Reynolds News- 29th October, 1950

[Jarvo]

Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen at Casebook!

This is my first post on casebook, and it is, I am afraid, not one which will be of the utmost interest or importance.

Before we continue, a little background of myself.
I am fourteen, and my interest in the Ripper murders was first aroused by a school teacher, who taught us about the cases during our history lessons for a term.
Since then, I have maintained a great interest, and have begun to compile a case analysis, with a view to clearly and concisely examining the case myself- tying up loose ends, compiling many obscure data and, perhaps, highlighting any discrepancies.
I know from my days as a lurker that many on the forum feel strongly about the idea of a young person breezing in, making a few enquiries and then announcing to the world that they have solved the case.
Please don't feel like this! I have nothing but the greatest respect for Ripperologists who have spent much longer than I researching the case. I simply believe that anyone with an interest, however casual, in the case should be permitted to hold and voice an opinion.

I include the above due to my previous experiences in other forums of bad treatment upon the discovery that I was not an adult, and thus 'some young upstart'. Hopefully, by being open with this now I can avoid any unpleasantness and become a small part of this amazing community!

But now to business.

The earliest known reference to the murder of a 'Fairy Faye' is in an article by Terence Roberts in the Reynolds News, 29th October 2009- please correct me if I am wrong.
Does anyone have a copy, or link to an online copy, of this article?
I must admit that I have no real suspicion that this was a Ripper murder, but am interested to ascertain from where, if anywhere, Mr Roberts drew the details from his supposed case- apart from those of the murder of Emma Elizabeth Smith and the attack upon Martha Hames.

If any small piece of information comes from this, I will be sure to post them upon the Casebook Forum.
Thankyou for your time and even more so for any responses,
The Jarvo

[The Grave Maurice]

A very warm welcome, Jarvo. That was an impressive first post. It's so nice to meet a young person who is not completely unfamiliar with the rules of grammar and spelling. And you have become interested in this case at just about the same age as I did although, for me, that was many moons ago.

I can confirm that the Terence Robertson article of 1950 was the first appearance of "Fairy Fay". The Reynolds newspapers are available on the British Library newspaper site, although searching them involves a fee. If the article is available for free, someone with more technical savvy than I will be along shortly to inform you how to find it.

Again, I'm very pleased to see you here, and hope that you find the experience educational and enjoyable.

[perrymason]

Hi Jarvo,

I second Maurice's sentiments, you seem like a well spoken young student of the crimes and welcome aboard.

One thing I found most interesting in that report is that there is a mention of a pub in Mitre Square where she had been drinking that night.....and I dont recall that there is mention of one later in 1888.

I dont believe its ever been proven that Reid investigated such a crime as was reported, so its a bit of a mystery.

Cheers Jarvo.

[Jarvo]

I would thank you both for your greetings, and you, Maurice, for your help.
From the information that I have been able to gather, I have constructed a small table which attempts to identify the inspirations behind Roberts' 'details':-
Date- 26th /27th December 1888: The (non-fatal) attack upon Martha Hames.
Location- On the way home from a pub off Mitre Square: In many cases, victims were killed after a night in a pub, possibly soliciting for, ahem, ‘business’.
Location- Alley off Commercial Road, Whitechapel: In many cases, victims were found in alleyways; Commercial Road is the main route(?) through Whitechapel.
Police Involvement- Investigated by DI(?) Reid: Several cases were investigated by Reid.
Manner of Attack- Blunt object thrust through the abdomen: The murder of Emma Elizabeth Smith

It seems likely that Roberts simply flicked through a few old newspapers covering the Ripper eras and poached aspcts from this and that case? This would mean that not only would it fit in the the general pattern of attacks (as it was in itself an extrapolation from the 'pattern' as it presented itself), as well as being more difficult to disprove.

To respond to your first point, perrymason, I cannot help but think that there is a possibility that it may have been such a small establishment that it simply did not register- from my researches it seems fairly common for drinking-houses to spring up in a parlour, perhaps only catering for a few people.
Alternatively, it could be that Roberts just dropped this in as a detail to pad-out his story, not thinking that anyone would check.

As for Reid, again he may have simply been 'dropping names' associated with the cases to lend credibility to his story.

After all, reporters are not the most reliable sources for events which cannot be checked and happened over, at the time, sixty years ago.

The Jarvo

[Archaic]

Hi, Jarvo, and welcome!

I'm impressed by your first two posts, which display both maturity and intelligence. (Besides, I've always thought "Ageism" is stupid!)

I hope you enjoy yourself on the forums and are able to discover the answers to some of your questions. Let me know if I can help.

Best regards, Archaic