What does ripper mean? Jack the Ripper - the most famous serial killer on the planet

The working-class areas of Victorian London were not the most cheerful places in the world: poverty, unsanitary conditions, dirt and debauchery reigned there. It was in such an atmosphere that one of the most sinister legends of Great Britain unfolded - the story of Jack the Ripper. The ZagraNitsa portal has collected for you interesting facts and theories about the serial maniac: from Lewis Carroll to the Russian paramedic

London at the end of the 19th century witnessed many tragedies, both fictional and real. However, the sophisticated fantasy of Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle pales against the background of the bloody horror that the capital of Britain experienced in 1888.

There is still no definite answer as to who is actually guilty of the brutal murders in Whitechapel, although literature and cinema are replete with different, sometimes very crazy, theories. Let's find out who Jack the Ripper is and why his name even today evokes awe among many British people.

Photo: davidhiggerson.wordpress.com

A little history

In 1888, the poor areas of London resembled a powder keg: the dominance of immigrants, rampant drunkenness, poverty, unemployment, prostitution and constant outbreaks of viral diseases. The dissatisfaction of the inhabitants of these godforsaken neighborhoods became so obvious that residents of wealthy areas were afraid to show themselves here. The lack of jobs was one of the reasons for the huge number of prostitutes on the streets of the city: during the year the police counted 62 brothels, and these are only those that were discovered.

Photo: shutterstock

Whitechapel Killer

Of course, such a situation could not give rise to anything but cruelty and immorality. In the fall of 1888, London was shaken by unprecedented crimes: a serial maniac not only killed prostitutes, but did it with particular sophistication, removing internal organs from his victims. The killer received his famous nickname thanks to one of his letters to reporters, in which he allegedly confesses to his crime and signs: “Jack the Ripper.” However, researchers call this message a fake, of which there were many at that time.

Different versions attribute from 5 to 15 victims to Jack the Ripper, but most experts believe that there were five of them: all were involved in prostitution, all had their throats cut, and three had their internal organs removed. Today they are called the “five canonical victims” of Jack the Ripper. Some researchers add a sixth woman to this list, whose murder was most likely also the work of a maniac.

Photo: thinkingsidewayspodcast.com

Photo: telegraph.co.uk

The Whitechapel killer chose girls of easy virtue as his victims, apparently believing that by doing so he was helping society get rid of filth and decadence of morals. The cause of death of the women was a slit throat; the organs were removed after the murder. The maniac’s knowledge of human anatomy gave rise to many versions (never confirmed) about his affiliation with medicine and, in particular, surgery. Many people believe that the skills of a butcher are quite enough for this.

Letters from Hell

Jack the Ripper was active in the autumn of 1888. In addition to the unprecedented brutality, the criminal (or his imitators) was prone to publicity and apparently sought recognition for his activities. Since the start of the investigation, both police officers and journalists have been literally inundated with letters confessing to what they had done. Of course, most of them were hoaxes or someone's sick imagination, but among this pile there were also several messages written, probably, by the killer's hand.

The "Dear Boss" letter is known for giving the maniac his sad famous name- Jack the Ripper. The police later officially declared the message a hoax. The most terrible of the letters is called “From Hell.” In addition to bravado and mockery, the sender included a box containing part of a human kidney. The author claimed that he fried and ate the second half.

Photo: whitechapeljack.com

Photo: casebook.org

Versions and theories

The impotence of the police, who were unable to find and punish the bloody killer, became the basis for a mass of different studies, theories and speculations. There are even Ripperologists - this is what the learned (and not so learned) men call themselves, who to this day are trying to find out the real name of the Whitechapel killer.

1. Polish emigrant

For example, last year the results of DNA tests conducted by one of these researchers, Russell Edwards, were made public. According to the results, the killer was the Polish emigrant Aaron Kosminski, who moved to Britain in 1881 and was named as a suspect in the case. This is indicated by analysis of a shawl found near one of the victims and bought by businessman Russell Edwards at auction. DNA samples found on the shawl were compared with genetic material from the descendants of Aaron, who died in psychiatric hospital. However, these conclusions cause skepticism among many scientists who call the study amateurish.

Photo: usvsth3m.com

Photo: bbc.com

2. Russian paramedic

Another theory suggests that the criminal has Russian roots. This is a certain paramedic Ostrogov, who arrived in London from France, where he left behind not the best memories: he was suspected by the French authorities of murdering a prostitute. Ostrogov's profession fit perfectly into the theory of medical education killers. However, the alleged criminal successfully escaped from British justice in St. Petersburg, where he was also convicted and sent to a psychiatric hospital.

Photo: shutterstock

Without a doubt, the funniest theory is that Jack the Ripper is famous writer Lewis Carroll. In 1996, researcher Richard Wallis published an entire book on this subject. The author claims that in Carroll's works he discovered anagrams confirming the criminal activities of the writer. Like, if you take a few sentences from Carroll's books and swap the letters, you get a story about the atrocities of the Whitechapel killer. To be fair, it should be noted that Carroll did have a controversial reputation, but the brutal murders committed by the author of Alice in Wonderland are hard to believe.

Photo: telegraph.co.uk

Photo: history.com

Jack the Ripper brand

Gloomy and bloody legends have always attracted the attention of people, and if there is demand, then there will be supply. Many books and songs have been written about the Whitechapel killer, dozens of films have been made, there are even several computer games. But Michael Dibdin, a writer who exploits the image of Sherlock Holmes, published a detective story about how the famous detective brought Jack the Ripper to clean water: it turned out to be Professor Moriarty.

Photo: standard.co.uk

London also hosts daily tours of the places where the maniac committed his atrocities. For a two-hour walk you will have to pay 10 pounds. And recently, a Jack the Ripper museum opened in the capital, causing a wave of protests among activists of the feminist movement.

The mysterious story of the killer under the pseudonym “Jack the Ripper”, who operated in the East End adjacent to London, is familiar to the whole world. Despite the fact that all the blood-curdling events took place in the distant 19th century, some forensic experts are still trying to unravel the mysterious string of murders in Whitechapel.

There are a huge number of incredible guesses about who Jack the Ripper was, but none has been confirmed to this day.

The 19th century became British Empire a time of great power. One successful military campaign followed another, so the vast territory belonging to the power was scattered across all corners of the world. However, in the heart of the empire, in London, there was a place that was avoided for several kilometers, because it was the very symbol of shame, depravity and everything that should be hated and despised. This area was called the East End. There was unbearable chaos here, children were dying of hunger and poverty on the streets of the area, prostitution and murder were the order of the day. It seems that there is no more attractive place for the most cruel and bloody killer, whose fame has reached through centuries and time to the present day.

Dark corners of the streets and hidden narrow passages between houses became the sites of the bloodiest abuses. None of the murders of the 20th century can compare with the cruelty that Jack the Ripper used as his signature. His victims were only five female night harlots operating in the East End. Today there are two questions: were these women random victims, and who was Jack the Ripper? There is a version that he belonged to the upper echelon of British society. Therefore, interest in this matter has become widespread.

The first victim was a prostitute named Mary Ann Nichols, who made her living in a place called Whitechapel. A brutally torn corpse was discovered on August 31, 1888 in one of the alleys. This, in fact, was only the beginning of absolute hell and the temporary power of Jack the Ripper in this place.

“Pretty Polly” was unremarkable; she loved to drink and stayed out late in bars and pubs in free time from work. The detectives involved in the case suggested that while Mary Ann, in a “drunken stupor,” approached the tall gentleman and offered her services, he grabbed her by force and dragged her into a secluded dark alley, which became the crime scene. Upon examination, medical doctor was amazed that the victim's face was ripped open from ear to ear. The conclusion stated that only a person who confidently uses a knife can kill in this way. Since the crime rate in this place exceeded all unimaginable indicators, the police did not proceed with the case, because they considered that there was nothing unusual in this crime.

A week later, a second body of a woman named Annie Chapman was found. Although the police medic was unable to determine whether rape had occurred, it was clear that Jack had stabbed and disemboweled the victim in sexual arousal. The fact that the insides of the woman herself were laid out next to the corpse itself indicated that the maniac had skillful knowledge in the field anatomical structure human body. Therefore, the version that it could be an ordinary abnormal prisoner or a criminal disappeared by itself. The brutal maniac-killer, shortly after committing the second murder, sent a mocking letter to the police station, where he made known his plans to cut off the ears of his next victim and send them to the police for fun. At the end he signed himself as Jack the Ripper.

The second letter turned out to be much worse than the first, since it contained half of the cut out kidney from the victim, and the second half, according to his beliefs, he ate himself.

The third victim of the restless killer was a woman nicknamed “Long Liz.” When a ragpicker was passing by one of the alleys, he saw a strange bag and immediately contacted the police. Presumably, the victim was killed from the back, as evidenced by the woman’s specifically ripped throat.

Just a few hours later, a fourth woman was found dead. The victim's name was Catherine Edows. Her face was severely cut and disfigured, and both ears were cut off. In addition, her entrails were gutted and placed in the area of her right shoulder. At that time, all of London already knew about the brutal murders taking place and was seriously scared. On the wall, next to the corpse, a message was left in blood that said that “Jews are not people who can be blamed for anything.” The senior chief of the police station, named C. Warren, personally destroyed the inscription, which could have been significant evidence in the case.

The fifth murder was different from the others, as the victim was a wealthier prostitute and could even afford a private room. Her name was Mary Kelly. Her corpse was also brutally mutilated and cut up in the little room she rented. An autopsy revealed that the woman was pregnant. This was the latest in a series of brutal murders.

Scotland Yard had a huge number of guesses, among which there was even a version that the maniac was a Russian doctor named M. Ostrog, who was performing an important task royal family and fuels conflict between the local population and those arriving from Eastern Europe Jews. I wasn't and latest version that the maniac is a talented surgeon and professional who belongs to the secret Franco-Masonic order, which is why the head of the police erased the inscription in order to save an important person from exposure.

The most interesting version of who Jack the Ripper was was the assumption of involvement royal family to these murders. The suspect was the Queen's grandson, Prince Albert Victor, who had some specific sexual needs. However, he was soon sent to a psychiatric hospital, as he went crazy due to the discovery of syphilis. However, it is worth remembering that the victims were killed by a hand that wields a knife well. With syphilis, severe tremor is observed, which refutes this version.

Currently, there are a huge number of guesses about who Jack the Ripper was. Unfortunately, none of them could be confirmed. But one thing became clear: this was a man who could not be an ordinary butcher or peasant, for such colossal knowledge in anatomy can only be acquired through study.

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IN Britain has identified the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.
The Daily Mail writes about this. This is Polish emigrant Aaron Kosminsky - a London hairdresser, born in the Polish city of Klodawa, which is located only 250 kilometers from the Kaliningrad region.

