The Basis OF Druitt's Candidacy

[Howard Brown]

If there was any belief in the Druitt-as-Ripper theory felt among those in the police department, it undoubtedly had to be more than just the belief that some rank and file individual had that a family member merely said something to give the impression that their son...or husband...or brother, was the Whitechapel Murderer...

That some wealthy individual...some person with political power...or influence could make such an impression on the police seems a little more believable that just a family member from humble origins or station presenting a case against a family member. We probably could all be rich if we had a British pound for every story the police heard about someone in their family being the Ripper.

This is why there must be something to Druitt's candidacy that goes beyond just oral evidence from a family member and something which goes beyond the coincidental suicide ( murder perhaps?) of Druitt in conjunction with the Kelly murder 3 weeks or so before he went into the Thames.

What is that thing?

Is it more than just one thing?

Was it a case of "Its Who You Know" ? Would Farquarshon have more influence on Macnaghten than say a Druitt family member?

In fact, if Macnaghten was fed Druitt to include into the Memoranda...who can we theorize as having fed Macnaghten Druitt ?

A Druitt family member ? Henry Farquarshon? Investigation which we are unaware of ? Sir Robert Anderson ?

[Paul Kearney A.K.A. NEMO]

Hi Howard

I would imagine that there would be some reference to violence shown by Druitt at some point

Wouldn't the sequence be as follows...

Kelly murder -> Druitt's body found -> family questioned -> the subject of the Ripper is raised -> Druitt is confirmed as a possible killer or at least insane

It's a shame that there is no indication that the family or friends of Druitt thought he may be the Ripper before he was found dead

One thing always strikes me about this though - IF Druitt was not in Whitechapel or could not have travelled there on the night of a murder - his family would have jumped on this fact to prove to themselves that their suspicions were unfounded

They obviously were either aware that Druitt DID travel to Whitechapel or else they had no clue at those times of the whereabouts of Druitt - any other scenario and they would have discounted him as a suspect

[Howard Brown]

Nemo:

Thanks for pitching in....

Its such a exasperating thing...establishing this basis.

Could it be:

A.Something Druitt has done/said/been seen near...all before Nov.9...
B.THEN...Kelly is murdered
C. Family member or politically-"connected" individual gets into a policeman's ear
D. Added to list....

Back to you,pal...and everyone else.

[Sam Flynn]

I'm not so sure, How. The theory of Druitt as the Ripper might only have originated in 1891/92, with Farquharson, in which case Druitt's candidacy might be on a par with Xavier and Laurenco - the suspects advanced on the basis of Edward Larkins' extraordinary theory. It seems that there were several "bright minds" of the period who thought they'd solved the case, and who laced their narratives with phrases that hinted at some sort of "secret knowlege" on their part, much of which strikes me as mere braggadocio.

It's not as if Ripper studies have been bereft of "private information" ever since, either. One thinks in this regard of the elderly nun who allegedly knew that "if it wasn't for that woman Kellly...", the "secrets" allegedly imparted to Joseph Gorman by his "father", or the secret knowledge that "someone like Randolph Churchill" was involved in it all. Then there's the "definitely ascertained facts" of Anderson and his ilk, which in hindsight resonate rather uncomfortably with the "from private info" statement by Macnaghten.

[dougie]

He (Druitt) was sexually insane AND from private info........
The key word would be AND,suggesting that the private ingfo wasnt the only issue.
Its plain that private gossip wasnt the be all and end all,merely a corroborating piece of evidence.
In macnaughtons later "statement" its plain he has very little doubt-if any of Druitts guilt.Isnt it really a matter of accepting that macnaughton and others knew something we dont? and that macnaughton wasnt the buffoon ,that he surely would be if his conviction of druitts guilt was based soley on idle gossip?

[Howard Brown]

EXACTLY Sam ! Thats an excellent analogy with Larkin's Portugese. I could kiss you because you made me think of something I had almost forgotten...

Because if we think of it:

We don't know the reaction of or whether in fact that many or any of the police in 1894 even saw the MM. Where is it written that the MM was actually disseminated ???

We would not know the opinions of an official one way or the other when they saw Druitt's name on the document. For all we know no one ever saw the Macnaghten memoranda since it never had to be used publicly to counter the Sun newspaper's series of articles on Cutbush.

[Howard Brown]

Therefore...Macnaghten may be the only source for Griffiths and Sims' statements...all the way up to Farson's discovery of the document.

[Howard Brown]

Could Druitt's candidacy lie strictly on the memoranda reference and from a non-police source? Not saying that it did or that I think it did,but is it possible?

I'd like to get some feedback and corroboration on the previous two posts if I may.

[Howard Brown]

Doug:

If Druitt was sexually insane, what prevented him from acting out during his time at Valentine's school?

Why did he recieve what amounts to a severance check from the institution ?

Wouldn't Valentine have been heard from at least in some minor way over the last 121 years if Druitt displayed behavior in a way remotely close to the East End killer?

[Stan Russo]

How,

you are barking up an empty tree on that last one my friend.

[Howard Brown]

Stosh:

You mean this one?

"Wouldn't Valentine have been heard from at least in some minor way over the last 121 years if Druitt displayed behavior in a way remotely close to the East End killer?"

Give me your views,please.

[Stan Russo]

How,

I meant on your last post - there is only the insistence of non-information in that well.

[Paul Kearney A.K.A. NEMO]

Didn't McNaughten say that they were looking for Druitt at the time but he turned up dead?

The obvious implication from that is that the police were in possession of private information from the family before Druitt died

Druitt may have been aware of that and the knowledge accelerated his suicide

Would the "private information" have come from someone who claimed a pardon after the Kelly murder?

[Mr. Poster]

Hi ho

As I vainly try and extricate my welly from the Druitt quagmire......is it not entirely possible that during the sequence of murders at some point the family or someone else had approached the police with information that led them to be suspicious and been dismissed as part of the enquiry, much in the same way that I am sure lots of people were dismissed with their suspicions.

If they had only said that they were worried because Montague had verbalised, for example, a desire to hurt women or that he felt he was losing control of his mind or they had witnessed Monty previously struggle with a situation or context where it seemed he might hurt a woman....one could see the police not even filling out a report as they were busy and then when Monty turns up dead, th epolice start remembering the family haveing surfaced earlier to express their concern?

p

[Pilgrim]

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