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Chris Scott
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chris

Post Number: 1129
Registered: 4-2003
Posted on Friday, April 09, 2004 - 2:09 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi all - this article come from the Bucks County gazette (Pennsylvania) and is dated 29 November 1888. They took the novel approach of interviewing convicts in Sing Sing and New Jersey to see what they thought about the Whitechapel murders.
Chris

Bucks County Gazette
29 November 1888

EXPERT OPINIONS
THE CONVICTS IN TWO PRISONS ON THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS
A General Decision That the Murderer Is a Lunatic - All Agree That He Should Be Hanged if Captured - If Caught at All It Will Be by Accident

Reporters of the New York Evening Sun have interviewed several of the convicts at Sing Sing and at the New Jersey State Prison, on the subject of the Whitechapel murders.
At Sing Sing, Arthur Williamson, a bright young fellow who is doing a five years' term for burglary, was the first man seen. He had heard of the murders, and his first conclusion was that the man who committed them is undoubtedly crazy.
"Either he has been deceived by a woman," said Williamson, "or he has received by association with them some deep physical injury. He is probably one of the higher class of people, perhaps a medical student. He is not of the Whitechapel folks, but must be looked for outside."
Charles A Clark, a forger with a sentence of four years and eight months, was a very intelligent Englishman, and almost had a map of Whitechapel in his head. He spoke of the favorable nature of that district, with its countless courts and alleys, for the commission and concealment of crimes like these.
"If the murderer is caught I am inclined to think it will be by accident," said Clark.

THINKS HE IS A MEDICAL STUDENT
George edwards, also an Englishman and a forger, said the murderer was undoubtedly a crank. Probably he had been a medical student, as his work was done so skilfully, and he had allowed his studied to lead him the wrong way. He was probably affected by association with the class of women whom he now seeks to remove. Edwards did not believe the murderer would stop when he got fifteen victims. He would probably keep right on. Such a series of crimes would hardly be possible under the American detective system, but were undoubtedly aided in London by the nature of the locality.
"An officer in woman's clothing might be able to do something," suggested Edwards, "if he could play his part well."
John Dean is a ruggedly built fellow serving out a twenty years' term for manslaughter. He is an Englishman and has been a sailor.
"My first thought about these murders," said he, "was that they might have ben the work of a revengeful Malay sailor who had been cheated by one of these women and took short voyages between the crimes to elude suspicion. The onjection to that conclusion is that some of the other women would have known of the cheating and would not have kept still about it. But the final conclusion that I have been forced to is that the murderer, from some cause, is a maniac on that subject - a fanatic. It is easy enough for him to elude the police in that locality; even if he were covered with blood, it would be nothing unusual, for there are slughter houses near, and I myself have seen a man with a bloody knife held in his mouth run out to get a pail of beer and then hurry back."
Steve Raymond is an Englishman, too. He is in Sing Sing for life, and is the only convict serving such a term as that for forgery. He comes under the amended habitual criminals law.
Raymond believed the murderer to be a high class, well educated man, very cunning and crazy on that one point. He did not think the man accosted Whitechapel women, but that he sauntered through that locality and let himself be led; then when a suitable place was reached he would seize his victim after the fashion of the garroter, pull his knife quickly as the woman became limp and then complete his work.
"He carries, I think," said Raymond, "some little articles of disguise, perhaps an alpaca coat and gloves, whoch can be folded up small and put on very quickly."
All considered that the man comes from the higher class of people, and, being most extraordinary in his character and deeds, will require most extraordinary means for his capture.
At the New Jersey state prison the following opinions were obtained:
Libbie Garrabandt, who, when a young woman, poisoned her old husband to accept the love of a younger man, and who has in consequence spent the best years of her life in prison, did not seem disposed to discuss the Whitechapel murders. She said it made her shudder to hear of such horrible crimes. She believed that no one but a lunatic could be the guilty man.

AN EX POLICEMAN'S VIEW
John Nugent, formerly a New York policeman and who is supposed to have been concerned in the well remembered Manhattan bank robbery, but who is serving a term here for a different offense, knew more of the London murders than any of the other convicts.
This is accounted for by the fact that Nugent is one of the clerks of the prison library, and, therefore, has more facility for learning the news of the outside world.
"I doubt very much," said he, "whether it is the one man that is committing all these murders. I don't believe one man could follow it up for so long and not be discovered. I think there is a band of them, who for some devilish purpose of their own have pledged themselves to each slay on or two of these women of the street.
"Either that, or else several men of fiendish souls are acting independently of each other and unknown to each other, one having taken inspiration from the deed of another."
Some of the other convicts expressed themselves with brevity, and a number had nothing to say. Here are some of the expressions:
By a man who himself narrowly escaped the Gallows: If there is one or a dozen of them they ought to be strung up as soon as found. They don't need any trial.
By a Hudson County man doing time for assault: It looks like the kind of murders a woman would commit rather than a man.
By a burglar: If they had the same kind of police in Newark I wouldn't be in prison now.
By a Camden barn burner: If it's one man doing all these murders, he's crazy as Guiteau was; but that kind of craziness ought to be punished with hanging every time.
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Chris Scott
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chris

Post Number: 1130
Registered: 4-2003
Posted on Friday, April 09, 2004 - 6:01 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Re. the comments above about articles of disguise and the possibility jack may have disguised himself. I am currently transcribing a very long article from 24 July 1891 called the Art of making Up about the work of Charles Fox, a wigmaker and make up artist in Covent Garden. The passage below interested me and I thought I would post. The whole article will be in the Press Reoprts as soon as ready.
Chris

jackdisg

(Message edited by Chris on April 09, 2004)
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Natalie Severn
Chief Inspector
Username: Severn

Post Number: 639
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Friday, April 09, 2004 - 6:21 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

What interesting finds you made today Chris.I liked that picture of Tumblety too.Will look forward to rest of this chaps tales!
Best Natalie
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Jeffrey Bloomfied
Inspector
Username: Mayerling

Post Number: 332
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Friday, April 09, 2004 - 11:29 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

In 1888 the New York Evening Sun was edited by Charles Dana. It was, at that date, widely considered the best edited newspaper in the city of New York. Dana would have been the man to send his reporters to question the prisoners - he could be very innovative.

It would be of interest to try to see what can be learned of the various named criminals in the prison, and their various crimes. In particular those guilty of manslaughter or murder would be of interest.

Finally, it is interesting that Charles Julius Guiteau was compared to the Ripper due to the issue of insanity. Guiteau's defense to shooting President Garfield was insanity (although he did not like the defense - his brother-in-law and lawyer George Scowell pressed this defense on him). But Guiteau's assasination plans were based on being denied a job with the Government that he felt Garfield owed him for delivering a speech in New York City on election eve (the 1880 election was the closest in American history, and it was decided by the votes of New York State). Guiteau, a shyster lawyer and crackpot theologian, thought he'd be made Ambassador to France or to Austria-Hungary. He may have been insane (possibly from syphillis),but he had a motive that was not insane (in the age of the spoil system). Somehow his form of insanity is not quite the same as whoever was responsible for the shambles at Miller's Court.

Jeff
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Jeremy Massington
Unregistered guest
Posted on Saturday, March 26, 2005 - 2:47 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I believe in the total "nov shmoz ka pop" of the lower sections of Society. One cannot, and one does not, n'est-ce pas?

Old roats am jake mit goats.

Where's me runcible spoon when I needit, eh?

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