A series of DNA tests, commissioned by businessman-enthusiast Russell Edwards, established the identity of the maniac with one hundred percent probability. Aaron Kosminsky was one of the main suspects in the Jack the Ripper case, but was released due to insufficient evidence.

Every year new books about Jack the Ripper are published. Each of them names its own likely candidates for the role of the killer, and in each of them the authors share new conspiracy theories.

Hundreds of websites and online forums are dedicated to Jack the Ripper, where enthusiasts exchange opinions and argue endlessly about new theories. And now the time has come when science has made it possible to announce the revelation of the secret of who was the first officially recognized serial maniac in the history of mankind.

There were many SUSPECTS:

Prince Albert Victor - grandson of Queen Victoria
James Maybrick - Liverpool cotton merchant
Walter Sickert - artist
Aaron Kosminski - Polish Jewish immigrant
Michael Ostrog - thief
Montague John Druitt - lawyer and teacher
Francis Tumblety - American physician
Joseph Barnett - friend of one of the victims
And many others... but it was not possible to solve the crime “hot on its heels”.

The investigation by businessman-enthusiast Russell Edwards began in 2007, when Edwards, out of research interest, purchased at auction a shawl allegedly found near the body of one of Jack the Ripper's victims, Catherine Eddowes.
The first examination showed that there were traces of blood on the shawl, as well as, presumably, the maniac’s sperm.

During the following examinations, scientists took DNA samples from the living descendants of Eddowes and Kosminsky, whom Edwards managed to find. One of them - a certain Karen Miller, a direct descendant of Eddowes on the female line - previously appeared in documentary film about the Ripper.
Edwards did not disclose the identity of the descendant of Aaron Kosminsky's sister. Research conducted by Dr. Jari Louhelainen and Dr. David Miller showed that DNA samples taken from relatives of those involved in the case were identical to those that scientists were able to take from the shawl.

Aaron Kosminsky, fleeing Jewish pogroms, came to Great Britain in 1881 from Poland, which was then part of Russian Empire. After police began searching for the killer who became known as Jack the Ripper in the fall of 1888, Kosminsky was arrested.

He was even identified by one of the witnesses, but later withdrew his testimony because he was a Jew and did not want to testify against another Jew.

In 1891, Kosminsky was placed in a mental hospital. His medical history stated that he suffered from auditory hallucinations, refused to accept food from other people, and was prone to self-abuse. Kosminsky died in a hospital in February 1919.

A series of brutal murders of women in London's Whitechapel and surrounding areas took place in the second half of 1888. The victims of these murders were usually prostitutes.

Several people were considered suspects in the case, but none of them were ultimately found guilty. At some point, the police decided to classify the crimes as the result of the actions of one serial killer, who received the nickname Jack the Ripper.
This was facilitated, in particular, by the so-called “letter from Hell”, allegedly written by a maniac and received by law enforcement officers in the Whitechapel area.

Attached to the letter was a kidney from one of the victims, the aforementioned Catherine Eddowes. However, the authenticity of the letter and the kidney attached to it was questioned by some researchers.

They suggested that it could be a joke by local medical students, deliberately stirring up interest in the story of a serial killer.

Exact number The victims of Jack the Ripper have not been identified; according to the latest data, there were at least 11 of them.

Some secrets and riddles are destined to remain unsolved. These include the history of the brutal murders that shook London at the end of the 19th century. It's about about the biography and personality of Jack the Ripper, a butcher who took the lives of women in a poor area of Victorian England.

Victims

Murders brutal maniac of the nineteenth century were committed in an area of London that rightfully deserved the title of the cesspool of the East End. Whitechapel in 1888, overpopulated with emigrants and impoverished rabble, dirty and criminal, this is the picture of the scene of Jack the Ripper. It is not surprising that out of despair and need, most women engaged in the ancient profession.

According to police estimates, there were 62 brothels and about 1,200 prostitutes operating in Whitechapel. Women of easy virtue became the object of a maniac's hunt. In a place like Whitechapel, dozens of murders were committed every day, including unprotected prostitutes. Therefore, the number of Jack the Ripper’s crimes is not known exactly; it ranges from 5 to 14. However, researchers agree that five of them, called canonical, were committed by a maniac.

All of them were distinguished by the extreme brutality of execution, the constant location in the East End and the identity of the occupation of the murdered women. The victims' throats were cut with two deep blows of the blade, the abdominal cavity was opened and internal organs were removed, some of which the killer took with him.

The first to fall to the killer's knife in August 1888 was Mary Ann Nichols, or Polly, as her friends called her. The 42-year-old woman had a husband and five children, but she became an alcoholic and ended up in prison. social day. On the night of the murder, having not found money for a place to sleep, she went to earn extra money. At four in the morning, Polly's still warm body was found by a passerby.

Police find another victim of Jack the Ripper

The next to be killed was 47-year-old "Dark Annie" - Annie Chapman, an alcoholic with a severe form of tuberculosis and syphilis. The day before, Annie received a black eye in a fight over a bar of soap. Her unpresentable appearance did not allow the woman to earn money to pay for the night. Wandering through the night streets of Whitechapel in search of a client ended in brutal reprisals for the prostitute.

A passer-by prevented Elizabeth Stride (“Long Liz”) from finishing the Ripper’s usual procedure of opening the abdominal cavity. The body of the fourth victim of the maniac remained untouched, only crown wounds to the throat were the cause of death. However, the killer made up for lost time after 45 minutes, killing and disemboweling Catherine Eddowes. Despite the limited time, the maniac took the woman’s uterus and kidney with him.

The murder of the last canonical victim of the Ripper is considered the most brutal. Young and attractive Mary Jane Kelly was found tortured beyond recognition in her room on November 9, 1888. Photos of the victim, preserved in police archives, amaze with the insane fury of the reprisal. The maniac had plenty of time to literally turn the girl inside out - the internal organs were laid out around the room, and the killer took Mary Jane's heart with him.

Investigation

The story of Jack the Ripper became public thanks to the maniac's open mockery of the London police. In addition, the dismemberer sent several letters to the press and constables, powerless to catch him.

The first "Dear Boss" letter was initially determined to be a fake. However, three days later the body of Catherine Eddowes was found with half of her ear cut off. The author of the letter promised to do this with the next victim, so the police had to admit the authenticity of the message. In this letter, the maniac comes up with his nickname.

The next news from the maniac was a postcard from “Saucy Jackie”. By the way, the police later stated that the letters were fakes, and the hoaxer-journalist who sent both letters had been identified.

The last terrible letter was “Message from Hell”, accompanied by part of the kidney of the murdered Eddowes. Researchers are skeptical about all the messages sent by the maniac; their truth still causes controversy and disagreement.

Except postal items, the case contains information about graffiti made near the place of death of Stride and Eddowes. A bloody piece of Eddowes' apron was found next to the wall on which the chalk inscription was made.

The exact wording of the text is unknown, since the photo is not in the materials, and the graffiti itself was erased at the direction of the constable. It is known that the message had an anti-Semitic meaning. By the way, many historians are inclined to believe that the inscription had nothing to do with the murders, and the apron was thrown away after it was made.

One way or another, a series of brutal crimes shook the London public. The case, which received wide publicity in the press, and the helplessness of law enforcement officers outraged the residents of the capital. Rumors of the Ripper reached . Having become furious, the head of the country scolded the Prime Minister, and the question of reforming Scotland Yard was raised.

Soon after the events of Whitechapel, the police had a crime department and a fingerprint file. The secret identity of Jack the Ripper has never been established. The maniac simply disappeared for unknown reasons. The solution still fascinates contemporaries. It is not surprising that the killer became the hero of books, films and TV series. A whole line of investigation has emerged - Ripperology.

Alleged killers

Contemporaries of Jack the Ripper, as well as Ripperologists, put forward a lot of guesses regarding the individuals suspected of murder. None of the versions has been reliably proven and remains only a theory. By the way, even the assertion that the Ripper professionally possessed the skills of a surgeon, which made it possible to remove the internal organs of victims with incredible speed, is subject to doubt.

Some of the medical experts who worked on the maniac’s case argued that for such executions it was enough to master the craft of a butcher. And in one of the letters the killer laughingly mentions the absurdity of such a theory.

The list of suspects is built mainly on guesses and conjectures, indirect coincidences and suspicions. Even the woman Mary Piercy, who was later hanged for the murder of her lover's wife, was among the possible murderers.

A contender for the role of the Ripper was Montague's lawyer John Druitt, who committed suicide, after which the murders of Whitechapel prostitutes stopped. The police also named the Polish emigrant who poisoned three wives, for which he was executed.

One of the most likely candidates for maniacs is Aaron Kosminski, a young hairdresser in Whitechapel. Later he was detained while attempting to murder his own sister and was declared mentally ill. After the suspect was sent to a mental hospital, the series of brutal murders ended.

In 2006, based on evidence contained in surviving archival records, a composite sketch of the maniac was compiled. Nineteenth-century witnesses indicate that the alleged killer wore dark clothes, a felt hat like , a mustache and a traveling bag.

Three messages from Jack the Ripper have been lost from the archives. It is unknown whether they got lost or were deliberately stolen. In 1988, a century later, the killer's first letter was returned anonymously to a London police station.

In 2014, a DNA examination of the shawl of one of the Ripper victims was carried out, allegedly confirming the presence of traces left by Aaron Kosminski on it. The shawl, preserved from the 19th century, was bought at auction and has never been washed since it was carried away by a constable from the scene for his wife. DNA samples matched those of the descendants of the Whitechapel barber.

Among the contenders for the identity of the Ripper was a famous artist. This version was put forward by the author of the book “Vincent, nicknamed Jack,” Dale Larner.

The researcher compares the facts of the artist’s life with the chronology of the murders. He cites as evidence the coincidence of elements of handwriting, images in paintings, and Van Gogh’s madness.

One of the suspects was the grandson of Queen Victoria, Albert Victor, who was distinguished by an indecent lifestyle. However, at the time of the death of the third and fourth victims, a descendant of the queen was absent from the country. By the way, the plot of the film “From Hell,” based on the biography of the Ripper, develops around the suspicion of a crime among the elite of the nobility.

Surprisingly, even the mathematician and author of books about Alice’s adventures became an object of suspicion. The writer came under the radar of researchers due to the similarity of his handwriting and the ornateness of his sayings. Ripperologists discovered anagrams in the text of the works, allegedly indicating involvement in brutal murders.

