Mary Ann Nichols (Polly), Annie Chapman (Dark Annie), Elizabeth Stride (Long Liz), Catherine Eddowes (Kate) and Mary Jane Kelly each had similar life circumstances and were all around the age of 40 at the time of their deaths, with the exception of Mary Jane Kelly, who was approximately 25.
All of the Whitechapel victims were all living off a prostitute’s salary and were mainly women who had a drinking problem. So what made these five, Polly, Dark Annie, Long Liz, Kate and Mary Jane Kelly different from the rest?
Emma Smith, the first prostitute victim of Whitechapel did not actually die of her attack immediately. She was assaulted and robbed by five men who then forced a blunt object into her womb, which caused an infection and led to her death four days later. Jack the Ripper was not known primarily as a robbery-motivated murderer and so this makes it quite obvious that her death was not the result of the killer known as the ‘Ripper’.
The first thing in common with the acknowledged Ripper victims was the weapon use (the sharp, long knife), the similar wounds and injuries and the cause of death, a deep slash to the throat. The mutilation done to the bodies is also a notable detail for linking the women. Each woman was disfigured after death by the killer.
Mary Jane Kelly, the youngest and last of the recognized Ripper victims was perhaps the one who suffered the most mutilation to the corpse. Part of her body, such as the kidneys, intestines, breasts were cut from her body and places in various parts of the room she was found in. Her face was horrendously disfigured beyond recognition and her bed completely saturated in her own blood.
In the 19th century, the media and press was a new invention, still in its early stages. In the autumn of 1888, the press became wild with the news of Jack the Ripper. Despite the fact that the attacks were confined to a small area of London’s East End, it provoked a nation-wide panic due to the press coverage and uproar they created. The Whitechapel murders were the first ever serial murder case which was publicised on a nation-wide scale and it was a known fact that violence, especially violence of a sexual theme, sold newspapers – it still does today.
On the 27th September of 1888, the Central News Agency, received a letter from ‘Jack the Ripper’. Believing it was a hoax, the editors did not send it to the police for a couple of days. When the police did receive the letter, the double murder of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes was executed. This is what the letter said in its contents:
25 Sept: 1888
Dear Boss
I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they wont fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled. Grand work the last job was. I gave the lady no time to squeal. How can they catch me now. I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me with my funny little games. I saved some proper red stuff in a ginger beer bottle over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I cant use it. Red ink is fit enough I hope ha.ha. The next job I do I shall clip. The lady's ears off and send to the Police officers just for jolly wouldn't you. Keep this letter back till I do a bit more work then give it out straight. My knife's so nice and sharp I want to get to work right away if I get a chance.
Good luck.
Yours truly
Jack the Ripper
Don't mind me giving the trade name
It was this letter (named the ‘Dear Boss’ letter) which determined the killer’s name – before this, a name had not been thought up. The ‘Ripper’ was such an effective name that it would strike fear into the hearts of those living at that looming time. If the notorious murderer was named, ‘Jack the Killer’ it would not have been as effective, as ‘Ripper’ suggests everything the murders were about – brutality, malevolence and violence.
The press published every bit of news they could find on Jack the Ripper and were, at this early stage, carry their own theories on the cases. Some newspapers thought that it was not in fact ‘One Man’s Work’, and that it was actually a group of men committing the dreadful murders. Another was that Jack the Ripper was actually a doctor or someone with medical experience. This conclusion could be well backed up by the fact that the mutilations were so precisely done, that the killer must have had some sort of anatomy knowledge.
The murders (including the alleged ones) also created a public outcry, in the short time it had persisted. The public was outraged at the thought of such gruesome murders taking place so close to them. There were riots due to the lack of work done by the police to catch the Ripper. After the double event of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes, people feared to roam the streets of London after dark – in fact, the streets of Whitechapel were completely bare. Trade in this area dropped because of the fear and suspicion in the district. There was even one attempt to lure the Ripper by dressing a police officer in prostitute clothes. Of course, the attempt was not effective, as there were no women on the police force, and the poor man was criticised by the press. After the murder of Mary Jane Kelly, the public became even more wary and scared, because Kelly was murdered in the comfort of her own home. People thought that the murders on the streets was one thing – they could avoid the streets, but with a murder indoors… the panic spread even more. Fortunately, it seemed as though the Ripper had stopped his attacks and all was safe…
