Ripper Confidential by Tom Wescott (2017)

[Damaso Marte]

Hi Damaso, thanks for that. I'm curious what you thought of the Fanny Mortimer and Israel Schwartz essays. To me those are among the most 'hardcore Ripperology' parts of the book, along with the Nichols stuff and the Goulston Street essay in section 3. My guess is the part where I lost you was in 'Murder in the Neighborhood'. The Stride stuff in that was good but the topography stuff, which works great in a magazine, rather slowed down the pace I had established earlier on. Such is the pitfall of an essay-oriented book. Plus I'm now told it was all wrong, so...

Yours truly ,

Tom Wescott

I was actually reading the Fanny Mortimer/Israel Schwartz essay last night. Fell asleep at 1:00 AM reading it, actually, but not because it was boring.

This is something on which I have well developed views: I am a strong proponent of the idea that Israel Schwartz is not a credible witness and that the easiest solution is to ignore him. Everything else then more or less snaps into place. I'll finish that section tonight.

[David Orsam]

Now I have not,in all the years posting here,talked to or personally met and conversed with any other poster.So do not include me as being for or against anyone on a personel level.
The hospital records certainly have the 1st as the date of admission,but was that the date on which the injury occurred?That is what I believe Tom was trying to determine.He seemingly believes the injury could have occurred on the day previous to admission.That is what should have been argued.
Could it? I believe it possible.I could be wrong,but insisting his mistake over the 1st,on it's own,disproves his belief,doesn't prove he's wrong.

Yes but, Harry, when I asked Tom directly in this thread on what date Margaret was admitted to hospital, he told me August 31st. That was on 7 May which was a full three days after Gary Barnett had posted a cropped image of the admission register on JTR forums, so Tom had had plenty of time to think about it. He has never actually corrected his answer and consequently it is been difficult if not impossible to proceed with an orderly debate in the manner you suggest. But if, as you accept, the date of admission was 1 September and the injury was inflicted at about 3am on 31st, Tom needs to explain the reason for the minimum 21 hour delay before Margaret was admitted to hospital.

[David Orsam]

Based on what you've learned about me throughout our exchange on this thread, and what you've read from the exchanges in which you did not participate, how do you think I processed the paragraph above?

That is one of the strangest questions I've been asked on this forum, Tom. You told me in this thread on 5 July:

"if you have questions, feel free to ask."

I've now asked you 10 questions – reasonable questions I think - and you have given no indication that you are prepared to answer them, let alone that you will answer them. In fact, you haven't even given any indication that you are aware that of their existence.

How do I think that you processed a paragraph in which I tried to assure you that no-one is trying to humiliate you or get one over on you? I really have no idea. I like to think that you "processed" it by reading it and understanding the words to mean that no-one is trying to humiliate you or get one over on you. That is what they were intended to mean. Obviously I can't actually speak for anyone else but I am certainly not trying to humiliate you or get one over on you (do you think that is what people ARE trying to do then?) and I wanted to make the point to encourage you to answer the questions in case that is what is worrying you.

Are you going to answer them?

[David Orsam]

Clearly when I say we do not know how much time has elapsed I am speaking about when Millous went into the hospital and when the record was made. We know the record was made at a later time but how much later, we cannot say.

Right, and what I have been asking you repeatedly is what difference does it make that there was a time gap between those two events. In other words, what difference would it make if there was an entire week or an entire month or even an entire year between the time of entry by MM into the hospital building and the time that the record was created showing a date of admission to the hospital of 1 September?

[Tom_Wescott]

But my argument carries more weight.

Okay, Fish has done it again. It's now between this and Gary's hat-band joke for best post of the thread. I'm torn. But I do take off my large, stretched hat to you for this, Fish.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Patrick S]

But my argument carries more weight.

Now. THAT was good.

[Fisherman]

WAS a lifter. Retired 12 years ago. Although I still train, the intensity of training required to compete is more hazardous to your health than arguing about "the carman" with Christer.

But my argument carries more weight.

[Tom_Wescott]

WAS a lifter. Retired 12 years ago. Although I still train, the intensity of training required to compete is more hazardous to your health than arguing about "the carman" with Christer.

I've just recently hired a trainer to work out with me twice a week and it's killing me. LOL. I can't imagine what must go into working yourself up to being a weight lifter. I do know that some order cheap testosterone and steroids from overseas in powder form and mix it and inject it themselves. That is playing with fire in the worst way. But I'd like to think most are smarter than that.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Tom_Wescott]

Tom

I am sure Adam is well prepared with his tin helmet.


Steve

The entire Cabal is, I'm sure.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Patrick S]

Why does Marriott always get to be The Mangler and I'm the baby killer?

So, you're an Olympic weight lifter and Abby is into the MMA. And yet you're two of the nice ones.

