One x One TIMELINE - Into the Heart of the Ripper {Closed}

[Asteria]

BACKGROUND POINTS
↪ an influx of Irish Immigrants in the East End of London
↪ starting with the year 1882, an influx of Jewish refugees from Tsarist Russia and other areas of Eastern Europe
⇒ the parish of Whitechapel in London's East End becomes increasingly overcrowded
⇒ living conditions worsened and therefore, robbery, violence, alcohol dependency and prostitution (over 62 brothels and 1200 prostitutes present) are commonplace
⇒ the economic problems also lead to a rise in social tensions ⮞ frequent public demonstrations & anti-semitism, crime, nativism, racism, social disturbance
⇒ Whitechapel is now considered "a notorious den of immorality"
​

Kassandra Rose ​

 

[Asteria]

TIMELINE

AUGUST 1896
↪ August 7th: Martha Tabram, a local prostitute, is found stabbed to death on a landing of George Yard Buildings
? August 31st - 3:40 AM: The body of Mary Ann Nichols, considered to be Jack the Ripper's first victim, is found in Buck's Row Whitechapel

SEPTEMBER 1896
↪ September 1st - 4th: After questioning the prostitutes, the police learn about a character who the prostitutes have nicknamed "Leather Apron" who has been extorting money from them for the past 12 months ⮞ murmurs of anti-semitism
? September 8th - 6:00 AM: The second Jack the Ripper victim, Annie Chapman, is found in the back yard of 29 Hanbury Street
↪ The Mile End Vigilance Committee is founded
↪ Dr. Victor Griffiths starts to assist the case
↪ September 10th - 6:00 AM: John Pizer, whom the prostitutes recognize as the "Leather Apron" is arrested by the police; he can, however, provide alibis for the two recent murders and is released
↪ September 27th: the press receives the 'Dear Boss' letter, signed by Jack the Ripper (now, the killer has a name)
? September 30th - 1:00 AM: The body of Elizabeth Stride is found in Berner Street, off Commercial Road
? September 30th - 1:45 AM: The body of Catherine Eddowes is discovered in Mitre Square in the City of London by Daniel Shoemaker and his division
↪ Another Police force, the City of London Police, now joins in the hunt for the murderer

OCTOBER 1896
↪ October 1st: The first letter becomes public
↪ October 6th: Another letter that is signed 'Jack the Ripper' is received by the press
↪ October 16th: The third letter signed by Jack the Ripper,"From Hell"/ "Lusk Letter", is received by Elizabeth De Verre and taken to the police
↪ October 25th: The police ask for the assistance of Dr. Laszlo Kreizler and his team​

NOVEMBER 1896
↪ November 9th: Dr. Laszlo Kreizler and his party arrive in London
↪ November 9th: Another letter is received by Elizabeth De Verre​

 

[Kassandra Rose]

DETAIL

SEPTEMBER 27TH: DEAR BOSS LETTER SENT TO THE LONDON POST - NO SIGNIFICANT TARGET RECIPIENTS

Dear Boss,

I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they wont fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled. Grand work the last job was. I gave the lady no time to squeal. How can they catch me now. I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me with my funny little games. I saved some of the proper red stuff in a ginger beer bottle over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I cant use it. Red ink is fit enough I hope ha. ha. The next job I do I shall clip the ladys ears off and send to the police officers just for jolly wouldn't you. Keep this letter back till I do a bit more work, then give it out straight. My knife's so nice and sharp I want to get to work right away if I get a chance. Good Luck.

Yours truly
Jack the Ripper
Dont mind me giving the trade name

PS Wasnt good enough to post this before I got all the red ink off my hands curse it No luck yet. They say I'm a doctor now. ha ha

Spoiler

OCTOBER 16TH: THE LUSK LETTER IS SENT TO ELIZABETH DE VERRE AT THE LONDON POST

From hell

Little L

Sor

I send you half the Kidne I took from one women prasarved it for you tother piece I fried and ate it was very nise I may send you the bloody knif that took it out if you only wate a whil longer

signed Catch me when you Can

Little L”




MEDICAL OPINION IS SOUGHT

The general consensus was that they should seek a medical opinion and so the kidney was taken to Dr Frederick Wiles's Mile End Road surgery.

Although Wiles was not there, his assistant Dr Reed examined the kidney and gave it as his opinion that it was human.

CONFIRMATION FROM DR. OPENSHAW

"...a portion of a human kidney - a "ginny" kidney - that is to say, one that had belonged to a person who had drunk heavily. He was further of the opinion that it was the organ of a woman of about 45 years of age, and that it had been taken from the body within the last three weeks. It will be within public recollection that the left kidney was missing from the woman Eddowes, who was murdered and mutilated in Mitre-square...”


NOVEMBER 9TH: ELIZABETH DE VERRE RECIEVES A LETTER IN HER HOME CONSISTING OF A POEM "8 LITTLE WHORES" AND A SMALL LOVING THREAT

You thought your-self very clever I reckon when you informed the police. But you made a mistake if you thought I dident see you. Now I known you know me and I see your little game, and I mean to finish you and send your ears to your family. If you show this to the police or help them if you do I will finish you. It no use your trying to get out of my way. Because I have you when you dont expect it and I keep my word as you'll soon see as I rip you up. Yours truly Jack the Ripper.

