Jack the Ripper

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quickymart

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#255566 18-Aug-2019 19:21

I realised it's over 130 years (131 this month, actually) since this creep killed all those women in London. I've seen From Hell but is there a definitive book that discusses everything that happened? Suspects, victims, etc. I found lots of books on Jack the Ripper, but nothing that stands out as "this is the one book that covers everything" (except for who he really was, of course).

I think if all that was to happen today he would be apprehended in a very short space of time - imagine how much information the Police could release to the public, and all the mediums they would have available to do it. Communications back then were mostly newspapers, as there was definitely no TV (and I'm fairly sure no radio).

eracode

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#2301366 18-Aug-2019 20:41

Saw this story in the NZ Herald yesterday:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12259429

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Dratsab

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#2301372 18-Aug-2019 21:13

quickymart: imagine how much information the Police could release to the public, and all the mediums they would have available to do it

Police don't tend to use mediums 😄

quickymart

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#2301383 18-Aug-2019 21:57

LOL I meant Facebook, TV, radio etc. But yes, double entendre :D

Someone mentioned a book called "The Final Solution" but the reviews I read for it were rather lukewarm.

mattwnz

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#2301389 18-Aug-2019 23:06

BBC did a few programs on JTR quite recently, with more up to date info with a price suspect. It is likely they were just a nutter, rather than anyone famous at the time.

Geektastic

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#2301392 18-Aug-2019 23:18

quickymart:

I realised it's over 130 years (131 this month, actually) since this creep killed all those women in London. I've seen From Hell but is there a definitive book that discusses everything that happened? Suspects, victims, etc. I found lots of books on Jack the Ripper, but nothing that stands out as "this is the one book that covers everything" (except for who he really was, of course).

I think if all that was to happen today he would be apprehended in a very short space of time - imagine how much information the Police could release to the public, and all the mediums they would have available to do it. Communications back then were mostly newspapers, as there was definitely no TV (and I'm fairly sure no radio).

Really? You're not familiar with Peter Sutcliffe, aka The Yorkshire Ripper, then?

Killed 13 people and attempted to kill 7 others, began in 1975 (came to Police attention in 1969 for assault though) and was not arrested until 1981.

He makes Jack look like a rank amateur - although I suspect that Jack still has him beat when it comes to the tableau left for Police to find.

quickymart

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#2301784 19-Aug-2019 18:23

Yes I have heard of him, although I guess more of the mystery with Jack was they never arrested him (or never conclusively determined who he was).

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Geektastic

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#2302666 20-Aug-2019 23:34

quickymart:

Yes I have heard of him, although I guess more of the mystery with Jack was they never arrested him (or never conclusively determined who he was).

Yes more mystery for sure.

I was more responding to your point that if it happened today, the person would be identified and arrested quickly. Peter Suttcliffe certainly wasn't!

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#2302667 20-Aug-2019 23:40

I have a privately printed, very limited edition copy of a book called '25 Years Of The Diary Of Jack The Ripper' - mine is 273/500 copies. The author is Robert Smith.

It is about (spoiler alert!) a diary purporting to be that of one James Maybrick, one candidate for the Ripper. It's very interesting and there is actually a full facsimile of the diary in the book as well.

Dratsab

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#2302668 20-Aug-2019 23:43

Peter Sutcliffe's killings were 4 decades+ ago. In the intervening period of time forensics have moved incredible paces forward from where they were, as have investigative techniques and attitudes. Profiling has come into existence too and can be extremely useful in steering the direction of investigations. I certainly wouldn't consider the Yorkshire Ripper a 'today' case.

quickymart

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#2303339 21-Aug-2019 21:12

Yes, that's the point I meant, sorry - no such thing as Facebook (for example) in the 1970's. Jack the Ripper would probably have a pretty difficult time trying to hide himself today, not to mention all the forensics they could do too.

Geektastic: Limited edition? Do any libraries have a copy of it at all? And by Robert Smith I presume you don't mean the bloke from The Cure :D

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#2303385 21-Aug-2019 22:33

The diary referred to is widely regarded to be a hoax, largely due to the inaccuracies in the descriptions of the butchering - especially in the case of Mary Kelly. The pocketwatch that supposedly belonged to Maybrick has baffled a lot of experts but there is a lot of suspicion around it given that it suddenly appeared a short time after the diary suddenly appeared. Some time later, the person who came forward with the diary, Michael Barrett, claimed he forged it. He subsequently retracted this claim, under duress I would imagine.

He said a chap gave it to him at a pub - as if...

His wife said it had been in the family since WWII - if this is true, why no-one in the family came forward with it previously although it would have been widely known how important it was can only be speculated on. My speculation is that it wasn't in the family as it hadn't yet been forged.

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quickymart

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#2303388 21-Aug-2019 23:00

This is the diary eh?

https://forum.casebook.org/forum/ripper-discussions/suspects/maybrick-james/10781-25-years-of-the-diary-of-jack-the-ripper-the-true-facts-by-robert-smith?t=10410

(this is also a fairly detailed Jack the Ripper site too).