Deconstructing Jack by Simon Wood

[David Orsam]

The last time Barton had been seen in England was 1886.

This was 1889. What description of Barton was everyone working on?

Oh Simon what a fantastic point. A man in his 40s is going to change dramatically in two years isn't he? I say "two years" because Jarvis set out to catch him in 1888. But really, three years if you like, from about 43 to 46. What differences do you think there could possibly have been to Barton's description Simon?

He wasn't going to be able to change his height or his build or the colour of his hair was he? He wasn't going to get plastic surgery was he?

[David Orsam]

As I'm clearly not going to get an answer to my question as to why you continue to falsely claim that Jarvis and Pinkertons had 'no idea' what Barton looked like, Simon, I'd like to turn to something that DID remove from your book.

I see from the Amazon preview that this crazy suggestion, which appeared in the previous editions, has now been totally expunged from the introduction:

"Was there a political agenda behind the Whitechapel murders?
Could the prize have been connected with the Special Commission...an inquiry which led to a shooting, two suspected London murders, an alleged suicide in Madrid, illegal Scotland Yard activity in North America and the sudden resignation of a second Metropolitan Police Commissioner, James Monro?"

Hilariously, it's been replaced with:

"Whatever the prize - and there had to be prize to make the exercise worth the candle - it is clear it could not have been won by wholly clandestine means."

Should we be taking that as an acceptance by you that "the prize" behind the Whitechapel murders was not connected in any way with the Special Commission inquiry? Has it finally clicked, in the light of my articles, that there was never any "illegal Scotland Yard activity in North America"? Do you now appreciate that the resignation of James Monro was all about the rather dull issue of pensions? Do you further understand that there was nothing "alleged" about Pigott's suicide?

And even though it has now been obliterated from the introduction, I feel I really should ask you: What were those "two suspected London murders" that you thought was connected with "the prize"? Who did you think was murdered Simon?

[Simon Wood]

Hi David,

It's all still there, so goodness knows what you've been reading.

The RIC was in London in late 1888 conducting investigations allegedly without the direct knowledge or authority of the Home Secretary. Michael Quilter, who had recently arrived in London from county Kerry to give evidence at the Special Commission, mysteriously died from poisoning on Monday 5th November.

Two months later, in February 1889, Professor Thomas Maguire of Dublin, in London to give evidence at the Special Commission about his role in the Richard Pigott affair, died in the exact same manner as Quilter on the day Piggot escaped to Paris and Madrid. Murder was suspected in certain quarters, but a coroner's inquest into Maguire's death was never convened. It was also suggested in Parliament at the time that Scotland Yard had purposely delayed serving a bench warrant on Piggot and thus connived in his escape.

Regards,

Simon

[David Orsam]

Hi David,

It's all still there, so goodness knows what you've been reading.

The RIC was in London in late 1888 conducting investigations allegedly without the direct knowledge or authority of the Home Secretary. Michael Quilter, who had recently arrived in London from county Kerry to give evidence at the Special Commission, mysteriously died from poisoning on Monday 5th November.

Two months later, in February 1889, Professor Thomas Maguire of Dublin, in London to give evidence at the Special Commission about his role in the Richard Pigott affair, died in the exact same manner as Quilter on the day Piggot escaped to Paris and Madrid. Murder was suspected in certain quarters, but a coroner's inquest into Maguire's death was never convened. It was also suggested in Parliament at the time that Scotland Yard had purposely delayed serving a bench warrant on Piggot and thus connived in his escape.

If you've kept it in your book deliberately Simon that's even worse! Michael Quilter did not "mysteriously" die from poisoning. He died of 'syncope, caused by extreme debility induced by continual vomiting, following an extensive disease of the pleura, the lungs and pericardium'. This was caused in part by excessive alcohol consumption. Thomas Macquire did not die "in the exact same manner as Quilter". He died of inflammation of the windpipe.

Lots of things were "suggested in Parliament" during the 1880s, it doesn't make them true. There was no delay in serving a bench warrant on Piggot.

Why was Pigott's death an "alleged" suicide?

What was the "illegal Scotland Yard activity in North America"? And how comes it's not "alleged" illegal Scotland Yard activity in North America?

Do you still not understand why James Monro resigned?

[David Orsam]

While we wait for Simon to answer the above questions, let’s look again at the question he asks which, in fact, does (amazingly) remain in his book, even though the answer is perfectly obvious: No.

"Could the prize have been connected with the Special Commission...an inquiry which led to a shooting, two suspected London murders, an alleged suicide in Madrid, illegal Scotland Yard activity in North America and the sudden resignation of a second Metropolitan Police Commissioner, James Monro?"

The "prize", he tells us, is connected with a political agenda behind the Whitechapel murders, there being "a quasi-supernatural Jack the Ripper employed as an umbrella device to explain things away whilst whipping up a diversionary scare”.

We can dismiss each of the individual components listed very easily, as Simon should have done, being a historical writer with integrity, as one hopes he is.

"A shooting"

Although not explained in his book, Simon must be referring to an incident which involved the discharge of a weapon but no-one was actually shot.

This occurred during the afternoon of 1 November 1888 when an Irish shoemaker, Joseph Kavanagh fired his revolver at Patrick Lane also an Irish shoemaker, whom he knew, in a bar opposite the Law Courts in the Strand. Both men had been summoned to give evidence for the Times at the Parnell Commission inquiry and they had both attended the Special Commission that day, and had some drinks afterwards. They were observed to quarrel after Kavanagh asked Lane if he had previously called him "a consummate scoundrel". They had a fist fight and Lane threw a glass at Kavanagh who responded by pulling out a revolver and firing once at him from close range, but missing. Kavanagh was immediately arrested. He was acquitted at his trial at the Old Bailey of intent to murder probably because the jury accepted that he didn’t aim the weapon at Lane. That’s the essence of it. Nothing whatsoever to do with the Whitechapel murders, needless to say, nor "the prize" (a fictional concept) connected with those murders, and barely connected with the Special Commission itself. Just a stupid fight.

"Two suspected London Murders"

As I’ve already mentioned, they were no murders at all.

Michael Quilter, who had come to London from Derry to give evidence to the Special Commission, died after a bout of alcohol consumption on 4 November 1888 and was already suffering from a disease of the pleura, lungs and pericardium at the time of his death. Any evidence he had to give the Special Commission would only have been about the relatively dull subject of agrarian crime in Ireland, nothing to do with Parnell’s supposed letters which was the explosive topic of the Commission.

Professor Thomas Maguire, a 58 year old professor of Moral philosophy, had a minor role in the matter of the Parnell letters, having been involved in authenticating them. He wasn’t even certain to be called as a witness at the inquiry. He died as a result of an inflammation of the trachea following an illness lasting some weeks.

Wood makes the point (above, but not his book) that, in the case of Maguire’s death, "a coroner's inquest into Maguire's death was never convened". It’s a false point. A coroner's inquest by law would only be convened where there was "reasonable cause" to suspect that a person has died "either a violent or an unnatural death, or has died a sudden death of which the cause is unknown" (See Coroner's Act, 1887). When Maguire died, he was being attended to by two doctors and the cause of death was known. There were no reasonable grounds to suspect that the professor had died an unnatural death. Hence, no inquest was required.

"An alleged suicide in Madrid"

A judicial inquiry in Spain investigated the circumstances of Pigott’s death and concluded that he shot himself in the head. The circumstances of his death were such that anything other than suicide was impossible. There was nothing "alleged" about it. It was a suicide. The two Scotland Yard officers who went to Spain to collect his body were still in London when the suicide occurred (despite what Wood has claimed in his book). Pigott killed himself because otherwise he would have been arrested for perjury.

"Illegal Scotland Yard activity in North America"

There were only two Scotland Yard officers in North America during the period of the Special Commission – inspectors Andrews and Jarvis - both of whom were on official police business, executing lawful extradition warrants. There was no illegal Scotland Yard activity in North America. Simon knows this. Furthermore, there was no connection between the activity of the two officers in North America and the Special Commission. Simon also knows this.

"The sudden resignation of a second Metropolitan Police Commissioner, James Monro"

As Simon must now know, if he didn't when he originally wrote his book, James Monro resigned because he was extremely unhappy about the government’s refusal to agree to his demands concerning Metropolitan police pensions. That is a matter of historical fact. It had nothing to do with the Special Commission inquiry or any aspects of that inquiry. The Special Commission inquiry, therefore, did not lead to the resignation of James Monro in any way.

Conclusion

None of the events listed by Simon as being connected with "the prize" had anything to do with the Whitechapel murders nor did they need to be explained away by an imagined, and quite ludicrous, "diversionary scare". The evidential support for Simon’s central thesis that Jack the Ripper was an "umbrella device" is, in other words, wholly non-existent. The only question worth asking is: why it is still in his book?

[Simon Wood]

Hi David,



Regards,

Simon

[David Orsam]

I have some bad news for you Simon. I don't think that photograph is genuine.

[Simon Wood]

Why would that be?

[David Orsam]

Using your novel technique of historical investigation, Simon, in a world exclusive I've managed to prove conclusively that Jesus died on the cross:

[Simon Wood]

Hi David,

Now I realise that you've really lost it.

What I posted wasn't a photograph. It's an engraving from a photograph.

And I was wondering if this man, roped to a chair, looked to you like someone who had earlier placed a gun in his mouth and blown out his brains.

Regards,

Simon

[David Orsam]

Hi David,

Now I realise that you've really lost it.

What I posted wasn't a photograph. It's an engraving from a photograph.

And I was wondering if this man, roped to a chair, looked to you like someone who had earlier placed a gun in his mouth and blown out his brains.

Do me a favour Simon.

I know it wasn't a photograph, which is my entire point.

It's sad to see you reduced to peddling nonsense of this sort. There was a judicial inquiry in Spain which concluded that Pigott committed suicide in the bedroom of his hotel room as he was being arrested by a Spanish police officer. The revolver was prised out of the fingers of his dead hand for chrissake!

[David Orsam]

And I honestly do not know how you think that engraving can tell you anything about Pigott's death, even if it were a 100% accurate depiction.

[David Orsam]

All a good way of avoiding the questions I asked you, though, I suppose, and, indeed, of deflecting attention away from the complete lack of any evidence to support your spurious interpretation of events of 1888/9.

[Simon Wood]

Hi David,

The engraving/photograph tells a lot.

Regards,

Simon

[Debra A]

An eventual pic of Barton



Capt. Linden, of Pinkerton's Detective Agency, a few days ago ran down in Philadelphia, Pa., a celebrated English forger named Thomas Barton. Barton is charged with committing forgeries aggregating $100.000. Detectives have been on the lookout for him for the past eighteen months. We are indebted for this picture courtesy of Mr "Bob" Pinkerton of this city.

National Police Gazette (New York, NY, United States), Saturday, February 9, 1889, Vol. LIII, Issue 595, p.6