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Chris Scott
Sergeant
Username: Chris
Post Number: 49
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 11:34 am: |       |
Hi all
I found this newspaper article regarding Tumblety's death and estate - thought it might be of interest
Chris S
Decatur Herald (Illinois) 29 May 1903
SUPPOSED PAUPER
Leaves an Estate of One Hundred Thousand Dollars
St. Louis, May 28.
Dr. Francis Tumblety, aged 82, supposed to be poverty stricken and friendless, died today in St. John's hospital. His will reveals that he left an estate of $100,000 and bequeaths $10,000 each to Cardinal Gibbons and Archbishop Ireland for charity.
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Chris Scott
Sergeant
Username: Chris
Post Number: 50
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 5:07 pm: | |
If anyone wants more info on Cardinal Gibbons you will find it at
http://www.cin.org/kc87-3.html |
Chris Scott
Detective Sergeant
Username: Chris
Post Number: 117
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 07, 2003 - 5:13 pm: | |
I have started going a bit farther back in the press archives and found this testimonial for Tumblety dating from 17 April 1862. It is from the Washington Star.
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Chris Scott
Detective Sergeant
Username: Chris
Post Number: 118
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 07, 2003 - 5:19 pm: | |
Here is the full amazing list of testimonials mentioned in post above. From Washington Star of April 21, 1862
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Chris Scott
Detective Sergeant
Username: Chris
Post Number: 119
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 07, 2003 - 5:26 pm: | |
And yet more!!! He was certainly busy advertising
Washington Star July 12 1862
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Chris Scott
Detective Sergeant
Username: Chris
Post Number: 120
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 07, 2003 - 5:35 pm: | |
A biography of Tumblety (Washington Post, 11 May 1865)
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Chris Scott
Detective Sergeant
Username: Chris
Post Number: 121
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 07, 2003 - 6:33 pm: | |
Three Tumblety articles I had not seen before - some very odd stuff here!
Washington Star 19 November 1888
Arrested on Suspicion
Dr. Francis Tumblety Thought To Be Concerned in the Whitechapel Murders
Dr. Francis Tumblety, who, according to a cable dispatch, was arrested in London on suspicion of being concerned in the Whitechapel murders and held on another charge for trial under the special law passed after the "Modern Babylon" exposures, is known in nearly every large city in this country. He has lived in Boston, New York, San Francisco and in this city at different times during the last twenty five years. During the war he was arrested here, either in mistake for Dr. Blackburn or on the charge of being his accomplice. Dr. Blackburn, it will be recalled, was accused of attempting to spread yellow fever in the north by the intrduction of infected rags. Dr. Tumblety always charged that while he was imprisoned in Washington Secretary Stanton confiscated a lot of his securities and did not return them when he was set free. He was in Washington about a year ago. He is about fifty five years old, tall and rather heavy, and looks as if he painted his cheeks and dyed his hair, heavy mustache and side whiskers. He is well off and peculiar, and is the inventor of a preparation for the cure of pimples.
Dr. Tumblety always attracted attention on the street. Some years ago he used to go about wearing jack boots, accompanied by a large greyhound and followed by a man servant, who also rode after his master when he took exercise on horseback.
The doctor used to tell a queer story about himself, as if he believed it. He said he was once dead, and proceeded to explain by stating that when riding near Pittsburg one day he was thrown from his horse and carried home for dead. He claimed that he then lay dead for three days and was only brought to life bythe undertaker, who found him too long for his coffin, attempting saw off his leg.
A gold medal the doctor is proud of was given to him by admirers when he left Canada. He is said not to havepracriced for several years, and has been a familiar figure for several seasons at the White Sulphur Springs, which he visited for some rheumatic affection. To those who know him the doctor has always been a good deal of a puzzle. He always appeared well supplied with money, but the police were unable to discover the source of his secret revenue.
Washington Star 20 November 1888
DR. TUMBLETY
A Naval Officer Tells Some More About Him While In Washington.
