''Jack The Ripper''

By Crusader1307

No other character is history is possible more known and notorious than the criminal known as Jack The Ripper. Known by many names (The Ripper, The Fiend of Whitechapel, Saucy Jack), he was a criminal known to have brutally killed at least 5 victims (with the strong possibility of 2 others). His reign of terror in 1888 London was carried by newspapers all over the World. Certainly not the most prolific serial killer in history, to be sure -  Jack was responsible for the need to create and develop modern Police Forensics. In fact Jack was also responsible for Yellow Journalism and the rise of sensationalism in print. His name -  The Ripper, given to him by the Press of the day, used a knife to cut the throats of his victims and perform ghastly dissection of their bodies. Jack has been the fodder of more books and movies about him than most traditional Monsters  (save perhaps The Vampire). To understand what makes a Jack, one must have a slight understanding of the World in which Jack was born into and lived.

London of the mid-19th Century (like most Urban centers near water), was a busy hub of import and export trade. Hundreds (if not thousands) of ships from all over the World brought in goods. Conversely, London also drew to her thousands of immigrants from all over the World -  all eager to make a go at a new life. While many of these people were skilled craftsmen, many were not. A major problem with London (again as with most Cities) was living space. With little usable land, most of London was built up upon itself (level by level). Older and easily uninhabitable building were constantly reused. Often, the poor and lower class were stuffed into cramped and unsanitary conditions. Structures built for 4 families were easily cramped with 8 to 10 in a room in some cases. Everybody worked for the paultry pennies they earned. Often, sickness and disease were common. Poorly preserved and cooked food would often help to lead to a high mortality rate for the very young and very old. Alcoholism and drug use were rampant. The breakup of the family unit was a common feature of everyday life. Women left windowed (or their husbands leaving)  left them with no choice but to resort to more unsavory means to earn money  -  namely prostitution. Common and rampant, it was speculated that 60% of all unmarried or widowed women in such poorer districts as Whitechapel were prostitutes. Known collectively as Shilling Whores, these poor women would ply their vocation throughout the dark and dank streets of lower class London. Earning barely enough for a Doss House (or room for a night), as well as more Gin (the drink of choice) -  many of these women were middle-aged and suffered from a collection of health problems (tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, etc). Although many of the Upper Class were aware of these unfortunate conditions few did anything to relieve it. The Church and various  Leagues were completely outmatched for the sheer numbers of poor and unfortunates. Indeed the Writer Charles Dickens said it best when he described the situations with the phrase Downcast London. It is into this said and sorrowful world that Jack The Ripper lived (or operated in).

The London Metropolitan Police Force (and Scotland Yard), were overwhelmed. This was a natural state for them. With thousands of poor, came a high level in simple and complex crimes. Murder and death were NOT uncommon (it was uncommon if a Constable didn't encounter at least 2 murders a week). This coupled with the distrust of the local poor for the Police did much to stop the flow of much needed information regarding crime and known criminals. Although not known as a brutal Force, several Police Administration has resorted to heavy handed tactics to maintain the peace. One such was The Bloody Sunday Incident of 1887. Protests of living conditions and fair working rates, were hijacked by anarchist elements (very common in London at the time). Socialists, Communists, all manner of anti-government radicals invaded the demonstrations. Unable to control the mobs, The Police called for reinforcements from The Army. 75 were killed and over 400 were arrested. Into this fertile ground comes Mary Ann Nichols. A 43 year old prostitute, her body was found on August 31, 1888 -  on a section of Whitechapel named Buck's Row. Her throat cut (almost down to the spine, she also had several deep slashes across her abdomen. What was odd was the little amount of blood at the crime scene. Still, Nichols was a prostitute (and they were killed quite often). The case was not that suspicious.......yet. September 8, 1888. Known prostitute Annie Chapman was found in Whitechapel -  dead. Her throat again cut so deep that the injury almost severed her head. This time the killer had spent more time dissecting his victim. Chapman had been literally splayed open with organs removed and repositioned around her body on the ground. The killer even took the time to carefully rearrange Chapman's personal possessions as well. The Police now felt that this murder (as well as the previous Nichols case) were related and the work of one person. Scotland Yard (London's Detective Bureau), began to look very seriously into the crimes.

Word spread. Could a killer of prostitutes (or women at least), be prowling the streets of Whitechapel What were the Police going to do Would they do anything Little if any evidence was present. Modern Police Forensic simply did not exist yet. In fact the process of fingerprinting was a recent fad that most Police Departments were just starting to examine as a tool. Local newspapers and ''yellow rags'' that specialized in sensational news  (true or not), began to run articles regarding The Police's inability to find the killer. Pointing again to The Bloody Sunday Incident, more and more working class poor became worried that the Police (and Government), didn't care. Those women that could, began to arm themselves with knives and small guns. Prostitutes had no choice but to continue to work (although some now worked in teams ). Often, they entered into arrangements with local Gangs for protection (and having to pay monies they did not have). September 30, 1888. Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes were working prostitutes in Whitechapel. Painfully aware that this killer was still on the loose, they still had to work. Both of which would become part of what is now known as The Double Event. The Ripper (so named by The Star Newspaper)  had killed BOTH women with 30-minutes of each other. Throats cut, some dissection. All fear. George Lusk (anarchist and founder of The Whitechapel Vigilance Committee)  took his group of private police and scoured the District. Falsely accusing several local men, neither of these suspects were the illusive Ripper. Police and Detectives were baffled. Scant few descriptions (all different), came in. Coroner Inquests stated that the killer had some medical knowledge based on the killers skill with his knife (and way he dissected the bodies). Distrust of Medical Doctors were now at the top of the list. 1888 - It truly was The Year of Fear.

Scant clues were found. A missive note left near the Double Event crime scene (written in chalk on a wall) read ''THE JUWES ARE THE MEN THAT WILL NOT BE BLAMED FOR NOTHING'' - lead to a possible backlash against the large Jewish population. Police Authorities ordered it removed before a photo could be taken. Desperate for clues, The Police EVEN resorted to the old technique of photographing the eyes of the victims (to see if the image of the killer was captured!). November 9, 1888. A pretty 25 year old (and relatively new) prostitute by the name of Mary Kelly live on Miller Court (near Whitechapel). She had a painfully small room that she maintained. On November 10, the Landlord came by to get his rent. What he found was possible the worst of The Ripper murders. Kelly had her throat cut (as the others), but being inside The Ripper had more time to play. He hacked Kelly with a axe-like object. Her face was practically removed. Blood was splattered throughout the room. Police took a crime scene photo. Then as quickly as it began......it stopped. Although several more murders where recorded (far from Whitechapel), but still very similar  Police attributed the killing to a copycat (although many still claim it was Jack). By 1892, almost all of The Ripper case evidence was mysteriously lost or misplaced.  Most people quickly forgot about the killings. A list on 10 possible suspects has always been put forward as the most likely  with each suspect death or disappearance the link to the end of the murders. From Queen Victoria's Grandson (Prince Albert Victor) or her personal Physician Dr. William Gull, to a mentally ill medical student, to a crazed foreigner bent on punishing all prostitutes for the disease he received from using their services - each Candidate has his own fans with equally plausible results.

We will NEVER really know who Jack The Ripper was. We will never really know his true motivations. Too much time has passed and too little survivable evidence remains. Jack has become much bigger in myth than his actual crimes. He has become an anti-hero of sorts, exposing the evils of class separation and struggles and the lack of Government edicts to correct the problems. These continuing conditions (no matter where)  will always lead to the creation of a Jack The Ripper.