Jack the Ripper - Who's your suspect?

[Screaming Lord Byron]

Poll question: Jack the Ripper - Who's your suspect?

For what it's worth, not one of us will ever know who Jack the Ripper was, but choose a suspect from this list of persons of interest.

As far as my own personal beliefs go, the Royal Conspiracy is fantastical, the Lewis Carroll theory is brilliant, but totally unlikely, Barnett possibly killed Mary Kelly, Cornwell's theory has a lot of conjecture, but can't place Sickert on the spot, and Druitt seems likely, except for the near-total lack of evidence, and I believe the Maybrick diary to be a fake.
My choice is Frank Tumblety. He fits the profile, he appears to have been in the area, and the murders ended after his departure. Obviously, I can't prove a damned thing, though.

Prince Albert Victor
http://www.casebook.org/suspects/eddy.html

Joseph Barnett
http://www.casebook.org/suspects/barnett.html

Lewis Caroll
http://www.casebook.org/suspects/carroll.html

Montague Druitt
http://www.casebook.org/suspects/druitt.html

George Chapman (Severin Klosowski)
http://www.casebook.org/suspects/gchapman.html

James Maybrick
http://www.casebook.org/suspects/james_maybrick/may.html

Michael Ostrog
http://www.casebook.org/suspects/ostrog.html

Walter Sickert
http://www.casebook.org/suspects/sickert.html

(for a debunking of Patricia Cornwell's theory)
http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/dst-pamandsickert.html

Francis Tumblety
http://www.casebook.org/suspects/tumblety.html

[DarkPhenyx]

1. Preston Bush.

It's as good a guess as any.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

2. I can't disprove it, can I?

Assuming he was alive at the time.

[DarkPhenyx]

4. And this would be my point I think.

As the Administration has shown a complete absense of evidence does not disprove your case. it only makes it stronger.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

5. which is why I say none of us will ever know.

I still think it interesting as an investigative exercise.

[DarkPhenyx]

6. Oh absolutely.

Unless we find something that is the equivilant of a signed confession, and it is authenticatable (sp?), then we really are never going to know. Any theories at this point are pretty much as valid as any other. Within reason of course.

The brain exercise alone makes it worth the effort though.

[libertad]

3. a policeman

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

7. I favour Chapman over Tumblety (& the rest)

I got suckered into the whole royal/mason/sickert conspiracy for a while but that was relying on the authors pushing those theories without looking closer at the case. (& God bless casebook.org for that!) Philip Sugden's book greatly impressed me & is probably why I've been swayed towards Chapman ever since, although Tumblety is a very strong suspect.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

8. Yeah, thank god for casebook.org

Chapman is a good suspect, he fits the profile. I favour Tumblety for two reasons, one that he was older, thus fitting the eye-witness accounts (they're dubious though - we're talking about fleeting glimpses in the dark) and Chapman seems to have been a poisoner, rather than a mutilator. That doesn't mean he could change M.O. of course, like I say, we have so little evidence that there are many possiblities.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

9. Seems a lot of people accept Cornwell's Sickert theory.

Well, anything that generates new interest in the subject is to a good thing. I hope it introduces some new people to the bizarre world of the Victorians.

[CanuckAmok]

10. Why, Clinton, of course. n/t

[Screaming Lord Byron]

34. I think Clinton was arranging the Krakatoa eruption at the time.

[CanuckAmok]

39. Oh, he can multi-task...

...just like all evil geniuses.

[CanuckAmok]

11. Seriously, it's too bad Prince Albert Victor hadn't been arrested...

Because then they would have had "Prince Albert in the can".

[Screaming Lord Byron]

12. Did his dad really invent the 'Prince Albert'?

With the chain to keep it down and everything?

[CanuckAmok]

13. That's the skinny.

Who knows if it's true.

[Mobius]

14. I want to watch "From Hell" . they said it was a doctor

which one of your suspects is the character portrayed in the movie?
Said the doctor was commiting the murders to cover up the catholic marriage of albert to a prostitute, and the victims were witnesses of this marriage. Also said there was a child, that might still be alive.
Are any parts of the film based on fact? If so, which ones?