PS You see I know your address

Poem attached:

Eight little whores, with no hope of heaven,
Gladstone may save one, then there'll be seven.
Seven little whores beggin for a shilling,
One stays in Henage Court, then there's a killing.
Six little whores, glad to be alive,
One sidles up to Jack, then there are five.
Four and whore rhyme aright,
So do three and me,
I'll set the town alight
Ere there are two.
Two little whores, shivering with fright,
Seek a cosy doorway in the middle of the night.
Jack's knife flashes, then there's but one,
And the last one's the ripest for Jack's idea of fun.​

 

[Kassandra Rose]

LOCATIONS

GUNTHORPE STREET AND GEORGE'S YARD

If ever there was an alleyway which evoked memories of the dark old days of London’s East End, it’s Gunthorpe Street with an atmospheric archway and cobbled street it is next to the White Hart pub on Whitechapel High Street.



The pub and the alley would have been very well known being, as it was, at the heart of darkest Whitechapel although back in the day it was called George’s Yard Buildings. Prostitutes would have drunk there and the alley would have been a favoured location for a quick ‘knee trembler’.



Alongside George’s Yard was another alley, Angel Alley, another dingy place and another favoured haunt when there wasn’t a place with a roof to go back to.




DURWARD STREET / BUCKS ROW - WHITECHAPEL

The first ‘official’ victim according to many was Mary ‘Polly’ Nicholls who was killed in the early hours of 31st August 1888. She was drunk and wandering the streets trying to find ‘doss money’ for the night. Durward Street wasn’t always called this, at the time of the murder it was called Bucks Row, itself a variation of it’s former name ‘Ducks Row’ which in turn was a mere shortening of it’s more, rather exotic name ‘Ducking Pond Row’. Martha was found by the school in a gateway in front of one of the houses that formerly lined the street.




HANBURY STREET - SPITALFIELDS

Hanbury Street was not far from the Ten Bells pub where Annie Chapman was drinking on 8th September 1888. Annie had lodgings in Dorset Street just over the road from the pub but didn’t have any doss money. It is thought that she went out to earn some and met a man at the pub.

The Ten Bells was a notorious pub, next door to Itchy Park it would have been a well known haunt and at the heart of darkest Spitalfields where many of the slums were at there worst. It sits on the corner of Fournier Street, now well renovated and home to some of the finest houses in London, it would be been well patrolled by the likes of Annie Chapman back in the day.

Her body was discovered on the morning of 8th September 1888 at the back of 29 Hanbury Street, a house just round the corner from the Ten Bells a mere few minutes away. ​

BERNERS STREET / HENRIQUE STREET - WHITECHAPEL



The first of two murders committed on the night of 30th September 1888 and often referred to as the ‘double event’ occured in a place called Dutfield’s Yard just off from Berner Street. The victim was Elizabeth Stride and it is thought that the killer had been disturbed as the throat had been cut but the body had not been mutilated. Although classed as one of the canonical five, there is some doubt as to whether Elizabeth was a Ripper victim because of this lack of mutilation. However many others think that because another killing was committed later the same evening in another part of town, the killer must have been disturbed and needed to finish what he had started.


MITRE SQUARE - ALDGATE



The second murder on the evening of the 30th September 1888 happened in Mitre Square, just inside the jurisdiction of the City of London. The victim, Catherine Eddowes had already been arrested that evening for being drunk and was only released from custody at 1am. Instead of going back home to her lodging in Flower and Dean Street she instead headed towards Aldgate and to the area in which she would be killed.


DORSET STREET / MILLERS COURT - SPITALFIELDS

Possibly the most gruesome murder was that of Mary Jane Kelly on 9th November 1888 in what is now the heart of affluent Spitalfields. It wasn’t the case back then though, Millers Court was a grotty place almost opposite the infamous Itchy Park where vagabonds slept and prostitutes wandered. This was a hard place and Mary Kelly had a room here. She was found on the 9th November 1888 in her room and horribly mutilated. Where the ripper had in the past worked quickly, it would seem that the safety of the enclosed space had given him more time to work.

When Charles Booth produced his poverty map of London in 1889, Millers Court and Dorset Street received the lowest rating, black for ‘lowest class, vicious and semi-criminal’.




CASTLE ALLEY / OLD CASTLE STREET - ALDGATE

Alice McKenzie was murdered on the 17th July 1889 which is long after the last of Jack the Ripper’s ‘official’ victims but there is much speculation that because of the similarity of the crimes it was actually she who was the last victim. After going out looking for business with her friend ‘Mog Cheeks’ her body was found by a barrow at the entrance to Old Castle Street formerly known as Castle Alley.




THE 'DE VERRE' LONDON HOUSEHOLD




THE 'DE VERRE' FAMILY HOUSEHOLD





PICADILLY CIRCUS


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TRAFALGAR SQUARE

Trafalgar Square is a public square in the City of Westminster, London. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, a British naval victory in the Napoleonic wars with France and Sopain that took place on 21 October 1805 off the coast of Trafalgar, Spain.

The square has been used for community gatherings and political demonstrations, including Bloody Sunday, the first Aldermarston March, suffragist campaigns, anti-war protests, and campaigns against climate change.




OXFORD STREET




REGENT STREET




ROYAL OPERA HOUSE




BUCKINGHAM PALACE





CONVENT GARDEN MARKET

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