The first two victims were both prostitutes, and were found with their throats slashed and several stab wounds. Annie Chapman the second victim has her small intestine removed. This had created media frenzy as the women were of similar build and height. The style of the murders was also similar, this made the police connect the murders and people were suspicious of a serial homicidal murderer and rapist on the loose in the East End. The quick reaction to the second body also showed that the police were expecting a murder in the area. The next two victims were also prostitutes and there throats were slashed and had both occurred on the late night of the 30th of September. However the third victim was the only one whose body was not mutilated, this suggests that the ripper got scared off. The fourth body had signs of mutilation and was found and hour after the third body. The fifth and most horrific murder was that of Mary Kelly. Her internal organs were removed and her breasts were sliced off. This murder did not occur on the streets but in Kelly’s own bedroom. Kelly was also the youngest victim. After this murders experts said that no medical knowledge was used and that the murder was not even that of a butcher.
The natures of the murders were so horrific and unheard of, that even greater public attention was attracted. Men had used prostitutes but because they were such an easy target the Ripper took advantage of the vulnerability and most probably raped them before disfiguring their bodies. Murders in those days would have been done by stabbing or choking but these were even more severe and brutal. All of them were short except the last one, and all had their throats slit. The fact that a serial killer on the loose had made everyone frightened and people wanted him caught.
The media used this fear to sell more newspapers and therefore make more money.
The victims were all prostitutes and had history of alcoholism and severe depression. They were all single or divorced and had been on the wrong side of the law on several accounts and had even been convicted of drunkenness and disorderly behaviour. All of the women were from poor backgrounds and had tough lives and never really had any happiness of some kind. There only hope of surviving came from the money they earned from prostitution.
The press were enjoying there chance to make money by exaggerating stories to sell more papers. The news of the murders had spread worldwide, as this was the first known case of homicidal serial murders. People were so afraid that they did not go out on the streets at night. Whatever the press wrote people would believe it and go to the police for every single detail and update about possible arrests, evidence or any suspicious activities going on. The press had often questioned the police on why they haven’t captured the killer; this further fed the public’s anger and fuelled the emotions as to why these mysterious murders were happening in their city. Accusations that a foreigner possible a Jew was behind the murders also fuelled anti-Semitism.
The Mile End Vigilance Committee tried to help and the Jewish businessmen who set it up offered a reward for the killer. 3 days after the second murder, police arrested John Pizer for the murder of Nicholls.
The police and newspapers had received many letters claiming to be from the Ripper. Some were examined and thought to be real. Others were hoaxes but the newspapers still published them to sell their story and make money. One letter thought to real was called the ‘Dear Boss’ letter. This was signed by the name Jack the Ripper. Like his victims his nick name ‘Jack’ was random. The press would write reports of the murders a few days after the murders and then publish them.
It didn’t matter whether the letters were real or not, they still shook the police and the public and when the murders intensified in nature, the letters were humiliating for the police and scary for the public, who now knew that the serial killer existed. The letters forced people to take extra care and vigilante groups were patrolling out on the street at night in an effort to do what the police couldn’t. Whitechapel’s already bad reputation was a no go for visitors who were terrified of going there even in daylight
All the victims were easy targets and extremely defenceless. This along with the way that their bodies were ripped apart by this maniac who was never caught by police force, who already had a bad reputation, combined with an excited press and the location of the bodies, to attract great public attention. Also the victims were random and all of their throats were slit by a cannibal who suddenly stopped after one of the most horrific homicidal murders in history. This gave the ripper a legend status as he was never caught although one man was hanged, the murders still continued and Jack the Ripper is as famous as he was in the 19th century as he is now.
