Hi, all:
I am not sure there has been discussion of the possibility of Ripper-like murders in South Africa close to the time of the murders in Whitechapel. I came across the following quote:
"In that year [1889], Johannesburg was horrified by a series of stealthy murders which were only explained as the handiwork of 'Jack the Ripper.' No one thought at that time, however, of saddling the Transvaal government with responsibility for them, or of sending plaintive petitions to England as to the danger of life in the South African Republic! Everyone understood, then as now, that gold-fields offer peculiar attractions to questionable characters of all classes." Found on p. 483 in "A Transvaal View of the South African Question," by Dr. F. V. Engelenburg, The North American Review, Volume 169, Issue 515, October 1899, pp. 473-488.
Best regards
Chris George |
