Room 13 Miller's Court

[Monty]

No problems Jeff.

Monty

[Jeff Leahy]

Its the 'Saucy jack' original that would be useful if it turned up..

In fact whoever 'knicked' it probably did history a favour, as those that were kept safe for the nation were sealed in Laminate, thus destroying the possibility of DNA testing..

As for TV appeals, its hard enough to get broadcasters to put credits on the end of TV programs these days let alone appeals..

I emailed Radio 4 's making History program the other day to see if they could try and help track down Farsons 'Jack the Ripper' program. I got short shift from the producer Nick Patrick..

Jack the Ripper is not considered true history in some quarters...

certainly there is lots of stuff out there..It usually only turns up when someones looking for it however...

You have my word if I ever get a production off the ground I will get an appeal in somehow...I'll probably have to murder the commissioning editor in the process however...

Anyway back to searching Hunton

Jeff

PS I havn't forgotten you Monty just busy trying to earn a crust

Being from Toronto as I am Chava, you have to figure our best shot at undiscovered data might come from investigating Tumblety history. Born in Rochester, buried there, had an office in Toronto and Montreal.

I think a Brit would likely have any documents that are undiscovered...and they have been known to settle abroad...so who knows.

Cheers.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Chava,

You raise an excellent point about the silence surrounding the victims. It's almost as if the WM took place in a vacuum. In my thirty plus years at this lark I've interviewed/spoken to/corresponded with a score or more people whose family histories were supposedly touched by the "Ripper". However, in every instance their stories proved groundless—a mixture of garbled facts and wishful thinking usually traceable to one or more of the urban legends doing the rounds since 1888.

But there is material evidence out there. If the story Eric Barton told Stewart Evans is true [and there's no reason to believe it isn't], then someone is gloating over an album of Kelly photographs. And there's the files pilfered over the years from the Yard. They're probably valueless in themselves [no smoking guns or dripping knives], but priceless when slotted into what little we know.

Hopefully, as with the Dear Boss letter in 1989, good sense will prevail and this evidence will be returned to us. But I'm not holding my breath.

Regards,

Simon

[Celesta]

Hi Chava,

You made a valiant attempt. I've been thinking there are surely old photos, etc. of the areas, but maybe people don't make the connection. They don't necessarily think about it, or don't know the age of the photo, etc. For example, someone might have a photo of sites on, say, Dorset St. It would be interesting just to see them. There was a Jewish family I read about. I can't remember the name, but they had a family story about the night Stride was murdered. It was dismissed as useless, by some, because there was nothing to back it up, supposedly. I can see why people would be reticent.

Best to you, Chava

Celesta

[Chava]

20 years ago, at the 100th anniversary, I was all over the media with Jack the Ripper. I was amazed at the interest. I did a bunch of tv, radio, print. (And got misquoted horribly in the Globe and Mail by a hack called Murray Campbell whom I still have not forgiven!) I have to say I wondered if anyone might come forward with anything at all. Although I live in Toronto. there may well have been East End immigrants to Canada who had brought with them material I hadn't heard of or seen. But I have to say, sadly, that there was nothing. I did call-in shows, the lot. I didn't ask for information because, as Tom says, what you'll get is a load of rubbish attached to a bunch of na-nas. I did hope to hear from someone with something substantive but I never did.

There must be stuff still out there--old photos, old documents, old memories. However we're not seeing it. This aspect of the case fascinates me, because the silence surrounding the victims in this case starts immediately. We don't hear about anyone coming forward to say 'I saw Nicholls at 2.45 am and she was coming out of an alley near Thrawl St'. No one admits to having served Kelly a drink on the night she died, even though she had clearly been drinking quite heavily and must have gone into a pub some time that night. No one noticed Chapman for around three hours before she was killed although she seemed to have been well-known in the area. And that silence has continued. Maybe they wouldn't come forward then because of the victims' profession, but you'd think that some aging granny who lived an interesting life when young in the '80s might have told her kids or grandkids that she had seen one of them on the murder night and so had had a lucky escape from the most notorious serial killer in history. But nothing. Nothing.

[Celesta]

That's been done quite a few times, Celesta. You're more than welcome to post away though! Something just might come of it. The more targeted, the better, though. An ad in a major London paper asking for info about Jack the Ripper will simply fill up your box with nonsense.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

Oh. Yes, of course it would. Duhhhh. I'm still learning here. There are so many pitfalls, aren't there? Thanks, Tom.

[Tom_Wescott]

That's been done quite a few times, Celesta. You're more than welcome to post away though! Something just might come of it. The more targeted, the better, though. An ad in a major London paper asking for info about Jack the Ripper will simply fill up your box with nonsense.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Celesta]

Hi Mitch. I'm sure Stewart and Spryder will agree with me here, but whenever I'm doing a TV prog on JTR, the last thing that springs to mind is jumping off what I've been asked to talk about and putting in an appeal for info. It is something I'd love to be able to do, but it's just not possible. We're not pulling the strings. Interviews for magazines and radio are a different matter - if they give you the chance.

PHILIP

Hi Philip, Wouldn't it be nice to post an ad? Even if it's just a request for copies of documents and pix. There may be people who have something but don't know it. Also, a pamphlet or catolog of documents would be nice. Take care, Celesta

[George Hutchinson]

Hi Mitch. I'm sure Stewart and Spryder will agree with me here, but whenever I'm doing a TV prog on JTR, the last thing that springs to mind is jumping off what I've been asked to talk about and putting in an appeal for info. It is something I'd love to be able to do, but it's just not possible. We're not pulling the strings. Interviews for magazines and radio are a different matter - if they give you the chance.

PHILIP

[Mitch Rowe]

An idea I had was to make some videos for youtube and appeal to all who may have information or items of interest to contact Spryder.

I do hope that if any of the Authors or Historians on Casebook.org is ever granted an interview on Television or whatever that they dont miss the opurtunity to appeal for help. I myself would demand that a small blurb or something be broadcast during the show literally begging for help. It may attract a few whackos but I think we can weed them out.

[Monty]

Mitch,

We just dont know what is out there. As Jenni states, the main concern is someone has that nugget and dont realise it.

I know Stewart, Rob Clack and Phillip Hutchinson trawl E bay for photos and pics, I myself can never pass an antiques shop without popping in. Im sure others are doing the same. The net is spreading and I bet there are people out there, more knowledgeable than they were 20 or so years ago, looking for any piece of information connected to these crimes.

I feel its only just begun.

Monty

[Mitch Rowe]

Tom,



I believe you are correct Tom, possibly sooner than we think.

Monty

Hmm? I hope so. And I hope it helps us towards exposing the monster.

[Monty]

Tom,

I'd go so far as to say that's a definite, wouldn't you? I bet there'll be a number of new finds for us to look forward to.

I believe you are correct Tom, possibly sooner than we think.

Monty

[Tom_Wescott]

There may be other avid John Bennets and Rob Clacks from the turn of the last century, whose combined interest in this new fangled photography and Ripperology may yet hold some treasures waiting to be uncovered by family members.

I'd go so far as to say that's a definite, wouldn't you? I bet there'll be a number of new finds for us to look forward to.

Stewart,

I won't say I speak for everyone, but I'd bet I speak for most of us when I say that your 'peak behind the curtain' posts such as these are true treats for us. But let me ask you what your gut feeling is regarding Barton's Kelly photos. Does your gut tell you he really had photos none of us has seen, or does your gut tell you he may have been mistaken?

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott