MACNAGHTEN, Melville Leslie
Born : 1853, Son of the last Chairman of the East India
Company.
Educated : Eton.
1873-1887 : Overseer of the family tea plantations in India.
1881 : Assaulted by Indian land rioters and meets James Monro,
who is District Judge and Inspector General of Police in Bengal at the
time. The two men become good friends.
1887 : Returns to England and is offered the job of Assistant
Chief Constable in the Metropolitan Police by James Monro but his appointment
is blocked by Commissioner Warren.
1889 : Jun - Appointed Assistant Chief Constable (CID).
1890 : Promoted to Chief Constable (CID).
1903 : Promoted to Assistant Commissioner (CID). He was to become
the first Assistant Commisioner to personally arrest a burglar.
1908 : Awarded the CBE.
1914 : Published his memoirs "Days of My Years".
1921 : Died.
As well as naming Druitt, Ostrog and Kosminski in his famous memoranda
Macnaghten also stated that "...I have a very clear idea who he was
and how he committed suicide..." (Daily Mail) and "Although...the
Whitechapel murderer, in all probability, put an end to himself soon after
the Dorset Street affair in November 1888, certain facts pointing to this
conclusion, were not in possession of the police till some years after
I became a detective officer." (Days of My Years, 1914)
Source:
Begg, Fido, and Skinner. The Jack the Ripper A-Z.
