Jack the Ripper: The Man, The Monster, The Mystery

Why is it that only those people who commit the most gruesome of crimes obtain that one simple thing which everyone desires? Why are people who strike fear into the hearts of millions immortalized forever in their minds? What makes them so unforgettable? Is it the brutality of the crime? Is it the people they kill? Or is it because people are obsessed with the mystery and intrigue that surrounds the fiend? Well, then, what about Jack the Ripper? The man – or woman – took the lives of women guilty only of trying to survive. This person was never caught for the murders that he or she committed. They shall forever be commemorated in infamy as the person who struck fear into the Greater London area. Who, however, is the man behind these bold and daring attacks? The world may never know fully. Hence, it stands: Jack the Ripper: the man, the monster, the mystery.

To try to count the number of suspects for the true identity of Jack the Ripper would be like trying to count the stars or the grains of sand on beaches. There is a nearly infinite number of people ranging in social status from pauper to prince. Perhaps the most famous royal suspect is Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward or Prince “Eddy” to his friends. At least three major theories pin him as the real Ripper. Recently, his mental stability, personality, and manor of death have come into question. Others believe that it could be someone in either the medical or butchery guild. Dr. Thomas Neill Cream of Scotland is perhaps one of the more famous suspects – if not the most – of the medical society. He escaped murder charges twice, once in Canada for a botched abortion, and again in Chicago for the same. Finally, on November 15, 1892, he was hanged for the murder of Matilda Clover. His last words were said to be, “I am Jack…” just before his last breath left his body. It is odd that he is rumored to say this. Although he was in America at the time of his hanging and would-be murder convictions, he was a student at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons at Edinburgh, England, and this time spent as a student coincides with the Ripper killings. Was it really Prince Eddy? Or was it a simple medical student? There is really no way to know for sure. There are over four hundred recorded suspects of who the Ripper is really, ranging from the plausible to the outrageous. Of course Jill the Ripper (Mrs. Mary Pearcey) can not be ignored. Pearcey was said to be a midwife or abortionist. Theories state that it would not be uncommon or suspicious to see a woman walk the streets after dark in torn, bloody clothing. Perhaps this is how the Ripper was able to get away virtually unnoticed.

Could the suspect have been a prostitute? Could it have been a police officer? Is that why the investigation was handled so lightly at times? It is sadly not known. It is known, however, that the Ripper had at least a minuscule amount of anatomical knowledge and could have possessed tools that are only ordinary found in a typical medical bag of the time. This is where the theory that a doctor was to blame came into focus. What brought butchers to light was the dubbing of the Ripper not only as Jack the Ripper, but also as the Butcher of Whitechaple. A social outrage ensued, and all butchers were suspected of the grisly murders. Jewish people, even, were suspects at a point in time. This is thanks to the famous message scrawled on a wall near the Eddowes’ murder sight. The following is an excerpt taken from the notebook of D.C. Halse, a detective who worked the case: “The Juwes are not the men That Will be Blamed for nothing.” The message points to no person in particular, just the group. This brought the Jewish people living in the Whitechaple area into a bad light. This can be taken one of two ways: one, the Jewish people are totally innocent of all of the murders and have nothing at all to do with them; or two, the Jewish people committed the murders. Because of the ability to take it several ways, many of them were also suspects. Prince Eddy had social status. He was like a common day Hollywood celebrity. Nearly everything he did was in the public eye. Of course theories about this man would come to focus, because he was already held in public view.

Before any more wild theories ran ramped through the minds of the curious, perhaps the victims themselves should be examined. The Ripper went after prostitutes. This is a well known fact. There are rumored to be at least eighteen women that met their fates at the hand of the Ripper. Five of these are generally accepted to be the only real victims who were felled by the hand of the Ripper. The names of the unlucky unfortunates are as follows in the order their bodies were found and presumably the times of their deaths: Mary Ann “Polly” Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Kelly. As each body was found, the gruesomeness of the crime increased. At first it was gradual, but as the body count increased, so did the gull and the boldness of the Ripper. Perhaps he or she thought that they would never get caught. Perhaps the Ripper thought that no one would care that these women were killed because they were prostitutes. Regrettably, the reason why he went after these women is not known. There are several theories about why he chose these women. Again, these range from the plausible to the totally outlandish. Some say that he was a man of the Cloth and did not agree with prostitution. Others claim that each of these five women was at one point in time carrying the child of Prince Eddy, and he had to do something to get rid of the misbegotten, mongrel heir. If this is the case, did Prince Eddy kill them himself, or did he hire someone to do it for him? Stills others say that if a woman was to blame for these notorious murders, it is because she was eliminating competition for clients. A sub-theory of this is that the female Ripper was unhappy with the prostitutes because her husband was out every night, spending all of their hard earned money washing down booze and chasing women. It is said that finally she became tired of his actions and, instead of lashing out at him, dressed as one of the women she so hated and killed them off one by one until there would be none left. This theory states that the murders stopped because her husband quit seeing the prostitutes because she either divorced him, killed him (or he died in some way, shape, or form), or he saw that his wife was at home and realized that that is where he should be. Still others say that is was a team effort of two brothers who “protected” the prostitutes from harm. In reality, they did more harm then good. They were, however, cleared of charges and were only suspects for a brief while. 