In speaking this morning of the recent arrest of "Dr. Tumblety" in London on suspicion of being "Jack the Ripper", a naval officer said to a STAR reporter:
"I met that man in 1861 in this city. I was standing in front of a toy store looking at a mechanical toy in the window, when this man, who stood beside me, began to talk about it. He afterward invited me to his room to see an arrangement of his to show the circulation of the blood. I then thought that either he was a fool or regarded me as a fool, but after listening to him for some time came to the conclusion that he was a decided crank on the subject of medicine. He pretended to be practocal, but I soon saw that he knew almost nothing about anatomy. Among other things he had a patent preparation for skin diseases, which seemed to have some merit. He rode a magnificent horse, a bay with white spots, and used to dash up the avenue. At certain points boys would runout from the curb with notes for him, thus giving folks the impression that he was doing a driving business. He did not last very long here and in '69 I met him again in San Francisco, where he was doing very poorly."
Washington Star 21 November 1888
Letters:
Dr. Tumblety and Isaac Golliday.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
My attention was directed to an article in your paper of yesterday (Tuesday, November 20) regarding the arrest of Dr. Tumblety in London on suspicion of being connected with the Whitechapel murders. The notice revived sad memories of the mysterious disappearance of young Isaac Golliday, whom I had known from childhood, and who visited my house up to the time of his singular disappearance. He often spoke of Dr. Tumblety, and some one told me his father, Frederick Golliday, had tried to break up the friendship between his son and Dr. Tumblety, as he had a bad opinion of him. If I have been correctly informed, Isaac Golliday left his father's boarding house after dark and was never seen or heard of since. The last conversation I had with his father he had no clues as to his whereabouts. As Dr. Tumblety was not seen in Washington after Isaac Golliday's disappearance from home, it was hoped by his feidns he had gone to Europe with the doctor and might possibly return. At the time of his disappearance he had about $100 in money and a watch valued at $180. Isaac Golliday was a nephew of ex-Congressmen Jacob and Edward Golliday of Kentucky.
G
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Chris Scott
Detective Sergeant
Username: Chris
Post Number: 124
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, May 08, 2003 - 4:16 pm: | |
This is the earliest refernce I have found so far to Tumblety. It is an advertisement from the Perth Courier (Canada) dated Novemer 26, 1858
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Chris Scott
Detective Sergeant
Username: Chris
Post Number: 127
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, May 08, 2003 - 5:36 pm: | |
Here is an account of a legal action that Dr T was involved in in March 1861. the other party make the claim that there was a real, original Dr Tumblety who died and "our" Dr T assumed his name and that his real name was Sullivan.
Hope it;s of interest
Chris S
St John's Dispatch 28 March 1861
DR. TUMBLETY IN NEW YORK
MARINE COURT IN CHAMBERS, MARCH
Who is Dr. Tumblety? Francis Tumblety vs the Chemical bank. This is an application on the part of defendants for a commission to obtain evidence in relation to the character of the plaintiff. The plaintiff, who has been represented as an Indian quack Doctor, alleged that his name, Dr. Tumblety, had been forged on two occasions and money obtained from the bank. On the other hand, the defendants averred that no forgery was committed, and that the checks are genuine and were signed by the "Doctor" himself. This he denies. Mr. John Q. Jones, of the Chemical bank, in his application, says that the plaintiff will likely be called as a witness in this action. In that event it would be necessary ti enquire into his career. From information received by the defendants, it appears that the plaintiff has assumed a false name, that his real name is Sullivan, that he was a menial servant of Dr. Tumblety and on the death of the latter he assumed his name and has been travelling about the country getting money under false pretences as a physician.
"St. Johns, N.B., Feb. 23 1861
I can say however with regard to Dr. Tumblety, that he resided for some time in St. Johns, that he is an arrant quack, and realized a very large amount of money from poor persons in the city and vicinity, making them pay down large sums before he would undertake to promise cures, which were not always performed. His career could not last very long, and was brought to a rather summary conclusion, by a coroner's jury returning a verdict of manslaughter against him, in consequence of which he found it convenient to retire from the Province last summer. He boasted to a gentleman who met him at Eastport of the large sums which he carried away, and from my connection with the Commercial bank, I knew he took a large amount of specie from that institution. He also talked loudly of coming back to stand his trial, but never did so.
