Ep. #39- A Diseased and Vile Creature: Thomas Cutbush

[Mascara & Paranoia]

To be honest, I find it difficult to reconcile your stance regarding "evidence".What "evidence" do you have for writing articles implying a young barrister/teacher, whose great love in life was cricket and helping to run Blackheath Cricket club was Jack the Ripper?Apart from the fact he got into some sort of trouble at the boys school he taught at and drowned himself in 1888 ? A man who hadnt even been to Whitechapel ---that we know of with any certainty---- and who had no known conviction or arrest of any kind, still less using a knife on women in the open air ?
Sir Melville Macnaghten certainly didnt bother getting his FACTS straight for one,in his famous reports, while being perfectly prepared to incriminate, in writing,by suggestion, a depressed young man----who to date anyway and from all appearances was totally innocent.

I took out the 'Andy' to spare more confusion ;p, but I gotta say I agree with everything that was said there. Druitt's the most ridiculous JtR 'suspect' to the point of thinking that anyone who could think he is are either extremely naive or silly (to put it lightly) - or both. I view that and trying to pin the Ripper murders on similar 'suspects' as no different to what Cornwell did with Sickert, and if somebody accused someone of being an eviscerating murderer today I'm fairly certain that, without proof to back up those claims, that that would be classed as slander. No disrespect, but whoever genuinely thinks that 'suspects' in the same vein could be Jack the Ripper need a serious wake-up call and to be realistic, because it's a bit of a joke to be honest. o_O

[Natalie Severn]

but whether on arse or elbow i am in the unique position of knowing who is who...a position you seem to have a little trouble with...........

Oh well too bad!

[Natalie Severn]

I took out the 'Andy' to spare more confusion ;p, but I gotta say I agree with everything that was said there. Druitt's the most ridiculous JtR 'suspect' to the point of thinking that anyone who could think he is are either extremely naive or silly (to put it lightly) - or both. I view that and trying to pin the Ripper murders on similar 'suspects' as no different to what Cornwell did with Sickert, and if somebody accused someone of being an eviscerating murderer today I'm fairly certain that, without proof to back up those claims, that that would be classed as slander. No disrespect, but whoever genuinely thinks that 'suspects' in the same vein could be Jack the Ripper need a serious wake-up call and to be realistic, because it's a bit of a joke to be honest. o_O

Well as it happens M&P , Andy Spallek has done some really brilliant research into Druitt----so good that if ever anyone is able to, I am confident it will be Andy"s research that will eventually exonerate Druitt----or damn him whichever is the case!
Cheers
Norma
Meanwhile I agree with you,Druitt just seems so unlikely!

[andy.s]

Well as it happens M&P , Andy Spallek has done some really brilliant research into Druitt----so good that if ever anyone is able to, I am confident it will be Andy"s research that will eventually exonerate Druitt----or damn him whichever is the case!
Cheers
Norma
Meanwhile I agree with you,Druitt just seems so unlikely!

well thats very kind of you to say so....



oh sorry you meant that other andy....

[chrisjd]

The person from inside the police who promised me to contact a colleague in Essen has let me down so far. He seems to be very busy and I'm in no position to hurry him. I'll post as soon as I know something.
Sorry

Christian

[Cap'n Jack]

Christian
when you mention police corruption to a policeman they always get busy.
I would have thought a local zeitung would be the easier method?

[Robert]

A brief note on Andy Spallek : he has consistently said that he believes that Druitt is unlikely to have been the murderer, but that he thinks that of the current list of suspects he is the likeliest. What he is now doing is trying to amass as much info on Druitt, his possible friends and colleagues etc as possible.

I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to prove that X was the Ripper, or for that matter that X wasn't the Ripper, or indeed with trying to prove and disprove it at the same time. If a suspect survives all attempts to prove he was Jack, he becomes much less likely; and if it is actually disproved, then end of story.

[Natalie Severn]

Absolutely Robert and we have all benefitted from Andy Spallek"s sterling research.
My comments were, as you must now know, in response to the post of another Andy s and were simply intended to balance the record about the body of work and analysis made by AP Wolf,particularly with regard to his book Jack The Myth.
Best

[Robert]

No worries, Nats, and it goes without saying that I am behind AP all the way. We don't agree on everything about the case, e.g. the Stride murder, and the whole business of the Dutfield photo is something I would rather stay out of, but as for his honesty, that for me is beyond question.

