1888 London Murders in the Year of the Ripper by Peter Stubley

[Hutch Orris]

A new book published 1/9/2012 available now from Amazon and other good book sellers.

An article regarding the book and it's author published by the Docklands & East London Advertiser may be found here: http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.u...t_do_1_1517661



Synopsis from the publisher, The History Press:

"In 1888 Jack the Ripper made the headlines with a series of horrific murders that remain unsolved to this day. But most killers are not shadowy figures stalking the streets with a lust for blood. Many are ordinary citizens driven to the ultimate crime by circumstance, a fit of anger or a desire for revenge. Their crimes, overshadowed by the few, sensational cases, are ignored, forgotten or written off.

This book examines all the known murders in London in 1888 to build a picture of society. Who were the victims? How did they live, and how did they die? Why did a husband batter his wife to death after she failed to get him a cup of tea? How many died under the wheels of a horse-driven cab? Just how dangerous was London in 1888?"

[Phil H]

My copy arrived today.

First impressions are that it is an excellent and much-needed work, full of information and a good read.

It provides a fascinating context for the Ripper murders, with not a few slashed throats. It covers the Torso murders and the whole tone is readable but level, informational but approachable.

Some casebook members may be aware of some or all of the murders (including manslaughters) covered here. I was not and there are some intriguing cases as well as some true mysteries.

I was particularly intersted to read about sevweral cases where, having found a suspect, the police then put a watch on him before making an arrest or laying charges - shades of Kosminski.

I strongly recommend this title to anyone with an interest in crime, or the Ripper case. It will, I think, be a useful addition to one's bookshelf and a frequently used reference.

Phil H

[Tom_Wescott]

Thanks, Phil. Based on that I'll order it right away.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Tom_Wescott]

a quick vent

Ugh. Nevermind. Americans can't get it until December. Not even on Kindle. I think that's just stupid, since Kindle is a wireless technology. What's the benefit of not allowing half the world to buy your product when they want to?

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[DrummondStreet]

Tom: I can't get it until December either. For now, it is in my Amazon shopping cart. Hopefully it will be available in a couple days.

[Lechmere]

Those who think that the poilice wouldn't have charged Kosminski without a good case need to read this book.
There were at least three 'murders' in London in 1888 where people where charged and brought to courts only for the case to collapse quite quickly due to insuficient evidence.
From memory this involved cases on the Lea Bridge Road, Canonbury and Walthamstow

[The Good Michael]

Those who think that the poilice wouldn't have charged Kosminski without a good case need to read this book.

I don't think any sane person disputes this Lechmere.

Mike

[Lechmere]

Mike
I will reword that without the double negative as actually it isn’t clear what I was saying...

There are Kosminski advocates who think that the police had a lot of unknown evidence against him (the circs) that prompted the Seaside Home ID, and which in conjunction with that ID would have been enough to hang him. This was thwarted by the reluctance of the witness to positively ID him and so with an incomplete case the police did not want to proceed to court.
This book illustrates that the police regularly proceeded to court with very weak cases – often when the crime would never have been more than manslaughter and may actually have been an accidental death.
I would suggest that given the furore around the Ripper murders and the massive amount of criticism that the police attracted due to their inability to find a decent suspect, if they had any sort of evidence against Kosminski then they would have initiated speculative proceedings against him.
That is the implication which may be drawn from this book.

The counter claim is that Kosminski became a suspect after the event because he was a single local mad Jew who had been involved in a knife related episode, showed wanton sexual activity (masturbating) and hated women (probably a euphemism for being a homosexual). That the circs (circulars) received by the police related to reports from the Asylum. That the Seaside Home ID was muddled with the Sadler case. And that the personality of Kosminski was muddled up with David Cohen or someone like him.

[DamonRathe]

My Main Suspect

Through all of my research, i've concluded that the killer was Joseph Barnett.

[Phil H]

DamonRathe

Welcome to Casebook. I hope you enjoy yourself.

Through all of my research, i've concluded that the killer was Joseph Barnett.

Of all the women (indeed how many)? Or just of MJK?

On what precisely is your conclusion based? Is it related to this book (the subject of the thread)? Iif not then I can suggest that discussion might be best under one of the Barnett threads in the Suspects area.

Phil