Jonathan A's Atlanta's Black Jack The Ripper of 1911 Forum

[Howard Brown]

Good man, Jonathan ! Thanks for the link....

[Jonathan A]

Video on Atlanta Ripper.

I posted a video on Youtube about the Atlanta Ripper. It's a long video with newspaper articles and pictures displayed. The video is the first part of what I will make into a series and it discusses the Ripper's crimes from 1909-August 1911. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXvtX-EmsC8&t=6300s

[Howard Brown]

Thanks for that, Jon.

An interesting series of murders just got more interesting.

If the perp in the 'teens ( assuming there was just one and not multiple killers)
had been incarcerated for a stretch....it's possible he resumed his previous handiwork.

It's a little surprising if he went back to his old haunts ( club or saloon) and no one considered his return coinciding with the new series of murders.

[Jonathan A]

Thanks for mentioning this suggested connection between the murders a decade apart.
Be nice to know why...

I'm guessing that they thought the murders were committed by the same Ripper cause
All of the 1920s victims were black, just like the 1910 victims.
All of them died from knife wounds, most having their throats cut, just like the 1910 victims.
Most of them were killed on Saturday nights, just like the 1910 victims.
Although not mentioned in the Journal article, the Constitution states that trophies were taken from the victims. Some of the 1910 victims had their items taken as mementoes as well.
The Sept 6, article states that the three murdered women had their shoes and stockings removed, as well as their jewels. If you remember back in 1911, Sadie Holley. Mary Duncan, and Minnie Wise had their shoes removed. Minnie's ring was taken as well.
Not only that, but some of these streets and railroads were found in, where the 1911-1912 victims were found. Pyror street is the name of the street where Mary Kate Sledge met her end in April 1912. Stewart Avenue is the name of the street which the Ripper boarded a streetcar after cutting out the heart of Mary Putnam in Nov 1911. The Southern Belt Railroad is the railroad line where the Ripper deposited several of his victims.

[Howard Brown]

Thanks for mentioning this suggested connection between the murders a decade apart.
Be nice to know why...

[Jonathan A]

Atlanta Journal 8, 1924

[Jonathan A]

Atlanta Journal 6, 1924

[Jonathan A]

Jon:

Thanks for the article......

I was unaware of this rash of killings some 10 or more years after the 'Black Jack The Ripper' skein.

Is it possible another lone murderer was at work and got under the radar ( at least on my end, because this is news to me) ?

Good work, JA !

Howard, a year ago, you inquired about the possibility of another Ripper who was active in 1924. According to this sept 2, edition of the Journal, the police believed that the 1924 murders were committed by the same Ripper as before.

[Jonathan A]

Atlanta Journal May 5, 1924

[Jonathan A]

My theory as to the whole John Brown situation is that is is possible that Fulton County and Atlanta may have had two Black Jack the Rippers and that John Brown was copycat of the original. When I first heard of the Laura Blackwell murder and John Brown's conviction, the I thought it was curious that Laura's body was partially burned. I also thought it was interesting that the police said that they thought Brown was "a Jack the Ripper" instead of "the Jack the Ripper," and that they believed he was responsible for murders in and around Atlanta. So I dug through the newspaper archives to find murders that were similiar to Laura's. I found articles from the Georgian, Journal, and Constitution back in 1914 that mentioned the discovery of the bodies of murdered black women near the federal prison. According to the Journal and Constitution, the three Jane Does were found with their bodies partially burned and their bodies gashed, just like Laura. I couldn't find any other victims attributed to the Ripper who had been burned after John Brown's arrest, so part of me believes that John Brown was a second ripper who had a particular habit of burning his victims clothes, The idea of two serial killers operating in the same city at the same time is nothing new. The inafamous Jack the Ripper was prowling London at the same time as the Thames Torso murderer and people began to claim the Torso's victims as Jack the Ripper. South African serial killers David Selepe, Moses Sithole, and Sipho Thwala were active in the same area and at the same times. Eve their methods and choice of victims were the same. They would lure black women into the canefields with the offers of jobs and then kill them. The only difference being that Sipho had a habit of clubbing his victims.
The other part me believes that the Atlanta Ripper was responsible for all the murders and John Brown was innocent. After all, the papers say that the case against him was entirely circumstancial. There's good reason to believe that the murder of Laura Blackwell was connected to the rest. Laura was slain on the night that Chief Beavers was restored as chief of Police. James Beavers had become chief in August 1911 and his tenure oversaw most of the Ripper slayings. He personally visited the crime scenes of Ripper victims Mary Putnam and Pearl Williams. Part of the reason why he was deposed in 1915 was because of his failure to capture the Ripper. Perhaps the Ripperheard about his restoration and decided to kill that night as a way to taunt the chief. We all know that serial killers like to taunt law enforcement like Jack the Ripper did with George Lusk and Sweeney did with Elliot Ness.
The third possible is that John Brown did kill Laura, but he didn't commit any other crimes. I guess we'll never know.

[Jonathan A]

Atlanta Georgian Feb 29, 1920

[Jonathan A]

Atlanta Georgian February 27, 1920

[Jonathan A]

Atlanta Journal February 28, 1920

[Jonathan A]

Atlanta Journal February 27, 1920

[Jonathan A]

Atlanta Journal March 1918