The fame of Jack the Ripper endures for no particular reason. He was not the first serial killer, nor the most prolific. Unlike the Helter Skelter murders the victims were not rich or famous, they were common prostitutes. However, he is known in every country in the world and has appeared as either the central character or in a pivotal supporting role in many movies, books and plays. Ask anyone to name a serial killer and Saucy Jack is the usual response. Jack the Ripper is one of those rare figures who are immensely famous yet at the same time anonymous. Like the Man in the Iron Mask, Jack is well known as his alter ego, while his real identity remains the subject of continuing speculation.
The Mythical Jack
He was not always Jack the Ripper. Before a series of letters sent to police and civic leaders bearing the now famous signature and return address “From Hell” he was simply “The Whitechapel Murderer” or “Leather Apron”. The letters were widely accepted as genuine although the police considered them the work of an enterprising journalist. The signature caught the imagination of the public and a legend was born.
The Victims of Jack the Ripper
According to Sir Melville McNaughten, head of the Criminal Investigation Department, there were “five and five only”:
- Mary Nichols, Friday 31st August 1888, Bucks Row, Whitechapel
- Annie Chapman, Saturday 8th September 1888, Hanbury St, Spitalfields
- Elizabeth Stride, Sunday 30th September 1888, Berner St, Whitechapel
- Catherine Eddowes, Sunday 30th September 1888, Mitre Square, London (City)
- Mary Kelly, Friday 9th November 1888, Millers Court, Spitalfields
These are the generally accepted victims. All were killed at night and during the weekend and each had their throats cut before being subjected to increasingly severe mutilation. The exception is Stride whose throat was cut but no subsequent mutilation occurred. Stride and Eddowes were killed on the same night in the infamous Double Event. It has been convincingly argued that Stride was not eviscerated because the killer was disturbed. Frustrated, he was forced to find a second victim rather than fading back into the shadows.
Other murders have been credibly attributed to Jack by various writers and investigators. In chronological order these are:
- Emma Smith, Monday 3rd April 1888, Osborn St, Whitechapel
- Martha Tabram, Tuesday 7th August 1888, George Yard, Whitechapel
- Rose Mylett, Thursday 20th December 1888, Clarks Yard, Poplar
- Alice McKenzie, Wednesday 17th July 1889, Castle Alley, Whitechapel
- Frances Coles, Friday 13th February 1891, Swallow Gardens, Whitechapel
Many other killings occurring in the Whitechapel area were attributed to Jack however it should be remembered that the life of an East End prostitute was often short and violent. Prostitutes in Whitechapel had been killed and mutilated long before Jack the Ripper’s autumn 1888 reign of terror and long afterwards.
The Suspects
A rich, well dressed man in Whitechapel would attract as much attention as a poor, ragged fellow in Mayfair. Jack the Ripper evaded the police, who on at least one occasion came close to catching him, by being indistinguishable from the teeming crowds into which he vanished. In response to public outrage over the slayings the police adopted a saturation policy. The popular image of a flamboyantly dressed Jack with red lined cloak, white gloves and a top hat is absurd. Such a figure would have inevitably attracted too much attention.
While none of the following has been categorically proven to have been the killer, each was regarded as a strong suspect by those involved at first hand. It is fairly certain that not all of the documentary evidence available in 1888 has survived.
Montague John Druitt
Druitt, a 31 year old barrister and schoolteacher was named by McNaughten as being a likely candidate. His suicide around the end of November 1888 fits well with the final canonical murder of Mary Kelly on the 9th. The Druitt family had a history of mental illness. His mother was committed to an asylum in July 1888. Although Druitt’s address was in Blackheath, he maintained chambers at 9 King’s Bench Walk at the time of the murders, an easy walk to Whitechapel.
Seweryn Klosowski
Klosowski, also known as George Chapman was hanged in 1903 for murdering his three wives by poison. A Polish born immigrant, he arrived in the East End, probably in March 1887 and remained until at least April 1891. Inspector Frederick Abberline, who was in charge of the investigation, came to believe that Klosowski was the killer despite the drastic change in modus operandi.
Aaron Kosminski
Kosminski was cited as a suspect by both McNaughten and Assistant Commissioner Sir Robert Anderson. Anderson claimed in his memoirs that Kosminski had been identified by a fellow Jew who refused to testify. According to McNaughten there were strong reasons to indicate Kosminski may have been the Ripper and that he was known to have “strong homicidal tendencies”. He was committed to a mental asylum on 7th February 1891.
Michael Ostrog
McNaughten includes Ostrog in his list of possible killers although there is nothing in Ostrog’s long criminal record as a petty thief which indicates a violent disposition. He is described as a “mad Russian doctor” however Ostrog’s claim to have served in the Russian Navy as a surgeon is almost certainly false. He is described, again by McNaughten, as “unquestionably a homicidal maniac” although whatever information lead to this conclusion has been lost. The biggest factor against Ostrog being the killer is that he was in the hands of the French penal system at the time of the murders.
Sources:
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Philip Nightingale - Phil Nightingale was born in England and has since lived and worked on four different continents. He currently resides in Florida with his ...
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