Source B states that ‘no meaningless cuts’ had been created on the women, therefore the facts made by Dr Blackwell in Source C describing the ‘incisions,’ infers that the Ripper had possibly planned his routine beforehand, as the incisions were accurate subsequently causing death.
Sources B and C are presented much more formally than Source A as they are both reports from men already in the medical profession. This means they specialise in the subject rather than a view from a journalist. This causes you to trust the judgement from Sources B and C, as the tone and approach are more serious than the one produced in source A.
3. How useful are sources D and E in helping you to understand why the Ripper was able to avoid capture?
The statement produced by Elizabeth Long suggests that the Ripper was able to avoid capture, as the facts she produces are very vague. The tone of source D is very ambiguous as the description given is not said with much confidence as she ‘cannot be sure’, and ‘he looked to me like a foreigner, as well as I could make out’ suggesting that they could be incorrect. As the police did not have many other eyewitnesses to the Rippers appearance, they probably took everything stated as a fact as no other leads were apparent. The fact that the man talking to the Ripper was allegedly foreign, with a dark complexion, the police had only this description to go on, therefore an image was forming in the heads of many which could possibly all be fabricated causing the Rippers capture to prove harder if these facts were false. Another reason why the Ripper was avoiding capture is that the description made by Elizabeth Long about a ’man seen talking to Annie,’ may not be the description of the same man who carried out the crime. This theory would prove why many men who lived in the Whitechapel area fitting the description were taken into custody automatically just based on what Elizabeth Long ‘thought’ she could see.
Source E constructs the image of Whitechapel as being very much like a labyrinth as there are reported to be networks ’of narrow, dark and crooked lanes’ producing the idea that there are many places for evil to lurk. This would result in an unpleasant perception of Whitechapel, which is why it is stereotypical for these types of crimes to be committed in places such as this where the ‘open and defiant ruffianism’ takes place. Consequently, it would not be irregular for murders of prostitutes to take place in this area so the fear isn’t as greatly shown as it might be in a higher-classed area.
Source E reveals that police at that time were asked to become more ’strengthened and some kind of order to be brought onto the streets by night’ suggesting that the discipline was weak and the number of police on the streets was obviously not enough to make an impact. For that reason, the Ripper was not detected carrying out his crimes although they were in quite populated areas so he was able to leave the scene of the crime unnoticed without any speculation as he appeared to not leave any clues.
4. Use sources F and G, and your own knowledge, to explain how the police tried to catch Jack the Ripper.
The police tried to catch Jack the Ripper using numerous methods. At the time of the murders, the police force was not very sophisticated. For that reason, many current methods of identification were not yet available. For instance, there was no way of telling where a patch of blood came from, as forensic science was not yet that advanced therefore people could be wandering around, covered in blood from a human or animal and no-one would be able to prove what the source was.
The idea of collecting fingerprints to prove the identification of a person was not yet used, or maybe not even thought of so Jack the Ripper was unable to be traced this way. The techniques of recognition i.e. DNA were not yet available, meaning the police could only use the leads they were given by witnesses, and clues left at the scene of the crime, if any. There was a great lack of this information as Jack the Ripper was somehow able to not only kill, but often performed butchery on his victims without causing a disturbance, leaving sufficient clues to narrow down suspects, causing his search to be very difficult.
As all the proving of statements was unavailable in the1800’s, police used alternative methods usually consisted of door-to-door enquiries and putting extra police on patrol, monitoring any irregular characters or behaviour. This method took up a lot of time and effort but made the people in the area probably feel safer whilst walking the streets of Whitechapel, as there would be ‘some kind of order created on the streets at night.’
The police instructed the prostitutes of Whitechapel to fail to attend their work until the Ripper is taken off the streets, thinking it would narrow down the opportunities for him to come into contact with another chance to procure victims that were always in dire need of funds. For most women, if they didn’t work, they would have no other form of income, so they had no choice but to carry on working even with the knowledge of a serial killer targeting people of their occupation. This would probably cause the police have great concerns as the women doing their job were very venerable at this certain time because the ‘maniac’ was still on the loose.
