Jack the Ripper's Funeral

[Mike Covell]

Birmingham Daily Post (Birmingham, England), Saturday, April 9, 1892 published the following,

[Nemo]

That's interesting Mike

I wonder if he knew somehow of the Druitt story and he meant "Prepare for a Jack the Ripper's funeral" - ie a drowning

Strange turn of phrase

(PS Mike - could you post or point me the way to the little poem you found from Oct 88 from Hull please? A boy left it on the counter somewhere then ran away)

[How Brown]

Good eye Neems.

Thanks for that clipping, Faulty...

[Mike Covell]

Was it this one.....

13th October 1888 Hull News THE “JACK THE RIPPER” MANIA A LETTER TO THE “HULL NEWS” The following letter was brought to-day, about noon to the office of this paper. It was enclosed in an envelope and left surreptitiously on the office counter, it is believed by a lad, who immediately ran away. Of course no importance is attached to the effusion, it being only an attempted hoax:-
Hull Oct 5th’I arrived in Hull last night from Manchester, and may as well inform you that I have a job or two to do here. London’s got two hot for me. ‘It’s all that I want is blood, blood, blood. For why, you will know when I’m (copped?) I’ll sharpen my knifes and I’ll take their lives, and enjoy myself till I stopped.
The letter is written in pencil on a leaf torn from a pocket-book, and at the bottom is the drawing of a knife represented to be dripping with blood.

[Nemo]

That's the one Mike - many thanks

[Mike Covell]

No worries.

[Mike Covell]

Funnily enough, a few months later there was a Jack the Ripper scare in Monmouthshire, in which a man claimed he was Jack the Ripper to a housemaid. She screamed and the owner of the house came, who was of the military, and chased the man. Others joined the chase, and eventually the man came to a river, which he tried to cross, and ended up drowning!

[Nemo]

Amazing!

I like stories like that

One of the funniest images in my mind was, I think, Albert Bachert on trial for causing uproar chasing a "suspect" into some building

The judge rebuked him for sending 14 ladies who were having tea together into hysterics by bursting in and declaring that Jack the Ripper was in their house

[Mike Covell]

I read one in a Hull Newspaper about a girl who was asleep and her friend crept into the bedroom, stood at the foot of the bed and shouted "JACK THE RIPPER!!!"

The action sent the poor girl into hysteria and she was removed to the local asylum! No idea what happened to her friend who had caused the problem!

[Nemo]

LOL

Just for accuracy, it was a guy called Avenell - here's the story

http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/dst-bachert.html

Avenell and a fellow vigilante identified themselves as detectives (Avenell was in reality a chimney sweep), and assaulted a man they accused of being Jack the Ripper. When their victim, a diminutive man named Henry Edward Leeke, fled, they pursued him and dragged him through the street. Leeke once again escaped and was chased into a nearby house, where Avenell threw fourteen young women who were having their tea into hysterics by proclaiming that Jack the Ripper was in their house. The police were called and Leeke pressed charges against Avenell-as did the police, for impersonating a detective ("Marlborough Street. - Disgraceful Trick," The Daily Telegraph, Tuesday, November 13, 1888, p.8).

[How Brown]

This may not be the one Mr. Covell-Blavatsky is referring to....but:

The Belfast News-Letter
Friday, October 26, 1888

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/Photo%20Thanksgiving/Boo.jpg

[Nemo]

Didn't someone declare they were Jack the Ripper on a boat, and everybody leapt overboard?

On a serious note - I've seen many stories of even crowds of men holding back in fear from a Ripper suspect - How much moreso would a lone policeman be fearful for his life when contemplating a possible confrontation with the Ripper when on night patrol?

The reality is of a character who attacks weak targets such as the drunken destitute women

The imaginary Ripper was probably somewhat nearer a supernatural Spring-Heeled-Jack character who would kill all without compunction

I was reading about a semi-comical encounter with a mob by a clarinet player carrying his instrument in a black case through Whitechapel

He attracted the attention of a small group, then an ever increasing crowd. He stopped a couple of times to turn around upon which the crowd would stop also.

Even when he finally stopped and confronted them, asking why they were following him, some of the crowd could only raise a "trembling" finger to point at his black bag

He was eventually rescued by a policeman but could only proceed further after showing everyone his clarinet

[How Brown]

Nemo:

"I was reading about a semi-comical encounter with a mob by a clarinet player carrying his instrument in a black case through Whitechapel..
"
That was found in the book written by Alan Sharp, " Jack The Ripper and The Irish Press " It came from the Dublin Evening Mail on November 23rd,1888. Its on page 231. Very good book,by the way.
Thats an amusing story at the beginning...but it gets kind of hairy at the end there.
The poor guy states, "Never will I carry my clarionet through Whitechapel again !".

[Sam Flynn]

I was reading about a semi-comical encounter with a mob by a clarinet player... He was eventually rescued by a policeman...
... presumably Inspector "Reed" :)

[How Brown]

Indeed Sam,indeed...Reed went on to serve in Bflat Division...which I believe is the Tooting,London district. At nights, he tended bar at the Horn O'Plenty and...

...okay I'll shut up.

[Mike Covell]

Thanks Howard, that's a new one on me, but fantastic, or not if you were a resident there! It shows the impact Jack had on popular culture at that point. Nowadays, if I was to shout that, groups of black t-shirt wearing boys covered in make up would probably start filming me and stick me on youtube!:happy: