Casebook Examiner No. 4 (October 2010)

[lynn cates]

bilingual

Hello Maria.

"Lynn, I've experienced the expression "quite unique" quite a lot (notice the symmetry and the lingering on Americanisms"

Indeed. But Don and I are bilingual--capable of speaking and writing both English and American. I believe we both prefer English to American, at least when writing. Hence, our efforts to curtail the "Americanisms."

The reference to Caz was merely hypothetical. She would never do that, would she? (My students would write, "Defiantly not!")

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

grammar

Hello Don. Zounds! I am so sorry to hear you were unwell. I trust you are on the mend now.

No problem about the departure from proper grammar--I cringe at some of my typos (discovered, alas, too late for rectification). It's just that I expect grammatical perfection from certain quarters--namely, you and Caz. So, I daresay she is feeling the pressure now lest she, too, make (subjunctive mood) a slip.

(By the way, good publication.)

Cheers.
LC

[mariab]

Lynn, I've experienced the expression "quite unique" quite a lot (notice the symmetry and the lingering on Americanisms) in SPOKEN American English.
I don't get the “allot“ reference to Caroline Morris.
I'm sorry to hear about Don's hospital experience, I hope he gets better very soon.

[Stewart P Evans]

I'm Sorry

...
Will you accept as a partial excuse that I recently spent a week in hospital surviving solely on an IV drip and that may have starved my brain cells? I didn't think so.
Don.

I'm sorry to hear that Don, I didn't realise. I hope that you are getting better now.

[Supe]

Lynn,

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. When I would read undergraduate papers I would put in the margins next to such an error "Damn it all Robert Browning!" That cryptic remark would at least bring them in to inquire what I meant. I would explain it was from Ezra Pound's remark "Damn it all Robert Browning, there can be but one 'Sordello'." In the same way there are, as you point out, no degrees of uniqueness.

Will you accept as a partial excuse that I recently spent a week in hospital surviving solely on an IV drip and that may have starved my brain cells? I didn't think so.

Don.

[lynn cates]

Queen's English

Hello All. Well, I saw it but I remain incredulous. Don Souden actually used the phrase "quite unique." Degrees of uniqueness? Tsk. I think I shall cry.

What next? Ms. Morris, I suppose, will refer to "allot." In that case, I shall hurl myself into the Thames. Then there shall be one wing nut theorist fewer (not less) with which to contend (note my deft avoidance of ending a sentence with a preposition).

Content? Oh, kudos, of course.

Cheers.
LC

[mklhawley]

Oops. Excuse the typo

Roger spoke of how Walter Andrews and Detective Jarvis made several trips together to Detroit where they met a man named Worden. Roger informed us that the only "Worden" listed in Detroit in the 1880 U.S. Census was an aged physician from New York named William Worden. Footnote 21 explained that Dr. W. W. Worden's name was found on a list of bogus diplomas seized at Buchanan's 'college' in 1880. Tumblety was similarly linked to Buchanan's institute in the Dec 1888 issue of the Medical Standard.

I think we should try to find more information on William Worden.

Page one of Roger's article described the man arrested at the Euston train station as an American doctor. I don't recall the nationality of that doctor having been revealed before. I will ask Roger if it was an error on his part when he claimed the doctor was an American. Or maybe this is a case where Roger has some information that we don't know about.


Mike

[mklhawley]

I talked with Joe Chetcuti this morning about Roger Palmer's article. Joe remarked:

Roger spoke of how Walter Andrews and Detective Jarvis made several together trips to Detroit where they met a man named Worden. Roger informed us that the only "Worden" listed in Detroit in the 1880 U.S. Census was an aged physician from New York named William Worden. Footnote 21 explained that Dr. W. W. Worden's name was found on a list of bogus diplomas seized at Buchanan's 'college' in 1880. Tumblety was similarly linked to Buchanan's institute in the Dec 1888 issue of the Medical Standard.

I think we should try to find more information on William Worden.

Page one of Roger's article described the man arrested at the Euston train station as an American doctor. I don't recall the nationality of that doctor having been revealed before. I will ask Roger if it was an error on his part when he claimed the doctor was an American. Or maybe this is a case where Roger has some information that we don't know about.


Sincerely,

Mike

[Suzi]

Jen

fb'd you new details xxxxx

[protohistorian]

I'm not sure about you protohistorian, but that D.M. Gates did a great job!

Mike

I'll let that bastard know. Thanks! Dave

[mklhawley]

I would like to thank all the people who corrected my typos and bad grammar. It was almost like a non Dave article! My profound thanks. Anyone wishing to know the scope of work involved should check my posts. Dave

I'm not sure about you protohistorian, but that D.M. Gates did a great job!

Mike

[protohistorian]

I would like to thank all the people who corrected my typos and bad grammar. It was almost like a non Dave article! My profound thanks. Anyone wishing to know the scope of work involved should check my posts. Dave

[Phil Carter]

Hello all,

Don Souden, who's look at Jabez Balfour's musing as to the identity of Jack the Ripper, and the possibility of use of extensive "after-the-fact" newspaper cuttings, is most interesting.

Don writes about the anomalies of Balfour using "Elizabeth Watts" instead of "Elizabeth Stride", "Martha Turner" instead of "Martha Tabram", amongst other things.
I myself noticed an even greater error, where Balfour first writes of the Mitre Square murder on page 74, runing on to page 75, first paragraph...

"The second murder of the same night, the fifth of this terrible series, was committed in Mitre Square, Aldgate, which is now, I think, a thing of the past."

According to Balfour then, he was of the thought that Mitre Square in Aldgate no longer existed. That tells me an awful lot of how the details this man presents us is put together. It isn't even informed guesswork.

"Possibly, and very probably, the pair may have met face to face" reveals Balfour, when talking of the Mitre Square fiend and the beat policeman.
"Very probably"... well now... there you go. The beat policeman met "Jack the Ripper" face to face and left no record of it. Hmmm..

It is at this point I sat back and concluded that any information this man is about to produce, suspects included, is to be treated with extreme caution.
His suspect suggestions are, in my opinion therefore difficult to judge in fair light.

best wishes

Phil

[mariab]

I went through it very-very quickly (in just 15´min.), with a quick read of everything besides the L.J. Palmer concluding piece (which will require extra-extra attention), and, fascinating! I can't wait to read it in depth.
Before approaching the Palmer conclusion, I'll re-read 2 old Vanderlinden pieces plus Palmer's part 1-2 again. I expect that the resulting discussions will last for weeks.

[Phil Carter]

Hello to all at Casebook Examiner!,

Have received my copy, and have spent the last two hours reading it. There is some fascinating stuff in it. Thank you and well done to all!

best wishes

Phil