Questions

[JackTheRippa5]

Hi i am new to this.

I have always been interested with the ripper case and found it fascinating.

I was going on holiday and wanted to bring a book with me so i visited amazon and purchased "The mammoth book of jack the ripper key new theories, complete chronology,comprehensive a-z, essential documents, full bibliogrpahy edited by maxim jakubowski and nathan braund" this book gave me a far grater insight and knowledge of the subject.

So as you are all big Ripperologists i guess you could answer me some questions.

why was there only photographs only taken of the body at the scene of the crime in the last and not any of the others?

why where the police so laid back in finding or preventing the killer striking?

I live in london and have visited the London dungeons which have a whole exhibitions of the ripper and they mention one suspect fled to America, did they ever track him down ?

Final question is how comes there is such a big following of ripperologists in America? are the crimes well documented there ?




Thank you for your time and i hope to speak soon

[Dan Norder]

Hi JTR5,

The reason why Mary Kelly is, as far as we know, the only Ripper victim who had photos taken of her at the scene of her murder is because she was the only one found indoors. On top of that, most of the rest were also found in the middle of the night, which would have made trying to take a photo that much more complicated.

I don't think it's fair to say the police were actually laid back. I'm not sure what they could have done differently. What would you have recommended they do?

The one who fled to America was Dr. Tumblety. There's more info on him under the "Suspects" page on this site.

As far as American interest, I suspect that the percentage of people interested in Jack the Ripper is actually lower in America than in England, but the US has about five times the total population of the UK, so it adds up fast.

[JackTheRippa5]

Thanks for the reply.

I feel that even though the crime was in england i dont feel as many peple in england are as interested in the subject as in America. How do you find out about it in America did they teach it in schools or just through reading books?

Well i thorght that using the old style cameras with the big sort of puff of smoke which created a light for a picture to be taken in the dark would have been used at the crime scene.

Things such as one of the victims had been stripped of clothes and cleaned before a autopsy was taken was a very silly thing to do as clothing would have given evidence.

I know if the government at the time had offered a reward it would have made people give bogus information but some info could have had relivance and if they chanced the leads up they may of found something. Offering an official pardon for an accomplis to admit was rather a good idea.


i cant really pinpoint what they could have done but maybe just more efficeny.

and by the way how comes the none of the suspects first names are jack? is there a reason for the name/choice of jack the ripper

[Supe]

Jacktherippa5,

Final question is how comes there is such a big following of ripperologists in America? are the crimes well documented there ?

Part of the reason is probably that most of the books on the subject as well as the original documents are written in English. But there is no denying that, with some notable exceptions, the bulk of JtR interest is in English-speaking countries.

In Ripperologist 91 (May 2008) magazine there is an article by Jennifer Pegg and myself that details the latest of three surveys we have conducted among Ripperologists worldwide and it revealed that a full 89% of respondents came from English-speaking areas as follows:
43% - Britain (includes 11% who answered English and 3 % Scots)
29% - USA
11% - Australia
6% - Canada
The rest were western Europe, South America and "no answer"

As far as learning about Jack, most Americams do it the old-fashioned way by reading on their own. However, Ripperologist 92 (June 2008) did feature an article about a course on Jack the Ripper taught at the University of Tulsa (Okla.)

Hope this helped.

Don.

[Jeff Leahy]

Welsh?

Yes, cheers Don

Just to add that JtR is now on the GCSE silibus in the UK. So its clearly followed a lot of young people in the UK..

I ws most surprised that your statistics included Scots and not Welshman?

Seems to be a good deal of welsh Ripperologists one way or another..Paul Begg for one..

and yes ok, on my mothers side, but I try and deny it .

Good night all

Pirate

[Jeff Leahy]

Ps. While Dan is correct about Tumbelty..he is Not the only suspect who Feld to America. George Chapman/ Kloswoski also went to the States before returning to England and James Maybrick (if you believe the Diary is not a fake) also spent time in the USA.

I'm fairly certain there are other suspects..but perhaps Dan and Don, whole are both State side, might give you a deffinative list..

Yours Pirate

[Supe]

Jeff,

Indeed there are many fine Ripperologists who call Wales home, some of whome probably answered the survey. But the way it was set up respondents were asked to fill in their nationality. And 29% were quite happy to write "British," while 11% answered "English" and 3% "Scots." Maybe the English and Scots remain more chauvinistic than the Welsh and are antagonistic about the U nion of 1707. It is those of nuances that make taking surveys so interesting.

[Mitch Rowe]

I feel that even though the crime was in england i dont feel as many peple in england are as interested in the subject as in America. How do you find out about it in America did they teach it in schools or just through reading books?

In the 70s I found out about it from Television Programs. Never had any schooling on it.

Well i thorght that using the old style cameras with the big sort of puff of smoke which created a light for a picture to be taken in the dark would have been used at the crime scene.

Probably only needed a long exposure time. Nothing was going to move on ya. But the important part is that they were able to take them.

Things such as one of the victims had been stripped of clothes and cleaned before a autopsy was taken was a very silly thing to do as clothing would have given evidence.

And we were silly to even buy those crappy Nintendos in the first place!

I know if the government at the time had offered a reward it would have made people give bogus information but some info could have had relivance and if they chanced the leads up they may of found something. Offering an official pardon for an accomplis to admit was rather a good idea.

A penny saved is a penny earned. These Women were on the bottom of anyones list.

i cant really pinpoint what they could have done but maybe just more efficeny.

They probably could have done everything more efficiently. They werent prepared for this sort of phenomena.

and by the way how comes the none of the suspects first names are jack? is there a reason for the name/choice of jack the ripper

The name came from a letter that is believed by most to be a fake. Before that the Ripper had many names. The name just stuck after the letter was published. The correct name for Jack The Ripper is Unsub. The unidentified subject who is beleived to have perpetrated the crimes of Jack The Ripper.

[Roy Corduroy]

Hi JacktheRippa5, good to hear from you

Ps. While Dan is correct about Tumbelty..he is Not the only suspect who Feld to America. George Chapman/ Kloswoski also went to the States before returning to England and James Maybrick (if you believe the Diary is not a fake) also spent time in the USA. I'm fairly certain there are other suspects..

Right you are Pirate. Another two are James Kelly and Joe Silver. Of course Dr. T's flight was the most pub-licized. Might say he came back with his tail between his legs.

Again, welcome Ripper Five. You are cleared for landing.

Roy

[JackTheRippa5]

thank you for your welcomes and thankyou also for your speedy and very helpful replies to my queries.

[Blackkat]

[QUOTE=Supe;36615]Jacktherippa5,


As far as learning about Jack, most Americams do it the old-fashioned way by reading on their own. However, Ripperologist 92 (June 2008) did feature an article about a course on Jack the Ripper taught at the University of Tulsa (Okla.)

Whoo hoo that's where I'm at. Good old Tulsa,Oklahoma.

[cats meat man]

Hi Blackkat
Is that the same Tulsa that Gene Pitney was only 24 hours from?
All the best
Rob

[nicole]

Hi all,

Right you are Pirate. Another two are James Kelly and Joe Silver. Of course Dr. T's flight was the most pub-licized.

Arbie LaBruckman and Ameer Ben Ali are (supposedly) associated with Trans-Atlantic Ripper investigations.

Nicole