Pratt & Butcher's Magic Oil

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

In various 1859 editions of the Auburn [NY] Journal the following ad appeared—

"$1000 reward will be paid for any medicine that will excel Pratt & Butcher's Magic Oil." It was a liniment which cured anything from backache and frosted feet to toothache.

In various 1868 editions of the Utica [NY] Daily Observer this ad appeared—

"NEW MEDICAL BOOK—On the symptoms, causes and consequences of all diseases of imprudence, errors of youth, premature decay, and the special maladies of women, with sure remedies for each. Sent free in plain, sealed envelope, with the highest testimonials, by enclosing a postage stamp and the name of this paper to Dr. Lawrence . . . ."

What struck me about these two ads was that Pratt & Butcher's principal office was at 206 Washington Street, Brooklyn NY, smack dab next door to Tumblety's 1889 lodgings with Mrs Helen Lamb at No. 204.

And Dr Lawrence was at 81 E 10th Street, New York, smack dab next door to Tumblety's lodgings with Mrs McNamara at No. 79.

Can this be a coincidence?

Regards,

Simon

[Joe Chetcuti]

I take it that Dr. Lawrence was living or working at 81 East 10th Street during the time he placed these ads in the Utica Daily Observer during 1868.

This is where the "Tumblety Timeline" comes in handy. Just by reviewing "1868" on the Timeline, we see that Tumblety had advertised in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on June 16, 1868. At that time, his office was near the Taylor Hotel in Jersey City, NJ.

Were Dr. Lawrence's ads printed in the Utica newspaper on or close to June 16, 1868? If so, then that would be a strike against Dr. Lawrence and Tumblety having been the same man.

[Joe Chetcuti]

"When (Tumblety and I) came back to New York my uncle M. O'Brian, a produce merchant, 209 Washington street, said I could not roam around any more, but I must stay at home with my sisters. I worked as a shipping clerk for my uncle and (Tumblety) used to come to see me very often." - Martin McGarry quoted in the Dec 5, 1888 New York World.

We always wondered if that 209 Washington Street address was in Manhattan or Brooklyn. If it was in Brooklyn, then Tumblety would have been quite familiar with that area when he hid out there at Mrs. Lamb's place in January 1889.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Joe,

Just for you.

New York Evening Telegram, 29th May 1878—

4985

Regards,

Simon

[How Brown]

Very good find Simon:kiss:

Joe:

Why not drop Stan Russo or Bob Anderson a line on whether this street was in Manhattan or Brooklyn. They live in New York,

[Simon Wood]

Hi Howard,

There's a Washington Street in the Lower West Side, Manhattan, and one in Brooklyn. And just for good measure there's one in Hoboken, New Jersey.

I'm going to put a dollar on M O'Brien being in the Lower West Side, seeing as that was where the city's main produce market, Washington Market, was located.

Regards,

Simon

[Joe Chetcuti]

I see that The New York World mis-spelled the name O'Brien.

Martin McGarry didn't tell us which "Washington Street" he was referring to, but it looks pretty apparent now that he was talking about the one in Manhattan.

That has always been a bit of mystery. I'm glad it's solved.

[SirRobertAnderson]

I'm going to put a dollar on M O'Brien being in the Lower West Side, seeing as that was where the city's main produce market, Washington Market, was located.



I'd go with Manhattan as well. It was near the Fulton Street Fish Market, and was demolished to make way for the World Trade Center.

It was BIG.

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

New York World, 4th December 1888—

"Dr. Twomblety's cab stopped at Fourth Avenue and 10th street, where the doctor got out, paid the driver and stepped briskly up the steps of No. 75 East Tenth street, the Arnold House. He pulled the bell, and, as no one came, he grew impatient and walked a little further down the street to No. 81. Here there was another delay in responding to his summons, and he became impatient that he tried the next house No. 79. This time there was a prompt answer to his ring and he entered. It was just 2:20 when the door closed on Dr. Twomblety and he has not been seen since."

Note that Dr T did not call at No. 77 East Tenth Street.

Rochester Democrat and Republican, 3rd December 1888—

Lawyer William P Burr, 320 Broadway NY, stated, "At this time [1880] he [Tumblety] kept an herb store, or something of that sort, at No. 77 East Tenth street."

Regards,

Simon

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

Were 'Doctor Ricord' and 'Doctor Jacques' Tumblety trade names?

Martin H. McGarry said about working for Tumblety, "It was July 1882, that I applied for work at No. 7 University Place . . . We walked upstairs to his room, and he told me all about himself. . ."

At this time it was the address of aged millionaire spinster Sarah Burr [living upstairs all her life] and John H. Mueller [living downstairs since 1860]. Brooklyn Eagle, 29th November 1882.

But—

Rochester Union & Advertiser, November 1878—

5213

New York Sun, 5th July 1881—

5214

Everything about Dr T is tinged with strangeness.

Regards,

Simon

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

I'm going to bet a dollar on Doctor Ricord being one of Tumblety's trade names.

Dr T claimed to have been awarded the Legion d'Honneur by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte; also to have been awarded the Brittany Cross for his devoted service in the ambulance corps during the siege of Paris.

In 1862 Doctor Phillipe Ricord was appointed physician in ordinary to Prince Napoleon. On October 26, 1869, he was named consulting surgeon to Napoleon III. In 1871 he was made Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor for his services in the ambulance corps during the siege of Paris.

Regards,

Simon

[How Brown]

Great stuff Simon !

I wonder if Tim or Wolf V have seen this possible connection as well.

It sure sounds like Tumblety to me.

[Nemo]

That's an excellent supposition Simon and a very likely one I think

The adverts don't really sound like one of his herbal remedies to me though

From all the Tumblety adverts I've seen so far, he seems quite consistent in offering aid to "corrupted" youths and for "women's troubles" using "nature's garden" to supply the raw materials

That one particular advert sounds a bit like an aphrodisiac to me

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

The plot thickens.

New York Times, 22nd March 1884—

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/RICORD201.jpg

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/RICORD202.jpg

He was operating just 14 doors up from Mrs McNamara at 79 E 10th Street.

[In London, 1872, Dr. J. L. Kahn of the Anatomical Museum, Tichborne Street, had been summoned for "unlawfully selling and uttering publicly a certain lewd and wicked book entitled The Philosophy of Marriage." But the doctor had got out of Dodge before the hearing at Marlborough Street court, and was not in the country. Over forty exhibits from the Anatomical Museum were seized and destroyed].

So maybe there was some truth in Tumblety having collected uteri and such.

Almost a year later came a not unsurprising Tumblety-ish turn of events.

New York Times, 17th February 1885—

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/JACQUES20ACQUITTED.jpg

But in the midst of all this skullduggery there was a real Dr. Joseph Jacques.

New York Times, 27th May 1899—

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/JACQUES20FUNERAL.jpg

It looks as though Tumblety operated under a number of different trade names, and had no reservations about using one to promote another.

Boston Investigator, 21st June 1882—

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/BOSTON20INVESTIGATOR202120JUNE20188.jpg


And who were H.H. Warner? Where were they based?

Milwaukee Daily Sentinel, 22nd January 1880—

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/MILWAUKEE20DAILY20SENTINEL202220JAN.jpg

Rochester, New York. Where else?

Warner's Safe Kidney and Liver Cure was formerly "Dr Craig's Kidney Cure". And where were Dr Craig's offices?

The Congregationalist [Boston], 26th June 1878—

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/CRAIG201.jpghttp://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/CRAIG202.jpg


University Place, New York. Where else?

Regards,

Simon

[Nemo]

Amazing

I was reading how prolific these quacks were in Rochester

Could it be a case of one quack aiding the other with the testimonials etc?

They were certainly rivals in the efficiency of their cures, but they may also have been part of a community of showmen/circus people and the like who together preyed on "tourists" and were not averse to doing one another a favour

[Simon Wood]

Hi Nemo,

Glad you enjoyed it. In this instance I get the feeling it was one quack helping himself with the testimonials. "One for all, and all for me" he was heard to cry.

It has always seemed to me that Dr T amassing $138,000 in cash [$32,000,000 today] plus bonds and diamonds, would have required him to sell more than just pimple banisher.

At the start of this thread I identified advertisements from Pratt & Butchers and a Doctor Lawrence operating from premises adjacent to known Tumblety addresses. If we add to these Dr. Ricord, Dr Jacques, Dr. Craig and H.H. Warner & Co we begin to see that Tumblety was masterminding an empire, and I think even more names will start falling out of the woodwork.

There's still some mileage to be had from the Dr. Khan Anatomy Museums in London and New York angle. I'm convinced there's a Tumblety connection in there somewhere, so I'm off now with my pick and shovel to do a spot of digging.

Regards,

Simon

[Nemo]

There was an anatomy museum in that building in Rochester where Tumblety worked circa 1856

I read that a lot of his money came from shrewd investments

Strange that he was short of £2 while in the UK

Keep up the good work Simon - absolutely fascinating stuff

[SirRobertAnderson]

It looks as though Tumblety operated under a number of different trade names, and had no reservations about using one to promote another.



