Jack the Ripper: History
Infamous Serial Killer Terrorized 19th Century London
Jack the Ripper was an unknown murderer who took the lives of five women in London's dangerous Whitechapel area in 1888. This article provides an overview of the case.
British authorities have released a facial composite of a man who they believe was Jack the Ripper, This infamous serial killer murdered five prostitutes in the Whitechapel district of London in the late summer and early fall of 1888. These unfortunate women were:
- Polly Nichols
- Annie Chapman
- Liz Stride
- Catherine Eddowes
- Mary Kelly
Whitechapel was an ideal place for the Ripper's crimes. It was literally the end of the road for the poor, the perpetually unemployed and the mentally ill. His victims were forced to walk the streets for a living since there was no other work available for them, and they were at the mercy of vicious gangs who siphoned their meagre earnings. Life was tough for these women, and it was about to get a whole lot worse.
This rough neighborhood in London was a labyrinth of narrow alleyways, alcoves and yards which were dimly lit at night. Electric illumination was rare in those days. This might have been how the Ripper was able to escape so quickly, just minutes before the police arrived at the scene. Liz Stride and Catherine Eddowes were killed only a few hours apart, and both of them had their throats cut to stop them from screaming.
The residents of Whitechapel were in a justifiable state of panic, and the streets fell silent after dark. The police couldn't offer much protection either. There were no witnesses who could give a description, no murder weapons left behind and no other kind of physical evidence to give the police an idea of who they were dealing with. Fingerprinting was an investigative tool that was not available to the police in the 1880s, much less known. Further aggravating the already tense situation were the letters that the Ripper sent to the police boasting about his crimes. He was taunting them and remarked that he would continue to kill without hesitation or conscience.
Mary Kelly was the last confirmed victim and her body was found in a small rented room at 13 Miller's Court on November 9th, 1888. When the landlord knocked on the door to ask for the rent and there was no reply, he looked through the window and saw the remains of Kelly's body. She was almost completely dismembered.
The police were trying to put together a list of suspects and came up with several names:
- Jill/Jane the Ripper - The fact that the victims were so horribly mutilated suggested that the attacker was female and practicing under the guise of abortions. But there is no longer any evidence that proves that this unknown killer was a woman.
- Montague John Druitt - A former lawyer, whose body was pulled out of the Thames River in December, 1888. The killings ended not long before.
- Dr. Thomas Neill Cream - He was actually a serial killer and was hanged in 1892. Just an instant before his execution he said, "I am Jack....." But he was ruled out as a suspect since he was in prison in the United States during the murders.
So, the puzzle remains unsolved. Two renowned actors, Michael Caine and Johnny Depp have both played the role of Ins. Frederick Abberline, the real investigator of the Ripper crimes. More details of "Jack the Ripper" and "From Hell" can be found at IMDB.
