***Polling The Philadelphia Conventioneers***

[Howard Brown]

I'll be putting together a list of 25 questions to hand out at the upcoming Ripper Conference at Drexel in three weeks. Any help would be most appreciated and should your question be added to the list I'm organizing, you know you'll receive credit for it.

I'm curious as to what those who will attend believe in regard to debates and discussions we have here on the Forums and in relation to aspects of the Case. .

For example, one question will be whether the individual questioned believes Elizabeth Stride was a Ripper victim. I'm sure that the Conference delegates will be aware of the varying opinions found on the boards and elsewhere and since nearly all of them don't participate in these sort of debates within the Message Board community, I thought it would be interesting to see how the other half thinks.

Please send any and all questions to me at my email address and don't post them on this thread.

Much appreciated

How

[Howard Brown]

Instead of 25....I'm hoping to provide 5 good questions from the membership which I'm going to present to the attendees....

It would be most appreciated if you could spare a moment and submit ( either by email or pm ) at least one good question to me.

For example.......and this is one that I'll be asking the delegates :

Occasionally, we read or hear disparaging remarks made in regard to the collective efforts of the Met Police during the investigation. On the positive side, is there an area where they did something or some things which stands out as unique or remarkable in their approach during 1888 ?

Time's dwindling down folks...and any help would be appreciated.

Thanks !

[Chris G.]

Instead of 25....I'm hoping to provide 5 good questions from the membership which I'm going to present to the attendees....

It would be most appreciated if you could spare a moment and submit ( either by email or pm ) at least one good question to me.

For example.......and this is one that I'll be asking the delegates :

Occasionally, we read or hear disparaging remarks made in regard to the collective efforts of the Met Police during the investigation. On the positive side, is there an area where they did something or some things which stands out as unique or remarkable in their approach during 1888 ?

Time's dwindling down folks...and any help would be appreciated.

Thanks !

Hello Howard

As you imply, the Metropolitan Police were disparaged at the time of the murders ("Blind Man's Buff" and all that) and since.

I think the Met and the City Police, likewise, were doing with best they could with the resources they had available.

They were, I think, at an extreme disadvantage, dealing with a serial killer, rather than a domestic- or gang-type murderer with which they were most used to dealing.

When you compare the the Whitechapel murders case with that of modern serial killer cases -- e.g., Jack the Stripper, Zodiac, BTK, the Green River Killer, and the Yorkshire Ripper -- where the modern police forces failed for years to bring the perpetrator to justice, the police forces of 1888 don't look so bad!

Best regards

Chris

[Maria Birbili]

I'm curious as to what those who will attend believe in regard to debates and discussions we have here on the Forums and in relation to aspects of the Case.
For example, one question will be whether the individual questioned believes Elizabeth Stride was a Ripper victim. I'm sure that the Conference delegates will be aware of the varying opinions found on the boards and elsewhere and since nearly all of them don't participate in these sort of debates within the Message Board community, I thought it would be interesting to see how the other half thinks.

How, what is the point of asking random uninformed people their opinions on a matter about which they don't even know the specific details, particularly in such a complex sub-field of Ripperology such as Berner Street? I very much doubt that the participants at the Baltimore conference follow the debates in the Ripper Forums carefully enough to be aware of what's going on in the forums.
What would be of more interest pertaining to the Baltimore conference is the interdisciplinary approach and eventually the new ideas brought in by the different participants thanks to their experience and special knowledge in their own academic field. I think it would be of interest to prepare such specific questions, rather than generic ones. Otherwise you're most probably gonna get the answer that Kidney killed Stride, and Sickert winning the polls as the reigning candidate for the Ripper.

[Chris G.]

Hello Maria

Philadelphia not Baltimore, Maria...

Chris

[Howard Brown]

How, what is the point of asking random uninformed people their opinions on a matter about which they don't even know the specific details, particularly in such a complex sub-field of Ripperology such as Berner Street? I very much doubt that the participants at the Baltimore conference follow the debates in the Ripper Forums carefully enough to be aware of what's going on in the forums.


I think you'd be surprised at how much some of them know, Maria.
I'm hoping to snag a few and get them to sign up.
Many,many civilians who are professionals in their chosen discipline as well as students of the Case who do not participate on JTRForums or elsewhere are "out there". This is a way of encouraging them to get involved.

What would be of more interest pertaining to the Baltimore conference is the interdisciplinary approach and eventually the new ideas brought in by the different participants thanks to their experience and special knowledge in their own academic field.

Precisely,my dear....and that's why I have more than one pen and one big notepad rarin' to go...to write down any significant information and bring it back here.

[Maria Birbili]

How, we completely agree about the snagging of new members and preparing inter-disciplinary questions.
I disagree about the following, though:

I think you'd be surprised at how much some of them know, Maria. Many, many civilians who are professionals in their chosen discipline as well as students of the Case who do not participate on JTRForums or elsewhere are "out there".

I very much doubt that non casebook/JTRForums posters are familiar with the Ultimate, SY investigates, the magazines articles. I'm willing to bet they've mostly read Cornwell and possibly SPE's Tumblety book. By the by, if you peruse the readers' comments on the amazon site on Ripperological publications, it's all too visible that very few of these readers know what they're talking about.

[Maria Birbili]

Hello Maria
Philadelphia not Baltimore, Maria...
Chris

Right, Philly. I'm about to go to sleep. :-) I wish I could attend, but I won't be in the US until after New Year's.

[Howard Brown]

Time will tell, Maria...I'll be sure to share the inside dope.

[Maria Birbili]

I'll be sure to share the inside dope.

Cool, and I wish I could attend. Plus I've never been to Philly (or Baltimore ;-)), I've only been to N.Y. on the East Coast.

[Tracy Ianson]

I very much doubt that non casebook/JTRForums posters are familiar with the Ultimate, SY investigates, the magazines articles. I'm willing to bet they've mostly read Cornwell and possibly SPE's Tumblety book. By the by, if you peruse the readers' comments on the amazon site on Ripperological publications, it's all too visible that very few of these readers know what they're talking about.

Well some people on the boards don't know what they are on about so it sort of evens out.

Do you not think it is a little patronising to think just because people don't frequent the boards they know nothing, how about all the experts out there who don't frequent the boards?!

Hi How

I have sent a few questions - Good luck (that is with my understanding my questions not the convention )

Tracy

[Howard Brown]

A big hug and many thanks to Tracy for sending me her list of questions

Much appreciated lady !!! I received them a couple of minutes ago.

[Tracy Ianson]

No probs How - hope they are of some use in some way


Tracy

[Chris G.]

I very much doubt that non casebook/JTRForums posters are familiar with the Ultimate, SY investigates, the magazines articles. I'm willing to bet they've mostly read Cornwell and possibly SPE's Tumblety book. By the by, if you peruse the readers' comments on the amazon site on Ripperological publications, it's all too visible that very few of these readers know what they're talking about.

Hi Maria

With due respect, while that may be true of the general public, I should think that the academics who will be at the Drexel conference will be better informed that many people. Just because people don't participate on the message boards doesn't mean that people aren't well read... and if someone has a special interest in a field, they are going to get the best books that are out there.

All the best

Chris

[John Bennett]

Hi Maria

With due respect, while that may be true of the general public, I should think that the academics who will be at the Drexel conference will be better informed that many people. Just because people don't participate on the message boards doesn't mean that people aren't well read... and if someone has a special interest in a field, they are going to get the best books that are out there.

All the best

Chris

And let's face it, when have we ever seen Don Rumbelow, Keith Skinner, Robin Odell and Philip Sugden on the internet forums, to name but a few?