Bart Droog's Research On Hendrik De Jong

[Jan Bondeson]

As a medical doctor, I am quite convinced that Hendrik de Ripper did not have neurosyphilis. The important eye sign of this condition are the Argyll Robertson pupils, with miosis and a deficient reaction to light. Hendrik was clever enough at get away with at least four murders, and fully physically fit as late as 1898. The colour of the eye is determined by the pigmentation of the iris, which can be light grey on occasion - I can remember meeting an Irish girl with very light grey eyes when I lived in London, and a pretty girl she was too.
Nor did Hendrik fulfil the criteria for schizophrenia, having no hallucinosis in particular. I have met several schizophrenics who never smoked so the association between nicotine and chronic psychotic illness is 'not proven'. Hendrik did behave strangely when he first met Lamberts Hurrelbrinck, but this is probably because this heavy smoker was having severe abstinence after being without tobacco for some time. Chewing tobacco was much more common back then than it is today.
Hendrik's proper psychiatric diagnosis is likely to be sociopathy coupled with erotomania - perhaps the same as Jack the Ripper himself?

[Anna Morris]

As a medical doctor, I am quite convinced that Hendrik de Ripper did not have neurosyphilis. The important eye sign of this condition are the Argyll Robertson pupils, with miosis and a deficient reaction to light. Hendrik was clever enough at get away with at least four murders, and fully physically fit as late as 1898. The colour of the eye is determined by the pigmentation of the iris, which can be light grey on occasion - I can remember meeting an Irish girl with very light grey eyes when I lived in London, and a pretty girl she was too.
Nor did Hendrik fulfil the criteria for schizophrenia, having no hallucinosis in particular. I have met several schizophrenics who never smoked so the association between nicotine and chronic psychotic illness is 'not proven'. Hendrik did behave strangely when he first met Lamberts Hurrelbrinck, but this is probably because this heavy smoker was having severe abstinence after being without tobacco for some time. Chewing tobacco was much more common back then than it is today.
Hendrik's proper psychiatric diagnosis is likely to be sociopathy coupled with erotomania - perhaps the same as Jack the Ripper himself?

OK. Would very light colored eyes appear to have no pupils? That seemed to be what the lawyer was saying? I am not arguing for neurosyphilis but wondering about some other condition.

[Bart Droog]

Hello Anna,

"Would very light colored eyes appear to have no pupils? That seemed to be what the lawyer was saying?"

In Dutch, Mr Lamberts Hurrelbrinck wrote:

"nooit heb ik zulke oogen gezien; de pupillen bijkans zoo bleek als het wit der oogen"

In translation: Never have I seen such eyes, the pupils almost as faint as the white of the eyes."

So: yes. But: he wrote this more than ten years after he last met de Jong. He might be exaggerating.

[Anna Morris]

Hello Anna,

"Would very light colored eyes appear to have no pupils? That seemed to be what the lawyer was saying?"

In Dutch, Mr Lamberts Hurrelbrinck wrote:

"nooit heb ik zulke oogen gezien; de pupillen bijkans zoo bleek als het wit der oogen"

In translation: Never have I seen such eyes, the pupils almost as faint as the white of the eyes."

So: yes. But: he wrote this more than ten years after he last met de Jong. He might be exaggerating.

Maybe he meant the colored part of the eye was almost as faint as the white. Maybe he did not distinguish between iris and pupil.

Even when I read that I thought, if Hendrik had severely abnormal eyes, how could he have been such a good confidence man? He had a real talent at swindling with a few men falling for it as well as women. It would be interesting to know HOW he presented his scams. He must have been what we call a "Bull S*** Artist." (Maybe he did become a cowboy? )

It was a really good article with lots of good information. I enjoyed it very much.

[Bart Droog]

It would be interesting to know HOW he presented his scams.

In the article many examples can be found. For instance, 1893: "To prove this story, he showed Mr Juett a document that seemed to indicate that he had 12 000 guilders in the Nederlandsche Bank, although this document later turned out to have been ‘doctored’ through the addition of two zeroes at the end."

This document was in fact his release-from-prison-letter. On it it was stated (in Dutch) that he had the right to receive twelve guilders for the work he had done in prison. As this was an official letter and Mr. Juett couldn't read Dutch, he believed the b*ll de Jong told him, impresed as he was by this the official stamps etcetera on this letter.

Another example, from 1889: "de Jong advised his mother-in-law to invest 7 000 guilders in the [non existing] Dukeroo firm, which she promptly did. In return, de Jong gave her ‘shares’ in the company, which he had designed himself, and ordered to be printed by a Rotterdam book printer."

[Anna Morris]

Bart: The mechanics of de Jong's swindles are well presented in the article but it takes a certain personality to make those things work. Considering how many schemes he worked in quick succession and how successful they were, he must have had a fantastic personality. He would have known just what to say to each person and MAKE them believe. That in itself is a special talent.

[Bart Droog]

Considering how many schemes he worked in quick succession and how successful they were, he must have had a fantastic personality. He would have known just what to say to each person and MAKE them believe. That in itself is a special talent.

Well, this quick succession may seem so now, but when you look back, you'll notice that it took him quite some time to convince his victims of his 'honest' nature. His 'special talent' was - to me - his talent to get caught.

As every con man he used the old tricks - playing with the greed and vanity of his victims. How he escaped justice - that's the main question, I presume.