Focus Questions- Who was Jack the Ripper? & How did the Ripper effect London?
During the autumn and winter of 1888-1889 a number of letters circulated among the police and newspapers. Some of these letters were from concerned citizens offering their support in the ongoing investigation however the bulk of them were 'ripper letters'. These ripper letters all claimed to be from the Whitechapel murderer and most if not all of them are considered worthless and fake however the impact of the letters at the time was considerable. These letters further molded the identity of Jack the Ripper and prominently effected the state and mindset of London's police and media.
Dear Boss - Saucy Jack - From Hell
Dated September 25th 1888 the Dear Boss letter was received by the central news agency on September 27th and sent to Scotland Yard on the 29th.
The letter was initially viewed as a prank however it quickly gained attention following Catherine Eddowes' murder. In the letter the author made mention of clipping off his next victim's ears, coincidentally Eddowes was found with one earlobe severed The letter was rife with misspellings, grammatical and punctual errors. Dear boss is arguably the most famous of the Ripper letters as it marked the first usage of the persona that would later become legend, the author signed it "Yours truly, Jack the Ripper" Soon after the letter was made pubic hundreds more letters were received which possessed the same tone and wording from the dear boss letter and were signed using the previously unknown name Jack the Ripper. |
Dated 1st October 1888 the Saucy Jack Postcard was received by the Central News Agency on the same day.
The postcard was written with similar handwriting to the dear boss letter and was signed with the infamous name Jack the ripper. The saucy jack postcard makes mention of a double event which is thought to be reflective of the murders of Elizabeth Stryde and Catherine Eddowes, both of which occurred the morning of September 30th. This letter is subject to debate whether it was written prior to or after the murders -
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Dated October 15th 1888 the From Hell letter was received by George Lusk (head of the Whitechapel vigilante committee) October 16th.
The handwriting of the letter was unique and the letter was unsigned. From hell is arguably the most disturbing and noteworthy of the ripper letters as it arrived inside a small box accompanied by half a human kidney - coincidentally, Catherine Eddowes' killer had removed one of her kidneys. The kidney received alongside the letter was preserved in alcohol and was confirmed to be a human females. Dr. Thomas Openshaw, the physician who examined the kidney, concluded that it had come from a woman about 45 years of age, who also suffered from Bright’s Disease. This disease is a failing of the kidneys as a result of heavy drinking. Catherine Eddowes was 46 at the time of her murder and was known to drink quite heavily. |
The Letters shaped the persona of the ripper as they provided words which seemingly came from the infamous killers mouth, this allowed the public an insight into the mind of the ripper and also created an image for the unknown figure through the unique writing style, wording and tone.
The Jack the Ripper letters also convey the legends effect on London. Following the release of the Dear Boss letter hundreds more letters were received which possessed the same characteristics of the letter, this trend continued and with the publication of more letters the 'hoax' letters adapted. This portrays the Letters effect on London as they sparked a string of hoax letters which consequently strengthened the connection and reliance between the public and media.
The Jack the Ripper letters also convey the legends effect on London. Following the release of the Dear Boss letter hundreds more letters were received which possessed the same characteristics of the letter, this trend continued and with the publication of more letters the 'hoax' letters adapted. This portrays the Letters effect on London as they sparked a string of hoax letters which consequently strengthened the connection and reliance between the public and media.