor or a closer proximity to a murder. Excepting Lechmere who was found with the body, but that is all. With Thompson we have location, opportunity, motive and means. All the combined traits, while other suspects are lucky to have just been living there or shown a hatred to females. None so clearly, by own admission, were carrying a knife at the time. That Thompson resented prostitutes is not a conjecture. That he wrote about killing woman using the same method as the ripper before the murders as well as after even peripheral to the fact with him we have a man who was mentally unstable, felt the police were against him, was looking for a prostitute who fled him just before, had a dissecting knife under his long coat, wrote about killing women, had medical training, and was living less than two minutes away from Kelly's home. I don't think I could have made up a better suspect. Some might think the perfect suspect would come with a photo of him with a knife, standing over one of the victims, but conspiracy theorists would claim it a forgery within moments. No DNA or single piece of evidence would suffice, but with Thompson it an aggregate of a slew of circumstances that all point to his ultimate guilt. This is of course opinion, the proof of which is what my book is all about. Cheers.

[John Wheat]

How is Francis Thompson the perfect Ripper Suspect?

[Richard Patterson]

Hi Pierre

Apart from being able to place Thompson within 100 meters of Mary Kelly, and in areas in Whitechapel, I have no evidence, apart from circumstantial, to place him at a crime scene. That is not to say there is no evidence. One could be the strands of hair that were found with his childhood toy puppet theater. As the chapter on my website tells, Thompson had taken the hair from his editor's daughters to use instead of string to work the puppets. The penchant of serial killers collecting trophies, means that if Thompson is the Ripper, he may have also collected the hair from his victims. I would want to track down where this theater is now being housed. DNA analysis of the hair fixed the all the cardboard puppets, may show DNA of the victims. If there turned out to be victim DNA in his possession, it would be very interesting. If he had kept hair from more than one victim, I would consider it proof that he had known them, and likely killed them. If anything such a pursuit is worthy of any great murder mystery. There are several more ways to possibly place him at the scene, but all of them are tentative. I reserve these leads for the end chapters of manuscript.

As to reasons Thompson may have had to carry out the crimes. Apart from the base motive, of avenging the loss of his beloved prostitute just before he murders I do believe he had a more profound motive, but that is reserved to the later part of my manuscript also. I have already been accused of revealing to much already in just chapter one. Even though I feel the entire manuscript does that anyway.

Regards Richard.

[John G]

Hello Pierre,

There is some evidence that JtR may have had surgical skill, not just anatomical knowledge. The only way that you could demonstrate that a suspect was on the crime scene at the time of the murders would be CCTV images. However, as this was 1888 I think that somewhat unlikely! Well, of course, unless you convert a witness into a suspect, like Lechmere, for example!

[Pierre]

Any evidence of connections to the murders?

Hello John,

Yes it's interesting and thanks for your interest and feedback on what struck you about this suspect.

I was thinking recently how much he would have had in common with his victims, they were at risk of homelessness and so was Thompson, also Thompson's relationship with his prostitute would have had him know something of their ways and means. Thompson both had the ability to dress up by August, so as attract a prostitute, but also a strong knowledge of the layout of streets. Having had lived rough on them for the past few years.

The new evidence is one of those, kick myself that I didn't see it before, things. Part of the information has been verified by the staff at Burns Library, Boston College, where the largest collection of Thompson material is housed. In my research, I had already compiled the pieces, but thought them on the periphery and payed them little notice, until I saw they pointed towards Kelly and Thompson having known each other. Even when I saw this, I thought it only as important as him having a knife, medical training, or a disastrous relationship with a prostitute. But now I do not underestimate the importance of placing him Spitalfields.

Thanks again.

Hi Richard,

Here a two very interesting questions about your book:

Have you found any connections with the actual murders, i.e. any evidence of your suspect being on the crime scenes at the time of the murders?

(A lot of people has been shown to be living in the area, having anatomical skills and having mental problems. But they have no evidential connections to the murders. That is why I ask.)

What was the main motive for murdering the victims?

Regards Pierre

[John G]

Hello John,

Yes it's interesting and thanks for your interest and feedback on what struck you about this suspect.

I was thinking recently how much he would have had in common with his victims, they were at risk of homelessness and so was Thompson, also Thompson's relationship with his prostitute would have had him know something of their ways and means. Thompson both had the ability to dress up by August, so as attract a prostitute, but also a strong knowledge of the layout of streets. Having had lived rough on them for the past few years.