Yours truly,
W.JASK"
The Mayor of Toronto, J. G. Bowes, Esq., was written to, and he applied to the Police Magazine for information. The following is the reply:-
"Toronto, Feb. 8, 1861.
My dear Mayor,
The man Tumblety formerly resided in this city, and was universally regarded as a quack and impostor. He was chared nefore me on one occasion of having extorted a watch froma farmer under false pretences, and sent for trial. He was also tried and convicted of practising medicine witjout a license, and sentenced to a fine of $100. Prior to his coming here to dispense physic, he was here with a strolling company of concert or menagerie folks. A few months ago he was indicted at the assizes, and in a court in Nova Scotia, for some serious crime, and made his escape from the hands of justice.
Yours repectfully,
G. S. Gurnett"
Letters of similar import have been receibed from other parts of the country. When the case comes up for trial it promises to be exceedingly interesting if not spicy. The application for a commission, which has been granted, is to examine Wm. F. Ruby of Boston; G. W. Lefavor, paying teller of Revere Bank; G. B. Wetherbel, G. Gurnett of Toronto, Geo. Henson of Buffalo, Gaines Robinson of Buffalo and William Champ of Detroit.
For plaintiff, A. D. Russell. For defendant, Robert B. Rosevelt and Wm. MacKellar.
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Chris Scott
Detective Sergeant
Username: Chris
Post Number: 128
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, May 09, 2003 - 9:30 am: | |
Here is an account from the Washington Star of 11 May 1865 which gives more background on Dr. T
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Chris Scott
Inspector
Username: Chris
Post Number: 161
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, May 16, 2003 - 12:13 pm: | |
Hi
Here is an advert I found from Dr. T's time at the "American House"
Morning Freeman (Canada) 5 July 1860
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Chris Scott
Inspector
Username: Chris
Post Number: 168
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, May 18, 2003 - 8:58 am: | |
Hi all!
The earliest refernce I had found to Dr. T. was the 1858 advert above. However I have today found an article from a November 1857 paper. It is a French language canadian paper called Le Courrier du Canada. Any help with translation gratefully recieved!!!
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Chris Scott
Inspector
Username: Chris
Post Number: 334
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 12:07 pm: | |
Hi all
I have today found an account which I had not previously seen about an encounter with Tumblety. It was published in the Olean Democrat newspaper (New York) on 8 August 1889 and comes from a long article entitled "Oleanders in New York" by a writer called E.H.Eaton.
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Jeffrey Bloomfied
Detective Sergeant
Username: Mayerling
Post Number: 98
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 1:50 pm: | |
Hi Chris,
Nice research work, as always. But part of the
article is missing (at least on my computer). Just after the end of the paragraph where the writer says that he met Tumblety on Brooklyn Bridge, shortly before the last murder in Whitechapel, showing that Dr. T. was unjustly
suspected.
By the way, the article mentions pictures of the
Doctor in the "Herald". Have any actual photos of
Dr. Tumblety popped up? What did he actually
look like?
Best wishes,
Jeff |
Chris Scott
Inspector
Username: Chris
Post Number: 336
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 2:43 pm: | |
Hi Jeff
Thanks for the comments
The line you can see after "suspected of being 'Jack the Ripper'" is the continuation of the article which is completely unrelated to Tumblety. Eaton's piece is a long, rambling one and this section is all he has to sat about Dr. T.
Concerning the Herald, it does say "pictures" so i suppose these could be line drawings as well as photos.
If I manage to find any such I will of course post them
Regards
Chris
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Chris Scott
Inspector
Username: Chris
Post Number: 337
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 4:53 pm: | |
Jeff
In case you have not got the whole article here is a transcription:
Olean Democrat (New York)
7 February 1889
And now Dr. Tumblety, who was suspected of being the Whitechapel fiend, has published a volume of poems. If we ever had any doubt of his guilt before this development banishes it.
Olean Democrat (New York)
8 August 1889
From an article by E.H.Eaton entitled "Oleanders in New York."
I enjoyed a peculiar adventure the other morning. I had just finished my night's work, and was riding across the big bridge. I had barely secured a seat in the bridge car when a peculiar looking man entered. He was over six feet in height, his face was square and red, and his gigantic, wiry, black mustache was of such huge proportions and singular cut that it would have attracted attention anywhere. It attracted my attention at any rate and as its owner sat down beside me I immediately decided in my mind that he was Dr. Tumblety, the alleged Whitechaple (sic) murderer. I had seen several pictures of that notorious gentleman which were published in the HERALD about the time he fled from London, and the man sitting beside me closely resembled them. The car contained few people at that early hour, and during the five minutes ride over the bridge the big stranger and I conversed with each other in a friendly manner. He led off with a familiar remark about the weather, and I followed suit in the same vein. Well, to make a long story short, one thing led to another, his every remark convincing me more and my that my guess at his identity was correct, until at last I asked him his name.
"Dr. Francis Tumblety, you may have heard it before," was the quiet reply.
I replied somewhat significantly that I had. He said he had been greatly wronged by the press and gave me a pamphlet containing his picture and a number of notices of a book he had just published. We parted at the Brooklyn end of the bridge. Shortly thereafter the last Whitechapel mirder occurred in London, and as Tumblety was without doubt in Brooklyn at the time, he is evidently unjustly suspected of being "Jack the Ripper."
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Jeffrey Bloomfied
Detective Sergeant
Username: Mayerling
Post Number: 100
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2003 - 1:20 pm: | |
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the transcription, but now I am curious. Dr. T was a published poet (presumably
by a vanity press, but given the bad poetry that
was published in the 19th Century perhaps by a
regular publisher). Has this lost treasure been
found? Is it better or worse than can be expected? How does it stack up against other
Ripper-suspect writers like D'Onston, Stephen,
Chapman (remember his mortuary verses for his
victim), and (lest we forget) Carroll? Next we'll
learn he painted and we can compare him to Sickert.
Best wishes,
Jeff |
Chris Scott
Inspector
Username: Chris
Post Number: 340
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2003 - 1:51 pm: | |
Hi Jeff
Funny you mention about his poems cos I found this small entry in the same paper as above (The Olean Democrat) for the issue of 7 Feb 1889.
Olean Democrat (New York)
7 February 1889
And now Dr. Tumblety, who was suspected of being the Whitechapel fiend, has published a volume of poems. If we ever had any doubt of his guilt before this development banishes it |
Robert Charles Linford
Chief Inspector
Username: Robert
Post Number: 514
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2003 - 4:00 pm: | |
Hi all
If you ever find the poetry volume, be prepared for fulsome recommendations and testimonials from the likes of Tennyson, Browning etc.
Robert |
Chris Scott
Inspector
Username: Chris
Post Number: 341
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2003 - 5:04 pm: | |
Hi all
Not the poetry I'm afraid but there is a copy of a tract written and published by Tumblety in 1866 for sale on the net.
It is described as follows:
TUMBLETY,DR.FRANCIS
A FEW PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF DR. FRANCIS TUMBLETY, THE INDIAN HERB DO
1866 [JACK THE RIPPER]. TUMBLETY, DR.FRANCIS. A FEW PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF DR. FRANCIS TUMBLETY, THE INDIAN HERB DOCTOR, INCLUDING HIS EXPERIENCE IN THE OLD CAPITOL PRISON. Cincinnati: Published by the author, 1866. First edition. Original pink pictorial wrappers, 81 pp. Minor chip and small stain to front cover, else very good copy. The cover title reads, "Kidnapping of Dr. Tumblety By Order Of The Secretary of War of The U.S." Tumblety wrote this tract to protest his arrest and three week imprisonment on charges of complicity in the Lincoln assassination. At one time Dr. Tumblety had assumed the alias of J. H. Blackburn, and this confused the assassination issue in a case of mistaken identity.
The asking price is $500
Anyone interested should see:
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=143959092 |
Jeffrey Bloomfied
Detective Sergeant
Username: Mayerling
Post Number: 101
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2003 - 8:12 pm: | |
Hi Chris,
While I may have gotten somewhat amused by the
spectre of Dr. Tumblety publishing a book of poetry (I keep imagining poems about his pro-Southern views of life up to the Civil War, or
attacking Yankee tyranny, or foreign police methods, or in favor of mysogyny, or the benefits
of his nostrums), there is another matter I touched on. That is the issue of a photo or good
likeness of Tumblety.
