The Briefing Room
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: R4 TrumPence on May 10, 2012, 08:41:16 am
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New book says Jack the Ripper was a woman
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/book-jack-ripper-a-woman-article-1.1075032 (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/book-jack-ripper-a-woman-article-1.1075032)
Was England’s most notorious serial killer actually Joan The Ripper?
That’s the theory presented in a new book on the bloody 1888 rampage where five London prostitutes were brutally slain during a 10-week killing spree.
“There are numerous clues scattered throughout the crimes which, taken individually, may mean little,” “Jack the Ripper: The Hand of a Woman” author John Morris told the Birmingham Mail.
“But when grouped together, a strong case for a woman murderer begins to emerge.”
Morris, 62, has a particular woman in mind: Lizzie Williams, the wife of royal physician Sir John Williams — often identified himself as a Ripper suspect.
Morris says Lizzie Williams’ homicidal rage was spurred by her infertility, noting that three of the Ripper’s five victims had their wombs removed.
The author also observed that not a single victim was sexually assaulted — and three small buttons from a woman’s boot were found near one victim.
And he suggests Sir John Williams was having an affair with one of the victims: Mary Jane Kelly.
Lizzie Williams was never identified as a suspect, never questioned by police, and died of cancer in 1912.
“The case for a woman murderer is overwhelming,” Morris told the Birmingham paper. “... There’s absolutely no doubt that the Ripper was a woman. But because everyone believes that the murderer was a man, all the evidence that points to a woman has always been ignored.”
More here:
http://www.express.co.uk/features/view/319117 (http://www.express.co.uk/features/view/319117)
and here: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/05/09/jack-the-ripper-was-murderer-really-a-woman-asks-author-john-morris_n_1502173.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/05/09/jack-the-ripper-was-murderer-really-a-woman-asks-author-john-morris_n_1502173.html)
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I'm reminded of novelist Patricia Cornwell's theory that artist Walter Sickert was the "ripper," set forth in her book, Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper—Case Closed. Her research and conclusions were refuted by Stephen Ryder at casebook.org (http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/dst-pamandsickert.html).
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I've seen this theory before, and it really doesn't have any more credence than some of the others which have recently been presented.
The problem is, it is all circumstantial at best, and we'll never really know who Jack the Ripper was.