Tweet
Greetings all,
There are numerous conflicting documents about where Francis Tumblety was born, either in Ireland or in Canada. An article in the Brockville Times out of Brockville, Ontario, Canada, from 1903 claims he was born in Brockville, but a Brockville historian I approached so far cannot find documents to back this up. In my opinion, the most convincing research by ripperologists, such as Tim Riordan, show him born in Ireland around 1830 and immigrating to America around 1847.
There is only one more thing that nags on me, and I hope someone here can clarify. Tumblety did not have an Irish accent as a boy (if you accept the Streeter interview), and if he came over around 16 or 17 years of age he should have. According to professor P. D. Ingram of Penn State University:
]“There are two kinds of accent. One is first language accent, or variation in the use of one's native language. Variations may be related to the geographical area or cultural group to which one belongs. Examples include a Maine accent, an Appalachian accent, a Jewish accent, and Black English. Lippi-Green (1997) shares an example, John Kennedy's Boston variety of English…. The degree to which a person can substitute one accent for another is severely dependent upon the age at which the second language is learned (Lenneberg, 1967). While children can often learn a second or third language with ease, the same is not true for many adults. A number of scientists postulate that at some point during adolescence we move past the developmental stage for language acquisition (Johnson & Newport, 1989; Lenneberg, 1967; Long, 1990). A person's distinctive intonation and phonological features (accent) are hard-wired in the brain and are difficult to change. It is unrealistic to expect a person who learned to speak English as an adult to sound just like a native English speaker, regardless as to commitment, intelligence, and motivation. People such as Henry Kissinger, while speaking English very clearly, never lose their accent [He arrived in the United States around age 12 and speaks English with a German accent. His brother, two years younger, has no accent]."
If this is correct, Francis Tumblety should have had a “first language” Irish accent, especially as a young boy living with adults born and raised in Ireland. The best window we have of Tumblety as a young teenager is Captain W. C. Streeter, a supposed canal boat captain out of Rochester, New York. According to Streeter in an interview with The Rochester Democrat and Republican in early December 1888, he knew Francis Tumblety as a boy “something like 15 years old” when Tumblety would catch a ride on his boat to sell questionable books and papers. He stated:
“I think Frank was born in Rochester. He had no foreign accent when I first met him, and I understood at the time that he was a Rochester boy…. He was about five feet ten inches high, of rather slight build, and fine-looking, but evidently avoided society. I thought then that his mind had been affected by those books he sold, and am not at all surprised to hear his name mentioned in connection with the Whitechapel murders."
This interview is suspect, though. Simon Wood has convincingly pointed out that W.C. Streeter was not a canal boat captain in Rochester, NY, at the time. Now, there was a Ben Streeter fits the bill. Either the actual W.C. Streeter was interviewed in 1888 and lied or Ben Streeter was in fact interviewed and the reporter messed up. I do have a historical paper (Rochester History - At the Rapids on the Genesee Settlement at Castletown by Ruth Rosenberg-Naparstek) that states Ben Streeter was interviewed on numerous occasions about his early days as a canal boat captain in and around Rochester, NY. Ben Streeter was a rough and tough character, getting into many fights and into trouble with the law. It would not be out of the question for Rochester reporters to approach Ben Streeter. Also, it would not be out of the question for Ben Streeter to allow Tumblety on his boat and sell questionable material.
Tumblety’s skill at being a chameleon should also be noted. It is interesting that when Francis Tumblety returned to the U.S. after the Whitechapel murders in 1888 (his stay was from June to November), he possessed an English accent. In February 1889, he gave an interview to The New York World and the reporter stated, "Dr. Tumblety talks in a quick, nervous fashion, with a decidedly English accent, and at times, when describing his treatment by the English police, he would get up from his chair and walk rapidly around the room until he became calm.” It is not out of the question for a person like Francis Tumblety to easily change his accent, even at an early age.
Any thoughts?