Not many people realize it, but there are photos in the National Archives of the Lincoln Conspirators. And I am not referring to only
Payne/Powell, Herold, Atzerodt, John (and Mary)
Surratt, Arnold, O'Laughlin, Spangler, and Dr.
Mudd. There are photos of at least three others
who were arrested, of whom one was named eventually by a scholar on the case - Theodore
Roscoe, in his book WEB OF CONSPIRACY (for my
money among the top five books about Lincoln's
Assassination). Roscoe identified (tentatively)
one of the photos as that of a mysterious
Portuguese sea captain, Captain Joao (or John)
Celestino (or Celeste). Roscoe based his identification on earlier research by Philip Van
Doren Stern, who wrote an essay on Captain Celestino in the American Heritage in 1957. But
there were three photos, and (given Dr. Tumblety's arrest) perhaps one can be of Dr. Tumblety.
There has to be some photo of the Doctor somewhere, especially as he was so egotistical.
I just recommend the Roscoe book as a possible place to start looking for him.
Best wishes,
Jeff |
R.J. Palmer
Detective Sergeant
Username: Rjpalmer
Post Number: 113
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2003 - 10:55 pm: | |
Jeff--Interesting point. I, too, have seen those photographs in Roscoe's book and have wondered in particular about the fellow with the big moustache--but he just doesn't quite match the descriptions I've read of Tumblety, so I would tentatively dismiss this. Tumblety was said to somewhat resemble JW Booth, and he certainly milks this fact in the cover of his Civil War pamphlet. By the way, the statement that Tumblety wrote a book of poetry is a canard; the article is misinterpretting a statement from another newspaper. The booklet in question is the 1889 pamphlet of testimonials discussed in Evans & Gainey's book (which contained a couple of verses about Dr. T which he used as advertisment as well as a long poem by a friend). Hence, "a book of poetry." Cheers. |
Jeffrey Bloomfied
Detective Sergeant
Username: Mayerling
Post Number: 102
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Monday, August 04, 2003 - 10:07 pm: | |
Hi R.J.,
Curious that a case as mysterious and complicated as Whitechapel should (through Tumblety) get linked to a case as equally mysterious and complicated as Lincoln's Assassination.
If Tumblety prided himself on his resemblance to
John Wilkes Booth, he was not the only one to resemble the actor assassin. Confederate secret
agent and military man, Thomas Hines, was known
for his resemblance to Booth as well. See Life
Magazine's THE CIVIL WAR: SPIES, SCOUTS, AND RAIDERS (Morristown, N.J.: Time - Life Books, 1985), p. 58 - 59. Hines photograph is included -
he looks like a paler version of Booth.
Interestingly enough, Tumblety's name as a conspirator or associate of Booth has never popped
up in any book on Lincoln's Assassination that I
read - including Roscoe's.
Best wishes,
Jeff |
Christopher T George
Inspector
Username: Chrisg
Post Number: 266
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 05, 2003 - 11:08 am: | |
Hi, Jeff:
I understand though that John Wilkes Booth was a short man and that Tumblety was tall--five foot eleven by most accounts. Booth was probably five foot six or seven. I once appeared in a play about Booth that was set in the tavern near Ford's Street Theater, Washington, D.C. I played the barman, Peter Taltavul, owner of the Star Saloon where Booth had his last drink before assassinating Lincoln. It was a nonspeaking role since the play was a one-man play rewritten to add nonspeaking characters.  Because the actor playing Booth was tall, they built up the tables and chairs and the bar to make him appear short like the assassin!
All the best
Chris |
Jeffrey Bloomfied
Detective Sergeant
Username: Mayerling
Post Number: 103
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 05, 2003 - 11:32 pm: | |
Hi Chris,
The play sounds interesting. Was the curtain line as Booth left the bar, "When I leave the stage I will be the most talked about man in America" or something like that?
Best wishes,
Jeff |
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