For the record, there's actually not a lot of trouble makers in Ripperology. It just seems that way when they choose to band together and gang up on someone. And they only gang up on people who put out books that receive positive attention for being 'original'. Somehow this is a trigger mechanism for them. I reserve certain sides of my personality only for these individuals and only when they behave a certain way. Otherwise I'm all good times and noodle salad. This comment does not of course refer to all those who have criticisms of my book (most criticisms are healthy and appreciated), but I think it's obvious I'm referring to a very, very small and particular group of individuals.

If you think they had the knives out for me, wait until the Swanson book comes out.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

WAS a lifter. Retired 12 years ago. Although I still train, the intensity of training required to compete is more hazardous to your health than arguing about "the carman" with Christer.

[Elamarna]

Why does Marriott always get to be The Mangler and I'm the baby killer?

So, you're an Olympic weight lifter and Abby is into the MMA. And yet you're two of the nice ones.

For the record, there's actually not a lot of trouble makers in Ripperology. It just seems that way when they choose to band together and gang up on someone. And they only gang up on people who put out books that receive positive attention for being 'original'. Somehow this is a trigger mechanism for them. I reserve certain sides of my personality only for these individuals and only when they behave a certain way. Otherwise I'm all good times and noodle salad. This comment does not of course refer to all those who have criticisms of my book (most criticisms are healthy and appreciated), but I think it's obvious I'm referring to a very, very small and particular group of individuals.

If you think they had the knives out for me, wait until the Swanson book comes out.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

Tom

I am sure Adam is well prepared with his tin helmet.


Steve

[Tom_Wescott]

I was just thinking the same thing. Before this thread, I'd have said it was a close call between Ripperolgoists and Olympic Weightlifters. But, the lifters I as around mainly just ignored one another, and pretended they'd never met. Of course, having played an extremely social sport like baseball for years before I got into lifting, I didn't get the memo. So, for the first few years I'd show up at a meet and say things like, "Hey! Didn't we meet at the Vegas Open last month? Hello? Hey, bud? I'm over here....." or "Whoops! Looks like I'm a full kilo over weight! Guess I better have some chili cheese fries to get things moving! Hello? Anyone? These are the jokes, fellas...."

Ripper people, on the other hand, impugn one another's character, intimate that some among us may have serious mental defects, or the odd, borderline-illegal sexual perversion. I think I've seen it suggested here that Tom Westcott killed the Linburgh baby and that Trevor Marriot is Joseph Mengele.

Why does Marriott always get to be The Mangler and I'm the baby killer?

So, you're an Olympic weight lifter and Abby is into the MMA. And yet you're two of the nice ones.

For the record, there's actually not a lot of trouble makers in Ripperology. It just seems that way when they choose to band together and gang up on someone. And they only gang up on people who put out books that receive positive attention for being 'original'. Somehow this is a trigger mechanism for them. I reserve certain sides of my personality only for these individuals and only when they behave a certain way. Otherwise I'm all good times and noodle salad. This comment does not of course refer to all those who have criticisms of my book (most criticisms are healthy and appreciated), but I think it's obvious I'm referring to a very, very small and particular group of individuals.

If you think they had the knives out for me, wait until the Swanson book comes out.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Tom_Wescott]

I enjoyed the Fanny Mortimer section, one of the best in the book, imo.
A couple of mistakes in it, but nothing earth shattering and I actually learnt something!

The Swhartz piece wasn't so good for me, no mistakes that I noticed, but I found some of the reasoning very dubious, to say the least.

Mistakes in the Mortimer section? Dubious reasoning? Oh, Dusty, you must tell me more!

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Patrick S]

Of all the weird subcultures I belong to, Ripperologists are the ones who are nastiest to each other online.

I was just thinking the same thing. Before this thread, I'd have said it was a close call between Ripperolgoists and Olympic Weightlifters. But, the lifters I as around mainly just ignored one another, and pretended they'd never met. Of course, having played an extremely social sport like baseball for years before I got into lifting, I didn't get the memo. So, for the first few years I'd show up at a meet and say things like, "Hey! Didn't we meet at the Vegas Open last month? Hello? Hey, bud? I'm over here....." or "Whoops! Looks like I'm a full kilo over weight! Guess I better have some chili cheese fries to get things moving! Hello? Anyone? These are the jokes, fellas...."

Ripper people, on the other hand, impugn one another's character, intimate that some among us may have serious mental defects, or the odd, borderline-illegal sexual perversion. I think I've seen it suggested here that Tom Westcott killed the Linburgh baby and that Trevor Marriot is Joseph Mengele.

[drstrange169]

I enjoyed the Fanny Mortimer section, one of the best in the book, imo.
A couple of mistakes in it, but nothing earth shattering and I actually learnt something!

The Swhartz piece wasn't so good for me, no mistakes that I noticed, but I found some of the reasoning very dubious, to say the least.