"Jack the Ripper" is the catchy name given to a serial killer who killed a number of prostitutes in the East End of London in 1888. The name originates from a letter written by someone who claimed to be the killer published at the time of the murders. The killings took place within a mile area and involved the districts of London. He was also called the Whitechapel Murderer and "Leather Apron." A new movie starring Johnny Depp and Heather Graham ('From Hell') coming out this week is loosely based on the leading theory on the identity of the killer. So Miranda felt it was her duty to find out what the story is...
The Jack the Ripper murders occurred in London more than a hundred years ago. Much of the original evidence gathered at the time has been lost, and many "facts" are actually opinions by the various writers who have written about the case. This is the most popular theory behind the identity of the killer.
Called 'The Royal Conspiracy theory', it first appeared in 1973 in the BBC programme, Jack the Ripper. The story goes that the producers of the program, in doing research, were told to contact a man named Sickert who knew about a secret marriage between Prince Edward, Queen Victoria's grandson and a poor Catholic girl named Alice Mary Crook. Sickert told an interesting tale.
Joseph Sickert was the son of famous painter, Walter Sickert, from whom he got the story. Sickert Snr had lived in the East End during the time of the murders and was supposedly a close friend of the Royal family. Princess Alex asked Sickert to take Prince Eddy under his wing and watch out for him. Sickert eventually introduced Eddy to a poor girl named Annie Crook who worked in a local tobacco shop. Eddy soon got the girl pregnant and they were living quite happily with their daughter Alice until the Queen discovered her grandson's indiscretion and demanded that the situation be terminated.
Not only was Annie a commoner but a Catholic as well and there was belief that news of a Catholic heir to the throne would spark a revolution. The Queen gave the matter to her Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury, to solve and he, in turn, went to Sir William Gull, the royal doctor. After a raid on their Cleveland Street love nest, Eddy was taken away and Annie was sent to a mental institution where Gull performed experiments on her designed to erase her memory and drive her insane. Their child, however, escaped the raid unharmed with her nanny, Mary Kelly.
Kelly had been a co-worker of Annie's, as well as a model for Sickert, and she became the child's nanny soon after its birth. Knowing that the game was up, Kelly hid Alice with nuns and fled into the East End. Eventually, she told the story to several of her prostitute friends and they decided to blackmail the government for money they needed to pay local protection thugs. When Salisbury learned of the threat, he called on Gull again.
This time, Gull devised an elaborate scheme to silence the women. Enlisting the help of John Netley, a coachman, he created Jack the Ripper. Sir Robert Anderson was enlisted to help cover up the crimes and act as lookout during the murders. The murders would be silent messages about the power of the crown. The women were found and silenced.
But one of the victims, Eddowes, was a mistake. She often went by the name of Mary Kelly and it was a case of mistaken identity. Once the truth was known, the real Mary Kelly was found and removed. The daughter, Alice, grew up and later, by an odd series of twists and turns, married Walter Sickert and gave birth to Joseph.
Sir William Gull died shortly after the murders, but there were rumours that he had been committed to an insane asylum. Annie Crook died insane in a workhouse in 1920.
Joseph said that his father was fascinated with the murders and bore great guilt over them. Walter Sickert, after all, had been the one who introduced Eddy to Annie and started the grisly situation. To alleviate his guilt, for he could say nothing safely, he painted clues into several of his most famous paintings.
Duh duh duh duh!!! Wow, in comparison a bit of toe sucking and affairs seem tame, don't they?
Last updated: 29/04/2008
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"Jack the Ripper" is the catchy name given to a serial killer who killed a number of prostitutes in the East End of London in 1888. The name originates from a letter written by someone who claimed to be the killer published at the time of the murders. The killings took place within a mile area and involved the districts of London. He was also called the Whitechapel Murderer and "Leather Apron." A new movie starring Johnny Depp and Heather Graham ('From Hell') coming out this week is loosely based on the leading theory on the identity of the killer. So Miranda felt it was her duty to find out what the story is...