Jack The Ripper Assignment

1. From looking at the newspaper article on source A, I can determine the following information regarding the murder of Polly Nichols. Firstly, I can ascertain that it was the second of the Whitechapel murders. I can draw this conclusion from the first few words ‘the two murders which have so startled London’. The second point we can learn from this article is that the killer had no apparent motive for the killings, supposedly because money wasn’t missing from his victims; ‘no adequate motive in the shape of plunder can be traced’. Also, the article tells us that the victims have been ‘the poorest of the poor’

Even though these pieces of information are product of the media, they appear to be true, as there would be no need for the newspaper to sensationalise such facts. The source also suggests the killer is a ‘demented being’, due to the ‘extraordinary violence’ exhibited in each of his murders. Finally, the source makes reference to the ‘excess of effort’ used by the killer

2. The report of Dr. Frederick Blackwell on the body of Elizabeth Stride supports the coroner’s report on source B when it states that ‘in the neck, there was a long incision which commenced on the left side, two and a half inches below the jaw, cutting the windpipe completely in two’. This account supports source B which states; ‘there are no meaningless cuts’ and that ‘the injuries have been made by someone with considerable anatomical skill’ obviously because the killer knew where to reach the windpipe. The extract also supports source A where it talks about the ‘extraordinary violence’. However, source C contradicts source A when it says ‘there was no money on the body’ while in source A, it says; ‘no adequate motive in the shape of plunder can be traced’.

The precision and skill shown in the cuts suggest the killer had a good anatomical knowledge, however, source A states it had been the work of a ‘demented being’, which contradicts this theory, and the evidence in source C. Sources B and C agree with each other because they are both first hand primary evidence from reports on the Ripper’s murders written by professionals. Source A’s attempts to glamorise the murders bends the truth slightly, and doesn’t support the evidence on Source C. Source C was written by a well-educated doctor with no need to sensationalise facts. ...

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Sources D and E are quite useful in explaining how the Ripper was able to evade capture. Elizabeth Long’s description of what may have been the Ripper, suggests he was well suited for hiding in the shadows of Whitechapel without being seen dues to his attire, e.g. ‘he was dark complexioned and was wearing a deerstalker hat I think he was wearing a dark coat’, however, the evidence given by Long may well have been a description of a totally different client, as Annie Chapman may have served as many as 10 men that night. Even if it was the Ripper, the evidence given was very vague and based on presumptions, with no positive or solid facts at all e.g. ‘as far as I could tell’. Also the whole report by Long seems very unsure, with language like; ‘as far as I could tell’ and ‘as well as I could make out’. Unfortunately, the police acted on these statements-which ultimately threw them off the course to finding the Ripper. Also, the witness may have held a grudge against the police, so deliberately gave disinformation to them.
We can also suggest that the Ripper could hide easily, from evidence given in Source E: ‘a network of narrow, dark and crooked lanes.’ Source E illustrates the incompetence of the police e.g. ‘the police force on the spot should be strengthened. However, these pieces of information from source E may have been sensationalised, so it is not wise to trust them.

4. Unfortunately, with limited advances in policing and modern technology, the police had to do with what they had in the way of techniques used to stop criminals. Firstly, they wrote about 80,000 leaflets to the public, urging them to pass on any information they might have. Oddly however, there were no rewards offered by the state for capture of the ripper. This was because home secretary, Henry Matthews forbade it saying it had caused more harm than good in previous cases and that ‘there is nothing in the circumstances of the present case to justify a departure from this rule.’ Yet still, there was a private reward offered by M.P Mr. Samuel Montagu of £100. The police also put up posters in an attempt to encourage other prostitutes, or people living in the area to give evidence to the police. The police also offered the witnesses money, protection, or a meal once they had given valuable evidence. The police also encouraged prostitutes to go round in twos. Some carried knives with them for protection. The police even dressed up as prostitutes and roamed the streets in search for him. Unfortunately, some of the evidence given by the witnesses was very anti- Semitic and suggested the ripper was foreign or Jewish- taking the police off the trail.

Source F- the leaflet published after the Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes murders has many weaknesses. Firstly, it’s not original or eye-catching; secondly it doesn’t consider the high percentage of illiterate or uneducated people in the Whitechapel area. The language used is not very user friendly with many complex words and phrases; also ignoring the large immigrant population, making it very ambiguous. Also, observe the sentence: ‘should you know of any persons to whom suspicion is attached, you are earnestly requested to communicate at once with the nearest Police station.’ This statement is asking for almost any suspicious characters to be brought in, of which there are many in the area- making the statement very vague and ambitious.

The police were and were not to blame for not capturing Jack The Ripper. In some ways, they weren’t to blame because of their lack of modern technology e.g. blood types, DNA testing etc. Also, they may have done better if there had been rewards for information resulting in his capture (this was banned by M.P Henry Matthews). There were also many contributing factors to do with the geography of Whitechapel e.g. high population density, dimly lit streets and narrow, winding alleyways described in the newspaper article on source E, and shown on the map of whitechapel on source I. Source H describes the murders as, although being very ruthless, also very ‘meticulous’ in that they leave no evidence for the police of the murderer’s presence e.g. ‘there is no purpose in the crime to afford the slightest clue.’ Also, the uncertain depictions of The Ripper from witnesses such as Liz Long on source D give the police very vague ideas of what to look for in their search for the Ripper e.g. ‘but I can not be sure’ The coroner’s report on source C is very detailed, mentioning the ‘anatomical skill’ required to carry out such incisions, and even mentioning some little details that may have otherwise been overlooked e.g. ‘the hands were cold. The right hand was open and on the chest’. This shows that the police tried everything in their power to make the case a success, and were on the right track, and, given their lack of advances in policing, they did pretty well.

However, in some ways they were to blame for The Ripper getting away. They should have used the media more to their advantage. For example, they could have given them more information regarding the murders to be able to get the public on their side- instead they kept information from them. Also, the police deliberately destroyed some vital pieces of information, most notably the famous writing on the wall near the scene of the Catherine Eddowes murder that read: ‘the Juwes are the men that will not be blamed for nothing’ (although slight variations on this have been reported by different witnesses.) Senior police officer, Sir Charles Warren in charge of the case ordered this writing to be erased before any photograph could be taken of it, due to his fear of anti-Semitic riots taking place as a consequence of this getting out. Warren did not even compromise by willing to erase or cover up the word "Juwes" only. One of the theories is, that a disgruntled customer of one of the local Jewish craftsmen’s shops may have just written this graffiti to express his anger. The only thing linking this graffiti to the Eddowes murder was a tiny piece of Eddowes’s apron found nearby. Source A mentions the victims being ‘the poorest of the poor’. This is important, as maybe the police weren’t worried as much about the poor people. Also this suggests that the killings may have been in hard to reach places for the police. Source B mentions the ‘anatomical skill and knowledge’ required to carry out such murders. Maybe such a man could also have enough knowledge to be able to out wit the police. Source F, the leaflet is another reminder of the police effort to stop the Ripper getting away, but it could also have let the Ripper know of the police involvement too much.