[chrisjd]

"I would have thought a local zeitung would be the easier method?"

Hi AP,

I am trying this as well, but living some 600 km away from Essen it isn't that easy. I try to get someone up there to look into local paper archives.

I'll get around searching my on local paper in about a week. This is very small and has to be done the old way, actually going there and spending time :-)

And all the info I have is "came to light in 1991" which isn't much. I can't really search some 300 papers from 1991 by hand!

I haven't found anything online, with various (German) search terms.

And I still hope my initial "contact" will find out something.

Please all be patient. "Tempus omnia revelat" to nick from another case :-)

Christian

[Cap'n Jack]

Thanks Natalie and Robert
as I said I read up on the case then, and have no intention to do so again merely to satisfy Ally's ill-tempered and tasteless personal attacks on my good self.
The Myth has stood the test of time, and I have every confidence that it will shine on through Ally's farcical attack.
Farcical, because since the Myth was published I have found more modern cases that perfectly illustrate the point I was attempting to make with the original Essen case: that a criminal, even in very serious crimes, like rape, is likely to be dealt with very differently by the police force investigating him if he has a close relation in that police force. I will post one such case shortly.
So basically my point stands, regardless of the Essen case, hence Ally is pursuing a personal vendetta here in an attempt to discredit my reputation as a writer and researcher, which could harm or hamper my ability to continue with my occupation, a situation which when resolved may cost her dearly.

[Cap'n Jack]

'The family of the tall swaggering son (Bitti) of the DGP of police ( BB Mohanty) actually sympathises with their son and believes him to be a victim. They also believe that he has nothing wrong. And his sister has gone on live television with this claim!
First, the rapist’s father helps his son get parole and then spirits him away! Bitti was convicted to seven years in jail for raping a German tourist in Alwar last year and it was at the behest of the father that the Rajasthan government allowed Bitti parole (TOI report) from Nov 20 to December 4. Apparently the father (a very senior IPS officer from Orissa) signed the bail bond and made the plea that Bitti needed to meet his ailing mother. He also gave a surety of Rs 50,000/- and sent more than 50 faxes requesting for parole for his son!
Case filed against BB Mohanty
The Rajasthan police have now filed a case against BB Mohanty (yahoo article) as they suspect him of being aware of his son’s whereabouts.
15th Jan: Latest reports say that the Rajasthan police was hand in glove with Bitti Mohanty’s family. Actually by law he was not entitled to parole as he had just been convicted…but the police still gave him parole. There are also reports which say that some sort of psychiatric report is being prepared and once this is ready Bitti will come out hiding.
21st Jan: A show-case notice has been issued to BB Mohanty for his role in his son’s disappearance by the Rajasthan police.'

[Cap'n Jack]

I've had a quick chat with Robert about this, so I hope I've got it right.
During the podcast, Ally pulled me up on the threat that Thomas Cutbush made to his mother on one of her visits to Broadmoor, in that he said he would 'fix her' if she went to his house, and she replied that she wouldn't give him the chance.
But if you look at the Broadmoor files, you will see that Thomas' mother took possession of his properties in 1893; and it was ten years later in 1903 that Thomas made his threat to fix her, as if he didn't know that his inheritance was long gone by then.
Something disturbs me about this.
Could the removal of THC's inheritance in 1893 have pulled the trigger on uncle Charles' service pistol in 1896?
Could uncle Charles have carried and protected THC throughout in the expectation that he would be rewarded in the due course of time by a share in the inheritables of the very wealthy Flood clan?

[Robert]

Hi AP

I'm ignorant of the legal situation here, but can only surmise that anything Thomas owned would have been still his - hence the appointment of a guardian - but that it would have been administered by the guardian until such time as Thomas might have regained his sanity. This of course never happened and when he died intestate in 1903, Kate would have inherited.

Re Uncle Charles, the only way I can see him getting his hands on any of it (short of Thomas regaining his sanity) would have been either to somehow get himself appointed guardian, or to have a very close relationship with the person who was appointed guardian.

Strangely, the letters of admin showed Thomas owning abot £80 when he died, but maybe houses weren't included in such documents, I don't know.

[Cap'n Jack]

All true, Robert.
Do you not find it great fun though, that when Ma Cutbush went down the stairs in 1910, a youth had to climb into a window to rescue her.
What a refreshing change that must have been.
My feeling is that Ma Cutbush put her money into easily moved trinkets and baubles and lost the lot when she was robbed.