Ripperologist 77: March 2007

[Adam Wood]

Published early due to a convention of Rip editors in Kenya, Ripperologist 77 brings you a veritable feast of Ripper news and views, starting with Chris George weighing up entertainment and ‘Ripper events' in his editorial, The Trials of James Maybrick.

Don Souden counts the visitors to Millers Court on the night of Mary Kelly’s murder in A Parade before the Lord Mayor’s?, while Chris George returns to report on the life of the coroner at James Maybrick’s inquest.

We remember David Radka and his A?R theory in our illustrated obituary, and bring you news of a headstone for Inspector Abberline's grave, plus the latest on the auction of Catherine Eddowes's alleged shawl.

With regular columns by Jane Coram, Chris Scott and Wilf Gregg, Rip 77 is jam-packed with goodness, with plenty left over for seconds.

And in Rip 78, coming in April, we feature Andy Aliffe attempting to shed light on a decidedly shady character, plus Keith Skinner and Adam Wood turning the pages of a real Whitechapel journal from 1888.

Subscribe now! Six all-colour issues, so regular you can set your watch by them, delivered to your email inbox for just £12.

www.ripperologist.info

[Howard Brown]

In this issue of the Rip...Don Souden returns to Millers Court for an indepth look into the volume of men who were sighted in or near that little cul de sac off of Dorset Street.

Several issues are mentioned within this article...the issue of the locked door...the issue of Bowyer taking what can be considered liberties with Ms.Kelly's privacy...Hutchinson's reason for being in the Court....Mrs.Prater's and Sarah Lewis's "man problems" at home...and also a census report provided by Sam Flynn on the 17 households within this little plot o' Earth known as Millers Court. Tenants of the English,Irish,Jewish persuasions and even a boarder named Hooker (Henry and his clan...)

I personally question the act of removing a rag from a lady's broken window to obtain a response from said lady after said lady doesn't answer the door in a satisfactory manner. To me it might appear that Kelly was not given the benefit of the doubt of being out and about before the time of the arrival of McCarthy's underling to offer up her late doss money....money that was already in arrears and from a lodger from whom being late in their rent was almost a "given" by this time. So what made this time,on Nov.9th, different? Could this intrusion have occurred because McCarthy more or less knew Kelly hadn't passed his way from the court out onto Dorset Street?

Don's article reminded me of another element in the Hutchinson story and his presence in the Court. If, as probably is true,he was not in possession of enough doss money at the time to enter the Victoria Home on Commercial Street....Hutchinson is in a peculiar place looking for money to do just that. The Victoria Woirkingman's Home is several streets south of Dorset Street. Would a location closer to the Home not seem better to rustle up enough money for the night? Certainly some overhead shelter could have been found in the cold and rain of the evening closer to his Commercial Street abode.

In addition within Don's article ( and new to me at least...) is the fact that three Ripper suspects all lived at the Victoria Home. ( perhaps Don can clarify if this was at the same time...).

Daniel Barnett ( as suggested by Mark Madden,researcher)...Joseph Fleming ( probably,but not definitely, interrogated by the police,after his name was offered up by yet another suspect,Joe Barnett) and George Hutchinson,whose candidature needs no introduction,being theorized as Jack The Ripper from more than one author.

Adding "Blotchy Faced Man" and the "Astrakhan Man" to the list shows that Millers Court was more than and not just a dark,sinister alleyway on one of the area's most dangerous streets. It might have been a well traveled thoroughfare at all times of the night,if we take into consideration the weather for the evening of the 8th.

This is not to say that all of these individuals mentioned made their way through the cul de sac on the eve of MJK's gruesome butchery...but that one may never know if Jack The Ripper was not already in one of the 17 households...visiting perhaps...and on the way home spied a now disengaged prostitute saying good night to a previous client...and made the first step toward the door of 13 Millers Court on the last night of Mary Kelly's life.

Anyone else care to discuss this,in my opinion,excellent compendium of different aspects of the Millers Court murder?


Thanks to The Rip and Sam Flynn for providing the census report of Court dwellers.

[SirRobertAnderson]

...... Millers Court was more than and not just a dark,sinister alleyway on one of the area's most dangerous streets. It might have been a well traveled thoroughfare at all times of the night,if we take into consideration the weather for the evening of the 8th.