Memory

Books

1992 - Robert Bloch, “Forever Yours - The Ripper”
2002 - Patricia Cornwell, “Jack the Ripper. Who is he? Portrait of a Killer"
2015 - Cassandra Clare, "Whitechapel Villain"

Movies

1924 - “Cabinet of Wax Figures”
1927 - “The Tenant”
1976 - “Jack the Ripper”
1988 - “Jack the Ripper”
2001 - “From Hell”
2008 - “Asylum”

Series

1995 - episode “The Inquisitor” of the TV series “Babylon 5”.
1999 - episode “The Ripper” of the series “The Outer Limits”
2001 - episode “The Knife” of the TV series “The Lost World”
2009 - “Modern Ripper”
2012 - “Ripper Street”

29 March 2017, 13:40

I don't know if anyone has made a post on Gossip Cop about Jack the Ripper. I decided to make a post about these murders after about three weeks ago, in foreign media appeared new version who the slum prostitute killer really is. And then I thought, what do I even know about these murders? I know that a certain maniac killed prostitutes in a disadvantaged area of London at the end of the 19th century. (My post contains photos and details of the crime that are not recommended for particularly impressionable people.)
According to Wikipedia: Jack the Ripper is the alias given to a serial killer who operated in Whitechapel and surrounding areas of London during the second half of 1888. The nickname is taken from a letter sent to the Central News Agency, the author of which claimed responsibility for the murders. Many experts consider the letter to be a falsification, created by journalists to stir up public interest in history. The Ripper is also known as the Whitechapel Murderer and the Leather Apron.
The victims attributed to Jack the Ripper were slum prostitutes whose throats were slashed by the killer before cutting open their abdomens. The removal of internal organs from at least three of the victims led to the assumption that the killer had certain anatomical knowledge characteristic of a professional surgeon (i.e., he was an educated person for that time). Rumors that there was a link between the murders intensified between September and October 1888, and many letters purporting to be in the killer's handwriting were received by various publishing houses and Scotland Yard.
Victims.
The exact number of Jack the Ripper victims is currently unknown and is the subject of debate and ranges from 4 to 15. However, there is a list of five "canonical" victims that most researchers and those involved in the investigation of the case agree on. In particular, the Chief Constable of the Criminal Investigation Department, Melville McKnighten, adhered to the version of the five victims. It is highly likely that Martha Tabrem also died at the hands of the killer; Inspector Abberline, one of the leaders of the investigation into the Jack the Ripper case, added her to the list of five canonical victims. On my own behalf, I will add that according to some sources (there are also such versions), the victims of the killer were children.

Mary Ann Nichols (known as "Polly"), born August 26, 1845, killed August 31, 1888. Mary Nichols' body was discovered at 3:40 am in Bucks Row (now Durward Street).
Annie Chapman (known as "Dark Annie"), born September 1841, killed September 8, 1888. Annie Chapman's body was discovered at about 6am in the back garden of 29 Hanbury Street, Spitalfields.
Elizabeth Stride (known as "Long Liz"), born in Sweden November 27, 1843, killed September 30, 1888. Stride's body was discovered at about one o'clock in the morning, in Duttlefields Yard on Berren Street, her earlobe had been cut off, as promised by the Ripper.
Catherine Eddowes, born April 14, 1842, murdered September 30, 1888, on the same day as another victim, Elizabeth Stride. Kate Eddowes' body was discovered in Miter Square at 1.45am.
Mary Jane Kelly, born in Ireland in 1863, killed November 9, 1888. Mary Kelly's mutilated corpse was found in her own room at 10:45 a.m. Mary Jane Kelly was the youngest and most attractive of all, and therefore earned more than the rest and had the opportunity to rent the room in which she was killed.
I deliberately did not include details of the murders in my post; all these victims had in common an identical method of murder - everyone’s throat was cut, and various internal organs were removed from some victims.
Murder scene. Prostitutes found their clients on Whitechapel High Street, the main street of the area, and on Fieldgate Street, which intersects with it. Having agreed on a price, the prostitute and the client found a secluded place where they could not be disturbed by some random passer-by. It was in such “secluded places” that four Ripper victims were found.

(The map shows the places where the bodies of the victims were found, do not be surprised at the 7 points, lately"The Ripper" is credited with a lot of things)
When I was preparing this post, I was faced with the fact that discrepancies occur not only in the interpretation of versions, but also a lot of unclear facts in the interpretation of police reports.
Almost a month before the series of murders, on August 10, 1888, the body of 40-year-old prostitute Martha Tabram was found in Whitechapel (39 stab wounds to the “body and private parts”). At 2.30 a.m. the constable on patrol western part Whitechapel and knew by sight many representatives of the ancient profession, saw Martha. The woman walked at a leisurely pace along Whitechapel High Street. The constable ignored her special attention, because this was a common occurrence for that time of day and place - a prostitute is looking for a client. After 1 hour and 15 minutes he came across a lifeless body lying on Gunthorpe Street, near the fence, opposite the Victorian terrace.