The leaflet published in Source F after the murders of Elizabeth Stride and Kate Eddowes was an example of another method used by the police. It requests that if any person looks suspicious, should be reported. This is a very indefinite approach because no description is given, therefore there was no obvious suspect otherwise further information would be attached. ‘Supposed’ is used in the leaflet showing that the fact given is a statement and could be incorrect, therefore anyone seen looking suspicious in another area would not be ruled out as a possible offender.
Source G infers that the previous method of offering a reward was unsuccessful due to it tending to ‘produce more harm than good.’ Probably because many people may have either got themselves into trouble from people seeking revenge on them, or claiming the reward by falsifying evidence. Consequently it was more trouble to have a reward than to not have one, resulting in the ‘departure of this rule.’
5. ‘The police were not to blame for not capturing Jack the Ripper.’ Use the sources and your own knowledge to explain whether you agree with this view.
I think that the police are partially to blame but shouldn’t be given a great deal of credit for their efforts either. If I was given the task of capturing Jack the Ripper in the 19th century I doubt I would be very successful also. The fact that there was ‘no adequate motive’ to his killings would result in no one having any clue to why he has a need to ‘butcher’ innocent prostitutes, who have no possessions he would benefit from. This indicates that maybe the point was that he had no motive, and just murdered for enjoyment, possibly acquiring an addiction to it; therefore he is a very dangerous man with this characteristic being unrecognisable at face value.
The police did not have a considerable amount of forensic science to aid them in identifying the killer. This results in a lot of labour being enforced by the constabulary, and not a lot of linking one person to a blood sample, fingerprint etc. Any evidence received by witnesses such as Elizabeth Long was not very useful. This is because of the uncertainty of the descriptions seen, which could be misleading and it is possible they are incorrect as she states his age as ‘over forty, as far as she could tell.’ If this leads were proven false, lots of excess effort would have been made for nothing, so a lot of time would have been wasted. This also infers that the police were not trained, and had lack of sufficient knowledge in dealing with a case like this. If the police force were infact mediocre, then it was probably predicted that no conclusion would be made, as they were baffled to where his next victim would be found. This is because although the victims were found in a similar area, they were randomly placed so no one could figure out his next move, in order to catch him attempting to murder again.
Many letters and leads were sent to the police including letters signed supposedly by ‘Jack the Ripper.’ No sufficient clues were given to his whereabouts or details of his next attack in them so they were not very beneficial. This was either an attempt to lead the police down the wrong track, or it was a hoax. This caused more effort to be produced, with no actual advance so lots of police time was wasted on false pretences.
Either Jack the Ripper was a very intelligent man making him very cautious about being seen, heard or leaving any clues, or it was jut the lack of detecting clues, that would prove why he wasn’t detained or identified sooner.
The general description of Jack the Ripper all have one thing in common; he was careful not to disclose is features as he was usually described as ‘wearing a deerstalker hat’ and ‘dark coat’ which would aid him in not unveiling any features. In the 1800’s this attire would be very fashionable and worn by most men so this lead was very vague and Jack’s identification would almost be impossible if only this feature of him was used.
The state of the bodies of Polly Nicholls and Elizabeth Stride both suggest that Jack the Ripper was educated to have a career involving anatomy; possibly a doctor. This was a good lead to go on as it narrows down the people that could be possible suspects. The incisions produced by the blade on Elizabeth Stride’s jaw ‘cutting the windpipe completely in two’ would not have been completed with the desired effect if the individual was ‘unskilled.’ This was probably the best clue the police had determining the profession of Jack the Ripper, but no link was found that was strong enough to warrant an arrest against a suspect.
If this same crime was carried out today, justice would be brought sooner due to surveillance cameras, very advanced forensic science and extra aid could be brought into the investigation, as communication is now quick and also very advanced. The police at the time of the murders did all they could to try and capture Jack the Ripper but that proved to be inadequate. The fact that the murders suddenly stopped without any reason or belief has caused may theory’s to be said, but as yet, none have been proved to be the correct answer and they probably never will.