In all seriousness, this guy was too busy to be a serial killer. He was a non-stop grifter of the highest order.

[How Brown]

Dear Simon:

I went back a few years and found this.

Its from December 19,1844 ( Eighteen Forty-Four) and found in the New York Herald

[How Brown]

Here's another one from March 1st, 1845 ( New York Weekly Herald )

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/march201184520weekly20herald2020NY.jpg

[Simon Wood]

Hi Howard,

Thanks for those. Great minds think alike.

I think I've found the Tumblety trade link with London. If I'm right we can put him just over a mile from Whitechapel.

I burned the midnight oil on this, so I'm going to have a nap now before posting a full account.

See you later.

Regards,

Simon

[How Brown]

Dear Napster;

Here is a caricature of the Dr.Philippe Ricord who was not a quack at all and in fact learned his medicine here in Philadelphia.

Links or connections between Tumblety & Ricord include:

1. Philadelphia
2. Baltimore ( Ricord's birthplace)
3. Paris ( Tumblety claimed, but Ricord WAS at the Seige of Paris)
4. New York

[How Brown]

Not to forget that Tumblety liked to be known as the "Great American Herb Doctor".....while Ricord was referred to as the "Great American Doctor". He was one of the most decorated men in Europe, more than 200 crosses,medals,insignias,and emblems to his name. He was born 15 minutes before the turn of the 19th century.

Ricord was considered among the first,if not first, to employ mouth to mouth resuscitation...

He was the first to suggest periodical vaginal exams for women and the developer of the classification of the three stages of syphilis, which he proved was different from gonorrhea.

[Joe Chetcuti]

I must say that this thread is in the running for "Thread of the Year."

Three key points to remember:

* The July 5, 1881 NY Sun had a man calling himself Dr. Ricord who worked out of the same address where McGarry claimed to have met Tumblety a year later.

* Simon teaches us that in 1871, the real Doctor Phillipe Ricord was made Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor for his services in the ambulance corps during the siege of Paris.

* The March 22, 1884 NY Times reported that a man named Joseph Jacques used the alias Dr. Ricord.


I think we should leave open the possibility that more than one quack could have used this alias.

Thanks for sharing your research with us, Simon.

[How Brown]

I think we should leave open the possibility that more than one quack could have used this alias. -Joltin Joe C

Beat me to it,old man. Thats what I had intended to put on one of the two or three posts this morning...that the Dr. Ricord that Simon found is the Quack and the one I found is the Real Le McCoy....from Baltimore going back into the pre-1850's.

But...does the possiblity exist that the one I found from 1844-1845 was also a Quack well before the 1870's using the REAL Dr. Ricord's name ?

Of particular interest to me and Nina has been the Siege of Paris link to the two.

Tumblety, ever the liar, claims he served there ( See Tim Riordan's work in the June 2008 Ripperologist article)....but Ricord really was there...

[How Brown]

Simon,Joe,all...

Doing a double take here, I noticed the name of the "school" that this quack Louis Kahn/Jacques/Ricord in 1881 is alleged to have hailed from...

Its the same school as the one the phony Philadelphia based "diploma mill" doctor, John Buchanan ran in the 1870's and 1880's. There's a lot of information on Buchanan here on the Forums.

Tumblety and Buchanan were in Philadelphia at approximately the same time. I need to get myself over to that Buchanan thread and get the exact dates

[How Brown]

Philadelphia Inquirer, August 5, 1880... Page 3- Spaniard in Barcelona recieves diploma in the mail erroneously,turns it in to proper authorities who are sent to re-arrest the already "on bail" John Buchanan, owner of the Eclectic Medical College of Pa. Buchanan's bail was $ 12,000.

[Joe Chetcuti]

Post 10 shows a clip from the New York Sun.

Simon, see if you can get a hold of the January 29, 1889 New York Evening Sun. That issue supposedly talked of Tumblety, but I've never been able to read it.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Howard and Joe,

"I think we should leave open the possibility that more than one quack could have used this alias."

I agree. Nothing is set in stone. So far all we have is a tangle of coincidental addresses, names and pseudonyms connected with patent medicines.

The equation goes like this—

In July 1881 the NY Sun met a man calling himself Doctor Ricord working out of 7 University Place, New York.

In July 1882 Martin McGarry claimed that Tumblety had rooms at 7 University Place, New York.

In March 1884 the NYT reported that a man named Joseph Jacques used the alias Dr. Ricord.

