Jack the Ripper

Jack the Ripper is probably the most well known true crime case out there. It’s probably accurate to say that a Jack the Ripper history project assigned when we were twelve/thirteen is the reason we love true crime as much as we do. 

Graphic descriptions of gore ahead.

Jack the Ripper was a serial killer who operated on and around the streets of Whitechapel, London in 1888. Jack the Ripper was never identified and it is thought to have killed five women (known as the canonical five) but the number could be higher or lower. Jack the Ripper’s victims were identified by the rather horrific way they were mutilated, causing many people to think that the murderer had anatomical knowledge. 

The canonical five, Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly were murdered between the 31st August and the 9th November 1888. 

Mary Ann Nichols 

The first of Jack the Ripper’s canonical victims was Mary Ann “Polly” Nichols, who was found at 3:40 am on the 31st of August in Buck’s Row, Whitechapel. Nichols’ throat was severed by two deep cuts, one so deep that it cut down to the vertebrae. She had been stabbed twice in her genitals, and her lower abdomen was cut open, allowing her bowels to spill out. There were several other incisions along her sides, made by the same knife. 

Nichols was found by two delivery men, Charles Cross and Robert Paul. Unsure on whether she was dead or drunk, they adjusted her skirts to protect her modesty and carried on walking to work, both planning to inform the first policeman they came across. 

Not long after, Police Constable John Neil came across Nichols’ body. In the light of his lamp, PC Neil could see blood oozing from Nichols’ throat. He calls for backup and at 4 am, the doctor pronounces Mary Ann Nichols dead and due to the warmth in her body, could not have been dead for more than half an hour. It is theorised that the murderer was still around when Charles Cross came across the body. 

Annie Chapman

Annie Chapman was found at 6 am in the yard of 29 Hanbury Street, Spitalfields. A resident of the address found Chapman lying on the ground. Her throat was cut twice and her abdomen had been completely cut open, with a section of the flesh from her stomach being placed on her left shoulder and part of her lower intestines placed above her right. The doctor also confirmed that her uterus, genitals and parts of her bladder had been removed. 

Elizabeth Stride

In the early hours of the 30th of September, Elizabeth Stride was the first of two victims. Stride was found at 1 am by Louis Diemschultz in Dutfield’s Yard, Whitechapel. Stride’s death was different to the two previous victims, the cause being one singular cut across her neck, deep enough to sever her trachea and carotid. As Stride was not mutilated to the same degree as the other victims, it is thought that the murderer was interrupted. 

Catherine Eddowes

The fourth victim, Catherine Eddowes, was found just forty-five minutes after Elizabeth Stride, at 1:45 am on the 30th of September. 

At around 8:30 pm, a few hours before, Eddowes was arrested, she was too drunk to tell the police where she lived and thus, was taken to the station to sober up. At around 12:55 am, she was deemed sober enough to make her own way home. At 1:45 am, Eddowes was found in Mitre Square, City of London. Eddowes’ throat was cut and her abdomen was ripped open with long, jagged cuts. Her intestines had been placed over her right shoulder. Her left kidney and a large part of her uterus had been removed. Her face had also been mutilated and part of her ear was found on her clothing. 

It is known that Jack the Ripper headed east after killing Eddowes, as part of her bloodied apron was found in Goulston Street, Whitechapel at 2:55 am. It is thought that the killer lived in Whitechapel and was heading home. Strangely, the killer seemed to have passed by several police officers on his way. 

Mary Jane Kelly

Mary Jane Kelly was the last of the canonical five. She was found in her own bed in Dorset Street, Spitalfields at 10:45 am on the 9th November. She was excessively mutilated. Her face had been cut beyond recognition. Her throat had been severed down to her spine and her abdomen almost emptied of organs. Her uterus, kidneys and one of her breasts had been placed next to her head and other organs placed by her foot, with sections of her abdomen and thighs on the bedside table. Her heart was missing. 

Other Murders

There have been many other deaths and murders that some have thought to be the work of Jack the Ripper, from Whitechapel to the United States. However, many of them were dismissed as they did not follow the pattern of a deep cut to the throat and abdominal mutilations. Some murders, such as the murder of Martha Tabram, were considered by the police of the time to be Jack the Ripper victims, but have been widely dismissed since.

The Letters

The police, newspapers and other organisations related to the case received hundreds of letters. Most were hoaxes, but some held information, others claimed that the sender was the killer. Three of these are thought to be the actual killer.

The first letter, now known as the ‘Dear Boss’ letter, dated the 25th September 1888 arrived at the Central News Agency on the 27th. It was forwarded to Scotland Yard but was ultimately thought of as a hoax until Catherine Eddowes body was found. In the letter, the sender had promised to “clip the lady’s ears off”. Eddowes’ ear had been cut. However, the follow-up threat of sending the ears to the police was not followed through. The letter was signed Jack the Ripper and is where the murderer got his name. 

The next Jack the Ripper letter arrived on the 1st of October at the Central News Agency and is known as the ‘Saucy Jack’ postcard. The handwriting was similar to the ‘Dear Boss’ letter and made mention of both Stride and Eddowes murder, mentioning that it had been a “double event this time”. It is unknown when the postcard was written, but it was postmarked twenty-four hours after the news had been published. 

The other letter from the murderer is known as the ‘From Hell’ letter. Unlike the other two pieces of post, this was received by George Lusk, leader of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee on the 16th of October. The handwriting did not match the previous two letters but was signed by Jack the Ripper. With the letter, Lusk received half a kidney preserved in alcohol. The letter claimed that the sender had fried and eaten the other half. Doctor Openshaw of the London Hospital, determined that the kidney was a human’s left kidney, but could not identify anything further than that. 

Many people don’t think these letters were written by the killer and were written to keep the public’s attention on the story. In 1931, a journalist named Fred Best reportedly admitted to writing the letters. 

There are many theories as to who Jack the Ripper was, from doctors to barbers to butchers. Some people even theorise that Jack the Ripper was actually a woman, a midwife. Another theory was that Jack the Ripper was the Royal doctor, performing abortions on women that had spent time with Prince Albert. At one point, it was thought to have been solved by DNA evidence, but it proved to be a mistake. Jack the Ripper remains one of the biggest mysteries in British history and one that fascinates true crime fans across the world.