Proof of Innocence?

[Michael Banks]

Do you really think that vacationers are likely to spend 50 per cent or more of their vacations returning to their homes and works? Because that is what it takes to make it as likely that Druitt went to London on the 30th as it is that he did not. Its not ridiculous, it is simple mathematics.

Read Roger’s post about Druitt’s habit of spending extended periods in the area during the summer.

[R. J. Palmer]

Hi Christer,

I believe I remember you identifying yourself as a former sports journalist.

I don't know enough about cricket to speak intelligently about the sport, but in baseball there are instances where a batter isn't primarily concerned with hitting a home run.

It is great when it happens, but it might be in the team's best interest to play it safe with a bunt or even to take a pitch that might result in a pop up, thus allowing the runner to advance.

You're swinging for the whole salami. You're arguing whether or not MJ Druitt was the murderer. You want to hit the ball over the fence and end the game.

That's not my immediate concern. I'm happy with a more limited result.

I'm testing the hypotheses that several people on this thread have already advanced: that Macnaghten was incompetent and/or a serial liar.

If Druitt stayed in Dorset on August 31st and we can prove it, then I will have made some progress in answering that question.

If not, the hypothesis is still an open question.

Thus, for my limited purposes, Druitt's alleged sexuality, etc., is of no immediate concern to me.

Have a good night.

[Christer Holmgren]

Interesting thread, especially the contributions by Gary Barnett: always on point.
To echo Howard Brown: bump up- although I hope some of the generalities by people with an apparent vested interest into the suspect candidacy of Druitt (or a vested interest in their own particular candidate at the expense of Druitt), may be dispensed with within the context of this particular investigation. Same applies to some of the more eccentric profiling expeditions into what serial killers would or would not do. Just research, please, as well as reasoned speculation.

Carry on.

There is actually research covering what serial killers are likely or not likely to do. Not that it applies universally, but it provides a useful ground to stand on and important knowledge when discussing these matters.

[Michael Banks]

Again, read more carefully. I said that it SEEMS that Druitt had a good childhood. If you disagree and think he had a bad one, please tell us which the indicators you use are!

As for how many ”many” is, it is a well known fact that abusive childhoods are common among serial killers. If you want to, I can exemplify, but that would be a tad sad, don’ t you think?

What is sad is that you raise the point in the first place. We know that he came from a family of good social standing. That’s pretty much all.

[Christer Holmgren]

What is sad is that you raise the point in the first place. We know that he came from a family of good social standing. That’s pretty much all.

We know that he was not deprived of his parents, which is half of my point. And there is no reason at all to think that he was subjected to any abuse during his childhood.
Have a look at the childhood of a man like Henry Lee Lucas, and you may begin to understand what I am talking about. It has a lot to do with sadness, but not the sadness you speak of.

The point is a salient one, but I can fully understand why you would forbid me making it. Which brings us back to sad again.

[Michael Banks]

RJ Palmer
Did Druitt come go to Bournemouth for the night from London… or Wimborne? Do you know?
Oh I see Christer also spotted that one.
By the way in Michaelmas Term (I shudder to use that expression) half term is usually the last week of October… which is when …

And its about half a mile from the Rec to the Corn Exchange – not six miles – unless you took the scenic route

If the band had previously marched to the Rec at 7pm and the local volunteers engaged in manoeuvers at 7pm – then that suggests that 7pm was the accepted time for the Rec to be clear of cricket. Which implies the matches were always scheduled to end at some time not long before 7pm each Thursday. That time being the latest time a match could go on to. Obviously a very low scoring match would end earlier. If the matches were scheduled to end at say 6pm, then surely the band or volunteers would turn up at say 6.30pm. Isn’t that the obvious logic?

But the band marching only occurred at the re-opening of the ground in May which was a special occasion. And even then should we assume that the game would have ended just before that? How could they have predicted such a low scoring game? I’m not saying that it couldn’t have ended just before 7.00 but we can’t assume it. Perhaps there was another reason why the band matched at 7.00 on that particular day?

Mrs Brown
Actually you have a point. Had it been ‘discovered’ that Montague had traversed up to the big smoke to hook up with a chum – at say – Wilson’s place in Chiswick for example, then it wouldn’t be too surprising.
It is fair to presume that he was familiar with that establishment and had engaged in such activities before.

Would it really have been that surprising if a Barrister had a meeting scheduled that couldn’t be cancelled. Or that there might have been some committee meeting at the cricket club where he was secretary of that he had some other club business. He had such a meeting on November 19th where he was suggesting that the club purchase some land.