Various advertisements for Doctor Ricord's restored manhood product listed the agent as Jos. Jacques, 7 University Place, New York.

Doctor Ricord and Joseph Jacques were names being used by Lewis J. Kahn, who also used the name Lewis J. Jordan. In London, 1872, Dr L.J. Kahn, founder of the Anatomical Museum, narrowly missed being prosecuted for publishing "pornography".

The equation got a further twist when Joseph Jacques endorsed the products of H.H. Warner. Hulbert Harrington Warner was a multi-millionaire patent medicine magnate from Rochester, NY, Tumblety's home town.

5231

So far all of this has a certain symmetry, so let's push our luck and see where it leads.

Tumblety had business interests in England.

So did H.H. Warner. His patent medicine empire spanned the globe, with offices in Australia, Canada, India, Germany and England.

From 31st August 1881 to 31st August 1888 total US sales amounted to $9,358,303.77 with profits of $3,035,682.37. From 31st August 1883 to the same end period Canadian earnings were $437,993.16 with profits of $55,242.65.

Warner's English branch opened in 1886, taking a page-length advertising column in The Times. In December 1887 his London premises were damaged by fire, but in the three years to December 1888 earnings totaled £118,707.01 [$593,505].

Tumblety, who crossed the Atlantic on regular occasions, would have been hard-pressed to match Warner's earnings on sales of his pimple cream, so was he perhaps working for Warner? This would certainly have accounted for his lavish lifestyle.

H.H. Warner's premises were at 47 Farringdon Street [about a mile from Whitechapel]. In 1889 he decided to sell his operation to an English consortium. A new company [H.H. Warner and Company Limited] was formed, with Warner himself retaining an interest.

Two of the English Board of Directors had tenuous Ripper connections—

The Chairman was The Rt. Hon., the Earl of Crawford, who wrote to Robert Anderson introducing an unknown woman with information about the Whitechapel Murders, and another member of the board was Sir Charles Edward Howard Vincent, Director of the CID from 1878 to 1884.

I shall keep digging.

Regards,

Simon

[How Brown]

That we could only determine the names of the two men who bailed him out...:banghead:

Simon: The Earl of Crawford you've mentioned here is the same (Balcarres )who was mistakingly thought to have written the Dec. 1st PMG article which RDS wrote and had some connection to a Druitt related story,isn't he?

Great stuff.

[Nemo]

Some great posts on this thread

I wonder if Pratt had any connection with this "Astral" lamp oil -

http://www.oldpostcards.com/t/tc000901.html

[R.J.Palmer]

University Place.

I haven't read all this thread, but let me assure you that Ricord and Tumblety are not the same man. 'Dr. Ricord' (an alias that borrows the name of a 18th/19th Century gynocologist) was one of the aliases of Louis Jordan, alias Kahn, alias Jordain, alias Jacques, (as well as other aliases), one of four British brothers who were infamous in the 19th Century for their 'anatomical' museums. These were grotesque peep-shows that linked anatomical specimens with pornography and degrading views of women, and have often been cited by feminist historians as precursors to crimes such as the 'Ripper' murders. The four brothers were also frequently in trouble with the police for various offenses, including malpractice and providing abortions.

The important point is that 'Jordain' continued at this addresss until late 1881 or early 1882, at which time Tumblety took over the same office. 'Jordain's' name can be found in the NYC directories at this address. That is not all. Tumblety also lived two doors down from another one of these anatomical museums (also run by one of the 'Jordain' brothers) when he lived in San Francisco in 1870. If I recall, it was under the name 'Dr. Kahn.' He (Tumblety) was virtually next door to it. So there does appear to be a yet unclear connection between Tumblety and these anatomical museums...a very odd connection for a man who would later be linked to the Whitechapel murders.

Yet, because of the well-publicized account by Charles Dunham (ie., the infamous uteri collection) so-called "Ripperologists," especially those cynical of the Tumblety theory, have been quick to dismiss the idea that Tumblety really COULD have had an unhealthy view of female sexuality. In point of fact, there is substantial evidence that he did frequent museums of this sort, rubbed elbows with their owners, and perpetuated their disturbing ideas about female sexuality.

I've been researching this connection for several years, and have a large file on 'Jordain' and his brothers, but nowadays I usually avoid any discussions about Tumblety on the internet. Instead, I will publish my 'thesis' when I am ready to do so. Why? Because, in the past, it has been virtually impossible to try to discuss Tumblety in any intellectual manner, without one or two people quickly appearing on the scene to call the Tumbletyists liars, fools, and hooligans, or to talk about the 'myth' of Tumblety, or to dismiss it all as misinformation and 'nonsense.' Serious discussion cannot thrive in such an environment. These are complex issues that cannot be reduced to sound bytes, superficial interpretations, or name calling--particularly by those who haven't even adequately researched the issues involved.

