Proof of Innocence?

[R. J. Palmer]

I think the "Rev" must just be an error. I don't think there was another male Druitt with those initials. There is no other who would be alive at that date in the FreeBMD index.

The reference to the occupation is strange, but it could be that the journalist for some reason was mentally associating MJD with the Reverend Druitt (his cousin Charles) who was, or at least had been, the assistant curate at Parkstone, Poole, Dorset. Charles would marry about two weeks after these events in Downton, Wiltshire, some twenty-odd miles northeast of Wimborne.

[Edward Stow]

So... Jonathan knew about the Blandford cricket match, but too late for publication, but subsequently kept quiet about it, even though (via some twisted logic) it adds to the case against Druitt as it proves he was a criminal mastermind, rather than subtracts because the journey to London is by no means clear or straightforward. Riiiight

[R. J. Palmer]

I think the "Rev" must just be an error. I don't think there was another male Druitt with those initials. There is no other who would be alive at that date in the FreeBMD index.

Chris -- I had a chance to dig back through my notes and I see that five of the men who played alongside Druitt that day for the Isle of Purbeck were also on the Smedmore Woodpeckers when Druitt played with that team two years earlier. Two of the players (Spencer-Smith and S. Nash) are identified as clergymen, so the assumption might have been that Druitt was somehow connected with the church as well, esp. if the Reverend Charles Druitt was well-known in Dorset. Smedmore House is on the Isle of Purbeck so it is not surprising so many players are on both teams, or perhaps they simply changed the name of the team.

[Debra Arif]

The reference to the occupation is strange, but it could be that the journalist for some reason was mentally associating MJD with the Reverend Druitt (his cousin Charles) who was, or at least had been, the assistant curate at Parkstone, Poole, Dorset. Charles would marry about two weeks after these events in Downton, Wiltshire, some twenty-odd miles northeast of Wimborne.

If it's of any use, there's a summary of Charles' Druitt's life, qualifications and career in this published 1908 genealogical work I linked to a couple of years ago, plus the rest of the family of course, including MJD.
Charles is at the bottom of this page and his entry continues over the page:

https://archive.org/details/b24883815/page/448/mode/2up?q=%22charles+druitt%22&view=theater

[Gary Barnett]

The Western Chronicle was a Somerset paper, I believe. It’s coverage of the match was almost a word for word copy of what had appeared in the Blandford WN the previous week.

The ‘Rev’ was most likely a simple error.

[Edward Stow]

Lulworth is also on the Isle of Purbeck of course.

[R. J. Palmer]

The ‘Rev’ was most likely a simple error.

Two Reverends played for the Isle of Purbeck and at least one for Blandford. Someone may have botched the scorecard, probably.

[Chris Phillips]

I wonder if it was reported in an Isle of Purbeck newspaper?

The British LIbrary does hold one that was published at the time, called "Tribbett's Wareham Advertiser" or else "J. W. Tribbett's Wareham and Isle of Purbeck Advertiser, and Swanage Visitors' List". Maybe it would be worth a try.

[Michael Banks]

Jon Hainsworth has asked me to post this final link. He says that he won’t be viewing any threads on here in future.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1967/06/10/the-buffs

[Chris Phillips]

It's a great shame that such an interesting discovery should have provoked a reaction like that. But thankfully most Ripper researchers welcome new evidence, regardless of how well it fits in with their theories.

[Gary Barnett]

What is Johnathan’s issue? On balance the response to Joanna’s interesting discovery is that it makes Druitt’s candidacy less plausible, but doesn’t deal it a death blow. What other reasonable response could there be?

[Gary Barnett]

This from Jonathan had me thinking of the words ‘pot’, ‘kettle’ and black:

“It cannot be allowed that Druitt is the solution, or even a suspect, here or on Casebook, because too many will feel - quite wrongly - that they have wasted their lives on this hobby, just as it cannot be Oswald who shot J.F.K.”

Just look at those who have responded on this thread - how many of them would feel their lives had been wasted if Druitt was taken seriously as a suspect?

[Edward Stow]

I have always enjoyed bantering with Jonathan about Druitt, and that's what it is. But I guess after two books (I have his rather expensive first volume) he feels very committed and this discovery (which he seems to claim he had prior knowledge about) deals a rather severe blow to it. How severe is in the eye of the beholder.
In my opinion it is a fatal blow as, even if were theoretically possible to get up to London and back to murder between innings , it is somewhat preposterous to suggest it - and by his reaction I think Jonathan knows this.

I have some ideas to chase down some potential loose ends but I'm too busy work wise to apply myself.

Every 'suspectologist' lays himself (or herself) bear to potentially being undone by a fatal discovery. But that is the nature of the beast.

As for Druitt, he is hardly an unfashionable or marginalised suspect. Proposing Druitt as JTR is hardly regarded as a Ripperological heresy that excites fanatical condemnation... compared to other suspects.

[Kattrup]

What is Johnathan’s issue? On balance the response to Joanna’s interesting discovery is that it makes Druitt’s candidacy less plausible, but doesn’t deal it a death blow. What other reasonable response could there be?

Considering Hainsworth has apparently known about this match for two years, one would think there'd been time to think of a reasonable response.

Kudos to Joanna for finding it AND posting about it.

[Caroline Brown]

Was there a left luggage dept at Waterloo?

He might have changed out of his whites where he changed into them - the changing room at the Blandford ground, perhaps?

The practicalities of changing, travelling to/from London and storing his bag somewhere are a piece of P. If the man had a burning desire to get to the East End and back, it would probably have been easy peasy.

A man from the south west meets a woman in London and they get on like a house on fire.

The man has a burning desire to see the woman again at the earliest opportunity, and she agrees if he can make it back up to London. He does have commitments in the south west, which will prevent him from staying in London for more than a few hours at a time, but the journey there and back will be worth it, just to see her again, and in fact he lives for that moment.

I imagine Jack the Ripper's burning desires could have been just as strong as Mister Brown's.

Love,

Caz
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