Mary Ann Nichols' first victim 43 year old prostitute. She had a husband and five children, but “Polly” (as her friends called her) became an alcoholic and recent years spent her life at the bottom of society. On the night of her death, she did not have enough money for a place to stay. She went out into the street, telling her friends that she would soon earn the 4 pence she was looking for “with the help of her new hat.” Her body, according to some sources, was discovered by a random passer-by and driver Charles Cross (and here the first discrepancies began. I found an article by M. Popov, who was able to synchronize those protocols that have survived to this day). At 4 a.m., Charles Cross saw a woman lying on the ground with her skirt pulled up. The driver thought that the woman had been raped and, in order not to later become the main suspect, Charles called a man passing by, he was Robert Paul. And here Cross still becomes a suspect, because... according to Robert Paul, who approached Mary Ann’s body a little later than Cross, the victim’s eyelids were still twitching, which means she was killed only a few minutes earlier, but Cross, according to him, did not notice this: “For some reason Cross strongly resisted the idea of calling police, then, citing haste, left the scene." Having met policeman (const. John Neil) on the road, Cross told him about the corpse. The oddities in Cross's behavior were never investigated by the police. Dr. Rhys Llewellyn, who arrived at the crime scene, discovered that death was caused by two huge cuts in the throat (from ear to ear), and this happened a maximum of half an hour ago, since the body was still warm. A little blood flowed out, most of it was absorbed into the clothes.

Second victim Annie Chapman. A prostitute and homeless alcoholic who suffered from tuberculosis and syphilis. At the time of her death she was not quite 47 years old and 20 years old." length of service" A few days before her death, she got into a fight with a woman over a bar of soap, got a black eye and lost her presentation" That is why, on the night of September 7-8, 1888, “Dark Annie” did not have the money to pay for the overnight stay. Annie wandered the streets in search of a "client". IN last time she was seen at 5 am, talking with some man (the witness caught only one of her remarks - “No”).
At 6 o'clock her body was found in the back yard of 29 Hanbury Street. This place is located next to the market, so in the morning it is quite lively - people go to work, carts with goods drive along the roads. Dr. Phillips, who examined the corpse, stated that the internal organs were dissected very professionally. He himself would have needed at least 15 minutes to do this in a calm environment, and most likely about an hour. He also sets the estimated time of death: 4-4.30 am. But this contradicted the testimony of witnesses. The first witness was Albert Kadesh, who lived in the house next door to the one in whose yard the murder took place. He suffered from rheumatic pains all night, and also kept the window ajar. The man claimed that he heard a woman's frightened exclamation at 5 o'clock in the morning. The second witness was Elizabeth Long. The owner of a small shop in a shopping area was passing through the ill-fated courtyard at 5:30 a.m. The woman firmly stated that she had not seen any corpse, but on the corner of the house she met the late Annie Chapman in the company of a man: “The prostitute had a nice conversation with this gentleman. He looked normal. Hat, jacket, trousers. In his hands he held a dark bag. The clothes were also dark. Nothing special. The stranger was of average height - around 5 feet and 7 or 8 inches (a foot is 30.48 cm; an inch is 2.54 cm).” It seemed to Elizabeth Long that the stranger was most likely a foreigner, perhaps Italian or French.
The murder of Annie Chapman matched the murder of Mary Ann Nichols and Scotland Yard combined the two cases into one proceeding. The investigation was led by Chief Inspector Joseph Chandler of the London Police. In his investigation, he tried to be guided by materials forensics, and not the testimony of witnesses.
First letter. Letter “Dear boss...”, dated September 25; postmarked 27 September 1888 by Central News Agency, delivered to Scotland Yard 29 September. Initially believed to be a forgery, when Eddowes was found three days after the date on the postmark with her ear partially cut off, the letter's promise to "cut off the lady's ears" came to the attention of the police. Police released the letter on October 1 in the hope that someone would be able to recognize the author's handwriting, but to no avail.
This letter was also lost, like the others. Only a copy of it was preserved in the police file.

On the night of September 29-30 on Berener Street, near a late-night eatery. The woman's body lay face down on the sidewalk. He was discovered at one in the morning by the Russian Jew Louis Demschutz (to his misfortune, he lit a match). The man saw "Long Lizzie" lying on her back on the ground. Blood was still flowing from her throat. And this meant only one thing - Demshitz involuntarily scared off the killer, preventing him from opening the victim’s stomach. Demshitz entered the diner, called two customers with him, and the three of them headed towards the body. Later, one of them ran after the police.
A doctor and local police authorities arrived at the scene of the crime and as soon as they began to examine, one of the constables patrolling the area near Miter Square, located 500 meters from Berener Street, appeared. Constable Edward Watkins, 45 minutes later, while patrolling Miter Square (a quarter of a mile from the previous crime scene), discovered the gutted corpse of Catherine Eddowes (and this time the maniac had taken the uterus and kidney).
Prostitution was not the main income for Katherine; she had three adult children, whom she left in the care of her ex-husband, and she lived with her partner. She had problems with alcohol, maybe that was what ruined her. There was no booze at home, and no money either, so Katherine decided to go to her daughter and borrow money for alcohol. On the way, she manages to get drunk (it’s unclear how without money) and end up at the police station, which, in the light of subsequent events, could easily be called a “gift of fate,” if not for the excessive talkativeness of the “detainee.” She annoyed the duty officer so much that at 12.30. night, he took her out into the street, where a little over an hour later they would find her, but already dead.
The police authorities were furious, firstly, a double murder had occurred, and secondly, at the alleged time of the crime, at least three constables were patrolling the square :) and the killer had no more than 15 minutes to do everything, and even with the presence of lighting .

