Why did the Whitechapel murders attract so much attention in 1888?
The Whitechapel murders attracted so much attention mainly because no-one knew who Jack The Ripper was, what he looked like and also because Jack The Ripper was the first serial killer in 1888. The people of Whitechapel were so scared that they did not want to leave their homes because of what the newspaper said, this also shows how the newspapers were exploiting the murders by lying and exaggerating in the story so people would buy the newspaper; because of exploiting the murders they made the people of London panic. Another point that the Whitechapel murders attracted so much attention was the whereabouts were the murders happened. The East End in 1888 was a dangerous place to be and most of the lower class lived there. There were mainly English, Poles and Jewish people living in the East End. The Jews fled and settled in the East End and the Jewish population was on the increase, they had more power, money and numbers than most people who lived in London. Many Poles came to live in the East End because the rents were low and few questions were asked. The inhabitants of Whitechapel, and of other areas, were at first very suspicious of these newcomers. The Metropolitan Police estimated that there were 1,200 prostitutes in Whitechapel and many more women who took clients from time to time to supplement their weekly earnings. There were more than 200 lodging houses, which could sleep almost 9,000 people in long rooms with rows of beds. More than half of the children born in the East End died before the age of five and many who survived were brought up in poverty.
