How strange is this

[Natasha]

Hi All

Was this a letter of bluff? Could it have been written in the hope that the murderer wouldn't go anywhere near Dorset street.

If the letter was genuine, someone knew something about Kelly's murderer my money is on Mrs McCarthy of Breezer's Hill. Its funny how she turns up adamant of Kelly's identification. If the ripper never saw the letter, and the police were less dismissive of the letter they may have caught the ripper.

Also there was a large placard posted on the wall of the next house, on the right hand side, offering, in the name of an illustrated weekly paper, a reward of £100 for the discovery of the man who murdered Nicholls in Hanbury-street. It was noted as a the most curious item in the entire surroundings in the Cardiff Times newspaper.

Did the killer live in the next lodging house?

[Ausgirl]

I don't know what the odds are against this being a coincidence, but I really don't want it to be -- so hopefully the letter's not a Yarmouth capon (hehehe)..

I'm enjoying the thread, anyway.

[Natasha]

Hi Nashwan

Thanks for finding the Gehringers and Nafzgers info.

[Bridewell]

Kate Eddowes claim that she purported to know the Ripper's identity has always struck me as interesting. Was she just boasting, or could it have had something to do with why she walked in the opposite direction to home and her defacto after she was released from the police station on the night she was killed?

I've always been interested in that claim too because there's a slight chance that she actually made the claim and did so for a valid reason. I suspect a more prosaic reason though for her turning left out of Bishopsgate - she expected a good hiding on her return and was in no hurry to get it. She may also have felt that Kelly was likely to be more amenable if she turned up with enough money in her pocket to pay for breakfast.

[Vincenzo]

Fascinating thread. Though I tend to believe that this is nothing more than a wild coincidence, it is still worth looking into more.

[Vincenzo]

She went back to Ireland after Johnny Depp's death and married Shane McGowan.

ha!

[RockySullivan]

G'day Rocky

But would any letter writer, really use their own address.

I find it interesting that any time Mrs Maxwell is discussed it is seldom that any attention is given to Maurice Lewis, who also says he saw her that morning, what are the odds of them both being in on the same cover up or them both being mistaken as to the day?

That's a good point gut. How come the people Lewis claimed were drinking with Kelly were never found? Surely they couldn't have been oblivious to the fact the woman they were drinking with ended up a ripper victim could they? They wouldn't have to live under a rock especially if they were locals it doesn't make sense. It is strange for the letter to come from maxwells address your right would the killer send a letter from his home address? As some smart posters have suggested the letter may be a riddle. Why does it come from maxwells address? Could this be part of the riddle?

[Rosella]

Kate Eddowes claim that she purported to know the Ripper's identity has always struck me as interesting. Was she just boasting, or could it have had something to do with why she walked in the opposite direction to home and her defacto after she was released from the police station on the night she was killed?

[GUT]

Interesting that the letter comes from Maxwell address, what is the general consensus on her witness statement? Ws she lying to protect a family member? Is there a connection between the letter & the strange last sighting of Kelly? What did maxwells son do? Anything w a knife?

G'day Rocky

But would any letter writer, really use their own address.

I find it interesting that any time Mrs Maxwell is discussed it is seldom that any attention is given to Maurice Lewis, who also says he saw her that morning, what are the odds of them both being in on the same cover up or them both being mistaken as to the day?

[RockySullivan]

Another thing...I read in leather apron Kelly & Chapman had a premonition the ripper would get them...and Eddowes claimed to know his identity right? Strange

[RockySullivan]

Interesting that the letter comes from Maxwell address, what is the general consensus on her witness statement? Ws she lying to protect a family member? Is there a connection between the letter & the strange last sighting of Kelly? What did maxwells son do? Anything w a knife?

[Tom_Wescott]

Caroline Maxwell worked for William Crossingham who had his employees lie to the police any time a murder touched his doorstep.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Ghost]

Glad to finally stumble onto this intriguing thread. May I ask a simple question ....

We know that Mr. Maxwell died shortly after the murders at age 52. That's intriguing, but let's say, for discussion's sake, we think he is too old to be the Ripper.

The next logical question: Did the Maxwells have a son? And wouldn't this letter and Mrs. Maxwell's behavior comport very well with a mother protecting her child?

[nashwan]

Hi All

I thought it may be of interest to add info in regards to the pubs of Spitalfields etc, I think that if the pubs are connected to the murders then finding out who was running/working/living in the pubs may help with finding out more about the murders, and to start here's an interesting pub:

City of Norwich, 111 Wentworth Street, Spitalfields, not that far from Dorset Street/Miller's Court!
I couldn't find the licensee of this bar in 1888 (perhaps the licensee of 1886 or the licensee of 1891 was there in 1888)

Due to copyright issues, I'm unable to copy details on to this site, but you can view all the info on the following site, which contains details of the licensee and or lodger, occupation & age. Check out the pubs: Britannia, Duke Of Wellington, Blue Coat Boy on Dorset Street:

http://pubshistory.com/LondonPubs/Spitalfield/

This website also has a vast selection of bars in other areas of London, also outside London, for anyone interested.

I found a previous Casebook posting about the Gehringers :

http://forum.casebook.org/archive/index.php/t-7636.html

And a posting stating that the Gehringers and Nafzgers were related :

http://boards.ancestry.co.uk/surnames.naffziger/10.1/mb.ashx

[SirJohnFalstaff]

The pub connection is very interesting, the names of the Yarmouth piers is to much of a coincedence. If the letter is coded to refer to the Whitechapel pubs, Brittania and Wellington, I thought I would look up Norwich to see if there was another usage.
Guess what, a Norwicher is slang for' one who drinks too much from a shared jug or glass. eg an unfair drinker' common usage 1860/1900. So perhaps the' Norwich women' referred to their drinking habits
This reference is from Partridge's dictionary of historical slang.

The letter gets more complex by the minute. So the murderer is planning to murder two heavy drinking women who frequent the Brittania or Wellington possibly?

Miss Marple

very interesting find, Miss Marple.