How strange is this

[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 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?

[Batman]

So Jack read the article and then decided to do it there?

Doesn't that simplify the whole thing?

[Natasha]

So Jack read the article and then decided to do it there?

Doesn't that simplify the whole thing?

Hi Batman

What I am saying is, if JtR read the article and decided to go there because of it, that would suggest that the ripper enjoyed a challenge.

If you look at the letters it seems the ripper did perform some of the murders that were described in the letters. The letter's perhaps gave the ripper some ideas about what he was going to do to his victims, and if that's the case, then the authors of those letters are just as guilty as the ripper.

I'm not saying he wrote all the letters though, but I do think he may have wrote to letters addressed to Lusk. I suspect that Lusk may have really pissed the ripper off, and the letters were written out of anger, rather than just to wind Lusk up.

[Batman]

I think the Lusk letter could very much be real. I think its the same hand as the equally baldly written GSG. Hence why transcription was difficult. If the ripper is literate then reading those articles and going there on the fly for the weekend and doing what the police claimed was a hoax would have explantory power behind the coincidence being described here.

[Batman]

If this could be tied into Timothy Donovan, it would be even more interesting.

http://www.casebook.org/ripper_media/book_reviews/non-fiction/cjmorley/51.html

He lived at 7 Russell Court, St Georges, in the East, and was a labourer, who also worked casually as the deputy manager of Crossingham's Common lodging house, 35 Dorset Street.

[RockySullivan]

Holy batty street batman! Another wife murderer?

[Natasha]

If this could be tied into Timothy Donovan, it would be even more interesting.

http://www.casebook.org/ripper_media/book_reviews/non-fiction/cjmorley/51.html

He lived at 7 Russell Court, St Georges, in the East, and was a labourer, who also worked casually as the deputy manager of Crossingham's Common lodging house, 35 Dorset Street.

Hi Batman

If you haven't seen them already here are some links that may be of interest:

http://forum.casebook.org/showthread.php?t=3200

http://forum.casebook.org/showthread.php?t=2306

http://forum.casebook.org/showthread.php?t=766

[Natasha]

Hi All

There was another letter addressed to the city police:

I put you to the job what you are looking for. Go to Hart St WC near the buttes ??? to live with the name Jaffa and Co. about 3 yrs ago people used to live there before. I don't know if they live there now
Watch that place and try our communication and find out where at the people moved from there. If they are moved and if you can't find out nothing, search the cellar and all the private places and secret dens and gangways and watch the house in Great Yarmouth, 51 King St. When you search in London ?????? you must search in Yarmouth in the same ways and find out all the communication with their friends and ???
Watch there if ?????????????? then you will hear things that since do ??? and the same time look for kinds of murder that shouldn't be happening and watch the house in ???????? What is a friend to me there if ??????

Can we assume the ripper was residing between the piers in Yarmouth (51 King Street).

Could it be too much of a coincidence that he was also living between the Britannia and wellington in Spitalfields?

[martin wilson]

Hi all

Not sure how relevant this is but naval slang for someone suffering from mental illness was 'going to Yarmouth' because of the Royal Naval Lunatic asylum extant since 1863 (Studymore)
All the best.

[Natasha]

Hi all

Not sure how relevant this is but naval slang for someone suffering from mental illness was 'going to Yarmouth' because of the Royal Naval Lunatic asylum extant since 1863 (Studymore)
All the best.

Hi Martin

I think it could be very relevant.

You mention mental illness. Now consider this, what if the author of the letter was roughly saying where the murder was going to take place? How? What if they were saying that the murder would take place between two lunatic asylums?

'The Norwich women' could mean that this women were nicknamed because they were heavy drinkers (thanks to Miss Marple for mentioning that slang) who were possibly 'crazy' (when drunk at least), and happen to live not that far from an asylum. 14 Dorset Street is the last clue. I think by putting down 14 could indicate that the sender was trying to say that the murder was going to take place at 13.

Of course if the letter is legit, can we assume that the sender was aware of the ripper's plans, and was very scared and wanted to warn people? Was the cryptic message written in such a way to conceal who the sender was, so that perhaps the ripper wouldn't suspect that the sender had anything to do with it? The letter said two Norwich women, because it is a cryptic message it doesn't mean there was going to be two, but then again what if another victim in Kelly's circle was a target also?

[martin wilson]

Hi Natasha

James Sadler was born in Ipswich and had a connection to Great Yarmouth through his Grandfather, Captain Meal, part owner of several vessels in the area.

I thought there was a reference to Mary Kelly robbing sailors somewhere but can't find it yet.

All the best.

[martin wilson]

Hi all

Maria Harvey? two women living in Dorset st?
All the best.

[Natasha]

Hi Natasha

James Sadler was born in Ipswich and had a connection to Great Yarmouth through his Grandfather, Captain Meal, part owner of several vessels in the area.

I thought there was a reference to Mary Kelly robbing sailors somewhere but can't find it yet.

All the best.

Hi Martin

Ratcliffe Highway was a place where all the seamen would go, I wouldn't be surprised if she did rob them.

I wonder if anyone has checked out the seaman's infirmaries etc to see if there is anything of use in there.

[Batman]

Eddowes - Mustard tin containing two pawn tickets, One in the name of Emily Birrell, 52 White's Row, dated August 31, 9d for a man's flannel shirt. The other is in the name of Jane Kelly of 6 Dorset Street and dated September 28, 2S for a pair of men's boots. Both addresses are false.

Maybe the hoaxer just borrowed that street name as many others seem to have done too

It was a notorious street.

On another note, I have a problem with my hypothesis the ripper read this article with the hoax mentioned if that article wasn't sold in London as its an Ipswitch paper.