[Screaming Lord Byron]

16. Dr. William Gull, Royal Physician to Prince Albert Victor.

Gull is considered part of the Royal Conspiracy. From Hell is based on conjecture and the views of various associates of the Sickert family, proponents of the Royal Conspiracy. It's a very good movie, but it's almost totally fictional.

[Mobius]

18. Well that sucks, hes not on your poll.

who do you think did it?

[Screaming Lord Byron]

21. Francis Tumblety

I left the other choice for people like Gull. There is no evidence to link Gull to the murders, other than a conspiracy theory, so I don't consider him a serious suspect.

[Mobius]

19. Also whats the deal on Cromwells "DNA" evidence?

:shrug:

[SiobhanClancy]

20. It's mitochondrial DNA ....

which,from what I've read,narrows it down to a certain group of people. I'm ignorant about DNA,but I do know that Sickert was cremated. Also,the only thing that really connects him with the Ripper was this DNA on a letter. People who have studied this for many years have debunked most of these letters as being hoaxes. I felt after reading this book that she had decided on Sickert as the Ripper,and concentrated on indicting him,rather that conducting an investigation of the crimes and possible suspects.

That being said,it certainly could have been him...but I don't feel it was proved,and dispute her assertion that she has done so.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

22. I think Sickert may have written one or some of the Ripper Letters.

But that proves nothing, really.

[SiobhanClancy]

25. Exactly!

Especially since experts who have studied this for years(unlike Cornwell) say that most of the Ripper letters were hoaxes. I have to admit to a certain bias against Ms. Cornwall,though. I was visiting a friend in Richmond,VA during fall of 2000 and the local newspaper published a guest editorial wriiten by her endorsing * for the Presidency:puke:
This tends to make her judgement forever suspect in my eyes.

[Mobius]

37. Next shell try to link Kerry's family line to Sickert's

Im guessing here.

[Mobius]

35. the dna could have been matched to Sickert's relatives.

Just because he was cremated does not mean a mtch could not have been made. Cant this DNA evidence be checked by other independant labs?

[Screaming Lord Byron]

36. It's irrelevant. Even if they could trace it to Sickert, what've they got?

A letter. That's it.

[Mobius]

38. One letter nothing

all of them something. Cetainly the only phisical evidence linking anyone to the crime.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

40. There were dozens, if not hundreds of Ripper letters.

It was quite the cottage industry at the time. Let's prove or disprove if Sickert wrote the letter, but it doesn't even really link him to the crime.

[SiobhanClancy]

46. As I understand it,this type of DNA could have matched about 40,000 people

in England at the time.

[TN al]

15. Wasn't there

a Polish Jewish butcher suspected. I can't remember his name at the moment.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

17. That's either Ostrog or Chapman, I believe.

[Elidor]

26. Aaron Kosminski, if memory serves

Personally, I find the Maybrick diary very convincing. He's my suspect.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

23. No one blames Lewis Carroll of Alice in Wonderland fame?

For shame!

[CanuckAmok]

27. Huh?! Please do elaborate!

That's a new one to me...

[Screaming Lord Byron]

29. here's the link to the whole bizarre thing

http://www.casebook.org/suspects/carroll.html

[CanuckAmok]

24. Colonel Mustard, in the Drawing Room, with a disembowelling cutlass

n/t

[Whitacre D_WI]

28. Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

[Screaming Lord Byron]

30. If that's not an admission of guilt, what is?

[fudge stripe cookays]

31. I wrote my research paper in college on this

and used tons of books and articles to prove that it was Eddy.

In my opinion, the royal family wouldn't have needed to cover up anything if there hadn't been anything to cover up.

The royal physician went on British TV in the early 70s discussing papers of Gull's that said Eddy was the Ripper. But under pressure from the royals, he was forced to renege on what he'd said, and the papers either disappeared or were destroyed.

I think Cornwell is full of crap. It's an interesting theory, but she didn't prove it conclusively. If the story about her endorsing * in the Richmond paper is true, then that makes her a Log Cabin Republican. And ergo, an idiot.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

32. I'd like to hear some of your theory, if you can still remember it.

Sounds very interesting.

[fudge stripe cookays]

41. Let me think...

There was an article in either Time or Life magazine in the early 70s. I found it by looking through our Guide to Periodical Literature at the library.

I'm not sure if they have an equivalent in Great Britain, or if the same books are used (?). It lists all the articles that were published on a certain topic within a specific year, and lists the magazines in which they appeared. Here, they are large green books found in the reference section of our libraries, and each book contains a year.

This was early 1985, so forgive me if I can't remember all the facts (other than the ones I gave you). I remember a man making appearance on BBC at some point, talking about the case, speaking about Dr. Gull's (I'm pretty sure it was Gull's) papers and notes on the prince. He spoke with the complete confidence of someone who knows what he's talking about.

Very soon thereafter, though, he took back everything he said, and seemed extremely frightened, as if he'd been threatened. And I can't remember what happened to the papers, but theories are that the royal family either destroyed them or they are under lock and key until a date far into the future. I wish I could remember more. I couldn't keep my research paper. Probably some rule against letting anyone else turn it in at a later date to prevent plagiarism or something. And I DID get an A, in case you're wondering! :-)

Another great book that I used (that just about every Ripperologist knows well) is Donald Rumbelow's "Complete Jack the Ripper."

I can remember seeing that horrific picture of Mary Kelly for the first time when I was about 13 and was morbidly fascinated after that.

[SiobhanClancy]

33. You'll have to trust me on that...

I've tried to find the editorial without success. However,my memory of reading it is very clear. I remember thinking at the time that she was full of shite,and the rumors of her relationship with Roxanne Gilomore(then VA first lady)were all over the place down there...so I guess that would make her a Log Cabin republican,as well as an idiot.

[gator_in_Ontario]

42. Bill Clinton...

or one of his ancestors since he is responsible for every bad thing that has happened since the creation of the world. Seriously...thanks for the links, especially the one refuting Cornwell's theory. I read the book and now I will read this!

[Mobius]

43. After reading those pages I think Its Francis Tumblety

He then invited us into his office where he illustrated his lecture so to speak. One side of this room was entirely occupied with cases, outwardly resembling wardrobes. When the doors were opened quite a museum was revealed -- tiers of shelves with glass jars and cases, some round and others square, filled with all sorts of anatomical specimens. The ‘doctor’ placed on a table a dozen or more jars containing, as he said, the matrices (uteri) of every class of women. Nearly a half of one of these cases was occupied exclusively with these specimens.

Where did he gets the specimens? Why the hell would someone have that?

[PVnRT]

44. MORBO DID IT BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

PUNY HUMANS WILL NEVER CATCH MORBO!!!!

[kayell]

45. After considering all the suspects carefully, I have concluded that

Prince Albert was....





George W. Bush

http://www.casebook.org/suspects/eddy.html
"By most reports, Eddy was a "slow" child and grew up to be a rather dull adult. "Even his nearest and dearest, who were naturally bent on making the best of poor Prince Eddy, could not bring themselves to use more positive terms. Prince Eddy was certainly dear and good, kind and considerate. He was also backward and utterly listless. He was self-indulgent and not punctual. He had been given no proper education, and as a result he was interested in nothing. He was as heedless and as aimless as a gleaming gold-fish in a crystal bowl." (James Pope-Hennessy, Queen Mary. Quoted in Rumbelow, p. 194.)

There were unconfirmed rumors that Eddy was mildly retarded. That his intelligence was lower than expected of a future monarch is not disputed and it is believed that this limited mental ability was one of the reasons why he required a tutor at Cambridge. "


Oh, never mind. This part - "dear and good, kind and considerate" totally disproves that theory.