These theories can stretch for miles. These are only wild guesses. Some of them are by the families who want some peace for their loved ones. Others are from people who are just trying to explain the actions of one crazed individual. Many of these theories only raise more questions that can not be answered by anyone save the Ripper himself. Each time the stories of the murders are retold, more details pop up, making it harder to discern fact from fiction.

At the time, these were the most brutal murders ever seen. These women were dissected. Parts of their bodies were removed. Three of the five of them had their intestines slung over their right shoulder. It goes without saying that the Ripper was a very sick individual. As aforementioned, his brutality increased with each body found. These women, after the first body was found, would be on high alert. One of their own was killed. Still, though, they had to make their living to survive, and worked for their meager wages. They would not easily trust their clients. How did the Ripper get his victims? Did he seduce them? Did he drug them? Did he take them over by brute force? Like his identity and reasons for the killings, it is not known how he overtook his victims. Likewise, dispute arises when the question comes to play whether he was right or left handed. All five victims had their throats slashed. Some say that it all depends on where the Ripper stood. The slashes all ran from left to right, deeper at the left, more shallow to the right. This can show perhaps that the knife (or instrument used) was taken from the neck at it approached the right side of the body. This can support that he is right handed, and attacked from behind. To be left handed, he must have had to attack from the front to make this theory true. If the Ripper attacked from the front, it shows that he is a confident man and has no fear of his victim. If he attacked from behind, it shows that he was a more careful man. Either way, both would surprise the victim. Autopsy reports state the true macabre facts of the murders.

His first victim, Mary Ann “Polly” Nichols, had, on the left side of the neck just below the jaw, a four inch incision. The incision was roughly about four inches in length. There were also several incisions on her abdomen. The neck wound was caused by a knife cutting down the right side. The reports state that it “might have been done by a life handed person.” and that “all injuries were caused by the same instrument.” This is by far the least gruesome of his murders. They only increase in viciousness as they proceed.

His second victim, Annie Chapman, is quoted as having her body terribly mutilated. The stiffness in her limbs, rigor mortis, was not marked at the time, but was commencing. Her neck was sliced by a very shape knife with a thin, narrow blade between six to eight inches in length, maybe longer. The possibility that these injuries were dealt by a bayonet is cast out, stating that it is not the case. The report says that the “instrument is as a medical man used for post-mortem purposes.” and “ordinary surgical cases might not contain such {an} instrument.” It also rules out people who work with leather, stating that “leather trade knives would not be long enough.” The report states clearly that there is anatomical knowledge, and it is possessed by the perpetrator of the murder. There was also a kerchief tied around the throat of the body. The police officer who found Chapman states that it appeared to be tied of after the throat was slashed. In her post mortem examination, the stiffness was now clearly evident, especially on the left side and in the fingers that were partly closed. The autopsy reports are also quoted as saying that “the throat was cut with the skin, indicating that the slash went form the left side of the neck.” Aside from the fatal slash that ended her life, Chapman also had two very distinct cuts on the left side of her spine that were parallel with each other and separated by only half an inch. There were, of course, other mutilations to the body, but the cause of death, as aforementioned, was attributed to be the loss of blood via the neck wound.

Further mutilations continue. Chapman’s chest cavity was exposed and the intestines were placed over her shoulder. All womanly areas (meaning uterus, vaginal canal, and breasts) were removed. There was a theory that she was gagged; facial signs supported asphyxiation. The reports also state, again, that the neck wound ran from the left to the right.

But would she have lived much longer anyway? Upon further examination, the doctor performing the autopsy states that Chapman had “advanced diseases in the lungs and brain membranes.” The technician states just after that that he attributed none of this in causing her death immediately. Could the Ripper have known that she was diseased? Could he have known that Chapman did not have much longer to live?

Elizabeth Stride has the honor of being his third victim. This case was handled by Dr. George Baxter Phillips. He also handled the Chapman and Kelly autopsies. Stride’s left arm was out with a packet of cachous in the hand. (Cachous are candies that are flavored like different species of flowers like the rose, lavender, and violet.) Her body (meaning what was left of her abdomen), face, and legs were warm, but her hands were cold. Stride, like Chapman, had a kerchief tied around her neck; this one was silk. Her throat was slashed with a cut of about one and one half inches in diameter under her right arm. Rigor mortis was marked at approximately 3:00 p.m. on a Monday by Dr. Blackwell at St. George’s Mortuary. During this examination, both shoulders and frontal chest was marked as having a bluish discoloration of the skin. Upon further examination of the slash to the neck, it was marked at six inches long and two and one half inches wide in a straight line below the jaw that became deeper. It was marked as a “clear cut incision.” The vessels on the right side of the neck were virtually uninjured. Hemorrhaging and ultimately death was caused due to the severance of the left carotid artery. Teethe were missing in the lower left jaw. The autopsy reports do not, however, say whether or not they were missing due to being knocked out or falling out. It is presumed that, because of her lifestyle and poverty, they had fallen out due to rot. At the time of the examination, decomposition had already started on the skin.