On the night of the double murder, when Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes died at the hands of the Ripper, police constable Alfred Long, who discovered Catherine's body, made another discovery. He found a piece of bloody apron against the wall of one of the houses on Goulston Street, not far from the scene of the murder, and on the wall itself there was a chalk inscription with many spelling errors that read: “The Jews are not people who can be blamed for anything.” They wanted to photograph her, but Commissioner Charles Warren ordered the evidence to be erased, supposedly so that it would not provoke pogroms of the Jews. This, and the fact that the word "Jews" was misspelled (juwes), supposedly characteristic of the Freemasons, gave rise to the legend that the Ripper belonged to the "masons' lodge", and Warren - also a Freemason - defended him. But its existence became known anyway.
If previously only locals, that is, the inhabitants of the area themselves, knew about the murders in Whitechappel, because... newspapers mentioned these “incidents” in passing, but after the double murder everyone began to write about the Ripper. And the whole world learned about the Whitechappel area. A hail of criticism fell on the police. The Queen herself publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the work of the London police to the Prime Minister. On mailbox The police received a flurry of correspondence, in which some wrote on behalf of “Jack the Ripper,” while others vilified the negligent police for no reason. The police were forced to check every letter; this wasted a lot of precious time, and most importantly, human resources.

Second letter. The From Hell Letter, also known as the Lusk Letter, is postmarked October 15, received by George Lusk from the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee on October 16, 1888. Opening a small box, Lask found half a human kidney in it (according to a later statement by a medical expert, preserved in “wine alcohol” ethanol). One of Eddowes' kidneys was cut out by the killer. The letter notes that he "roasted and ate" the other half. However, there is disagreement among experts about the kidney, with some arguing that it belonged to Eddowes, while others argue that it was "a dark joke and nothing more."
DNA tests carried out on the surviving letters may provide results that shed light on the circumstances of the case. Australian professor of molecular biology Ian Findlay, examining the remains of DNA, came to the conclusion that the author of the letter was most likely a woman. It is noteworthy that even in late XIX century, among the candidates for the role of the Ripper, a certain Mary Piercy was mentioned, who was hanged for the murder of her lover’s wife in 1890. And here the question arises: where was the DNA sample taken from, if the original letters have not been preserved?

(Photo of the knife found at the scene of the murder of Catherine Eddowes)
Fifth victim. Mary Jane Kelly was 25 years old at the time of the murder and had an attractive appearance. “Colleagues at work” characterized Mary Kelly as a very strange girl. Periods of deep apathy and despondency were easily replaced in her behavior by attacks of hysterical gaiety. Her friends saw the reason for this as Mary smoking opium. Moreover, a year before tragic events 1883 The police detained Mary Kelly because she rushed at her with a razor in her hand during a quarrel with a friend in one of the bars.
On the morning of November 9 at 10.45 am, the owner of number 13 Millers Court sent his assistant Thomas Boyer to collect the rent from Kelly. The assistant touched the door, it gave way and opened, and then a monstrous picture appeared to Thomas. Mary Callie's body was brutally tortured. Internal organs were spread out around the room. The heart was missing.
This was the last victim of "Jack the Ripper".

Versions. Rumor accused Queen Victoria's grandson, Prince Albert Victor, of the series of murders. What were these suspicions based on?
According to the testimony of one prostitute (only drafts of the testimony have been preserved), on November 3, 1888: “An unknown tall man with curly hair approached on the street blond hair. He looked very respectable. He smelled of money, prosperity and nobility. He started talking to the prostitute, and then suddenly grabbed her by the throat and began to choke her. A random passer-by appeared in the distance. The man immediately loosened his grip, hit the woman on the head with the cane and ran away. The cane was not some cheap one, but with a gold knob depicting the head of a lion. This is exactly the accessory that had crown prince Albert Victor." But the thing is that any wealthy Englishman could afford to have a similar cane, and on the day of the murder of the third and fourth victims, the Prince was actually in Scotland (and during the remaining murders he was also outside London).
Sir John Williams, the surgeon who treated Queen Victoria, was accused of the murders. Hollywood combined these two versions into one (“From Hell” with the brilliant Johnny Depp and Heather Graham).
John Williams' wife, Lizzie Williams, came under suspicion. Following some incredible logic, people thought that Lizzie killed prostitutes, because... she herself could not have children.
There was a version that the “Ripper” was the 5th victim - Mary Jane Kelly. She killed her friends with particular cruelty, and in the end one of her roommates found out about this, tracked her down and dealt with her. The argument in favor of this version is that after Mary Jane's death the killings stopped.
According to one version, the mentally ill Polish emigrant Aaron Kosminsky was hiding under the name of Jack the Ripper. This version may have been confirmed by analysis of DNA samples, the results of which were published in the media in 2014. The research was carried out by Jari Louhelainen, associate professor of molecular biology at Liverpool John Moores University. He took the genetic material needed for the tests from a shawl allegedly found near the body of Catherine Eddowes, one of the victims of Jack the Ripper. This shawl, which has not been washed since the murder, was provided by businessman Russell Edwards, who bought it at auction in 2007. According to the businessman, one of the police officers working at the crime scene took the scarf home for his wife. As a result of the analyzes performed, Louhelainen, who compared the samples found on the shawl with the DNA of the descendants of the victim and the suspects in the murders, came to the conclusion that the DNA fragments found belong to Catherine Eddowes and Aaron Kosminsky.
According to Russell Edwards, who published a book about his investigation, Naming Jack the Ripper, in 2014, serial killer worked as a hairdresser in the Whitechapel area of London. Kosminsky was one of the suspects in the Whitechapel murders, but police were never able to prove his guilt. At the time of the first crimes (in 1888), Kosminsky was 23 years old. Later, Kosminsky was also accused of trying to kill his sister, was declared mentally ill and was sent to prison in 1891. compulsory treatment, spending the rest of his life in psychiatric clinics. The murders never happened again. The results of the research by Edwards and Louhelainen were not properly published and were not subjected to scientific peer review, and the correctness of the conclusions of genetic examinations also raised questions among experts.

