A connection most of the victims had

[Grim]

With the cannonical victims at least most of them were described as heavy drinkers or alcoholics. In my opinion I would say that JTR had first seen each one in a pub and that is most likely where he decided that they would be his next victim.

Your thoughts?

[Sam Flynn]

There were loads of alcoholics in that part of town, Grim, and chances are that anyone wandering the streets after midnight was there because they'd blown their money on gin or beer, and couldn't find a bed for the night. There is almost as much significance in the suggested link that the victims were heavy drinkers as there was in the fact that they breathed oxygen.

In addition, it's highly unlikely that Jack would have spotted these women anywhere (pub, boarding-house, whatever) and selected them in advance. He'd have had to have waited for an inordinate amount of time, and been in the right place, for a specific person to have come his way.

Chances are - overwhelmingly - that Jack's victims were randomly selected, rather than stalked.

[jodi]

victims connection

Is there any evidence anywhere that would connect these victims any other way: friends amoungst each other...etc?

Thanks for the input--

Jodi

[Sam Flynn]

Is there any evidence anywhere that would connect these victims any other way: friends amoungst each other...etc?

No firm evidence whatsoever, Jodi. There's some belief that Mary Kelly might have vaguely known Annie Chapman, but it has no strong evidence to back it up. At least Chapman and Kelly lived along the same street (which is more than can be said of all five victims as a totality), but then again that street was amongst the most densely-populated in what was already a densely-populated part of East London. To give you some idea, the image below is of Dorset Street today, and the pink dots represent the roughly 800 dossers who lived there in 1888:



In fact, there are precisely 825 "people" taking part in the imaginary fire-drill above, and many of the neighbouring streets weren't too far off that level of overcrowding either. I wouldn't be too confident that any two specific named individuals would definitely have known each other when one considers how staggeringly high the population density truly was.

[karensa]

Apparently the first 4 all had really bad teeth. Not sure why that stuck with me

[The Grave Maurice]

Teeth

I'm not sure that's true. Certainly the first four all had missing teeth which, given their age and the conditions in which they lived, would not be unexpected; but, Bagster Phillips specifically commented on the fine state of Chapman's teeth.

[lynn cates]

connection

Hello. I don't think anything linked them together. At least, the coroner's reports indicated no sign of recent connection. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

The best.
LC

[Madam Red]

I doubt the victims were stalked in advance, although the fact that he might've chosen certain individuals due to alcoholism is an interesting concept.

[j.r-ahde]

Hello you all!

I've read, that Catherine Eddowes was once living in a shed near Mary Jane Kelly.

But since CE could have been an aunt of MJK, they probably were hanging around in totally different groups!

All the best
Jukka

[Tom_Wescott]

Just a few

Eddowes and Stride both lived part of the time on Flower and Dean Street, numbers 55 and 32 respectively. Both falsely gave their address as Fashion Street within days of being murdered.

Liz Stride drank at the Queen's Head pub on the day of her murder. This was the same pub George Hutchinson stood in front of when he witnessed Astrakahn Man.

Annie Chapman lived literally across the street from Mary Kelly.

Pearly Poll knew Martha Tabram and Annie Chapman and suspected a man living near Buck's Row, establishing a possible connection between three victims (if we include Nichols) and a witness.

I'm not saying I read too much into this stuff, but it's possible that because there's so many seeming coincidences in the case that we dismiss them too easily out of hand, or mistake a clue as another mere 'coincidence'.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[John Bennett]

Annie Chapman lived literally across the street from Mary Kelly.

Sorry to be a bore, Tom, but didn't Annie Chapman live at the Crossingham's lodging house at 35 Dorset Street? It was at the western end of the street by Little Paternoster Row.

[j.r-ahde]

Hello John!

But they lived in a crowded area?!

All the best
Jukka

[JackDaw]

I just started a couple of days ago doing out a list to compare the victims from Tabram to Nichols hoping to find some coincidences or comparisons between them.

Its incomplete and still being worked on/worked out.

Here's what I've got so far.

[Madam Red]

I just started a couple of days ago doing out a list to compare the victims from Tabram to Nichols hoping to find some coincidences or comparisons between them.

Its incomplete and still being worked on/worked out.

Here's what I've got so far.

Excellent work!

[JackDaw]

Thanks for the thumbs up, Madam Red.

I've added a bit more stuff today and changed the colouring which I found a little off-putting.

Here's a Microsoft Word .Doc version that anyone can download and add to themselves with any extra details/categories, etc.