Catherine Eddowes is said to be the fourth victim of the Ripper. Her abdomen was exposed and the throat, like the other three before her, had been cut across. Her intestines were taken out and placed over her right shoulder. A section of nearly two feet was cut apart from the rest and placed between her body and left arm. This was done by design, proving that the scene was staged. Her body was still warm. Rigor mortis had not yet taken place. The coroner ruled her death to be within half an hour of when her body was found.

Eddowes’ post mortem examination took place at 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon. By that time, Rigor mortis had set in though the body was not quite cold. Also noted was a green discoloration of the abdomen, and, after the washing of her left hand, there was a bruise found that was nearly the size of a sixpence. It was recent. Could this mean that the Ripper and lured Eddowes with the proposition of making money and then killed her before she was able to perform her service? It is what evidence supports.

Catherine had her face pretty well mutilated. Her neck had several arties severed, and her jugular vein was slit open nearly an inch and one half; it was not divided. The reports state that “all injuries were preformed by a sharp instrument like a knife, and pointed.” Also that “the cause of death was hemorrhage from the left common carotid artery.” The death was ruled to be immediate, and it was deduced that the mutilations were preformed after death.

Eddowes’ left kidney was missing; her right was pale and bloodless. Soon after the discovery of her body, a letter arrived. The following is transcribed from the actual letter:

“From hell. Mr Lusk, Sor I send you half the Kidne I took from one woman and prasarved it for you tother piece I fried and ate it was very nise. I may send you the bloody knif that took it out if only you wate a whil longer. Signed Catch me when you can Mishter Lusk.”

The coroner then goes on to say that “someone who knew the position of the kidney must have done it.” and that he “believes the perpetrator of the act must have had considerable knowledge of the position of the organs in the abdominal cavity and the way of removing them. It required a great deal of medical knowledge.” This supports the suspicion that the Ripper may have been a doctor of some kind.

Mary “Jane” Kelly was the only victim that was found indoors. She was his fifth. Her body was found lying naked in the middle of her bed. The entire surface of her abdomen and thighs were removed, and her abdominal cavity had been emptied of its contents. Her breasts were cut off; one of them was placed under her pillow along with her uterus and kidney. The other breast was between her legs along with her intestines and spleen. The flaps of skin that was taken from the abdomen and the thighs was found on the bedside table. Her face was hacked beyond recognition. Her neck was severed all the way down to the bone. Her bed clothes were soaked with blood; a pool of it lay covering the floor in about a two foot square. There were wounds found on her hands. Could they have been defensive wounds? Could Kelly have been trying to defend herself? If so, had she angered the Ripper by it, thus making this the most violent attack by far? There was noted to be unnecessary injury caused, such as a part of her lung being broken away.

One thing remains a constant theme: all five had their necks severed, and all five had died due to this wound. The autopsy report says only that the injury was inflicted while Kelly was lying at the right side of the bed. It does not, however, say whether or not the other less life-threatening injuries were made prior to or after this wound was inflicted. Did the Ripper torture Kelly?

Jack the Ripper has successfully succeeded in achieving the one thing which few are able to obtain. People have immortalized him. He went from being a fiend to an immortal god of Hollywood. He has been the subject of countless movies and books. The most recent and perhaps one of the more actuate of these is From Hell, starring Johnny Depp as Detective Fred Abberline and Heather Graham as the unfortunate Mary Kelly. This movie portrays all five of the aforementioned victims in a fairly accurate light, uses the theory that a doctor was the Ripper, and also touched base on several of the other theories. By far, this is one of the best fictional portrayals of Jack the Ripper.

This post mortem fame that the Ripper achieved leads many to wonder if he knew that his crimes would keep him alive as long as they did. The Ripper is a field day for those in the profiling guild. One can spend hours and near days on end trying to figure out what ran through the mind of this demented man, even after a hundred years of death.

So who was the man behind the monster? Who hid behind the mask of darkness? Who drove fear into the hearts of one of the greatest nations? No one may ever know. Perhaps that is what lends itself to further the fear and mystique of the whole affair. Jack the Ripper was by far a genius. He was never caught. He was also by far one of the most brutal and gruesome killers ever. His brutality was perhaps one of the contributing factors that lead to his immortality. There are over 400 people who have been suspected to be the true Ripper, both male and female; they range from pauper to prince. There are only five victims that are said to be the only real victims of the Ripper, though there are rumored to be at least 18, maybe more. His crimes began as the usual clean murder, but then progressed into brutal, stomach churning, grotesque pictures that haunt the mind and sour the appetite. For over a month he terrorized the area of Whitechaple, England. Hence then it stands: Jack the Ripper: the man, the monster, the mystery.