The 1888 Whitehall Torso - too many arms?

[maturin]

Hi everyone,
this is my first post to the forum, so please let me know if I've messed up.
My question concerns the Thames torso murders, specifically the torso found on 1 October in the foundations of the Scotland Yard building then under construction.
An enterprising journalist, Jasper Waring, let a dog loose in the construction site on 17 October and Smoker uncovered a buried leg. The leg was fitted to the previously discovered torso, together with an arm found on 11 September on the banks of the Thames in the B Division patch between Pimlico and Chelsea.
So far, so uncontroversial.
But, several sources (including Trow) suggest that the police returned to the vault where the torso and leg had been discovered and Smoker unearthed an arm.
And other sources (Stubley in 1888 London Murders in the Year of the Ripper for example) suggest that a woman's arm was found on 28 September on the grounds of the Blind School in Southwark that was initially connected with the Scotland Yard torso.
Can anyone with better knowledge of the affair than me make sense of this?
Many thanks, Mike (Hogan).

[Debra A]

Hi Mike

Rob Clack wrote an excellent article on the Whitehall torso than includes the details of the 'Blind School' arm.
You can read it in Ripperologist 133, Aug 2013 issue here


There were also three thighs found at the time of the Rainham case.

[maturin]

Hi Debra,
Many thanks for your speedy response. I'll check the article out.
Mike

[Debra A]

Hi Debra,
Many thanks for your speedy response. I'll check the article out.
Mike

No worries, Mike. Welcome to the boards.

Here is a photograph of what is highly likely the Smoker the dog, finder of the Whitehall leg, taken Oct 1888 by Henry Dixon of Albany St. London.

[Rosella]

What a cutie! Thanks for posting that Debra.

[maturin]

Here's an artist's (the guy who does my book covers, Richard C Plaza) take on a newspaper illustration of the discovery. Looks very similar.



I had Richard redraw the originals as I couldn't find images with consistent tone to use as chapter illustrations in my novel on the Ripper and Torso murders (and Sherlock Holmes!). And, frankly some of the torso images were a bit too graphic.

[Debra A]

What a cutie! Thanks for posting that Debra.

You're welcome, Rosella.

[Debra A]

Here's an artist's (the guy who does my book covers, Richard C Plaza) take on a newspaper illustration of the discovery. Looks very similar.


I had Richard redraw the originals as I couldn't find images with consistent tone to use as chapter illustrations in my novel on the Ripper and Torso murders (and Sherlock Holmes!). And, frankly some of the torso images were a bit too graphic.

That's a very good illustration.
Yes, we compared the photograph to the original illustration of that copy too and could see a similarity.

[Ausgirl]

maturin, what's your book called? I read a novel that sounds a great deal like that, very recently!

Awh, Smoker. What a good dog. It's a nice photo, isn't it. Would he have had to sit very still, for the picture to be so clear, I wonder.

[Azarna]

That is such a lovely photo.

How ironic that we have such a clear picture of a dog who found a body part.

But only 2 of the Jack's murder scenes, and very grainy copies of the mortuary shots.

[Rosella]

Well, Smoker's proud owner would have wanted a souvenier of a remarkable incident and was probably happy to pay for a good photograph in natural light. The Ripper victims were photographed in dark mortuary sheds and a cramped bedroom.

[Debra A]

Well, Smoker's proud owner would have wanted a souvenier of a remarkable incident and was probably happy to pay for a good photograph in natural light. The Ripper victims were photographed in dark mortuary sheds and a cramped bedroom.

That's exactly the circumstances I think the photograph was taken in, Rosella. It looks like a well lit (studio is my guess) portrait of a pet, as was common. The professional photographer applied for copyright on the photograph in Oct 88, after the finding of the leg in the Whitehall basement so the photograph is not case related.

[maturin]

Hi Ausgirl,
its working title is Sherlock Holmes - 1888 The Ripper and Torso Murders, which is the style I mostly use (just published SH Murder on the Brighton Line in Kindle). The idea is that SH is commissioned by a Lady Bracknell figure to investigate the torso murders 1873-date (1888) gets mixed up with the Ripper and ends up solving another case altogether! . It's set 30 Sept to 10 November 1888, and ends with the Kelly murder.
I was chary of messing with the original period illustrations, particularly Tenniel, but I really needed a consistent look. I'm putting the finished drawing on pinterest.
Thanks, Mike.