Sincerely,
Mike
There are numerous conflicting documents about where Francis Tumblety was born, either in Ireland or in Canada. An article in the Brockville Times out of Brockville, Ontario, Canada, from 1903 claims he was born in Brockville, but a Brockville historian I approached so far cannot find documents to back this up. In my opinion, the most convincing research by ripperologists, such as Tim Riordan, show him born in Ireland around 1830 and immigrating to America around 1847.
There is only one more thing that nags on me, and I hope someone here can clarify. Tumblety did not have an Irish accent as a boy (if you accept the Streeter interview), and if he came over around 16 or 17 years of age he should have. According to professor P. D. Ingram of Penn State University:
]“There are two kinds of accent. One is first language accent, or variation in the use of one's native language. Variations may be related to the geographical area or cultural group to which one belongs. Examples include a Maine accent, an Appalachian accent, a Jewish accent, and Black English. Lippi-Green (1997) shares an example, John Kennedy's Boston variety of English…. The degree to which a person can substitute one accent for another is severely dependent upon the age at which the second language is learned (Lenneberg, 1967). While children can often learn a second or third language with ease, the same is not true for many adults. A number of scientists postulate that at some point during adolescence we move past the developmental stage for language acquisition (Johnson & Newport, 1989; Lenneberg, 1967; Long, 1990). A person's distinctive intonation and phonological features (accent) are hard-wired in the brain and are difficult to change. It is unrealistic to expect a person who learned to speak English as an adult to sound just like a native English speaker, regardless as to commitment, intelligence, and motivation. People such as Henry Kissinger, while speaking English very clearly, never lose their accent [He arrived in the United States around age 12 and speaks English with a German accent. His brother, two years younger, has no accent]."
If this is correct, Francis Tumblety should have had a “first language” Irish accent, especially as a young boy living with adults born and raised in Ireland. The best window we have of Tumblety as a young teenager is Captain W. C. Streeter, a supposed canal boat captain out of Rochester, New York. According to Streeter in an interview with The Rochester Democrat and Republican in early December 1888, he knew Francis Tumblety as a boy “something like 15 years old” when Tumblety would catch a ride on his boat to sell questionable books and papers. He stated:
“I think Frank was born in Rochester. He had no foreign accent when I first met him, and I understood at the time that he was a Rochester boy…. He was about five feet ten inches high, of rather slight build, and fine-looking, but evidently avoided society. I thought then that his mind had been affected by those books he sold, and am not at all surprised to hear his name mentioned in connection with the Whitechapel murders."
This interview is suspect, though. Simon Wood has convincingly pointed out that W.C. Streeter was not a canal boat captain in Rochester, NY, at the time. Now, there was a Ben Streeter fits the bill. Either the actual W.C. Streeter was interviewed in 1888 and lied or Ben Streeter was in fact interviewed and the reporter messed up. I do have a historical paper (Rochester History - At the Rapids on the Genesee Settlement at Castletown by Ruth Rosenberg-Naparstek) that states Ben Streeter was interviewed on numerous occasions about his early days as a canal boat captain in and around Rochester, NY. Ben Streeter was a rough and tough character, getting into many fights and into trouble with the law. It would not be out of the question for Rochester reporters to approach Ben Streeter. Also, it would not be out of the question for Ben Streeter to allow Tumblety on his boat and sell questionable material.
Tumblety’s skill at being a chameleon should also be noted. It is interesting that when Francis Tumblety returned to the U.S. after the Whitechapel murders in 1888 (his stay was from June to November), he possessed an English accent. In February 1889, he gave an interview to The New York World and the reporter stated, "Dr. Tumblety talks in a quick, nervous fashion, with a decidedly English accent, and at times, when describing his treatment by the English police, he would get up from his chair and walk rapidly around the room until he became calm.” It is not out of the question for a person like Francis Tumblety to easily change his accent, even at an early age.
Any thoughts?
Sincerely,
Mike
Comment