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Jack the Ripper: 15 Facts About a Notorious Killer and Events That Followed
A crime that fascinates modern detectives.
- Jack the Ripper was an alias for a killer who preyed on prostitutes
- The murders occurred between 1888-1891, killings that terrorized London’s East End
- The drama played out in a 1-mile area around the district known as Whitechapel, part of City of London proper
- The killing spree was believed to be too much for the Whitechapel CID and Scotland Yard became involved, sending in reinforcements
- Ripper victims possibly numbered 11 with a strong belief that actual Ripper casualties were about 5 women
- The nature of the murders included throat slitting and abdominal mutilation. Surgeons who examined the bodies saw evidence of a degree of anatomical knowledge on the killer’s part, which included clean cuts and exact excision.
- The “Jack the Ripper” handle was derived from a mysterious letter that was sent to Central News Agency, and then forwarded on to the Metropolitan Police. The letter related that the author was “down on whores” and that he wouldn’t cease “ripping them.”
Ripper Letter
- Another missive arrived via a postcard. The writer used red ink and referred to himself as “Saucy Jacky,” then signed it Jack the Ripper.
- Although there were a number of suspects in the case, eventually this was narrowed down to four contenders
- The Ripper murders and the Whitechapel murders are not one and the same thing
- The notoriety of the murders became international, with lurid accounts appearing in newspapers of the day
- A female torso was discovered in the cellars of the new police building under construction at Whitehall
- The chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee received half a human kidney in a box accompanied by a letter “From Hell” that concluded: “Catch me when you can.” Was Jack taunting authorities?
- The murders apparently ceased by 1891
- In 1896, another “Jack the Ripper” letter surfaced, with corresponding press activity and speculation that the Ripper had returned
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22 Comments
Nice.Thanks for the trivia.
Outstanding work and research. I’ve study as a ‘Ripperologist’ as well. More on the topic is always welcome.
Again, outstanding.
Wolfe
Thanks, Wolfe, this was an interesting one to write.
thanx alot you dnt find much about jack the ripper on the internet !
Thanks Ellice,
It always nice to receive feedback.
thankyou.
thankx i couldnt find alot out a bout jack util i came on to this webite so cheers.
hi mum
Hello Everyone,
This was an interesting article to research and write. Thank you for your comments.
IM ALWAYS FASCINATED BY SERIAL KILLERS. IM REALLY INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT THEIR MENTAL STATES. WHILE I FIND IT HORRIFYING, ITS STILL A WONDER HOW THE BRAIN WORKS
great but needed more info its always the same stuff about jack like who he killed.
we all no who he killed i need to no more facts
Hi Lewis,
You could try visiting your local library to see if there’s a definitive work about the Ripper.
That would be beyond the scope of this article and applicable word counts.
i am learning about jack the ripper in history and i will recomend this site to my friends
i think that this site has helped me alot
i dont no what i would have done without it…
Hi Bri,
I’m glad the information was helpful. This is an interesting subject.
what is written in jack the rippers letter?
The letter is included above.
Thank You. This was very helpful,
But ive got a test on jack the ripper and i needed more imformation on the suspects because to earn my grades i needed facts on who might the ‘Ripper’ be ; and why they done what they did.
We are learning about this in class ,And we all believe that he was a doctor or a surgeon . Because of his fresh cuts on the women , He knew what he was doing with the slashings to the throat .
hello again .
has anyone got a vision of what jack the ripper looks like ?
and also another theory is that ;
why would jack want to murder prostitutes who get drunk ?
- our class thinks that he done it because probably his mum
used to abuse him when he was young and used to drink alot
and when he see’s these women performing with men for money .
he thinks thats his mum so he kills them .
but thats just a theory – its hard to explain .
Thank you so much! I’m doing my freshman project on Jack and a lot of this information helped a lot!
This is a fascinating subject and it was interesting doing the research for it.