The new evidence is one of those, kick myself that I didn't see it before, things. Part of the information has been verified by the staff at Burns Library, Boston College, where the largest collection of Thompson material is housed. In my research, I had already compiled the pieces, but thought them on the periphery and payed them little notice, until I saw they pointed towards Kelly and Thompson having known each other. Even when I saw this, I thought it only as important as him having a knife, medical training, or a disastrous relationship with a prostitute. But now I do not underestimate the importance of placing him Spitalfields.

Thanks again.

Hello Richard,

Yes, extensive local knowledge would have been invaluable, particularly when you consider that Whitechapel was pretty much a labyrinth, consisting of numerous courts and hidden passageways.

This would explain how the killer was able to effectively make good his escape, without getting caught, seen, heard or otherwise attracting attention to himself.

[Richard Patterson]

Thanks Pierre,

I appreciate the congratulations and I see from my post you quoted, you know something already about my theory and how I present it.

With the opium, I think Thompson was very attracted to it for the most part of his homelessness. He was already addicted to laudanum, which was the form of it he preferred, well before he left home. On November the 9th 1885, It was partly Thompson's father of accusing his son of stealing laudanum from his doctor's clinic at the back the their house, that caused Thompson to run away from his Manchester home. While in London, he spent pretty much every penny on the stuff and would get it whenever the opportunity came, he would have been in a half-awake state for most of the time. Some weeks before the murders though, Thompson had primarily withdrawn from the drug. He had got word, in June 1888, that his poem 'The Passion of Mary' had been published, and resolved to withdraw from its use. This was encouraged by his newfound editor in order to make Thompson presentable to the literary world. An interesting effects of abrupt withdrawal from opium is hyperaesthesia, when the former addict's senses become highly receptive. Noises become intensified and even the skin becomes highly sensitive to touch. Other symptoms attributed to abrupt withdrawal are an increased sex drive, and nightmares and hallucinations. Thompson resumed his addiction to laudanum, until he returned to London, after his year and a half at the Monastery.

I know the above about Thompson's opium use reads pragmatically. Opium and artistic inspiration have long believed to be co-joined and I am certain that even Thompson experienced mystical heights, with the part assistance of the poppy. Thanks again for writing, and I appreciate that you are following the latest on Thompson.

[Pierre]

When, in 2009, I sent samples of writing of Francis Thompson’s letters and the ‘Dear Boss’ letter to a forensic document examiner, I had high hopes. I was certain the Francis Thompson, who after his rescue from being a vagrant in 1888m became a journalist and poet had written the Jack the Ripper ‘Dear Boss’ letter.

This is because so much of the letter seems to be about him. In his three years of homelessness 85 to 88. He carried with him a scalpel he boasted was razor sharp. After his rescue and he was sent in early 1889 to a monastery. In his first letter on the top floor of a building in country retreat of a religious order, Thompson was straight to the point,

‘And I want to make a request which looks rather a Luxury, but which I believe to be a necessity in my present position. Can you send me a razor? I shall to shave myself here, I think; & it would of course be saving of expense in the long run. Any kind of razor would do for me, I have shaved with a dissecting scalpel before now. I would solve the difficulty by not shaving at all, if it were possible for me to grow a beard, but repeated experiment has convinced me that the only result of such action is to make me look like an escaped convict…I know this is a very perfunctory letter…there is no cause for uneasiness on that account.’

Thompson who was in London all of 1888, lived during some of the murders the Providence Row night refugee in Spitalfields, Whitechapel. It was in the streets around this East End homeless shelter that the murders occurred. During the time the ‘Dear Boss’ letter was sent Thompson was looking for work as a journalist. He had just been in a breakup that ended a yearlong affair with a working prostitute who dumped him. She had disappeared. If he could not get into the Providence shelter Thompson slept in the Salvation Army’s first homeless shelter newly opened in Limehouse The shelter had narrow wooden boxes for the men to sleep that were covered by a leather apron. Thompson was known to joke about the leather apron, saying it was all the fashion. In the ‘Dear Boss’ letter the Ripper wrote.

‘Dear Boss,
I keep on hearing that the police have caught me but they wont fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled. Grand work the last job was. I gave the lady no time to squeal. How can they catch me now. I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me with my funny little games. I saved some of the proper red stuff in a ginger beer bottle over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I cant use it. Red ink is fit enough I hope Ha ha. The next job I do I shall clip the ladys ears off and send to the police officers just for jolly wouldn't you. Keep this letter back till I do a bit more work, then give it out straight. My knife's so nice and sharp I want to get to work right away if I get the chance. Good Luck.
Yours truly
Jack the Ripper’

Thompson’s favourite motto was about how being in extreme circumstances led to moderation, 'Every scope by immoderate use turns to restraint.’ The Ripper put it more simply. ‘I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled.’ The Ripper’s only repetition are the words ‘ha ha’. Thompson wrote in the same style and theme as the Ripper. In February 1887 he submitted this unsolicited poem, “The Nightmare of the With Babies,” to a publisher. Here’s some of it.

‘…A lusty knight,
Ha! Ha!…
A rotten mist,
Ha! Ha!…
No one life there,
Ha! Ha!…
'Swiftly he followed her
Ha! Ha!…
Into the fogginess
Ha! Ha!…
Into the fogginess
Ha! Ha!
Lo, she corrupted
Ho! Ho!
Comes there a Death..

Here’s the part where the night rips a woman’s stomach open with a knife.

And its paunch [stomach] was rent
Like a brasted [bursting] drum;
And the blubbered fat
From its belly doth come
It was a stream ran bloodily
Under the wall
O Stream, you cannot run too red…’

Before seeking a document examiner to compare Thompson’s and the ‘Dear Boss’ writing. I travelled to England where I took forensic style photographs of the ‘Dear Boss’ letter at London’s Kew Archives. I was shocked to be told that the writing did not match. In my mind isolating the ‘Dear Boss’ letter to Thompson would have been amazing. The thing is there is no reason why Thompson wrote. But thinking outside of the box maybe Meynell wrote it. Perhaps he suspected that the Ripper might be Thompson. By now Thompson had returned to the streets. By the time the letter had reached the Central News Agency, Meynell through correspondence with Thompson’s family knew his circumstances of homelessness. He also had access to pages of Thompson’s handwriting. The ‘Dear Boss’ letter it might have been the only way to get word out to him. Thompson would have seen from the letter with its references to doctors, hinting to his shelter’s leather, the words that underlined, ha ha, and prostitutes when he had just dramatically ended an affair with one. To finish it off the handwriting looking enough like his for the police to simply blame him for writing it if her were to be caught. If he said it was the Meynell’s they would have simply laughed at his story.

Hi,

Congratulations on your book! I must have been enjoyable writing it. And of course time consuming.

What is your theoretical view on Francis Thompson´s use of opium in relation to the hypothesis of him beeing an active serial killer?

Regards Pierre

[Richard Patterson]

Hello John,

Yes it's interesting and thanks for your interest and feedback on what struck you about this suspect.

I was thinking recently how much he would have had in common with his victims, they were at risk of homelessness and so was Thompson, also Thompson's relationship with his prostitute would have had him know something of their ways and means. Thompson both had the ability to dress up by August, so as attract a prostitute, but also a strong knowledge of the layout of streets. Having had lived rough on them for the past few years.

The new evidence is one of those, kick myself that I didn't see it before, things. Part of the information has been verified by the staff at Burns Library, Boston College, where the largest collection of Thompson material is housed. In my research, I had already compiled the pieces, but thought them on the periphery and payed them little notice, until I saw they pointed towards Kelly and Thompson having known each other. Even when I saw this, I thought it only as important as him having a knife, medical training, or a disastrous relationship with a prostitute. But now I do not underestimate the importance of placing him Spitalfields.

Thanks again.

[John G]

The English writer Francis Thompson has been a Jack the Ripper suspect since 1988. Up till now, nobody could place him near the murders. This will be the first book to provide new evidence proving that Thompson was only living meters from where Mary Kelly was murdered. It will demonstrate how they once lived at the same address and may have even been friends. For the first time every clue will be explained and a light will shine upon the dark heart of the world's first terrorist. The Ripper's hidden motive will finally be revealed. It is a motive that goes way beyond the Ripper murders and includes, among his victims, all of us. Check out the website about the planned book. I'm happy to chat about it on here, on Casebook's message boards.

http://www.francisjthompson.com/

Hello Richard,

Very interesting. I regard Thompson as a very strong suspect and look forward to the new book. One of things I find remarkable about this candidate is that he would have had no problem blending in as a local, having lived as a homeless person in Whitechapel for several years, but equally could have appeared as more more middle class, as suggested by some of the witnesses .

Are you able to comment on the new evidence that might provide a link between Thompson and Kelly? I've so far just had a quick glance at Chapter One on the website, but was intrigued by the fact he possessed several small puppets, secretly replacing the strings with hair from Mynell's daughters. And, that whilst a medical student, he borrowed four times as much money as he needed to in order to purchase extra cadavers!