But rushing off on a non-promise of finding a ‘rough sleeper’ at the far eastern reaches of Whitechapel, an area with which we can only presume he was unfamiliar? That is a somewhat different proposition.

We certainly have no evidence that he was familiar with the area but if he had frequented the area, and it’s not unknown for blokes to ‘cross the tracks,’ he’d have left no record of it.

… and the evidence supporting the suggestion that Druitt was Gay has been listed countless times so I am more than a little bemused at repeated claims that there is no evidence to support the suggestion that he was Gay. On the other hand there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest Druitt wasn’t Gay! Not a shred!

No need to be bemused. There is no evidence that Druitt was gay. There has been speculation by researchers but that’s all. If he had some gay friends does that make him gay too? He might have been of course, but there’s nothing real that should push us in that direction.

[Michael Banks]

We know that he was not deprived of his parents, which is half of my point. And there is no reason at all to think that he was subjected to any abuse during his childhood.
Have a look at the childhood of a man like Henry Lee Lucas, and you may begin to understand what I am talking about. It has a lot to do with sadness, but not the sadness you speak of.

The point is a salient one, but I can fully understand why you would forbid me making it. Which brings us back to sad again.

Why say that? I’m not ‘forbidding’ Fish. I’m agreeing that on the face of it he appeared to have had a very normal life. But that’s all that left to us on his childhood. The surface. And sadly we’re all too aware that things can go unreported. I’m not for a moment suggesting that this was the case but in the absence of any real childhood info were in the dark on this aspect of his life. So absolutely, there’s nothing that we can point to with evidence which suggests childhood trauma or deprivation. Indeed he had a privileged upbringing.

I realise that some think that I’m ‘defending’ Druitt as a suspect but there’s nothing I can do about that, but all that I’m actually trying to do is to add the other side of the story when some are just making assumptions.

[Edward Stow]

Mr Bankes - the speculation that Montague was Gay is backed up with evidence. Your denial of it is worthless.

The band went to the Rec every Thurdsay until August when the practice ended as peoe began dancing. Thereafter the local Army Volunteers went there. The evidence is this happen at 7pm.

And Mr Maessen
If I get any useful responses from Dorset Archives, the British Library, Blandford Museum.or Blandford Cricket Club on this topic I shall endeavour to make sure you are not troubled with it.

[R. J. Palmer]

But let’s not forget that Blandford was in a party mood on the night in question. Perhaps the Purbeck gents stayed over to enjoy the fun.

Perhaps some of them did, but I don't think this tell us anything about the time of the cricket match or who would have stayed in town and who wouldn't have.

The festivities at the Corn Exchange began at 2 pm and were over half a mile away. If the organizers of the cricket match didn't want to compete with the Exhibition, they could have had a morning game.

[Gary Barnett]

Perhaps some of them did, but I don't think this tell us anything about the time of the cricket match or who would have stayed in town and who wouldn't have.

The festivities at the Corn Exchange began at 2 pm and were over half a mile away. If the organizers of the cricket match didn't want to compete with the Exhibition, they could have had a morning game.

Thus depriving the half-holiday folk the chance of enjoying a bit of cricket?

[R. J. Palmer]

Thus depriving the half-holiday folk the chance of enjoying a bit of cricket?

I don't wish to offend, but isn't watching cricket for the cucumber sandwich crowd? Isn't the average bloke going to favor the Industrial Exhibition? It is only once year and gets priority. Cricket is all summer long.

What will be disappointing is if we never get a conclusive answer, being within spitting distance of having one.

[Gary Barnett]

The pricing of entry into the exhibitions was clearly intended to reserve the 2-3 o’clock slot for the better off. Any well-heeled cricket fan who wanted to watch the match and get his 2 bob’s worth of prime exhibition time in would have had to have left the Rec. ground by, what, 1.30? What time would they have started the match in that case?

[Gary Barnett]

I don't wish to offend, but isn't watching cricket for the cucumber sandwich crowd? Isn't the average bloke going to favor the Industrial Exhibition? It is only once year and gets priority. Cricket is all summer long.

What will be disappointing is if we never get a conclusive answer, being within spitting distance of having one.

Not at 2s for the 2-3 slot.

The industrial exhibition was the first in 23 years. The local toffs brought along all sorts of interesting objet, pictures etc, not just for the amusement of the local farm boys.

[R. J. Palmer]

I have learned one thing, at least. It cost half-a-crown if you wanted your club's full score in the Blandford Weekly News.

[Gary Barnett]

I think I would have enjoyed it, especially if there had been a refreshment tent with a few barrels of local ale.