General Chat

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I went on one of those Jack the Ripper walks last night - around Whitechapel.

Good stuff.

Jill

......and his little brother - Jack the Nipper

Sue xx

Oooooh. I saw that on one of Jack the Ripper programmes, and the guy was showing where the girls were found........seems strange when you see it with todays people and traffic, instead of horses and Victorian gear......I envy you.....

It was very good Candie. Even though a lot of the original buildings had gone - swept away in the redevelopment of the whole area - you could still grasp an idea of what it would have been like.

And we walked down one narrow road that was not connected in any way to the murders, but the houses had been built in the 1700s and would have been much the same as a lot of houses around at the time of the murders. Lovely houses, all 3 storeys tall, most have been renovated - but painted in gloomy colours - dark greens and browns. It made us all appreciate how dark and gloomy the streets would have been then.

And Mitre Square - which was all warehouses back then - still has tall buildings and you could imagine how very dark it would have been with one lamp over the entrance arch.

All very evocative of the time ...

Jill

Our guide did that Moonchild. When he showed us where the women were murdered he would say "And she was found on the very spot where you (pointing to someone in the group) are standing now." Chilling thought.

Jill

I am so jealous

LOL Katherine

One of the reasons I wanted to go was because my mum's family all lived around that area - and at that time. My gr grandfather could have been Jack the Ripper - but he wasn't.

(At least I don't think he was ... odd though that the murders stopped in 1891 and it wasn't that long after that when my gr grandfather moved out of the area ... But no, gr grandfather was a gunsmith so I expect if he'd wanted to murder prostitutes he would have shot them.)

Jill

how exciting

i wish i had had time to do this
when i was in London

It was a 2 hour walk Joy - including standing about a bit listening ... so not too difficult to plan into a visit. I thought it was well worth it - although by the time we got home it was nearly midnight and I have spent all day today yawning!

Jill

Jill
who do you think could have been Jack the Ripper

Well he could have been almost anyone ... There've been lots of theories - including royal suspects and we'll never know now as it's way past the event.

But our guide was saying that on one of his tours a few months ago there were a couple of doctors. So, in Mitre Square when he was explaining how dark it was, and one policeman had passed through the square at whatever time, someone had seen the woman alive a few minutes earlier and five minutes later she was discovered dead, that was about 8 minutes for Jack to acquaint himself with her, go into Mitre Square, cut her throat, remove her kidney (from the front which is really difficult apparently) and make a "pattern" of cuts to her face. Apparently when he explained all this the two doctors both snorted - it would have been practically impossible for one person to do all that - in that time, in the dark etc. Their theory was that it was more than one man, possibly 2 or even 3 working together ...

But no real evidence remains as such, no forensic evidence from that time so we'll all just carry on theorising.

That's why it's all so fascinating though - one of the great unsolved crimes of all time ...

Jill

I think the BOROS did it................LOL...........XXXXXX

Unlikely in the extreme Darklady. You're just being daft.

Jill

Interesting Mac - our chap said that the last victim was one that raised doubts - people claimed to have seen her alive several hours after she had already been found dead. And her body was practically uncrecognisable ...

Lynda - you should go on one - pick a foggy or rainy night to add to the atmosphere!

Jill

OH's family also lived in Whitechapel too around that time Jill.....

I always say that when OH's grandfather was born his father was probably sat reading the paper about the latest Ripper murder.

Sue xx

You sure your OH. was,nt practicing with a "Rip Saw. " I,d be careful if I were you.**M**.:o)>>

all my grandparents lived in that area at the time, i have just checked out all the names of suspects and they are not there.. sigh of relief..

I went on a Ripper walk some years ago. It was the one led by a beefeater.
Maybrick and Sickert are just two names to come to light very recently. I don't think it was anyone with "celebrity" like status. I'm not sure the Ripper is any of the supposed suspects we know about.

I think the newspaper letter was fake (press never do that to sell copy do they?)

The murder of Mary Kelly was different but was that because the Ripper was becoming more unstable? Personally, I'd like to question her ex who she'd left behind in Liverpool.

I had relations who were living in Bucks Row 1881 and I used to live near to St Patricks RC cemetery where Mary Kelly is buried.

For reading I'd recommend Martin Fido "Crimes, detection and death of Jack the Ripper" and Peter Underwood "Jack the Ripper 100 years of mystery"