"Irises", Van Gogh.
The author of the book "Vincent, nicknamed Jack" Dale Larner compared the facts known about mysterious Jack The Ripper, with some facts concerning the great artist Van Gogh, and came to the conclusion that this is the same person. According to the author, Van Gogh “hid” the image of the Ripper’s victim in one of his paintings. Dale Larner found outlines in Van Gogh’s painting “Irises” that resemble the position of the body and mutilated face of one of Jack the Ripper’s victims, Mary Kelly. Secondly, similarities were discovered in the spelling of some letters taken from the letters of Van Gogh and the Ripper. Thirdly, according to Larner, a connection was found between the date of the murders and the birthday of Vincent van Gogh’s mother - four victims of the London killer were discovered a few days before the birthday of the painter’s mother (she was born on September 10). In addition, the Dutch artist moved from Holland to London at the age of 20. A dismembered female body was fished out of the Thames just a couple of months after his arrival. This was the first murder. The second followed another nine months later, just when Vincent was rejected by his landlord's daughter. Between September 24 and December 23, 1888, Jack the Ripper wrote numerous letters to the police. The longest break was five days. The next period of writing messages was December 23, 1888 - January 8, 1889. The break was 16 days. And on December 23, Vincent Van Gogh cut off his ear in an attack of schizophrenia. He remained in the hospital until January 7, from where he could not send a letter. At the age of 37 in 1890, Vincent van Gogh committed suicide.
And here is the version that prompted me to write this post. Crime writer from the USA Patricia Cornwell in her book “Portrait of a Murderer: Jack the Ripper. Case closed" suggested that Walter Stikkert may have been involved in the Whitechapel murders. This version is “young” from 1993. According to various sources, Cornwell spent about $5 million on her research. Cornwell (according to some sources) bought 32! Stikkert's paintings and his desk. What is her version based on?

Here is an excerpt from an article by Trevor Marriott. Cornwell came up with the idea because Sickert, as his son revealed on a BBC television program twenty years ago, was involved with Prince Albert Victor and senior government officials at the time of the murders.
According to Cornwell, Sickert rented several premises in the slums of the East End. This has not been proven, but the author knows that he rented premises in Camden Town, north London. Sickert's models were poor, unattractive female prostitutes. One of these paintings, which aroused Cornwell's suspicions, was called "Murder in Camdentown".

The scene depicted by the artist was similar to the murder scene of Mary Kelly, according to photographs taken by police. However, this picture, like other similar works by Sickert, was painted only many years after the Whitechapel nightmare, when anyone could see photographs from the scene of Kelly's murder.
But Cornwell’s greatest suspicions arose after studying the letters of numerous “Rippers”. The sender has repeatedly stated that he despises prostitutes and wants to cleanse the world of them. Cornwell suggested that Sickert had ample reason to hate prostitutes: his grandmother was one when she worked in a dance establishment, and her daughter, Sickert's mother, was illegitimate. In the Victorian era, there was an opinion that if a girl worked as a prostitute, then she had a genetic defect that was inherited. According to Cornwell, Sickert was born with a genetic defect of the penis, which is why he adolescence he needed surgery.
According to the writer, this would prevent him from having children. She had no direct evidence linking Sickert to the Whitechapel murders. But that didn't stop her from speculating that he might be the Ripper.

Cornwell believed she would find confirmation of her theory if she obtained DNA traces left on letters allegedly sent by the Ripper. Despite the fact that many considered absolutely all the letters to be fakes, she still came to London with a group of forensic experts. There she was given permission to study letters from the State Archives. However, she discovered that they had been sealed in plastic for preservation, which destroyed the original DNA. No traces of DNA were found on any of them. But Corunell did not give up. She did find a letter, which, oddly enough, was not transferred to the archives, avoided contact with hot plastic and was suitable for DNA testing. The first test showed that there were no traces of primary DNA left on the letter. But Cornwell noticed something that no one had noticed - the watermark of Pirie and Sons, a manufacturer of first-class stationery of the time. In Sickert's archives, Cornwell found information that in 1888 the artist used exactly these stationery. After examining other letters from the archive, she discovered four more watermarks that could also be found on the stationery of Sickert and his wife. Wanting Sickert's DNA, Cornwell purchased one of his paintings, cut it up, examined the canvas and frame for fingerprints or blood, but found nothing. She also found nothing on his drawing table.
After the first analysis did not reveal DNA particles on the unsealed letter, Cornwell's team decided to look for secondary, or mitochondrial, DNA on the letter. And they did it! Traces of secondary DNA were also found on Sickert's letters, but it was a mixture of DNA different people. There were slight similarities between the secondary DNA on the Ripper letter and the Sickert letters. Cornwell suggested that the mitochondrial DNA particles from Sickert and the Ripper belonged to the same person, but experts disagreed with her.
So is there any evidence to refute Cornwell's theory that Sickert was the Ripper? Well, there are unconfirmed reports that Sickert was not in the country at all when some of the murders took place. He is said to have been painting in France from August to October 1888, although Cornwell claims that he was a secretive man and that even his close friends did not know where he was at any given time. But she has no evidence. But the writer claims that “The case is closed” and “If you have evidence of Stikkert’s non-involvement, bring it to me.”