Hey How -- I've always maintained that the Kelly murder was the riskiest of Jack's kills. Don's excellent piece reinforced to my mind that Jack was taking one hell of a chance of getting seen exiting or worse, cornered, in that room. It was a busy place 24/7 .

[Howard Brown]

Sir Robert:

Actually I was just going to put up a list of "items" that made Hanbury Street seem a little worse than before...but yeah,thats the beauty of Ripperology...that two people can envision one scenario and all it entailed being more risky ( I put Tabram/George Yard up there at the top with Chapman's murder) than another person's perspective.

I'll tell you this...it certainly is riskier now to me after seeing all the men who lived in that yard and being aware of them being there.

I think we get into this "suspect hypnosis" phase or frame of mind and often only focus on Barnett...what we was he doing at the time...Hutch and his memory...the Astrakhan Man....all that and overlook the trees within the forest. That Sam Flynn's census report was put inclusive to the article made that happen with me.

You know what they say about ....a cut off a sliced loaf is never missed. Think of it in reverse for a moment.

How I mean that in the case of Millers Court,is that so many men lived in the cul de sac....that one more local-looking fellow being in the court would have probably gone unnoticed unless it was being looked for.

[Tom_Wescott]

Man, I'm glad you rejuvenated this thread. Reminds me I need to read #77. When I got it, I was still working on #76! One could argue that Buck's Row was the riskiest. After all, before the Ripper could finish two dudes and a cop came along. Personally, my money is on Chapman as the riskiest for even just a murder, let alone a mutilation, for the simple fact that a person could have been watching him silently from a window and he wouldn't have known. At the other sites, he would have at least have been aware of a witness.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Howard Brown]

Tom:

I was in the process of making a thread ( on the Murder Sites:Hanbury Street) as you made your post.

The window factor is definitely an indicator of the risk....and not to argue or use it to debate your view on who was running the show...I think that the windows,possibly without shades drawn and possibly being opened ( early September isn't Winter ) further point to the pross being the shepherd to the Ripper.

[Tom_Wescott]

You're saying that prostitutes took their johns to the worst locales and not the best? Previously, you'd argued just the opposite.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Howard Brown]

You're saying that prostitutes took their johns to the worst locales and not the best? Previously, you'd argued just the opposite. -Tom

Good question Tom. But I think they took them to the best possible place,which in this case would mean the lesser of two evils.

That Chapman took him there may have been her perception of what was the best ,I don't know buddy. It certainly doesn't seem to be a "good place" to conduct a sexual encounter. However,its been stated that the backyard of 29 had been used for liasons,so perhaps, with this awareness of 29's "history" for being a pitstop for prosses and clients,Chapman opted for that.

That she could have found a better possible place is not contested by me. But I don't believe they wasted much time in this activity by walking around and going "eenie meenie miney mo" to several different possible locales.

So...just maybe,as I tend to believe,Chapman chose what she felt was the best of all possible worlds by making that choice. Convienient to her,known to her,and with no concept of what was to come.

Does it really seem like a good place for a "cool and cunning...planning killer.." to select a building with several windows and possibly some open? I think that building was a "Jesus,Joseph,and Mary" ( 3 stories ) wasn't it? Thats several windows on each side.

The alternative to all this,Tom....is that regardless of where Chapman took him,the murder would still have at least been attempted,probably committed,and perhaps similar to how the murder went down in 29.

I only think the victim led the Ripper to the location and from that point on,it was his ballgame.

[Tom_Wescott]

Perhaps standing up against the building for sex would make you invisible to those looking out their windows. Obviously, sprawling a woman on the ground to cut her up would not be so invisible.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Howard Brown]

Perhaps standing up against the building for sex would make you invisible to those looking out their windows. Obviously, sprawling a woman on the ground to cut her up would not be so invisible. -Tom

Exactly,Tom. Maybe even in the loo? Maybe in the space where she was found,but up against the fence.

There's no doubt,pal...its a bad choice all the way around. But in the sake of expediency,I think...just an opinion...that that is what transpired.

So...anyone else have some comments about issue 77 ?

Thanks !