Simply put, Tumblety is an extremely easy man to misinterpret, and my position is that 'Ripperologists' are misinterpretting him, and misinterpretting him badly. This is not really entirely their fault; he is a confusing figure, and we are handicapped by the fact that we have to largely view him through the distorted glass of the 19th Century press. I don't mean this in a confrontational way, but most of those who dismiss him also have very vague and cliché views about so-called "serial murder"; in particular, they cling to Krafft-Ebingisms, suggesting it is motivated by 'sexual' gratification. As such, they see Tumblety as a 'ridiculous' suspect, and have begun the task of constructing an alterntive narrative: Tumblety as a maligned and victimized homosexual, a press invention of sorts, a man who is no more likely to have been the WHitechapel murderer than Sir William Gull or Lewis Carroll. In truth, the case against Tumblety-as-Ripper is far more complex and legitimate than these fellows would have us believe, but cannot be approached without a great deal of caution, patience, and reassessment of the case evidence.

The basic 'problem' is not hard to fathom. The public has a 'mental image' of Jack the Ripper. Tumblety does not fit that 'mental image.' I mean, good gawd, here is an extrovert, a dandy, a man who strutted up Fulton Street, Brooklyn, with a couple of greyhounds at his heels. A man who was even interviewed by the press. How on earth could such a man have been the Whitechapel murderer, who, we are continually told, was a twenty-something introvert, suffering from 'lustmord'?

I sympathize, but I humbly suggest that this is naive thinking. The answer is nowhere nearly that simple, nor simplistic.

[Nemo]

Hi RJ

I hope you continue to post as your post is extremely interesting and informative. The Tumblety discussions in particular have been going great guns as of late with little or no cross words

This is an area of particular interest to me also - the anatomical museums etc

When Tumblety took over the offices, could that have been a circumstance when he could have acquired a uteri collection?

Can you tell me if the specimens, even though in preserving jars, would have been real flesh and tissue or would/could they be made of wax?

The Yorkshire Ripper liked to view the wax representations of diseased female anatomy at Louis Tussaud's exhibition in Blackpool UK

..and I've often wondered if the proximity of a waxwork horror/crime exhibition just around the corner from the Buck's Row crime scene was relevant in any way

As a side note, I wonder if these guys had any hand in producing those glass skulls that are often mistaken for crystal skull of the Mayans...

[Simon Wood]

Hi RJ,

While I don't subscribe to the Tumblety-as-Ripper scenario I do agree with your main argument that he has been misinterpreted, and for many of the reasons you outline. The knuckle-dragging serial killer suffering from lustmord is so yesterday's cold mashed potatoes.

Tumblety is easily the most interesting of the "Ripper suspects". I use inverted commas advisedly because I believe he was a major player in something much bigger which may or may not have involved the Whitechapel Murders.

So much about Tumblety is phony baloney, like his relationships with European crowned heads and being presented with prestigious medals, and there are incidents in his life reported by others which I am slowly discovering could not have happened as described.

A lot of this is a product of his own self-aggrandizement, but there are other things we've been told about him which are pure third-party misinformation. Tumblety had powerful forces working for him in the wings, so the real question is whose misinformation, and for what purpose?

We have to tread carefully.

Please don't leave your thesis too long. I'm anxious to know more about 'Jordain' and his brothers.

Regards,

Simon

[Joe Chetcuti]

Post 32 was a much needed breath of fresh air. Thanks for typing it up, Roger.

It is rare when I notify you of a special thread, but I knew I needed to privately contact you about this one. After doing so, I told my friend John Spanek, "I bet Roger knows something about this 'University Place' topic. Gosh, I wish he responds." I was hoping you'd share some of your insight about this. Thanks! It was great to see the old Master arrive on the scene today.

I gather from your last post that Tumblety did not impersonate "Dr. Ricord" while living at University Place. That's good to know. It saves us from conducting additional research into this.

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

In January 1889 New York's Museum of Anatomy was having a lean time of it.

New York Times, 23rd January 1889—

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/MRS20JORDAN.jpg

Mrs Estelle Jordan lived 14 doors down the street from where Tumblety lodged with Mrs McNamara at No. 79 E. 10th Street.

Regards,

Simon