The fire in the grate...

[Mitch Rowe]

Heck..Why not go to the press and tell them theres been a murder down the street?
Im just taking a wild guess here but I dont see the ripper as caring too much about first impressions. He knew people would find out what he did. It was going to be sensational anyway. Besides..I doubt if the Ripper even knew ther was a window there.

[j.r-ahde]

Hello Doctor X!

And thus giving a message to the people passing by;

"Here I am slaughtering my latest victim! Come and get me!"

All the best
Jukka

[Doctor X]

I wish to thank you for using "moot" properly. [It an obsession with him.--Ed.]

I have not--in my limited experience. I guess the only way to answer that question would be determination of how long the fire had been going. I am not sure anyone has any clue on that.

But . . . then . . . why not leave the door and window open?

--J.D.

[Magpie]

Something came up in the chatroom yesterday evening that I don't think I've seen proposed before (my apologies if I'm wrong).

Is it possible that the fire in the grate was stoked up by the Ripper just prior to his leaving so that if someone were to look through the window before dawn they would be able to see his handiwork?

It's hard not to see the crime scene as a very deliberate composition, and as any artist will tell you, proper illumination is vital to any work. I think that the Ripper wanted the discovery of the body to hold the maximum shock value, and it would be a disappointment to him if someone were to look into or enter Kelly's room in the couple of hours after his departure and before sunrise without witnessing the full horror of his deeds.

Has this been mooted before?